11 news posts from July 2018

Return to News

As Atlantic Ocean circulation shifts gears, global warming will reaccelerate

Ocean Wave

A huge circulation pattern in the Atlantic Ocean took a starring role in the 2004 movie, “The Day After Tomorrow.” In that fictional tale, the global oceanic current suddenly stops and New York City freezes over. While many aspects of the movie are unrealistic, oceanographers are concerned about the long-term stability of Atlantic Ocean circulation, and previous studies show that it has slowed dramatically in the past decade. 

Read more at UW Today »

Russell Callender named director of Washington Sea Grant

Russell Callender, director of Washington Sea Grant effective September 2018.

UW’s College of the Environment is pleased to announce that Dr. W. Russell Callender has been named the director of Washington Sea Grant and will join UW Environment’s ranks in September 2018. As a result of the Advisory Search Committee’s deeply consultative process led by Amy Snover, Russell emerged as the best person to lead Washington Sea Grant. Russell is a committed champion for coastal science and conservation and brings more than 25 years of experience in science, policy and management to the director position — including several years as the assistant director of the Virginia Sea Grant Program. 

Read more »

Student’s augmented reality game takes players to UW campus under altered climate scenarios

University of Washington's Suzzallo Library

University of Washington Bothell’s Andrew McDonald, a student in the interactive media design program, has long been passionate about video game design. Then he heard about EarthGames, a group of researchers, game developers and students based at UW who create games to inspire climate action and accountability. “I had done some work with augmented reality before, but had never worked with it to EarthGames’ scale,” McDonald said. 

Read more about The Other World »

LGBT STEM Day: UW Environment Dean says it's time to talk about it

College of the Environment Dean Lisa J. Graumlich

UW Environment Dean Lisa J. Graumlich shares her thoughts about LGBT STEM Day, celebrated July 5th, on the American Geophysical Union’s From the Prow blog. “So, why do we need a special day for LGBT STEM? The data speak for themselves. According to a 2013 study in Nature, 43 percent of our scientific community is not comfortable being out at work,” Graumlich says. 

Read more on AGU's From the Prow blog »

Study identifies which marine mammals are most at risk from increased Arctic ship traffic

Beluga whales in the pack ice in West Greenland. Ships using the Northwest Passage would travel through Baffin Bay off Greenland’s west coast.

In recent decades, parts of the Arctic seas have become increasingly ice-free in late summer and early fall. As sea ice is expected to continue to recede due to climate change, seasonal ship traffic from tourism and freight is projected to rise. A study from the University of Washington and the University of Alaska Fairbanks is the first to consider potential impacts on the marine mammals that use this region in autumn and identify which species will be most vulnerable.  

Read more at UW Today »