Hacking the Earth’s climate to counteract global warming—a subject that elicits strong reactions from both sides—is the topic of a December special issue of the journal Climatic Change. A dozen research papers include the most detailed description yet of the proposed Oxford Principles to govern geoengineering research, as well as surveys on the technical hurdles, ethics and regulatory issues related to deliberately manipulating the planet’s climate. 

When people hear of the College of the Environment, many think that means we are “the College of Environmental Problem Solving.” While, admittedly, we excel at addressing some of the greatest environmental challenges of our day, our research and education programs have a much broader scope. The rigorous and innovative fundamental science that our faculty, staff and students undertake addresses scientific questions that push the frontiers of what we know about life, our planet, and our solar system, and embodies the pure joy of discovery. 

The Washington Ocean Acidification Center recently awarded funding to a local group of oceanographers, giving them the green light to develop an ocean acidification forecasting model for the Pacific Northwest.  The first of its kind, the model will allow aquaculture and natural resource managers to better predict how ocean acidification is taking shape throughout the numerous waterways of our state. “We are excited to launch this project funded by the Center,” said Jan Newton, the Center’s co-director.   

Earth and space sciences professor John Vidale studies earthquakes, the vast majority of which are caused naturally.  But he and a team of researchers have a seismometer — which measures motion in the ground — located near CenturyLink Field that picked up a small tremor on Monday night caused by something entirely different.  Read more in the Seattle Times.