The global pandemic has put a focus on essential workers, those we rely on for basic services. Workers who pick crops, from strawberries to apples to nuts, already face harsh conditions harvesting in fields during summer harvest months. Those conditions will worsen significantly over the coming decades. A new study from the University of Washington and Stanford University, published online in Environmental Research Letters, looks at temperature increases in counties across the United States where crops are grown.
Read more at UW News »Megan Dethier named director of Friday Harbor Laboratories
The UW College of the Environment is pleased to announce that Megan Dethier has agreed to serve as director of the Friday Harbor Laboratories, effective May 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022. Dethier has been serving as the Interim Director of Friday Harbor Laboratories. Dethier is a research professor in the Biology Department at the University of Washington and works full-time at the College’s Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island.
Read more »David Montgomery awarded 2020 Vega Medal
The Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography (SSAG) has awarded School of Earth and Spaces Sciences’ Professor David Montgomery the 2020 Vega Medal in honor of his achievements in physical geography, especially within the field of geomorphology. The objective of the SSAG is to promote the development of anthropology, geography, and closely related sciences in Sweden, to serve as a connecting link between scientists within these disciplines and the public, to initiate and maintain relations with foreign societies, and to support research in these areas.
Read more »Apprentices build floats and careers in Argo Lab
In the basement of one of UW’s oceanography buildings, visitors see all sorts of strange, ocean-going equipment. What are those long, yellow tube-things in there — and what on earth do they do? Turns out they’re an instrument known as an Argo float, and they are used globally to monitor ocean properties such as temperature, salinity, pressure and more recently, biogeochemical elements such as oxygen and nitrate.
Read more »Dose of nature at home could help mental health, well-being during COVID-19
As residents in Washington and much of the nation are confined to their homes and apartments under COVID-19 restrictions, many people are missing their usual “nature escapes”: that hike to a serene lake, a mountain bike trail through the woods, or even a favorite campground by a river where you can relax and recharge. As studies have shown — and personal experiences can attest — spending time in nature helps reduce anxiety, improve mental health and well-being, and bolster physical health.
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