A national team co-led by a University of Washington geotechnical engineer will investigate what caused the March 22 mudslide in Snohomish County and what effects the disaster had on the nearby residential communities. The Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association is mobilizing to collect information about the landslide that occurred on a steep slope above the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River near Oso, Wash.,
Read more »
Join us on April 1 for Climate Action Goes To Washington (State): Energy Solutions in the Pacific Northwest. The event will feature Washington Governor Jay Inslee, College of the Environment Dean Lisa Graumlich, and other distinguished leaders for a discussion on the future of clean industry. The recent agreement between Washington state, British Columbia, Oregon and California to harmonize their climate and energy policies has the potential both to accelerate greenhouse gas reductions and to catalyze a strong, clean, and resilient economy.
Read more »In a twist on the concept of citizen scientist, University of Washington science students helped the state Legislature with environmental policy. During the past year and a half, four UW graduate students participated in a working group tasked with creating policies to satisfy the 2008 law requiring Washington state to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Read more about these students and how they participated on UW Today.
Read more »
On Saturday March 22, a powerful landslide occurred above the Stillaguamish River near the town of Oso in western Washington. David Montgomery, professor of Earth and space sciences, talks to Ashley Ahearn at KUOW about what causes such slides to occur. Listen to the story on KUOW. Since this report, Montgomery has shared his expertise through numerous other media outlets, including: Seattle Times Op-Ed: Map the runout risk for landslides like Oso New York Times: In a State Known for Landslides, a Deadly Mix of Loose Sediments and Heavy Rain KUOW: Geological Circumstances Behind Washington Mudslide PBS NewsHour: Washington state mudslide conditions present ‘nightmare scenario’ for rescue team, says geologist
Read more »
The successful Future of Ice Speaker Series came to a close on March 11 with a visit from Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a Canadian Inuit leader who spoke about how our planet’s changing climate is deeply affecting the Inuit culture and way of life. Watt-Cloutier routinely travels the globe, drawing attention to the issue of climate change using a human lens to talk about impacts.
Read more »
