Volunteers help UW scientists understand the story behind the dead birds that wash ashore

Volunteers examine a dead seabird on the beach.

Thanks to the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team of community volunteers, UW scientists can better understand the health of fragile marine ecosystems, predict the impact of a changing climate or of potential oil spills, and see the devastation of harmful algae blooms. More than a decade ago, Jeanne Finke’s friends invited her to join them for a walk on a stretch of beach known as South Pacific. 

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Newly discovered form of salty ice could exist on surface of extraterrestrial moons

Red streaks across the surface of Europa, the smallest of Jupiter’s four large moons.

The red streaks crisscrossing the surface of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, are striking. Scientists suspect it is a frozen mixture of water and salts, but its chemical signature is mysterious because it matches no known substance on Earth. An international team led by the University of Washington may have solved the puzzle with the discovery of a new type of solid crystal that forms when water and table salt combine in cold and high-pressure conditions. 

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UW experts discuss the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Landscan image of Turkey.

Three University of Washington experts have provided the following quotes in response to the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday morning. Harold Tobin is director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and a UW professor of Earth and space sciences. Tobin studies tectonic plate boundaries with a focus on how faults work and the conditions inside them that lead to earthquakes. 

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Nominations for 2023 College of the Environment Awards open through March 10

A view of the large metal W on the Seattle Campus with the sun peeking out behind.

Do you know a student, faculty, postdoc, or staff member who deserves recognition for their work? The College of the Environment Awards recognize individuals and teams who have gone above and beyond their own roles and have made significant contributions not only to our college, but to the University of Washington overall and the communities we serve. Each year the College of the Environment recognizes outstanding members of our College community in the following categories: Distinguished Staff Member Exceptional Mentoring of Undergraduates Graduate Dean’s Medalist Outstanding Community Impact: Staff, Faculty or Student Outstanding Diversity Commitment Outstanding Teaching Faculty Undergraduate Dean’s Medalist Individuals or groups may be nominated in any of these categories except Undergraduate and Graduate Dean’s Medalist awards, which are individual awards. 

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Ice cores show even dormant volcanoes leak abundant sulfur into the atmosphere

Sulfurous plumes in Laugavegur, Iceland

Volcanoes draw plenty of attention when they erupt. But new research led by the University of Washington shows that volcanoes leak a surprisingly high amount of their atmosphere- and climate-changing gases in their quiet phases. A Greenland ice core shows that volcanoes quietly release at least three times as much sulfur into the Arctic atmosphere than estimated by current climate models. 

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