Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn says coal trains would cause increased traffic delays for drivers and pedestrians at eight Seattle intersections, if an export terminal is built near Bellingham. Examination of our use and transportation of coal is important partly due to global-warming-induced sea level rise. Read more here; CIG‘s research is cited. 

In their natural habitat – the forests of Indonesia – cockatoos have never been seen making or using tools. But researchers report today that Figaro, a member of a captive colony of the birds in Austria, invents and uses stick tools of his own design. Read more about this phenomenon; SEFS‘ John Marzluff is quoted. 

Human activity in the Puget Sound region of Washington State has caused an uptick in the nitrogen level fueling algae growth. But how can this urgent environmental challenge be communicated to the general public? Students in the University of Washington’s Master’s Program in GIS created a solution. Read more here! 

“Dead wolves don’t learn”. John Marzluff, professor of wildlife science in SEFS, makes the case for changes in wolf management, for the betterment of both our ecosystems and our socioeconomic systems. 

A looming gap in satellite coverage, expected within the next few years unless a jury-rigged solution can be implemented, will mean loss of data critical to tracking storms such as the now-approaching Hurricane Sandy. ATMO‘s Dennis Hartmann is quoted; read more here.