Professor Norbert Untersteiner – Department of Atmospheric Sciences in UW’s College of the Environment – passed away earlier this month; he was 86.  Read about his remarkable life and legacy – from his childhood in Austria to his adventures and work in the Arctic – in this Seattle Times piece. 

UC Santa Barbara resource economists Christopher Costello and Robert Deacon, and SAFS‘ Ray Hilborn and Trevor Branch will be undertaking an examination of the ongoing effects of a West Coast fisheries management system implemented by NOAA in January 2011. This effort is funded as part of a $1 million West Coast Sea Grant social science initiative, funded by NOAA Sea Grant and its partners. 

Washington DC’s cherry blossoms are busting out early this year. A UW research paper, authored by Professor Soo-Hyung Kim,  suggests that global warming could move up the budding by as much as a month.  Read more here. 

A Washington Department of Natural Resources study has concluded that up to 3 million tons of wood waste can be removed from the state’s forests for biofuels production without harming the ecosystem. This total is double the amount currently being removed. The report was a collaborative effort involving SEFS. Read more here. 

Atmospheric Sciences Professor John M. Wallace published an op-ed in the AGU journal Eos, exploring the relationships between global warming and extreme events. What does one mean in relation to the other, and is the conversation useful? Check out the PDF here.