Antarctic sea-ice models improve for the next IPCC, UW study shows 

The world of climate modeling is complex, requiring an enormous amount of coordination and collaboration to produce. Models feed on mountains of different inputs to run simulations of what a future world might look like, and can be so big — in some cases, lines of code in the millions — they take days or weeks to run. Building these models can be challenging, but getting them right is critical for us to see where climate change is taking us, and importantly, what we might do about it. 

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The Thomas G. Thompson's triumphant return

The Thomas G. Thompson has spent a quarter century exploring the world’s oceans.

Friday, May 8 marked the triumphant return of the research vessel Thomas G. Thompson, which arrived home to a sunny Seattle after 823 days at sea. University of Washington Oceanography community members waited along the city’s waterways (practicing social distancing) from the Ballard Locks to the UW campus holding welcome home signs. The excitement was palpable, with many documenting the moment via social media for their colleagues who weren’t there in person. 

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Pacific oysters in the Salish Sea may not contain as many microplastics as previously thought

Julieta Martinelli collects oysters at Kopachuck State Park near Gig Harbor, Washington.

Plastic pollution is an increasingly present threat to marine life and one which can potentially impact your dinner table. Oysters, and other economically valuable shellfish, filter their food from the water where they may also inadvertently capture tiny microplastics. The ingestion and accumulation of these microplastics can have detrimental effects on their health and may be passed to other animals, including humans, through the food chain. 

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Just how sustainable is a fish burger?

Ray Hilborn holding Chinook

“I’m an environmentalist, does that mean I should stop eating fish?” What began as an innocent question from a coworker worried about their environmental output sparked research that ultimately led UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Professor Ray Hilborn to answer the question: Just how sustainable is the fish burger? The short answer is very. After collecting data at the Alaska Salmon Program (specifically Bristol Bay and Prince William Sound), Hilborn found that Alaskan net fisheries have particularly low greenhouse gas usage, especially when it comes to sockeye salmon, pink salmon and pollock. 

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