VIDEO: What is ocean acidification?

We hear the phrase “ocean acidification” often, frequently connected to conversations around climate change, but what exactly is ocean acidification? The Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies research scientist Sophie Chu walks us through the causes, effects and implications of ocean acidification. Q: What do you study? A: My research focuses mainly on evaluating existing ocean carbon sensor technology and developing new technologies to measure the carbon cycle and ocean acidification.

Research, education hub on ‘coastal resiliency’ will focus on earthquakes, coastal erosion and climate change

A circular tsunami evacuation sign in front of a grassy coastline

The National Science Foundation has funded a multi-institutional team led by Oregon State University and the University of Washington to work on increasing resiliency among Pacific Northwest coastal communities. The new Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub will serve coastal communities in Northern California, Oregon and Washington. The hub’s multidisciplinary approach will span geoscience, social science, public policy and community partnerships.

In Memoriam: John A. Wott

John Wott holding a microphone and making a speech

We are saddened to share the news that John A. Wott, retired professor emeritus, Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington and former Washington Park Arboretum director, passed away on August 28, 2021, at the age of 82. Wott, who earned his bachelor’s in agricultural education from Ohio State University in 1961, and then his master’s (1966) and Ph.D. (1968) in ornamental horticulture from Cornell University, established himself as an expert in the horticultural community first at Purdue University and then at the University of Washington.

Volcanic eruptions may have spurred first ‘whiffs’ of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere

Roger Buick in 2004 at the Mount McRae Shale in Western Australia

A new analysis of 2.5-billion-year-old rocks from Australia finds that volcanic eruptions may have stimulated population surges of marine microorganisms, creating the first puffs of oxygen into the atmosphere. This would change existing stories of Earth’s early atmosphere, which assumed that most changes in the early atmosphere were controlled by geologic or chemical processes. Though focused on Earth’s early history, the research also has implications for extraterrestrial life and even climate change.

Kelp farming and the potential for new maritime markets in Puget Sound

kelp growing in the cold waters of the Salish Sea

When people think of farms, they tend to picture tidy rows of crops growing under abundant sunshine on terra firma. However, it turns out that not all farms are on land, and in fact some flourish in the sea. You have likely heard of shellfish and finfish farming, but a new type of cultivation is emerging in our region: seaweed farming.