With climate change, a northward shift of Earth’s wind and rain belts could make a broad swath of regions drier, including the Middle East, American West and Amazonia, while making Monsoon Asia and equatorial Africa wetter. This is based on new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and is supported by modeling done by ATMOS’ Dargan Frierson. 

What did you do this summer? This intern in the Climate Change Youth Initiative got to spend her summer studying salmon in the Sitka National Historic Park, and talking to the public about climate change. Watch as she shares her summer experiences. 

Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at the University of Washington launching Summer 2014 The goal of the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at the University of Washington, a multi-year conservation immersion program, is to broaden participation within conservation and diversify what it means to be a “conservation professional.” They are looking for 20-25 freshmen and sophomores to join an eight week immersion course this summer. 

Since dried filters from the mouths of filter-feeding rays hit apothecary shop menus in  Asia – the thought being that eating ground-up filters will cleanse one’s liver – there’s been no way to know which of these gentle-natured rays was being slaughtered. Unlike predatory rays that attack and crush prey with their mouths, the filter-feeder rays eat plankton particles, larvae and fish eggs that they sieve from seawater. 

The New Zealand Forest opened September 15, 2013 at the Washington Park Arboretum.  Read more about this new exhibit in the Seattle Times.