Two new studies involving the University of Washington are shedding new light on the internal workings and risks from volcanoes, especially the ones in the Cascade range in Washington, Oregon and Northern California. Read more and watch video on King5.com
Read more »Magma can survive for hundreds of millennia in Earth's upper crust, researchers find
Reservoirs of silica-rich magma – the kind that causes the most explosive volcanic eruptions – can persist in Earth’s upper crust for hundreds of thousands of years without triggering an eruption, according to new University of Washington modeling research. Read more about this study, undertaken by ESS’ Sarah Gelman and others, in this UW News story.
Read more »Scientists take broad stock of ecological effects of sea ice loss
When it comes to sea ice loss, it’s not only the weather that’s affected. A review paper published this week (Aug. 2) in the journal Science looks at the ecological consequences of sea ice decline, from species range changes and new interactions, to disease dynamics, to nutrient deficiencies. ATMO’s Cecilia Bitz is a co-author; read more in this UW News story.
Read more »Nighttime heat waves quadruple in Pacific Northwest
Nighttime heat waves are becoming more frequent in western Washington and Oregon. Research from JISAO and the Office of the Washington State Climatologist shows that the region west of the Cascades saw only three nighttime heat waves between 1901 and 1980, but that number quadrupled to 12 nighttime heat waves in the three decades after 1980. Read more in this UW News story.
Read more »State climatologist releases summer outlook
With continuing neutral ENSO conditions, the Office of the Washington State Climatologist reported today that Washington may be in for a warmer-than-normal summer and early fall. We might see above-normal precipitation later in the fall. Read more at their website.
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