The entire UW College of the Environment community is mourning the loss of Sarah Reichard, director of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and professor at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. Our heartfelt thoughts are with her friends and loved ones during this difficult time.
Read more from her home department, Forest and Environmental Sciences »Interactive map shows where animals will move under climate change
Scientists predict that as Earth warms and climate patterns morph in response, animals will be forced to move to survive. That usually means hightailing it to higher latitudes as equatorial areas become too hot and dry. The University of Washington and The Nature Conservancy have created an animated map showing where mammals, birds and amphibians are projected to move in the Western Hemisphere in response to climate change.
Read more at UW Today »Plants' future water use affects long-term drought estimates
As humans pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and global temperatures rise, many questions loom. One major issue is how much fresh water will be available for people, forests and agriculture. A study led by the University of Washington shows that popular long-term drought estimates have a major flaw: They ignore the fact that plants will be less thirsty as carbon dioxide rises.
Read more at UW Today »Nations slated to be hit hardest by invasive species are the least prepared
Two UW Environment faculty members contributed to a study in Nature Communications that found the countries most at risk for nonnative species invasions are the least well-equipped to deal with the threat.
Read more »From White House to Tacoma, WA, urban agriculture is growing
For University of Washington professor Sally Brown, it’s always been about food in cities. She got her start as a chef in New York City, then ran a wholesale vegetable business selling only locally grown vegetables in the New York area. Brown then went to graduate school to learn how city waste could be used to enrich soils on nearby farms.
Read more at UW Today »