Cherry blossoms, an icon of spring, are celebrated in many cultures of the temperate region. For its sensitivity to winter and early spring temperatures, the timing of cherry blossoms is an ideal indicator of the impacts of climate change on tree phenology.  Center for Urban Horticulture’s Uran Chung and others examine the phenology of cherry trees in DC, the Midwest, and here on UW campus to see how they might respond to climate change.  

UW’s Sustainability page is currently highlighting recent research from Oceanography’s Peter Rhines, who collaborated on a Science paper (abstract linked here) just released last week.  He and his colleagues found that Atlantic multidecadal ocean variability (AMV) related to clusters of short-term weather events that brought 2010’s “Snowmageddon” to the east coast of North America.  These clusters in turn affect ocean current.  

Check out this insightful story about the work being done to restore herring fisheries, and herring history.  SAFS’ Lorenz Hauser’s work is cited. 

Watch this video to see why ice floating is a good thing for your cold drink (also featuring Professor Dale Durran as a server who goes above and beyond for his customers)! 

A newly published paper in Global Environmental Change demonstrates the utility of historical climate data for identifying areas that might diversify protected are networks.  Co-authors include Lisa Graumlich and Jennifer Davison. Also check out two new papers in Science, covered by this ‘perspectives’ article, that talk about the effects of climate space on biodiversity, both past and future.