A report prepared by the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs’ Dr. Robert Pavia and other researchers, for NOAA’s emergency response division, say it is unclear whether diluted bitumen will float in water and for how long the molasses-like mixture will remain at the surface. Learn more about the science and potential impacts of oilsands spills in rivers or coastal areas at this Calgary Herald story.
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For scientists studying the climate, clouds are tricky. They are hard to measure, and hard to model. Additionally, the recorded data about clouds only goes back to the 70’s and 80’s, except for the journals from old ships. The effects of clouds on climate change is complicated even more by dust, pollution, smoke, and other tiny particles in the air – aerosols – which interact with clouds, and climate, in a significant and complicated way.
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The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network installed a third seismograph at CenturyLink Field this week in the wake of the Seattle Seahawks win over the New Orleans Saints last weekend that provided a trial by fire of the network’s website and new monitoring tools. Before last weekend’s game, network scientists set up two near real-time seismic monitors at CenturyLink to augment data from a third seismograph about a block away.
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The Northwest has long been a hub for Alaska-bound fishing vessels and scientific study of the Arctic. The University of Washington’s new “Future of Ice” initiative seeks to build on that research in a region now undergoing rapid changes. The initiative includes several new hires, a new minor in Arctic studies and a winter lecture series. “This is partly recognizing how much is going on in polar research at the UW,” said initiative director Eric Steig, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences who studies ice cores.
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Some marine scientists say many of the world’s fish stocks are nearing collapse, but the data suggest otherwise. So why is the media still reporting that we’re on the verge of a fisheries collapse? Read more, including an essay by Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Professor Ray Hilborn, on Mother Nature Network.
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