The collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991 had social, political and economic effects worldwide. Among them was a suspected role in slowing human-generated methane emissions. But new University of Washington research uses early satellite records to dispute that assumption.
Read more at UW News »80 mph speed record for glacier fracture helps reveal the physics of ice sheet collapse
There’s enough water frozen in Greenland and Antarctic glaciers that if they melted, global seas would rise by many feet. What will happen to these glaciers over the coming decades is the biggest unknown in the future of rising seas, partly because glacier fracture physics is not yet fully understood. A critical question is how warmer oceans might cause glaciers to break apart more quickly.
Read more at UW News »UW spinoff Banyu Carbon nets millions in investments, on track for pilot testing of its low-cost carbon removal technology
University of Washington spinoff Banyu Carbon, which is developing an inexpensive and low-energy method for carbon removal, recently raised $6.5 million in seed round funding, putting the company on track to scale up its technology for pilot testing this year.
Read more »El Niño shows us the true face of climate change
Though the El Niño period we’re in is natural and relatively predictable, its impacts on the global environment and economy have been significant — from sweltering heat in Australia to deep freezes across the southern U.S. El Niño may be giving us a glimpse of what’s to come if climate change is not soon curtailed.
Read more »UW research helps California forest managers assess smoke hazards from prescribed burns
Across the American West, managers of fire-prone landscapes are increasingly setting small fires to prevent larger, more destructive ones. Commonly called prescribed burns, these targeted, controlled fires keep forests healthy by reducing the buildup of grasses, leaves, branches and other debris that can fuel larger wildfires and smoke out nearby communities. But smoke from prescribed burns also presents health risks. Today’s forest managers must ask themselves — how much prescribed burning is too much?
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