310 news posts related to Climate

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Ancient shellfish remains rewrite 10,000-year history of El Niño cycles

ancient clam shells

Scientists by their very nature are inquisitive and creative, often figuring out novel ways to answer complex and perplexing questions. In a paper recently released in Science, College of the Environment oceanographer Julian Sachs and colleagues use ancient clam shells to peer into the past and piece together a 10,000 year history of climate driven by the El Niño Southern Oscillation. 

Read more at UW Today »

Ocean’s most oxygen-deprived zones to shrink under climate change

Map showing low oxygen zones in the Pacific Ocean.

Climate change is complex, no doubt about it. Much of that complexity lies in the interconnectedness of our world, where scientists are continually striving to increase our understanding of how natural systems function and may be affected with the ripple effects associated with a changing climate. Sharpening our understanding helps us better predict what the future holds. In a recent paper published in Science, College of the Environment’s Oceanography associate professor Curtis Deutsch talks about a new link in the climate change story, and how it may play out in terms of the oxygen depleted zones of our oceans. 

Read more at UW Today »

Seattle 2100: Apocalypse or Utopia?

Seattle in the future

A changing climate is sure to alter the world and our region as we know it. Some of those changes are known, some of them unknown. On the heels of the recent National Climate Assessment, Seattle Weekly’s Kelton Sears visited the Climate Impact Group here at the College of the Environment and spoke with Lara Whitely Binder, CIG’s outreach specialist, to find out what’s in store for Seattle’s future. 

Read more at The Seattle Weekly »

Governor Inslee to speak at 5th annual Pacific Northwest Climate Science Conference

The south-facing flanks of Mt. Rainier.

The 5th annual Pacific Northwest Climate Science Conference — hosted by the Climate Impacts Group and the College of the Environment — will explore the impacts of climate variability and change on the people, natural resources, and infrastructure of the Pacific Northwest. The keynote address will be delivered by Governor Jay Inslee, and the two-day program will include talks from invited speakers and sessions of broad interest connected to climate. 

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Ocean upwelling becoming more intense with a changing climate

Ocean winds drive upwelling and productivity along certain coastlines. (photo: Ron LaValley)

Our Washington coastline is one of the most prolific and productive in the world, teeming with abundant plant and animal life. In fact, much of entire U.S. west coast is the same, and we can largely thank a strong upwelling system for driving this bounty. New research published in Science has shown that upwelling in the eastern boundary current systems – meaning, the eastern edges of ocean basins across the globe where winds, currents, and geological formations create a prime environment for upwelling – has increased globally over the past 60 years. 

Read more on the Los Angeles Times »