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.
Read more »
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.
Read more »
The findings of the latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment are critically important, but reading through the long, technical document is not something the vast majority of people will do. Issued late last year, the 2000-plus page report provides a synthesis of the scientific basis for climate change through graphs, figures and text. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration oceanographer and affiliate professor of oceanography Greg Johnson – a lead author for one of the IPCC chapters – took an artistic approach to sharing the report’s findings, using the medium of watercolor and haiku.
Read more »
The Future of Ice Speaker Series began with a visit from James Balog, one of several Walker-Ames speakers this year at the UW. His talk focused on his work documenting climate change affecting not only our frozen landscapes and seascapes, but the entire globe. His message was buttressed by stunning images of high-latitude icy ecosystems and time-lapsed photographs documenting the disappearance of some of the world’s largest glaciers.
Read more »
Is climate change going to favor non-native species? Some research suggests so. Julian Olden and Josh Lawler have been participating in an NCEAS project to examine how climate change may work to the benefit of non-native species in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Read more at NCEAS »
