Apr 21, 2015

Clean lakes draw more people, and more money, Flickr photos show

One of the joys of going on vacation in today’s world is sharing our photos on social media. Whether we post them ourselves, or enjoy photos shared from someone else’s sun-soaked, lakeside vacation, now these pictures are being used for more than evoking slight pangs of envy. Scientists from the University of Washington and other institutions are using geotagged images to better understand why people choose to visit one body of water over another, how water health might play into that decision, and how much individuals might be willing to pay to keep their lakes clean.

Apr 6, 2015

Volunteer scientists contribute up to $2.5 billion in yearly efforts for biodiversity research

COASST volunteers counting marine debris

Have you ever wanted to don your sleuthing cap and help scientists gather clues about how our world works? A recent study indicates that now, more than ever, citizens are doing just that: collecting data for all types of projects in their spare time, all in the name of science. From counting birds and identifying galaxies to measuring different bacteria in our hot water heaters, citizen scientists are providing a critical service that has a huge economic value…$2.5 billion, to be exact.

Mar 31, 2015

Beyond ecology: Invasive species affect our culture and economy too

Swing, batter! On a residential street in Anywhere, U.S.A., a colony of invasive emerald ash borers swarms inconspicuously on the periphery. Their sights are set on a row of lush, mature ash trees that line the quiet street. These trees have seen their community through World War II and the Civil Rights Movement, but meeting the ash borers will mark their final stand.

Mar 16, 2015

Kill two birds with one dead tree? Beetle-killed pines could fuel machines instead of fires

Across western North America you can see them: hills blanketed with swaths of red and gray trees. These dead and dying stands of pine, aspen, and fir, totaling around 42 million acres—roughly the size of the state of Washington—are victims of bark beetles. And the dry, decaying trees that the beetles leave in their wake are not just eyesores; they also fuel hotter and larger wildfires.

Dec 3, 2014

Sea-star wasting culprit is virus

Disintegrating sea stars—a process described as melting, with the arms detaching and crawling away from each other—is being caused by a virus that’s been detected in West Coast waters for more than 70 years. That’s according to new findings published in late November in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by 24 co-authors including the University of Washington’s Carolyn Friedman, a professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, and Colleen Burge, who earned her bachelor’s and doctorate from UW and is now back as a postdoctoral researcher here after four years of postdoc work at Cornell University.