Aug 21, 2023

Are wildfires really getting worse? A Q&A with Brian Harvey

Whether you live in a rural community that grapples with annual threats of destructive wildfires or in a city that now spends part of every summer inundated with smoke, many across North America have found themselves wondering: what happened to cause such a sudden change in the way our forests burn? We sat down with Brian Harvey, assistant professor of environmental and forest sciences in the UW College of the Environment, to discuss some of the most frequently asked questions we encounter about the causes of wildfires, how they’re changing and what we can do to limit their impacts on human health and property.

Jul 6, 2023

Marine heat waves caused mass seabird die-offs, beach surveys show

Seabirds, from cormorants to puffins, spend most of their lives at sea. Beloved by birdwatchers, these animals can be hard to study because they spend so much time far from shore. New research led by the University of Washington uses data collected by coastal residents along beaches from central California to Alaska to understand how seabirds have fared in recent decades.

S1 E7: Tides that Bind with Randie Bundy

Together with #UWEnvironment researchers and educators, we venture from the mountains to the sea in Episodes 7 and 8 of our FieldSound Podcast. Episodes 7 of our FieldSound Podcast features Randie Bundy, a researcher with the University of Washington School of Oceanography. Her complex work looks into the cycling of trace metals in marine environments, how bioactive metals such as iron, copper, and cobalt are acquired by marine phytoplankton and bacteria, and how the organic forms of these metals affect their uptake and cycling in the ocean.

Jun 8, 2023

S1 E6: Fish, Forests and Fungi with Anne Polyakov

Alaskan stream against a backdrop of trees and mountains

Episode 6 of our FieldSound Podcast looks at how fungi and salmon partner together in an intricate, ecological nutrient dance along Alaskan streams. Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management program student and PhD candidate Anne Polyakov hopes to use data collected along Alaskan salmon streams to understand better how nutrients flow into all parts of the system. Tune in as Anne shares her fascinating research and the important role of fungi in ecosystems.

Jun 2, 2023

S1 E5: Predator Ecology with Aaron Wirsing

A hand in a black glove in the snow next to a paw print left by a wolf.

Ecologist Aaron Wirsing discusses his research in both terrestrial and aquatic systems, the ways that top predators, such as grey wolves and tiger sharks, shape their ecosystems and how humans affect predator-prey interactions through processes such as urbanization and climate change. Wirsing is a professor with the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences studying predator-prey interactions. He is also Principal Investigator of the Predator Ecology Lab, which seeks to better understand how predators influence their surroundings by interacting with their prey, and endeavors to find solutions to the challenges of large carnivore conservation and management in the changing world.