Mar 11, 2015

UW scientist offers new insights on Earth’s evolution in recently published book

“A New History of Life” by Earth and Space Sciences’ Peter Ward and Joseph L. Kirschvink from the California Institute of Technology draws on their years of experience in paleontology, biology, chemistry, and astrobiology to illuminate recent scientific developments about the evolution of life on Earth. More than 150 years after Darwin published his evolutionary theories, Ward and Kirschvink argue that chaos and catastrophe shaped the evolution of life on Earth; that it was not an elegant, gradual process.

Humans adding ‘fossil’ carbon to rivers

New research from the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences suggests that the choices we make about how we use our lands—such as for agriculture or development—has an impact on a landscape’s ability to effectively store carbon. Published in Nature Geoscience, the authors find that disturbance reintroduces carbon that is locked up on land back into the carbon cycle, often through runoff that deposits it into our rivers and wetlands.

Oceanography undergrads blog from Vancouver Island

The Research Vessel Thomas G. Thompson—UW’s 274-foot-ship capable of accessing the world’s oceans—provided a platform for research and a home to several oceanography students as they wrapped up their quarter’s research in mid-December. Sending scientific instruments overboard to capture and record all sorts of ocean data, the students blogged about their adventures along the west coast of Canada and shared what they learned.

Warmer Pacific Ocean could release millions of tons of seafloor methane

Sonar image of bubbles rising from the seafloor off the Washington coast.

Off the West Coast of the United States, methane gas is trapped in frozen layers below the seafloor. New research from the University of Washington shows that water at intermediate depths is warming enough to cause these carbon deposits to melt, releasing methane into the sediments and surrounding water. Researchers found that water off the coast of Washington is gradually warming at a depth of 500 meters, about a third of a mile down.

UW-made tool displays West Coast ocean acidification data

Increasing carbon dioxide in the air penetrates into the ocean and makes it more acidic, while robbing seawater of minerals that give shellfish their crunch. The West Coast is one of the first marine ecosystems to feel its effects. A new tool doesn’t alter that reality, but it does allow scientists to better understand what’s happening and provide data to help the shellfish industry adapt to these changes.