David Montgomery awarded 2020 Vega Medal

The Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography (SSAG) has awarded School of Earth and Spaces Sciences’ Professor David Montgomery the 2020 Vega Medal in honor of his achievements in physical geography, especially within the field of geomorphology. The objective of the SSAG is to promote the development of anthropology, geography, and closely related sciences in Sweden, to serve as a connecting link between scientists within these disciplines and the public, to initiate and maintain relations with foreign societies, and to support research in these areas.

Ships’ emissions create measurable regional change in clouds

Pollution from ships create lines of clouds.

A container ship leaves a trail of white clouds in its wake that can linger in the air for hours. This puffy line is not just exhaust from the engine, but a change in the clouds that’s caused by small airborne particles of pollution. New research led by the University of Washington is the first to measure this phenomenon’s effect over years and at a regional scale.

‘Age of A.I.’ documentary on YouTube features UW experts

Harold Tobin aboard the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth, conducting a marine seismic reflection survey of the Cascadia Subduction Zone off Washington’s coast.

Researchers at the University of Washington share their expertise on artificial intelligence and data science in “The Age of A.I.,” an online documentary produced and released this winter by YouTube. The series narrated by Robert Downey Jr. looks at how AI could affect everything from health care to the search for extraterrestrial life. The seventh episode, titled “Saving the World One Algorithm at a Time,” features the UW-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

Eric Steig named chair of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences

The UW College of the Environment is pleased to announce that Eric Steig has agreed to serve as chair of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences (ESS), effective February 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023. Steig is a glaciologist and isotope geochemist who studies how the climate behaved in the past to learn what it can tell us both about the effects of climate change today, and how it will change in the future.

Take a peak: 10 facts about the tallest mountain on Earth

When thinking of the “biggest” mountains on Earth, many people immediately think of Mount Everest or Denali, but some of the biggest mountains actually start below sea level and grow into islands. At over 33,000 feet, Mauna Kea in Hawaii reigns supreme as the biggest mountain on Earth as measured from base to top. Let’s explore the ways in which these mountains are different, both in how they are made and their geologic setting.