Does “the big bad wolf” play an important role in the modern-day food web? In this video we journey to Washington State’s Cascade Mountains, where the return of wolves could have a profound impact on a vast wilderness area. We meet up with biologist Aaron Wirsing to explore why wolves and other top predators are needed for diverse ecosystems to flourish.
Read more »Remembering Robert Burgner, professor of Aquaric and Fishery Sciences
Longtime Aquatic and Fishery Sciences professor Robert L. “Bud” Burgner, a pioneer in Alaska fisheries research, passed away in January. A leader in the aquatic sciences, Burgner helped establish and served as Director of the Fisheries Research Institute from which the Alaska Salmon Program was born. Burgner also shepherded the development of the High Seas Salmon program with his extensive international connections with Japanese and Canadian scientists.
Read more »UW helps protect $30 million to $40 million in U.S. wood exports to Japan
By showing the economic benefit to Japanese saw mills, a University of Washington researcher has helped protect U.S. exports of Douglas-fir logs and lumber worth $30 million to $40 million a year. A recently introduced homebuilding subsidy program in Japan put logs and lumber imported from the U.S. and other countries at a competitive disadvantage, according to Ivan Eastin, UW professor of environmental and forest sciences.
Read more »Secretary of the Interior visits the College of the Environment
The College of the Environment hosted Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell as she toured through Washington State to discuss climate change. On the heels of President Obama’s State of the Union address, where he spoke of the need to address a changing climate, the Secretary and Dean Lisa Graumlich teamed up to convene a roundtable of scientists, policy makers, natural resource managers and communicators engaged in climate issues.
Read more »Climate change and clouds: big challenges and new insights
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.
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