Many people are aware of plastic pollution in the oceans. Photos of turtles or seabirds entangled in plastic garbage first went viral in the 1990s, and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now the focus of highly publicized cleanup efforts. Less recognized is how marine plastic waste affects human populations, and the unequal burden on different communities. A report, “Towards an Equitable Approach to Marine Plastics Pollution,” outlines the current situation and attempts to address the problem.
Read more at UW News »Moving from climate science to global action: reflections from Dean Emeritus Lisa Graumlich on COP27
I’ve been thinking — and worrying — about climate change for a long time. In 1980, I came to the University of Washington to pursue a PhD, wrestling with the problem of detecting the fingerprint of human impact on the climate system. The topic held sway with my colleagues but had no traction with the general public. All that has changed, and that change is now visible in many ways across the globe.
Read more »Kelp farming and the potential for new maritime markets in Puget Sound
When people think of farms, they tend to picture tidy rows of crops growing under abundant sunshine on terra firma. However, it turns out that not all farms are on land, and in fact some flourish in the sea. You have likely heard of shellfish and finfish farming, but a new type of cultivation is emerging in our region: seaweed farming.
Read more »Microtrash is a macro-problem
The sun is shining and the wind is keeping you cool as you relax on Lake Washington — ahhh, summer is finally here! The sand moves through your toes as you soak up the warm weather when that all too familiar experience jars you out of your summer lullaby… a cigarette butt, stuck in your toes where the sand should be cascading through.
Read more »UW Ocean Voices program, seeking equity in ocean science, gets key approval from United Nations
Ocean Voices, a program of the University of Washington-based Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center to advance equity in ocean science, has been named among the first group of actions taken in a United Nations-sponsored, decade-long program of ocean science for sustainable development. “The human relationship with oceans under current political economies is unsustainable, unstable and inequitable,” writes Yoshitaka Ota, director of the center.
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