Nov 18, 2020

Kyle Armour recipient of AGU James B. Macelwane Medal

Congratulations to Associate Professor Kyle Armour, who was selected as a recipient of the 2020 James B. Macelwane Medal from the American Geophysical Union (AGU) for his outstanding scientific contributions. The Macelwane Medal is given annually to three to five early career scientists in recognition of their significant contributions to Earth and space science. Nominees are selected for the medal based on their depth and breadth of research, impact, creativity as well as service, outreach, and diversity.

UW Environment home to #5 Geosciences program in US News Best Global Universities ranking

UW Environment held on to the No. 5 position in the highest-ranked Geosciences programs globally. “We are proud to be consistently recognized for the excellence and impact of our scholarship,” UW President Ana Mari Cauce said. The ranking methodology — which is based on Web of Science data and metrics provided by Clarivate Analytics InCites — weighs factors that measure a university’s global and regional research reputation and academic research performance.

Flying through wildfire smoke plumes could improve smoke forecasts

Carley Fredrickson of the UW and Lauren Garofalo of CSU look at incoming data inside the research aircraft

Wildfires burning in the West affect not only the areas burned, but the wider regions covered by smoke. Recent years have seen hazy skies and hazardous air quality become regular features of the late summer weather. Many factors are causing Western wildfires to grow bigger and to generate larger, longer-lasting smoke plumes that can stretch across the continent. An analysis led by the University of Washington looks at the most detailed observations to date from the interiors of West Coast wildfire smoke plumes.

Diversity, equity and inclusion at UW Environment

Future Huskies in the lab at Future Student Visit Day 2016.

The tragic events of spring quarter have emphasized the tremendous amount of work that still needs to be done to counteract the mistreatment and marginalization of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPoC) and create an environment that is more just, more equitable and more inclusive. Schools, programs, institutes and departments within the College of the Environment have been working hard to refine, rethink and deepen their work in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) space, often led by unit-level diversity committees.

Are climate scientists being too cautious when linking extreme weather to climate change?

In this year of extreme weather events — from devastating West Coast wildfires to tropical Atlantic storms that have exhausted the alphabet — scientists and members of the public are asking when these extreme events can be scientifically linked to climate change. Dale Durran, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington, argues that climate science need to approach this question in a way similar to how weather forecasters issue warnings for hazardous weather.