Even if climate negotiations in Paris are successful, the planet is locked into long-term warming and an uncertain future. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. But what was the Arctic like before — when maritime explorers and whale hunters first ventured into its icy seas? If scientists could know more about Arctic climate of the past, they could better understand today’s changes, and use that knowledge to improve projections for the future.
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A team of industrial, academic, and nonprofit institutions that was among the top finishers of the recent ocean acidification XPrize is donating its winnings to a University of Washington lab that helps track ocean conditions worldwide. The donation, made Oct. 13 during an event at the UW College of the Environment and announced by Honeywell, will allow the UW and the international Argo program to begin broadening observations to include ocean acidification.
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Sunburst Sensors, based out of Missoula, MT, grabbed the two top spots in the Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE, receiving a $1.5 million award for advancing scientist’s ability to measure ocean chemistry as it relates to ocean acidification. Designed as a competition to spur innovation, teams from around the globe competed to develop the most promising technologies in two categories: a device that is easy to use and cost effective and a device that is highly accurate when tracking ocean acidification.
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On the seafloor, volcanic and magmatic forces create hot springs that spew heated water into the depths of the ocean. Hot, acidic water scours metals from Earth’s crust, and these warm, chemical-rich waters support exotic deep-sea ecosystems. Historically, metals like iron and manganese were thought to quickly react and form particles that would clump together or stick to other things, causing them to sink to the seafloor.
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Each week we share the latest peer-reviewed publications coming from the College of the Environment. Over the past week, seventeen new articles co-authored by members of the College of the Environment were added to the Web of Science database, including studies on how to analyze uncertainty, microbes in the world's oceans, fencing policies for dry lands, and many more. Read up!
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