In a collaborative effort between researchers at UBC Forestry, BC Ministry of Forests, and the College of the Environment’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, particularly Ivan Eastin, this Thursday kicks off a graduate student research symposium in Vancouver titled “Future Forestry Leaders“. This year is the UN International Year of Forests, and the symposium will focus on the importance of forests for our lives and livelihoods.
Climate warming caused by greenhouse gases is very likely to increase summer temperature variability around the world by the end of this century, new UW research shows. The findings have major implications for food production. David Battisti, professor of atmospheric sciences, led the research efforts. Read more here.
With state budgets tightening, the UW Botanic Gardens have lost 25% of their funding over the past few years. Volunteers are needed and appreciated. Sara Reichard is quoted in this article about this wonderful community resource.
Today marks the beginning of the king tides season, a period where the Puget Sound overflows its banks, drawn by the combined pull of the sun and the moon. Like the ‘aqua alta’ of Venice, these tides are predictable yet not always convenient, as waves lap at roadways and crash into buildings along Oregon and Washington coasts. Yet with climate change and attendant sea level rise, these effects will become more common throughout the year.
Is climate change going to favor non-native species? Some research suggests so.
Julian Olden and Josh Lawler have been participating in an NCEAS project to examine how climate change may work to the benefit of non-native species in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Congratulations to five College of the Environment students recognized in the 2024 Husky 100!
The Husky 100 actively connect what happens inside and outside of the classroom and apply what they learn to make a difference on campus, in their communities and for the future. Through their passion, leadership and commitment, these students inspire all of us to shape our own Husky Experience.
Eric Steig, a University of Washington glaciologist and geochemist, recently was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, an honor given to 188 “culture creators” working across 52 disciplines.
New research led by the University of Washington analyzes the most recent ice age, when a large swath of North America was covered in ice, to better understand the relationship between CO2 and global temperature. It finds that while most future warming estimates remain unchanged, the absolute worst-case scenario is unlikely.
A report co-led by the University of Washington outlines a new approach to forest stewardship that “braids together” Indigenous knowledge and Western science to conserve and restore more resilient forestlands.
Clouds play a particularly powerful role in the climate system since they can change rapidly and have a strong effect on Earth’s reflectivity. That’s why researchers are working to better understand clouds, and how both inadvertent and possibly intentional changes to atmospheric particles affect clouds.
The cherry trees on the UW Quad have reached their prime. A group of students in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences has been monitoring the timing of blossoms across campus since 2018, with the goal of creating a model that will use weather data to predict the timing of peak bloom in future years.
When it comes to climate change, an important question is not simply how can humans stop emitting greenhouse gases, but how can we remove the greenhouse gases that we’ve already released?
Many of Earth’s natural processes are already taking significant amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and our wetland ecosystems are some of the most effective at this work.
There’s enough water frozen in Greenland and Antarctic glaciers that if they melted, global seas would rise by many feet. What will happen to these glaciers over the coming decades is the biggest unknown in the future of rising seas, partly because glacier fracture physics is not yet fully understood.
A critical question is how warmer oceans might cause glaciers to break apart more quickly.
The soil beneath our feet may not often catch our attention, but keeping it healthy can have major impacts on climate change and the overall sustainability of our food production system. A new study of agricultural practices at the UW Farm, led by recent College of the Environment graduate Julia Macray and Professor of Earth and Space Sciences David Montgomery, demonstrated that even relatively small changes to the ways we farm can help restore soil health and sequester carbon from the atmosphere.
Three University of Washington experts are among the authors of the newly released Fifth National Climate Assessment, an overview of climate trends, impacts and efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change across the nation. The assessment is produced roughly every four years, led by the U.S. Global Change Research Program and mandated by Congress. The fifth edition, released Nov. 14, assesses current and future risks posed by climate change in 10 regions.