Archived News

Graduate students and Native American tribes will tap forests, farms for biofuels - March 01, 2008

Most of Washington state's biofuels come from plants grown elsewhere. But a newly launched $3 million program will team doctoral students, UW faculty and local Native American tribes to transform local forestry and agricultural waste into plant-based fuels.

"We want to create a new generation of PhD graduates in sustainable energy, and develop local sources of renewable fuels," said Dan Schwartz, professor of chemical engineering and leader of an interdisciplinary group that has received the multimillion-dollar award for graduate education from the National Science Foundation. "These students will learn to consider not only economic benefit, but the environmental and social implications of their designs."

UW launches sustainability program with national leaders in architecture - February 28, 2008

Carefully tucked into a stand of pines on the Maryland shore, Loblolly House is a study in the pragmatic and the poetic.

Three sides are faced with bark-like strips of red cedar but the fourth opens to the water. Completely. Translucent hangar doors retract and glass walls fold like accordions, opening the 2,200-square-foot house to Chesapeake Bay.

The house was built in six weeks using off-site fabricated parts locked into place by half a dozen workers. It can also be taken apart and the pieces recycled.

Designed for Philadelphia architect Stephen Kieran, the home was also a chance to test new, far more efficient and environmentally sensitive ways to build houses.

UW becomes charter member of climate group - March 19, 2007
The University of Washington has become a member of the Leadership Circle of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, by which the UW agrees to adopt policies that minimize global warming emissions and integrate sustainability more firmly into the curriculum, and also to provide leadership in encouraging other universities and colleges to join in the effort to address global climate change.

The commitment involves all three UW campuses. Chancellors at both UW Bothell and UW Tacoma have signed the commitment, along with UW President Mark A. Emmert.

"By signing this commitment," says Emmert, "the University of Washington agrees to develop a plan for achieving climate neutrality in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. We know that this commitment will pose some challenges. But the UW students, faculty, and staff are up to this challenge. We are already recognized as a leader in adopting sustainability practices on campus. Our faculty is recognized internationally for their work in studying climate change. It is time for us to fully embrace the responsibilities that our own research calls for."

See the article UW becomes charter member of climate group at UW News for more information.

Chickadee calls alert nuthatches to danger - March 19, 2007
If Dr. John Watson had been chronicling the work of Christopher Templeton rather than the exploits of Sherlock Holmes, he might have entitled the latest research by Templeton "The Adventure of the Avian Eavesdroppers."

The University of Washington doctoral student has found the first example of an animal making sophisticated decisions about the danger posed by a predator from the information contained in the alarm calls of another species.

In a paper published this week in the on-line edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Templeton reports that red-breasted nuthatches (Sitta Canadensis) eavesdrop on the alarm calls of the black-capped chickadee to glean information about predators in their environment. Two years ago, Templeton showed that the chickadees' (Poecile atricapillus) familiar chick-a-dee-dee-dee alarm calls contained a surprising amount of information. Now, it turns out, the nuthatches can understand the warnings given by the chickadee.

Please see the article Eavesdropping nuthatches at UW News for more information.

Hurricane can form new eyewall and change intensity rapidly - March 01, 2007
Hurricanes can gain or lose intensity with startling quickness, a phenomenon never more obvious than during the historic 2005 hurricane season that spawned the remarkably destructive Katrina and Rita.

Researchers flew through Rita, Katrina and other 2005 storms trying to unlock the key to intensity changes. Now, data from Rita is providing the first documented evidence that such intensity changes can be caused by clouds outside the wall of a hurricane's eye coming together to form a new eyewall.

"The comparison between Katrina and Rita will be interesting because we got excellent data from both storms. Rita was the one that showed the eyewall replacement," said Robert Houze Jr., a University of Washington atmospheric sciences professor and lead author of a paper detailing the work in the March 2 edition of the journal Science.

See the article Hurricane can form new eyewall and change intensity rapidly at UW News for more information.

African carnage: One year's seized ivory likely came from 23,000 elephants - February 26, 2007
African elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory at a rate unprecedented since an international convention banning ivory trade took effect in 1989, a University of Washington biologist says.

The problem is so serious that the giant creatures might be on the path to extinction unless western nations reinstate strong enforcement efforts that all but halted black-market ivory trade in the four years immediately after the ban was enacted, said Samuel Wasser, director of the UW Center for Conservation Biology. He is the lead author of a paper detailing the problem published the week of Feb. 26 in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and he argues the continued loss of elephants will have serious consequences.

See the article African carnage at UW News for more information.

Better freshwater forecasts to aid drought-plagued West - February 16, 2007
Even at the best of times, the West's water supplies are fraught with political, economic and environmental wrangling. When devastating droughts occurred in the 1970s and the 2000s, farmers and fish alike suffered. Yet the ability to predict stream flows in the Western United States at seasonal lead times -- months or longer -- is scarcely better today than it was in the 1960s.

Forecasting models that incorporate high-powered computers and satellite data may soon modernize the way Western states manage freshwater supplies. Several such models are currently under development. Dennis Lettenmaier, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the UW, will describe the role of science in Western water management Friday in San Francisco at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting.

See the article Better freshwater forecasts to aid drought-plagued West at UW News for more information.

Glaciers not on simple, upward trend of melting - February 13, 2007
Two of Greenland's largest glaciers shrank dramatically and dumped twice as much ice into the sea during a period of less than a year between 2004 and 2005. And then, less than two years later, they returned to near their previous rates of discharge.

The variability over such a short time, reported online Feb. 9 on Science magazine's Science Express, underlines the problem in assuming that glacial melting and sea level rise will necessarily occur at a steady upward trajectory, according to lead author Ian Howat, a post-doctoral researcher with the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory and the University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Center. The paper comes a year after a study in the journal Science revealed that discharge from Greenland's glaciers had doubled between 2000 and 2005, leading some scientists to speculate such changes were on a steady, upward climb.

See the article Glaciers not on simple, upward trend of melting at UW News for more information.

'Good vibrations' from deep-sea smokers may keep fish out of hot water - February 05, 2007
The long-held assumption that black smokers are silent is wrong, according to recently published research led by Timothy Crone, a University of Washington doctoral student in oceanography. It's prompting scientists to wonder: Could the sound and vibrations of black smokers be the reason fish in total darkness avoid being poached by waters as hot as 750 F? And might similar sounds guide them to the smorgasbord of tube worms, mussels, shrimp, snails and other fauna at vents with more temperate waters?

The research was reported online during the inaugural month of the Public Library of Sciences' interactive journal, PLoS ONE. Aimed at involving more people in science, published results are available without a subscription and can include a wealth of audio, video and other materials.

See the article 'Good vibrations' at UW News for more information.

Northwest scientists contribute to international report, see increased warming - February 02, 2007
Climate scientists from the Pacific Northwest, many from the University of Washington, have played key roles in a major new international study that shows climate change will have serious effects on the world in the coming decades.

The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released today in Paris, is designed to provide the world's policymakers with information on how to deal with the effects of climate warming.

The report provides an at-times stark picture of how climate has changed in the last half-century and how it is likely to change in the coming years, said Philip Mote, a UW research scientist with the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, a lead author of one of the report's 11 chapters.

See the article Northwest scientists contribute to international report at UW News for more information.

Women in polluted areas at higher risk of cardiovascular disease - February 01, 2007
Women living in areas with higher levels of air pollution have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease and subsequently dying from cardiovascular causes, according to a University of Washington study appearing in the Feb. 1 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The study is one of the largest of its kind, involving more than 65,000 Women's Health Initiative Observational Study participants, age 50 to 79, living in 36 cities across the United States.

UW researchers studied women who did not initially have cardiovascular disease, following them for up to nine years to see who went on to have a heart attack, stroke, or coronary bypass surgery, or died from cardiovascular causes. They linked this health information with the average outdoor air pollution levels near each woman's home, and found that higher pollution levels posed a significant hazard -- much higher than previously thought -- for development of cardiovascular disease.

See the article Women in polluted areas at UW News for more information

New findings blow a decade of assumptions out of the water - January 10, 2007
The Atlantic Ocean doesn't receive the mother lode of fixed nitrogen, the building block of life, after all. Instead, comparing fathom for fathom, the Pacific and Indian oceans experience twice the amount of nitrogen fixing as the Atlantic, say researchers in the Jan. 11 issue of Nature.

The title of an accompanying News and Views piece says it all, "Looking for N2 Fixation in all the Wrong Places."

It's important to have a global picture of where nitrogen fixation is occurring -- that is where nitrogen gas is being converted into substances like nitrate that are usable by life -- in order to understand the environmental controls on nitrogen fixation and its likely response to climate change in the past and in the future, says Curtis Deutsch, a University of Washington research assistant in oceanography and lead author of a paper in the Jan. 11 issue of Nature. The new research, for example, indicates that the inventory of nitrogen in the oceans is likely to be less subject to major fluctuations than had been assumed.

See the article New findings at UW News for more information.

$1.5 million to advance promise of woody biomass for fuel in Washington - November 17, 2006
With a potentially huge supply of woody material thinned from Washington forests, the state's pulp and paper mills could become the "biorefining" backbone for turning woody plant material into fuel and other products, a University of Washington professor says.

Such a major transformation is possible as technical and logistical challenges are overcome, says Rick Gustafson, University of Washington professor of forest resources and holder of the first endowed chair in bioresources on the U.S. West Coast, a position approved by the UW regents this fall.

See the article Woody biomass for fuel at UW News for more information.

Insect population growth likely accelerated by warmer climate - October 30, 2006
Insects have proven to be highly adaptable organisms, able through evolution to cope with a variety of environmental changes, including relatively recent changes in the world's climate. But like something out of a scary Halloween tale, new University of Washington research suggests insects' ability to adapt to warmer temperatures carries an unexpected consequence -- more insects.

It appears that insect species that adapt to warmer climates also will increase their maximum rates of population growth, which UW researchers say is likely to have widespread effects on agriculture, public health and conservation.

See the article Insect population growth likely accelerated by warmer climate at UW News for more information.

Earthquake swarms not just clustered around volcanoes, geothermal regions - October 25, 2006
An earthquake swarm -- a steady drumbeat of moderate, related seismic events -- over hours or days, often can be observed near a volcano such as Mount St. Helens in Washington state or in a geothermal region such as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

New research led by a University of Washington seismologist shows, however, that such swarms can occur anywhere that is seismically active, not just near volcanoes or geothermal regions.

"In our research we saw swarms everywhere and we could see the broad characteristics of how they behaved," said John Vidale, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network.

See the article Earthquake swarms at UW News for more information.

Steep oxygen decline halted first land colonization by Earth's sea creatures - October 23, 2006
Vertebrate creatures first began moving from the world's oceans to land about 415 million years ago, then all but disappeared by 360 million years ago. The fossil record contains few examples of animals with backbones for the next 15 million years, and then suddenly vertebrates show up again, this time for good.

The mysterious lull in vertebrate colonization of land is known as Romer's Gap, named for the Yale University paleontologist, Alfred Romer, who first recognized it. But the term has typically been applied only to pre-dinosaur amphibians, and there has been little understanding of why the gap occurred.

Now a team of scientists led by University of Washington paleontologist Peter Ward has found a similar gap during the same period among non-marine arthropods, largely insects and spiders, and they believe a precipitous drop in the oxygen content of Earth's atmosphere is responsible.

See the article Steep oxygen decline halted first land colonization at UW News for more information.

Very long-term forecast: Northwest winters will be even wetter - October 18, 2006
If you think Pacific Northwest winters are gray and rainy now, just wait. By the end of this century winter storms are likely to be much more pronounced, particularly west of the Cascade Range, according to new University of Washington research.

The reason is that the Aleutian Low, a low-pressure system near the Aleutian Islands that is most pronounced during winter months, is moving farther to the north and east, and the general track of storms coming from the Pacific is moving farther north. Not only that, but because of climate change the storms themselves are becoming more intense.

See the article Northwest winters will be even wetter at UW News for more information.

UW prof leads board advising NOAA on critical science issues - October 05, 2006
David Fluharty, a University of Washington marine affairs expert, has been named to chair the science advisory board of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency that manages and conducts research about the nation's ocean and atmospheric resources. NOAA's $3.4 billion budget pays for such things as weather and climate prediction, fisheries management and coastal area protection and restoration.

"I look forward to Dr. Fluharty's leadership to continue to provide the best information and guidance of scientific issues critical to NOAA's missions," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad Lautenbacher, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

See the article UW prof leads board advising NOAA on critical science issues at UW News for more information.

Pioneering work assessing sustainable fisheries earns international award - September 15, 2006
A University of Washington professor who says that solving today's fisheries problems will best be accomplished by applying lessons learned in the many successful fisheries in the world is one of three winners of this year's Volvo Environment Prize, announced in Sweden this week.

Ray Hilborn, UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, and professors Daniel Pauly and Carl Walters, both with the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, are being honored for their work in understanding the human impact on the world's fisheries and global ocean environment. According to the prize jury, they have all gone well beyond scientific concepts to address the needs for marine environmental conservation and policies throughout the world.

See the article Pioneering work assessing sustainable fisheries earns international award at UW News for more information.

New evidence shows Antarctica has warmed in last 150 years - September 06, 2006
Despite recent indications that Antarctica cooled considerably during the 1990s, new research suggests that the world's iciest continent has been getting gradually warmer for the last 150 years, a trend not identifiable in the short meteorological records and masked at the end of the 20th century by large temperature variations.

Numerous ice cores collected from five areas allowed scientists to reconstruct a temperature record that shows average Antarctic temperatures have risen about two-tenths of a degree Celsius, or about one-third of a degree Fahrenheit, in 150 years. That might not sound like much, but the overall increase includes a recorded temperature decline of nearly 1 degree in the 1990s, said David Schneider, a University of Washington postdoctoral researcher in Earth and space sciences.

See the article New evidence shows Antarctica has warmed in last 150 years at UW News for more information.

Evolution of Old World fruit flies on three continents mirrors climate change - August 31, 2006
Fast-warming climate appears to be triggering genetic changes in a species of fruit fly that is native to Europe and was introduced into North and South America about 25 years ago.

"This is a clear signal on three different continents that climate change is occurring, and that genetic change is going along with it," said Raymond Huey, a University of Washington biology professor who is co-author of a paper describing the findings, published Aug. 31 in Science Express, the online edition of the journal Science.

See the article Evolution of Old World fruit flies mirrors climate change at UW News for more information.

Coastal ocean observatory extends miles up Columbia River - August 29, 2006
The Columbia River is the source of three quarters of the water pouring into the Pacific Ocean from the West Coast. Scientists with a just-announced $19 million grant are poised to develop new technologies and infrastructures to monitor changes in the river below Bonneville Dam and predict how they affect wide swaths of ocean.

The Columbia, with some of its fresh water at times going north into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and as far south as San Francisco Bay, can affect everything from nutrient levels in coastal estuaries and bays to swirling eddies miles wide off the coast that young fish seem to favor.

See the article Coastal ocean observatory extends miles up Columbia River at UW News for more information.

Climate change was major factor in erosion of Alps 6 million years ago - August 15, 2006
The Alps, the iconic rugged mountains that cover parts of seven European nations, might have reached their zenith millions of years ago, some scientists believe, and now are a mere shadow of their former selves. New research offers an explanation.

A team led by Sean Willett, a University of Washington geologist, has found that the culprit is likely massive erosion, triggered by a sudden drop in the level of the Mediterranean Sea 6 million years ago and then prolonged by a warmer, wetter climate.

Typically mountain ranges reach a sort of equilibrium, with erosion more or less keeping pace with the tectonic forces that enlarge the mountains. But an event called the Messinian salinity crisis, precipitated by blockage of the forerunner of the Strait of Gibraltar, cut the Mediterranean off from the rest of the world's oceans. Evaporation greatly reduced the water level, dropping it as much as two or three miles below the rest of the world's ocean surfaces.

See the article Climate change was major factor in erosion of Alps at UW News for more information.

Ancient bison teeth provide window on past Great Plains climate, vegetation - August 07, 2006
A University of Washington researcher has devised a way to use the fossil teeth of ancient bison as a tool to reconstruct historic climate and vegetation changes in America's breadbasket, the Great Plains.

The teeth hold evidence of the type of vegetation that grew in a particular location at a particular time, and that in turn provides information about climate fluctuations occurring on the plains, said Kathryn Hoppe, a UW acting assistant professor of Earth and space sciences.

See the article Ancient bison teeth provide window on past Great Plains at UW News for more information.

Woodland Park Zoo, UW to expand collaboration, cooperation - July 27, 2006
Woodland Park Zoo and the University of Washington have renewed their agreement for scientific and educational cooperation to promote research, education and conservation.

The agreement is designed to expand and promote greater cooperation between the two institutions according to Lisa Dabek, the zoo's director of conservation, and Randall Kyes, head of the UW's Division of International Programs at the Washington National Primate Research Center and a research associate professor of psychology.

"Both institutions offer unique collaborative opportunities with regard to expertise, service and facilities," said Kyes, who conducts collaborative research and training in conservation biology in Indonesia, Nepal, China, Thailand and Bangladesh. "The impressive range of collaborative activities that have taken place between the UW and the zoo thus far is only a glimpse of the potential that lies ahead."

See the article Woodland Park Zoo, UW to expand collaboration at UW News for more information.

UW Restoration Ecology Network recognized nationally - June 29, 2006
Restoring degraded ecosystems around Seattle -- and giving them a fighting chance to stay healthy -- can be as much about public relations as the right plants. That's what students learn through the University of Washington's Restoration Ecology Network, a program of teaching and research recognized nationally in this week's issue of Science magazine.

Canvassing neighbors, finding and managing volunteers, preparing educational materials, posting signs and attending neighborhood meetings can be crucial to the success of the restoration projects undertaken by teams of students.

See the article Planning for stewardship an important part of successful ecological restoration at UW News for more information.

New satellite set to collect most-detailed data yet about atmospheric particles - June 21, 2006
A new satellite that last week began gathering data from the Earth's atmosphere could be a key tool in unraveling just how much effect the reflectivity of clouds and tiny particles called aerosols are having on the planet's changing climate.

For UW atmospheric scientists Robert Charlson and Theodore Anderson, co-investigators on the CALIPSO satellite's science team, there are two key parts to the research: determining the effects of aerosols on climate in cloudy skies and in clear skies.

See the article New satellite set to collect most-detailed data yet about atmospheric particles at UW News for more information.

Greenland's glaciers pick up pace in surge toward the sea - May 25, 2006
With warming temperatures as the possible underlying cause, scientists wonder what is pushing Greenland's glaciers out to sea as much as 50 percent quicker than before. Full Article "Greenland's glaciers pick up pace in surge toward the sea"

William D. Ruckelshaus, first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to be UW Commencement speaker - May 25, 2006
William D. Ruckelshaus, who has had a career in public service that has spanned more than four decades, will be the speaker at the University of Washington's Commencement exercises June 10 at Husky Stadium.

UW Expertise and Resources for the Puget Sound Watershed - December 05, 2005
Because of our breadth of expertise, the University of Washington (UW) is uniquely positioned to bring substantial intellectual abilities to address many of the challenges facing the Sound. As a major research university in the region, it is our responsibility to deliver relevant research, policy and technical assistance to regional resource managers and decision makers. Beyond our fundamental role to help develop a basic understanding of how Puget Sound works, an ideal role for UW is one of partnerships—where UW scientists, engineers, and scholars work with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, industries, and citizens to produce the solutions that we now need, far faster than if they were each working on their own.

The UW has compiled an inventory of our relevant activities and expertise in the Puget Sound Basin to help guide future conversations and to serve as a reference document for those interested in tapping into the UW's potential. To access this information, please go to the UW Expertise and Resources for the Puget Sound Watershed: Inventory of Activities.

Warming could free far more carbon from high Arctic soil than earlier thought - December 04, 2005
Scientists studying the effects of carbon on climate warming are very likely underestimating, by a vast amount, how much soil carbon is available in the high Arctic to be released into the atmosphere, new University of Washington research shows.

A three-year study of soils in northwest Greenland found that a key previous study greatly underestimated the organic carbon stored in the soil. That's because the earlier work generally looked only at the top 10 inches of soil, said Jennifer Horwath, a UW doctoral student in Earth and space sciences.

See the article Warming could free far more carbon from high Arctic soil than earlier thought at UW News for more information.

Seattle quake could cause $33 billion in damage - October 03, 2005
A University of Washington, Bothell business professor has published research on the disastrous effects the regional economy will suffer in the event of a magnitude 6.7 earthquake along the Seattle Fault, which runs through Hood Canal in the west, across the Puget Sound and south Seattle, and into Bellevue and Issaquah.

Jacqueline Meszaros, who serves on the White House's Scientific Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction, contributed the economic and business impact section of a report that serves as "a wake-up call for the vulnerability of the regional economy." Meszaros is concerned that business owners in the area have been lulled into complacency by the 2001 Nisqually earthquake--her research found that only one-third of Puget Sound business owners said that the Nisqually earthquake prompted them to be better prepared.

See the article Local quake could cause $33 billion in damage at UW News for more information.

Open water in summer has become key to declining arctic ice - September 29, 2005
As researchers Wednesday announced the lowest amount of ice cover in more than a century in the Arctic, the fourth consecutive year of record and near-record lows, two polar scientists at the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory say they believe a tipping point has been reached.

Too much open water in the summers -- not so much warmer air temperatures -- is now driving the amount of ice that is able to form each winter. Ice is like a shield over the ocean in summer with its hard bright surface reflecting much of the sun's energy back into space -- a quality researchers call high albedo. Open water, on the other hand, has a low albedo because it readily absorbs the sun's radiation instead of reflecting it.

See the article Scientists believe open water in summer has become key to declining arctic ice at UW News for more information.

Penguin chicks exposed to human visitors experience spike in stress hormone - September 26, 2005
Newly hatched magellanic penguin chicks in breeding grounds with a large number of human visitors show a significant spike in levels of a stress-related hormone compared to chicks hatched in areas not visited by humans, a University of Washington research team has found.

It wasn't until chicks with limited human exposure reached 40 to 50 days old that they showed a stress response like the newly hatched chicks in areas frequented by humans, said researcher Brian Walker, who led the work as part of his doctoral thesis at the UW.

See the article Penguin chicks exposed to human visitors experience spike in stress hormone at UW News for more information.

Warming most evident at high latitudes, but greatest impact will be in tropics - August 11, 2005
The impact of global warming has become obvious in high latitude regions, including Alaska, Siberia and the Arctic, where melting ice and softening tundra are causing profound changes. But, contrary to popular belief, the most serious impact in the next century likely will be in the tropics, says a group of researchers headed by a University of Washington ecologist.

Scientists have noted warming at higher latitudes that already appears to be causing some flowers to bloom earlier than usual and seems to be altering some wildlife migration and hibernation patterns.

The more dramatic impact could actually be in the moist tropics, despite modeling that indicates temperatures there will warm just 2 or 3 degrees by 2100 compared with 6 degrees or more at higher latitudes. That is because organisms in the tropics normally do not experience much temperature variation because there is very little seasonality, so even small temperature shifts can have a much larger impact than similar shifts in regions with more seasonal climates.

See the article Warming most evident at high latitudes, but greatest impact will be in tropics at UW News for more information.

Rainbands and Hurricane Intensity: Collaborative hurricane research project ultimately could improve forecasting - August 08, 2005
A collaborative research team is soon to begin one of the largest hurricane research projects ever undertaken to better understand dramatic, rapid changes in tropical storm intensity that have baffled forecasters for years.

Featuring expertise that includes the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, the University of Washington, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Navy, the Hurricane Rainband and Intensity Change Experiment (RAINEX) will study how the outer rainbands and inner eye of a hurricane interact to influence a storm's intensity. The National Science Foundation (NSF) provided $3 million to fund this study that may shed light on how and why a storm can change in strength in only a matter of hours.

See the article Rainbands and Hurricane Intensity: Collaborative hurricane research project ultimately could improve forecasting at UW News for more information.

Model gives clearer idea of how oxygen came to dominate Earth's atmosphere - August 08, 2005
A number of hypotheses have been used to explain how free oxygen first accumulated in Earth's atmosphere some 2.4 billion years ago, but a full understanding has proven elusive. Now a new model offers plausible scenarios for how oxygen came to dominate the atmosphere, and why it took at least 300 million years after bacterial photosynthesis started producing oxygen in large quantities.

The big reason for the long delay was that processes such as volcanic gas production acted as sinks to consume free oxygen before it reached levels high enough to take over the atmosphere, said Mark Claire, a University of Washington doctoral student in astronomy and astrobiology. Free oxygen would combine with gases in a volcanic plume to form new compounds, and that process proved to be a significant oxygen sink, he said.

See the article Model gives clearer idea of how oxygen came to dominate Earth's atmosphere at UW News for more information.

Amazon source of 5-year-old river breath - July 29, 2005
The rivers of South America's Amazon basin are "breathing" far harder -- cycling the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide more quickly -- than anyone realized.

Most of the carbon being exhaled -- or outgassed -- as carbon dioxide from Amazonian rivers and wetlands has spent a mere 5 years sequestered in the trees, other plants and soils of the surrounding landscape, U.S. and Brazilian researchers report in the July 28 issue of Nature.

It had been hoped that regions such as the nearly 2.4 million-square-mile Amazon River basin -- where tropical forests rapidly gulp carbon dioxide during photosynthesis -- were holding onto that carbon for decades, even centuries, says Emilio Mayorga, University of Washington oceanographer and lead author of the Nature piece with Anthony Aufdenkampe of the Stroud Water Research Center in Pennsylvania.

See the article Amazon source of 5-year-old river breath at UW News for more information.

UW Botanic Gardens new umbrella name for Seattle's key horticultural features - July 25, 2005
More than 320 acres of gardens and woodlands -- including one of the oldest arboretums this side of the Mississippi -- and one of the West Coast's largest horticulture centers and libraries began operating this summer under the umbrella "University of Washington Botanic Gardens."

"The new designation recognizes the conservation, research and educational outreach under way here, as well as the display of plants," says David Mabberley, director of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens.

See the article UW Botanic Gardens new umbrella name for Seattle's key horticultural features at UW News for more information.

Researchers visit Lost City's undersea vents from landlocked command center - July 22, 2005
All but four scientists taking part in a major expedition in the Atlantic Ocean starting this week are in a specialized command center in Mary Gates Hall on the University of Washington campus, a quarter of the world away from the ship they're "on."

Led in Mary Gates Hall by chief scientist Deborah Kelley, UW oceanographer, and at sea by Bob Ballard, the oceanographer credited with finding the wreck of the Titanic, the expedition marks the return to the Lost City hydrothermal vent field. The remarkable hydrothermal vent field serendipitously discovered in 2000 -- which includes a massive 18-story vent taller than any seen before -- is formed in a very different way from so-called black smoker vents studied since the 1970s.

See the article On the good ship Mary Gates: Researchers visit Lost City's undersea vents from landlocked command center at UW News for more information.

Primate virus jumps species barrier to humans for first time in Asia - July 14, 2005
Scientists have identified the first reported case in Asia of primate-to-human transmission of simian foamy virus (SFV), a retrovirus found in macaques and other primates that so far has not been shown to cause disease in humans. The transmission of the virus from a monkey to a human took place at a monkey temple in Bali, Indonesia, the researchers report in the July issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Even though this particular virus jumping to humans may not prove dangerous, the scientists warn that the dense human and primate populations in Asia could lead to other primate-borne viruses jumping the species barrier and causing human disease.

See the article Primate virus jumps species barrier to humans for first time in Asia at UW News for more information.

Native lore tells the tale: There's been a whole lotta shakin' goin' on - July 11, 2005
Stories of two-headed serpents and epic battles between Thunderbird and Whale, common among Northwest native peoples, have their root in the region's seismic history. New research led by a University of Washington scientist has found stories that could relate to a large Seattle fault earthquake around A.D. 900 and specific eyewitness accounts linked to a mammoth 1700 earthquake and tsunami in the Cascadia subduction zone.

The stories come from people living in areas from northern California to the northern edge of Vancouver Island. They often differ depending on where they originated, said Ruth Ludwin, a UW research scientist in Earth and space sciences and lead author of two recent papers detailing evidence gleaned from native lore.

See the article Native lore tells the tale: There's been a whole lotta shakin' goin' on at UW News for more information.

Trio of plant genes prevents 'too many mouths' - July 07, 2005
A signaling pathway required for plants to grow to their normal size appears to have an unexpected dual purpose of keeping the plants from wallpapering themselves with too many densely clustered stomata, the microscopic pores on the surface of plants that open to allow plants to take in carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthesis. The stomata close when there is the danger that the plant tissue may lose too much moisture.

"Specialized cells open and close the stomata, much like opening and closing a mouth," says Keiko Torii, UW assistant professor of biology. Stomata too close together can't operate effectively.

Understanding the mechanisms that control stomata patterning offers insights into such questions as how plants evolved to protect themselves when they moved from water to land, Torii says. Even atmospheric scientists are interested in such basic plant biology, given the enormous amount of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide taken up by the Earth's plants.

See the article Trio of plant genes prevents 'too many mouths' at UW News for more information.

Chickadees' alarm-calls carry information about size, threat of predator - June 23, 2005
There's more than meets the human ear when the black-capped chickadee lets its flock mates know a predator is lurking about by giving out its familiar "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" call. The small songbirds, which are common throughout much of North America, use that signature call in a wide variety of social interactions including warning of predators. And it turns out that those alarms are far more subtle and information-packed than scientists previously imagined.

See the article Chickadees' alarm-calls carry information about size, threat of predator at UW News for more information.

Architecture students to design and build experimental 'green' home - June 22, 2005
Like a collegiate version of "Extreme Makeover -- Home Edition," University of Washington architecture students are preparing to build a four-bedroom home for a Yakima Valley family in just nine weekends.

The nine intensive work sessions -- starting this weekend -- will culminate in the first home ever owned by Vanessa Cervantes and her family.

"We're really excited about it -- it's a great opportunity," said Cervantes, an elementary school secretary who hopes to get a degree and become a guidance counselor. "While they're building it, I'm going to be there as much as possible."

Her new home in the town of Mabton -- eight miles south of Sunnyside, Wash. -- will be the first of three such dwellings designed and built by UW students as a case study in how to create houses that are both ultra-affordable and ultra-efficient.

See the article Architecture students to design and build experimental 'green' home for Yakima Valley family at UW News for more information.

Soil emissions are much-bigger-than-expected component of air pollution - June 06, 2005
Nitrogen oxides produced by huge fires and fossil fuel combustion are a major component of air pollution. They are the primary ingredients in ground-level ozone, a pollutant harmful to human health and vegetation.

But new research led by a University of Washington atmospheric scientist shows that, in some regions, nitrogen oxides emitted by the soil are much greater than expected and could play a substantially larger role in seasonal air pollution than previously believed.

Nitrogen oxide emissions total more than 40 million metric tons worldwide each year, with 64 percent coming from fossil fuel combustion, 14 percent from burning and a surprising 22 percent from soil, said Lyatt Jaeglé, a UW assistant professor of atmospheric sciences. The new research shows that the component from soil is about 70 percent greater than scientists expected.

See the article Study uncovers dirty little secret: Soil emissions are much-bigger-than-expected component of air pollution at UW News for more information.

South Asia disaster shows tsunamis are an ongoing threat to humans - April 26, 2005
The tsunami that devastated south Asia coastlines and killed more than 200,000 people last December is a powerful reminder of just how dangerous those waves can be to humans. Such reminders have been delivered periodically, sometimes several decades apart, during the last half-century. But the lessons have been largely ignored or forgotten by most people who didn't suffer direct consequences, said Jody Bourgeois, a University of Washington Earth and space sciences professor who studies historic and pre-historic tsunamis.

Bourgeois is urging fellow scientists to find ways to use the current heightened awareness of tsunamis as a means for broad public education about tsunami dangers and prudent safeguards. Such education should be conducted matter-of-factly, without playing on the fears engendered by December's events, she said.

See the article South Asia disaster shows tsunamis are an ongoing threat to humans at UW News for more information.

A $2.4 million gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation provides insight on North Pacific salmon runs - April 26, 2005
The University of Washington Alaska Salmon Program, the world's longest-running effort to monitor salmon and their ecosystems, has received nearly $2.4 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to expand its sampling scope and sophistication.

The Alaska-based program has applications for Pacific salmon all along the West Coast, providing insights into the fluctuating fortunes of salmon runs and their management.

The grant boosts research into climate and other factors affecting salmon in the Northeast Pacific and determining such things as how much habitat -- parts of streams or entire watersheds -- is needed to sustain salmon.

See the article A $2.4 million gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation provides insight on North Pacific salmon runs at UW News for more information.

When it comes to salmon sex, size sometimes doesn't matter - April 18, 2005
The ones that stay and the ones that stray are biological puzzles among Pacific salmon, of whom the vast majority -- but not all -- travel thousands of miles to sea and back to the streams where they hatched.

There are chinook salmon populations in Idaho in which an occasional male stays put and matures when only 6 inches long -- that is, he's able to fertilize eggs at even that diminutive size, says Thomas P. Quinn, University of Washington professor of aquatic and fishery sciences and author of a recently released book, "The Behavior and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout."

Just picture that tiny male under the belly of a 20-pound adult female that's returned to spawn, Quinn says. He's almost as likely to be a "winner" as the full-size males that are releasing their sperm in a competitive frenzy as the female deposits her eggs. And the tiny male has avoided the harrowing journey taken by most salmon to the ocean and back, bypassing hazards such as dams, sharks and fishermen.

See the article To sea or not to sea: When it comes to salmon sex, size sometimes doesn't matter at UW News for more information.

Hudson's Bay Company policies set stage for modern environmental struggles - December 13, 2004
The Pacific Northwest has seen its share of major environmental battles. Now a new historical study of the fur trade indicates that early Europeans and Americans in the region struggled with similar issues nearly two centuries ago as they sought to exploit and preserve the area's natural resources.

In a pilot study examining the historical record for the National Park Service, a University of Washington researcher has found that the Hudson's Bay Company, the dominant outside force in the region during the early years of the 19th century, set the stage for later environmental struggles through its own sometimes conflicting policies.

See the article Hudson's Bay Company policies set stage for modern environmental struggles at UW News for more information.

Penguins ingest mollusk shells to obtain calcium for thicker eggshells - May 10, 2004
It is virtually impossible for a prospective Magellanic penguin mother to find or build a soft spot to lay her eggs. So it turns out that her eggs come with extra-thick shells to withstand being laid on hard surfaces and survive being kicked around during penguin fights.

But it takes a lot of extra calcium to produce thicker shells, and a penguin can't just run to the corner drugstore to pick up some calcium-rich antacid tablets. New research led by a University of Washington biologist shows that during the period when eggs are being laid, female penguins have significantly more mollusk shells, mainly clams and mussels, in their stomachs than males do. The mollusk shells gradually leach calcium used to form eggshells.

See the article Penguins ingest mollusk shells to obtain calcium for thicker eggshells at UW News for more information.

New interpretation of satellite measurements confirms global warming - May 04, 2004
For years the debate about climate change has had a contentious sticking point -- satellite measurements of temperatures in the troposphere, the layer of atmosphere where most weather occurs, were inconsistent with fast-warming surface temperatures.

But a team led by a University of Washington atmospheric scientist has used satellite data in a new and more accurate way to show that, for more than two decades, the troposphere has actually been warming faster than the surface. The new approach relies on information that better separates readings of the troposphere from those of another atmospheric layer above, which have disguised the true troposphere temperature trend.

See the article New interpretation of satellite measurements confirms global warming at UW News for more information.

Air pollution hurts people with cystic fibrosis - March 29, 2004
University of Washington (UW) researchers have shown for the first time that air pollution has adverse effects on people with cystic fibrosis (CF). The research results are published in the April 1, 2004, edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The study found a significant relationship between the amount of airborne fine particles of soot from sources such as power plants and motor vehicles and the number of CF-related lung infections requiring special medical care such as intravenous antibiotics.

Dr. Christopher Goss, a study author, UW assistant professor of medicine and medical director of the CF Foundation's Therapeutics Development Network said, "The findings do not come as a major surprise, given the growing body of evidence that these particles are unhealthy, but this is the first time the effects of air pollution have been studied in CF patients."

See the article Air pollution hurts people with cystic fibrosis at UW News for more information.