March research highlights: Nautilus habitat, eco-friendly tennis courts, more

This highlight features a recent paper by ESS Adjunct Professor Peter Ward about the habits and habitats of 'living fossils' Nautilus and Allonautilus. ESS Professor Eric Steig and lab manager Andrew Schauer are co-authors.

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Fiber optic cables reveal a serious problem at the heart of modern farming

Co-authors David Montgomery and Marine Denolle are quoted.

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Earthquake scientists reveal how overplowing weakens soil at experimental farm

In a new study published in Science, a team led by UW researchers, including Marine Denolle, David Montgomery, Abby Swann and Nicoleta Cristea, examine the impact of tilling on soil moisture and water retention using methods designed for monitoring earthquakes. By tracking changes in the speed of sound through soil, they show that tilling disrupts important soil microstructures, compromising its natural sponginess.

The method could help farmers develop tailored cultivation strategies, provide real time food information, inform earthquake hazard maps and more.

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Scientists discover skyscraper-sized underwater waves beneath Greenland that speed up glacier melt

Underwater waves triggered by falling icebergs are playing a bigger role in Greenland's ice loss than previously thought. ESS postdoc Dominik Gräff is lead author on the study.

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ESS Professor David Catling elected as a Geochemistry Fellow

Professor David Catling of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences has been elected as a 2026 Geochemical Fellow of the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry. This international award is bestowed upon outstanding scientists who have made a major contribution to the field of geochemistry.

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NPR's Short Wave podcast interviews Marine Denolle about earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest

NPR's Short Wave podcast interviewed ESS Associate Professor Marine Denolle about the Cascadia fault and earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest.

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UW Earth and Space Sciences alumna Annie Bauer and Tara Smiley named 2026 Sloan Fellows

Two University of Washington alumna have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows are Dr. Annie Bauer (UW B.S. 2011), an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin, and Dr. Tara Smiley (UW B.S. 2007), an assistant professor at Stony Brook University.

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The search for alien life: Inside University of Washington’s astrobiology program

The segment on KIRO7 featured ESS Profs. David Catling and Dale Winebrenner, and graduate student Danqiu Chen, and their research about conditions for life Earth and how such conditions translate to planets or moons elsewhere. The University of Washington Astrobiology Program is the longest-running program of its kind in the world.

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25 years after Nisqually quake, expert warns 'it will happen again'

The anniversary of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake was marked on Thursday, 2/26 by discussing ongoing contingency plans for another powerful quake. ESS Professor and PNSN Director Harold Tobin is interviewed.

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Associate Research Professor Michelle Koutnik featured at Greenland Roundtable

The Greenland Roundtable, hosted by the UW Center for Canadian & Arctic Studies, brought together experts to explore the ongoing emergency from Inuit, environmental, EU, and NATO perspectives. Featured experts included Associate Research Professor Michelle Koutnik.

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