ESS Professor David Catling named interim director of the UW Astrobiology Program

David Catling has been named interim director of the UW Astrobiology Program, an interdisciplinary group that spans four UW colleges, including the College of the Environment. Catling, a professor of Earth and space sciences, is an astrobiologist and planetary scientist who studies what characteristics of Earth help it support life, and whether what we think of as life might be found on other planets.

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UW glaciologist Eric Steig featured in CBS Sunday Morning segment on American history and climate change

UW glaciologist and ESS Professor Eric Steig was interviewed on the February 15th CBS Sunday Morning show. In the segment, "These United States: George Washington and climate change", Steig showed CBS Environmental correspondent David Schechter around his lab (Δ*IsoLab, the isotope geochemistry laboratory in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, which he co-leads with other ESS and Atmospheric Sciences faculty). Together they looked at an ice core dating back to 1776, at the start of the American Revolution.

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The dirt on dirt: Flood recovery starts from the ground up for Washington farmers

The road to recovery for Washington farmers following last month's widespread flooding includes cleaning up and replacing their soil. "You can think of healthy, fertile soils as the foundation that keeps civilization afloat," ESS Professor David Montgomery is quoted. Large-scale flooding can not only wash away these healthy, fertile soils, but it can also bring in undesirable additions such as plastic, oil, and roadway runoff.

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Beast Quake meets its match after Seahawks open game with touchdown on Saturday

Seattle Seahawks Rashid Shaheed's 95-yard kickoff return against the 49ers in Saturday's playoff game electrified fans, causing seismic tremors reminiscent of the 2011 "Beast Quake." PNSN Director Harold Tobin is quoted.

Read more on King5

Seismic detectors near Mount Rainier to improve earthquake early warning system

ESS Professor and PNSN Director Harold Tobin is quoted.

Read the full story on the Daily UW

NASA study reveals Saturn’s biggest moon does not have a global ocean

Baptiste Journaux, planetary scientist and ESS Assistant Professor, and ESS graduate student Ula Jones are quoted.

Read the full story on the Daily UW

Seahawks fans' roar over 49ers rivaled 'Beast Quake,' scientists say

 

Read more at The Chronicle

Saturn’s biggest moon might not have a global ocean — but the search for life isn’t over

More than a decade ago, data from the Cassini mission to Saturn suggested that the planet’s largest moon, Titan, had a vast ocean of liquid water below its frozen surface. In a new study, ESS researchers teamed up with NASA scientists to show that the interior is likely composed of slushy layers instead.

Read the full story on UW News

Telecom Cables Measured an Earthquake in Incredible Detail

ESS Assistant Professor Brad Lipovsky is quoted.

Read more on Scientific American

Nine Alaska seismic stations to go dark in January, slowing West Coast tsunami alerts

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ended funding for nine seismic stations, mainly in the seismically active Aleutian Islands, creating a geographic cap that could delay Washington's tsunami warnings and shorten evacuation windows. PNSN Director Harold Tobin remains confident that distant seismometers will eventually detect any quakes. While there is no need to panic about these stations going offline, UW coastal hazards specialist and ESS alumna Carrie Garrison-Laney advises caution, urging attention to long-term funding trends that threaten tsunami preparedness. The Alaska Earthquake Center is engaged with NOAA to find a solution.

Read more at KUOW