News | Department of Earth and Space Sciences

Headshots of Fang-Zhen Teng, Joshua Krissansen-Totton, and Michelle Muth.

Oct 14, 2025 | Awards and Honors

ESS researchers honored at 2025 AGU conference

Assistant Professors Joshua Krissansen-Totton and Michelle Muth have been awarded prestigious honors, to be given at the annual AGU gathering in New Orleans, LA in December, and Professor Fang-Zhen Teng was named an AGU Fellow.

Oct 14, 2025 | In the News

Mariners fans' cheers cause ground to shake, reach seismic level

The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network measured the intensity of fan energy in Friday's winner-take-all game against the Detroit Tigers. PNSN field engineer Mickey Cassar is quoted.

Link between Cascadia and San Andreas Fault earthquakes discovered 30 years after lost vessel stumbled across key data

Geological records hint that earthquakes at the Cascadia subduction zone might trigger the San Andreas fault. ESS Professor and Pacific Northwest Seismic Network Director Harold Tobin is quoted.

Discovery of organic compounds bolsters case that Saturn's moon Enceladus could support life

A new analysis of data from the Cassini space probe has identified organic compounds within jets of water ice erupting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Some of the compounds, which likely originated in Enceladus’ subsurface ocean, have never before been identified on another world beyond Earth. The study, conducted in part by UW researcher Fabian Klenner, contributes to mounting evidence that Enceladus could support life.

Remembering Robert Crosson

Professor Emeritus Robert (Bob) Crosson passed away on April 29, 2025 at the age of 86.
Bob received an undergraduate degree in geology from UW in 1961. After completing his Ph.D.

Oct 1, 2025

Course Spotlight: ESS 298 Opportunities in Earth & Space Sciences

What resources, relationships, and experiences help ESS students succeed? In Autumn 2023, the Department launched ESS 298: Exploring Opportunities in Earth & Space Sciences to help students discover the many ways to engage and thrive at UW and beyond.

Oct 1, 2025 | Between Spheres Magazine

A New Era of Engagement

In 2024, as the Department of Earth and Space Sciences celebrated its 130th anniversary, we also looked ahead to the future. Recognizing the need for strategic guidance, outside perspectives and strong advocates, the department established a new Advisory Board to help navigate the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

Oct 1, 2025 | Student Spotlight

ESS undergraduate Dahlia Gietka sparks climate conversations on UW Campus

This past spring, undergraduate Dahlia Gietka (B.S. Earth & Space Sciences, graduating March 2026) brought together community leaders and students for a campus-wide climate forum, the first of its kind at UW. Timed around Earth Day, the event offered a space for cross-disciplinary dialogue focused on policy at the local, state, and national levels. The event aimed to give students a deeper understanding by providing a foundation for future conversations about climate policy and sustainability.

Sep 30, 2025 | In the News

Major climate change indicators broke records in 2024

Physics Today reports on the BAMS Annual State of the Climate report many broken records for temperature, humidity, glacier melt, and a section written in part by, and quoting Prof. Robert Holzworth's work on lightning climatology.

How a Graham farm helped detect a swarm of earthquakes at Mount Rainier

Explore the crucial role of the Garrison Hill seismic station. PNSN field technician and seismology lab coordinator Doug Gibbons shares how it not only records local earthquake data but also transmits signals from the STAR station on Mount Rainier to the UW PNSN server.