Here’s what vanishing sea ice in the Arctic means for you
The Verge, a news website for the mainstream, interviewed PSC’s Ignatius Rigor and other researchers to find out how vanishing sea ice in the Arctic impacts the general public.
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In The News
UW researcher, Fulbright Scholar, spent winter above the Arctic Circle
UW Today talks to Cecilia Peralta Ferriz about her experiences in Norway, as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, before she returns to Seattle at the end of May.
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EDITOR’S HIGHLIGHTS – A possible link between winter Arctic sea ice decline and a collapse of the Beaufort High?
Axel Schweiger, Jinlun Zhang, and Mike Steele are co-authors on an article that earned the Editor’s Highlight for AGU’s recent Geophysical Research Letters. Read on to learn why the article, Collapse of the 2017 Winter Beaufort High: A Response to Thinning Sea Ice?, drew such attention…
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Chasing Narwhals, Unicorns of the Sea
Third Pod from the Sun, the American Geophysical Union’s podcast, kicks off the month of March with PSC’s Kristin Laidre.
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2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting
The 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM), co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), and The Oceanography Society (TOS), will be held 11–16 February, in Portland, Oregon. Some of the members of PSC will join their colleagues from the University of Washington and other institutions to present and discuss their latest marine science research endeavors.
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The Polar Science Center lost one of its founders: Alan Thorndike
Alan Thorndike died on Jan 8, 2018 from an aggressive pneumonia. He was 72 years old. For those of you who don’t know, Alan was one of the original AIDJEX gang and founding PIs of PSC. Working with Drew Rothrock, he developed the concept of the thickness distribution that is at the heart of most sea ice models.
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Scientists seek US backcountry skiers to measure snowpack
The Washington Post spreads the word about PSC’s Anthony Arendt’s current collaborative project, Community Snow Observations (CSO), a citizen snow-measuring program. Read more to learn how the public can participate and why measuring snow is part of the science.
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Identifying shifts in maternity den phenology and habitat characteristics of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Baffin Bay and Kane Basin
Erica Escajeda and Kristin Laidre were part of an international team of researchers that studied polar bear maternity dens and compared current data with previously published data through the 1990s. Read the findings published in Polar Biology.
read more »AGU Fall Meeting 2017
PSC members join their colleagues and peers at the AGU 2017 Fall Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
read more »Stressed-Out Narwhals Don’t Know Whether To Freeze Or Flee, Scientists Find
NPR interviews PSC’s Kristin Laidre on the recent discovery of the narhwals’ unique reaction to stress and why its effects should be quantified.
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Narwhals Wearing Heart Monitors Reveal Danger of Human Encounters
National Geographic asks PSC’s Kristin Laidre about a new unaffiliated study of the escape response of East Greenland narwhals.
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Human Disturbance hits Narwhals Where it Hurts — the Heart
The Washington Post covered new research findings on narwhal physiology and asked PSC’s Kristin Laidre what it will mean for the species in a changing Arctic.
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Narwhal recruits track melting Arctic ice
NASA’s Sea Level News provides more details on the agency teaming up with PSC’s Kristin Laidre to further the Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) project in progress. Data gathered by tagged narwhals will expand our understanding of both narwhal behavior and melting glaciers. Click below to learn more about the research endeavor and how the partnership came about…
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Editor’s Highlight— A Meteoric Water Budget for the Arctic Ocean
Matt Alkire leads the PSC team of authors that earned the Editor’s Highlight for AGU’s recent JGR: Oceans issue. Read on to learn why Matt’s article, A meteoric water budget for the Arctic Ocean, was singled out…
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Navy Leads International Effort to Deploy Buoys Into the Arctic Ocean
PSC’s Ignatius Rigor took part in buoy deployments near the North Pole, in early September, as part of the International Arctic Buoy Program (IABP) – a partnership of global participants maintaining a network of drifting buoys in the Arctic Ocean. Read the Navy News Service post to learn more about IABP and the joint mission…
read more »Narwhals helping NASA understand melting ice
Narwhals are intentionally a part of NASA’S project, Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG). PSC’s Kristin Laidre explains why the whales play a vital role in studying the ice in a recent story from The Washington Post/Bloomberg News and presented by their various news outlets.
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Cecilia Peralta Ferriz recipient of U.S. Fulbright Scholar grant
Congratulations to Cecilia, who was chosen to participate in the U.S. Fulbright Scholar program. She will spend 9 months in Norway (from mid-August 2017 to mid-May 2018) doing oceanographic research at the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) in Tromsø, and at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) in Longyearbyen.
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The Doomsday Glacier
Rolling Stone reports on the changing state of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica and how it could affect sea levels worldwide. The mainstream article quotes research previously published by PSC’s Ian Joughin, along with Ben Smith and alumnus Brooke Medley.
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Antarctic Peninsula ice more stable than thought
Science Daily reports on a study recently published in Geophysical Research Letters where satellite measurements assessed glacier flow in the Antarctic Peninsula. PSC’s Ian Joughin was part of an international team of researchers, led by the UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at the University of Leeds, and is one of the co-authors.
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Get an Amazing Whale’s-Eye View Underneath Antarctica
Satellite tags and video cameras are successfully tracking movement and recording images of humpback whales along the Antarctic Peninsula. National Geographic asks PSC’s Kristin Laidre about the arduous methods used to collect data on marine mammals in polar environments.
read more »University of Washington programs make top 10 in new global ranking
The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), publisher of the largest academic ranking of global universities, has released their global rankings of academic disciplines for 2017. Find out which UW programs made the list…
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Conservation Biology Awards
The publication Conservation Biology announced its awards for 2016 and PSC’s Kristin Laidre is the lead author of the paper that earned the second highest altmetric score, Arctic Marine Mammal Population Status, Sea Ice Habitat Loss, and Conservation Recommendations for the 21st Century.
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Laidre led the collaborative effort which involved PSC colleagues Harry Stern and Eric Regehr (at present), along with other researchers from Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia and other US institutions. Congratulations to Kristin and the team!
Greater role for Atlantic inflows on sea-ice loss in the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean
Matt Alkire, John Guthrie and Jamie Morison were part of an international team of researchers that studied the effects of the Atlantic Ocean on sea ice cover in the eastern Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean. Read the findings published in Science Magazine.
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Concern over impacts on climate research
News station KING 5 interviews PSC’s Jamie Morison, as environmental policies change under the new administration resulting in strong, public response. Watch the clip of the PSC oceanographer discussing his own research observations, Arctic data available from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), and the need to continue polar research.
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Engaging Young Learners with Cool Science
APL-UW has produced a video about Polar Science Weekend, an annual public outreach event centering around polar research. Watch APL-UW scientists, including veteran PSW participants PSC’s Ben Smith and Wendy Ermold, explain their research in ways that apply the principles of physics via hands-on activities to the community.
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Polar Bears’ Path to Decline Runs Through Alaskan Village
Polar bears are now a noticeable presence in the Arctic village of Kaktovik, Alaska. The New York Times provides in-depth coverage of their living situation and talks to Eric Regehr, among others, about the loss of habitat and sustenance and the hard adjustments to come for the species.
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How to conserve polar bears — and maintain subsistence harvest — under climate change
The UW Today reports on the open-access study recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology by PSC’s Eric Regehr and a collaborative team, including Harry Stern. The team combined data collected on polar bear subpopulations with that of sea ice extent and identified ways to carry on subsistence harvesting with the least amount of negative impact already caused by habitat loss.
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Up to half of Arctic melting can be explained by natural changes
The Christian Science Monitor reports on research findings that a large portion of sea ice decline in the Arctic is caused by natural changes. The study was recently published in Nature Climate Change and CSM interviews some of the authors Qinghua Ding, Axel Schweiger and David Battisti.
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Rapid decline of Arctic sea ice a combination of climate change and natural variability
UW Today talks with Qinghua Ding and Axel Schweiger about a new study published in Nature Climate Change of how natural variability affects sea ice loss in the Arctic. Ding, now a PSC affiliate, along with Schweiger and other colleagues from UW and NOAA used decades of data to examine the contribution of the atmospheric circulation to Arctic sea-ice variability.
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Press Release: Harvesting wildlife affected by climate change?
PSC researchers Eric Regehr and Harry Stern contribute to a new polar bear study on the balance between conservation and subsistence needs. The British Ecological Society reports on the published findings.
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Polar Science Weekend: March 3-5, 2017
Polar Science Weekend at Pacific Science Center, returns for the twelfth straight year March 3-5, 2017. The annual interactive exhibit offers the public a view into the many facets of polar research.
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The New Northwest Passage
48° North covers the changing state of the Northwest Passage from a sailor’s point of view. The magazine also includes their brief conversation with PSC’s Harry Stern who provides some of the science behind the fluctuating Arctic sea ice.
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UW’s Kristin Laidre awarded Pew marine fellowship to study effects of climate change, subsistence hunting on polar bears
The Pew Charitable Trust has awarded Kristin Laidre one of their fellowships for marine conservation. Her research will involve the effect of melting sea ice on polar bears and the indigenous communities that rely on them. Read more about it in UW Today. Congratulations, Kristin!
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Hidden lakes drain below West Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier
UW Today reports on the results of a study recently published in The Cryosphere, involving PSC’s Ben Smith, Alex Huth, and Ian Joughin who teamed up with the University of Edinburgh and, using satellite data, identified a considerable drainage of interconnected lakes below West Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier.
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With Arctic freeze-up coming later, some belugas delay fall migration
The Alaska Dispatch News reports on the study published in Global Change Biology of beluga whale migration patterns influenced by changes of the annual Arctic freeze-up. PSC authors include Donna Hauser, Kristin Laidre, and Harry Stern. The article also makes a parallel comparison to a study of ice retreat, published in JGR Oceans, co-authored by PSC’s Rebecca Woodgate.
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Seattle climate scientists spread word on warming, skip politics
Are climate scientists able to talk about their research without politics today? The Seattle Times talks with PSC researchers Axel Schwieger, Mike Steele, and Harry Stern who try to inform the public of the science behind climate change.
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Human-Driven Global Warming Is Biggest Threat to Polar Bears, Report Says
The US Fish and Wildlife Service recently released their Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the polar bear. Required under the Endangered Species Act, the CMP outlines what must be done for a species to recover and avoid extinction. Kristin Laidre comments for the New York Times.
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Arctic sea ice loss impacts beluga whale migration
The University of Washington news produced a video with the Polar Science Center highlighting a six-year study of Beluga whale populations. Donna Hauser, Kristin Laidre, and Harry Stern participated from PSC.
read more »Arctic sea ice changes affect beluga whale migration
Eurasia Review reports on the results of the lengthy study of beluga whale migration led by PSC and published in the journal Global Change Biology. The news post includes previous comments by some of the authors, Donna Hauser and Kate Stafford.
read more »Beluga Whales: Loss of Arctic sea ice due to climate change disrupts migration patterns
The news source International Business Times, out of the UK, reports on findings recently published in Global Change Biology of a decades-long research study involving Beluga whales. Donna Hauser, Kristin Laidre, Harry Stern and colleagues examined changes in autumn migration timing of Beluga whale populations since the 1990s.
read more »Polar bear populations to decrease 30 per cent by 2050
Geographical reports on the findings of an extensive study of polar bear populations published in Biology Letters. Read the online article with remarks from one of PSC’s contributors to the study, Kristin Laidre.
read more »Science Daily: Arctic sea ice loss impacts beluga whale migration
Science Daily, the popular science news website, posts coverage of the recently published study of the annual migration of some beluga whales altered by sea ice changes in the Arctic. The study and findings were published in Global Change Biology, authored by Donna Hauser, Kristin Laidre, Harry Stern and Kate Stafford, among others.
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Warm ocean water is melting East Antarctica’s largest glacier
Results of an Australian-led research cruise in 2014-15, was recently published in the journal Science Advances. Warm waters from deep in the Southern Ocean are melting the Totten Glacier through two undersea channels, from the bottom up. The online news source Mashable asks other experts in the field, including PSC’s Ian Joughin, to comment.
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Satellite system tracks glaciers’ flow in real time
Nature has reported on the Global Land Ice Velocity Extraction project (GoLIVE), recently announced at the AGU Fall Meeting 2016. This NASA-funded project uses perpetual data from the Landsat 8 satellite to monitor glaciers and ice sheets. The news source asked PSC Glaciologist Ian Joughin for comment.
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Research symposium for International Policy Institute (IPI) Arctic Fellows, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies (Jackson School)
Harry Stern served as a respondent at the International Policy Institute (IPI) Arctic Fellows Research Symposium which took place on Friday, December 9 at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies on campus. The theme of the symposium was Arctic Indigenous Economies in Inuit Nunangat (Canada) and the Circumpolar World.
read more »The Arctic Completely Failed Its 2016 Report Card
NOAA released its annual “Arctic Report Card” and Gizmodo presented research findings by Kristin Laidre, among others, to help readers interpret the “grade”.
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Polar bear numbers seen declining a third from Arctic sea ice melt
Reuters Environment reports on a polar bear study led by Eric Regehr and its findings which were presented by co-author Kristin Laidre at a panel discussion during the America Geophysical Union’s 2016 Fall Meeting. Satellite data documenting sea-ice loss also forecasts declines in polar bear population. Reuters briefly talks to Regehr about the specifics of the global assessment.
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Press Conference: How animals will fare in a changing climate
Kristin Laidre participated in a panel discussion held at AGU’s 2016 Fall Meeting in San Francisco. She presented population projections for polar bears across the Arctic during the discourse of how satellites observe habitat change and help scientists forecast how species will respond.
read more »AGU Fall Meeting 2016
PSC members join their colleagues and peers at the AGU 2016 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California.
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Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea: Current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers
Donna Hauser participated in the analysis of beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea. Temporally and spatially diverse data sets which included aerial survey, passive acoustic, and satellite tracking data were synthesized to gain baseline information and a more holistic understanding of beluga distribution. Read about the project published in Deep Sea Research.
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Selected Projects
Future of Ice Postdoctoral Research Opportunities in Polar Regions Research
The Quaternary Research Center (QRC) and the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA, are seeking Postdoctoral Research Associates with interests in the polar regions.
read more »Arctic Sea Ice Extent and Volume Follow Long-term Trend
In mid-September Arctic sea ice reaches its minimum extent and volume. There are annual fluctuations — 2012 was a record low for both measures — but reports of a recent ‘rebound’ are short-sighted. Axel Schweiger explains why the downward long-term trend is clear.
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