Escajeda, E., Laidre, K. L., Born, E. W., Wiig, Ø., Atkinson, S., Dyck, M., Ferguson, S. H., Lunn, N. J. (2018) Identifying shifts in maternity den phenology and habitat characteristics of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Baffin Bay and Kane Basin. Polar Biology DOI: 10.1007/s00300-017-2172-6
Author Archive
The Washington Post reports on the changes in Arctic sea ice and its effect on the polar bear. The main source of the article is a recent study by PSC’s Harry Stern and Kristin Laidre, published in The Cryosphere.
Salon.com covers the use of animals, such as narwhals and elephant seals, outfitted with non-invasive devices to collect data on the effects of climate change on the environment of the Arctic and Antarctic. The article includes the work of PSC researchers, Michael Steele and Kristin Laidre.
UW News covers PSC’s Eric Regehr’s polar bear study of the Chukchi Sea subpopulation. This is the first formal study of this population and is published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports. Read on to learn more about the lead author’s decade-long project and the status of the Chukchi Sea polar bears.
Fournier, S., T. Lee, W. Tang, M. Steele, and E. Olmedo, Evaluation and Intercomparison of SMOS, Aquarius and SMAP Sea Surface Salinity Products in the Arctic Ocean, Remote Sens., 11(24), 3043, doi:10.3390/rs11243043, 2019.
Frantz, C.M., Light, B., Farley, S.M., Carpenter, S., Lieblappen, R., Courville, Z., Orellana, M.V., and Junge, K.: Physical and optical characteristics of heavily melted “rotten” Arctic sea ice, The Cryosphere, 13, 775-793, doi:10.5194/tc-13-775-2019, 2019.
Frantz, C.M., Light, B., Farley, S.M., Carpenter, S., Lieblappen, R., Courville, Z., Orellana, M.V., and Junge, K.: Physical and optical characteristics of heavily melted “rotten” Arctic sea ice, The Cryosphere, 13, 775-793, doi:10.5194/tc-13-775-2019, 2019.
Frantz, C.M., Light, B., Farley, S.M., Carpenter, S., Lieblappen, R., Courville, Z., Orellana, M.V., and Junge, K.: Physical and optical characteristics of heavily melted “rotten” Arctic sea ice, The Cryosphere, 13, 775-793, doi:10.5194/tc-13-775-2019, 2019.
Ignatius Rigor collaborated on a study of Antarctic sea ice change using satellite observations. Read the paper presenting the findings in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment.
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.
A proposal to cover Arctic sea ice with layers of tiny hollow glass spheres about the thickness of one human hair would actually accelerate sea-ice loss and warm the climate rather than creating thick ice and lowering the temperature as proponents claim, according to a new study.Sea ice, by reflecting the majority of the sun’s energy back to space, helps regulate ocean and air temperatures and influences ocean circulation. Its area and thickness are of critical importance to Earth’s climate. A 2018 study argued that repeated spreading of hollow glass microspheres on young Arctic sea ice would increase reflectivity, protect…
Seattle Girls’ School has named PSC PI Kristin Laidre recipient of their 2016 Grace Hopper Award for Outstanding Achievement. Kristin is being recognized for her successful endeavors to make her research efforts accessible to many age groups.
She will be honored at the SGS 14th Annual Luncheon on May 5, 2016. Congratulations, Kristin!
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.
The Washington Post asks Ian Joughin about a recent study, in the journal Science Advances, using a GPS network which measures ice sheet mass loss in Greenland and re-evaluates previous studies.
Hakai Magazine covered a recent paper led by PSC’s Kristin Laidre and asked about the collaborative project in which Kristin, the research team, and interpreters interviewed Inuit hunters and gathered traditional knowledge on polar bear ecology in East Greenland. Read the article to find out how the subsistence and cultural relationships have changed for the arctic animals & Indigenous communities.
Gutt, J., M.R. Cape, W. Dimmler, L. Fillinger, E. Isla, V. Lieb, T. Lundälv, and C. Pulcher (2013), Shifts in Antarctic megabenthic structure after ice-shelf disintegration in the Larsen area east of the Antarctic Peninsula, Polar Biol, 36(6), 895–906, doi:10.1007/s00300-013-1315-7.
August 2019 – NASA’s Center for Climate Simulation reported on the recent Cryospheric Science Hackweek held at UW. The article includes an interview with PSC’s Anthony Arendt and workshop coverage from other planners, facilitators, and participants.
Hale, J. R., Laidre, K. L., Tinker, M. T., Jameson, R. J., Jeffries, S. J., Larson, S. E. and Bodkin, J. L. (2019), Influence of occupation history and habitat on Washington sea otter diet. Mar Mam Sci. doi:10.1111/mms.12598
Hall, S.B., B. Subrahmanyam, & M. Steele, The role of the Russian Shelf in seasonal and interannual variability of Arctic sea surface salinity and freshwater content, J. Geophys. Res.: Oceans, 128, doi:10.1029/2022JC019247, 2023.
Hauser, D. D. W., Laidre, K. L., Stafford, K. M., Stern, H. L., Suydam, R. S. and Richard, P. R. (2016), Decadal shifts in autumn migration timing by Pacific Arctic beluga whales are related to delayed annual sea ice formation. Glob Change Biol. doi:10.1111/gcb.13564
Hauser, D. D. W., K. L. Laidre, H. L. Stern. 2018. Vulnerability of Arctic marine mammals to vessel traffic in the increasingly ice-free Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.1073/pnas.1803543115
Hauser, D.D W., Laidre K. L., Stern H.L., Moore S.E., Suydam, R. S., and Richard, P.R.: Habitat selection by two beluga whale populations in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, PLoS ONE 12(2), doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0172755, 2017.
Hauser DDW, Laidre KL, Stern HL, Suydam RS, Richard PR. Indirect effects of sea ice loss on summer‐fall habitat and behaviour for sympatric populations of an Arctic marine predator. Divers Distrib. 2018;24:791–799. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12722
Hauser, D.D.W., K.L. Laidre, H.L. Stern, R.S. Suydam, P.R. Richard. 2018. Indirect effects of sea ice loss on summer-fall habitat and behaviour for sympatric populations of an Arctic marine predator. Diversity and Distributions https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12722.
The Washington Post reports that although “Arctic Sea Ice Blog: Interesting News and Data” will be going on hiatus, the Arctic Sea Ice Forum will remain open and monthly PIOMAS updates will continue. Axel Schweiger comments on how the blog and the PSC dataset has helped create a thoughtful and detailed real-time public discourse.
Heide‐Jørgensen, M. P., Hansen, R. G., Fossette, S. , Nielsen, N. H., Borchers, D. L., Stern, H. and Witting, L. (2017), Rebuilding beluga stocks in West Greenland. Anim Conserv, 20: 282-293. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12315
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.
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.
An international team of researchers, including Kristin Laidre, conducted a study involving genetic variability in polar bears. Read about the study in Animal Conservation.
Hill, David F., E. A. Burakowski, R. L. Crumley, J. Keon, J. M. Hu, A. A. Arendt, K. Wikstrom Jones, and G. J. Wolken, Converting snow depth to snow water equivalent using climatological variables. The Cryosphere, 13, 1767–1784, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1767-2019, 2019.
Hill, V. J., P. A. Matrai, E. Olson, S. Suttles, M. Steele, L.A. Codispoti, R. C. Zimmerman, Synthesis of integrated primary production in the Arctic Ocean: II. In situ and remotely sensed estimates, Prog. in Oceanogr., 110, doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2012.11.005, 2013.
Hill, V., Light, B., Steele, M., & Sybrandy, A. L., Contrasting sea-ice algae blooms in a changing Arctic documented by autonomous drifting buoys. J. Geophys. Res.: Oceans, 127, e2021JC017848, doi:10.1029/2021JC017848, 2022.
Hill, V., Light, B., Steele, M., & Sybrandy, A. L., Contrasting sea-ice algae blooms in a changing Arctic documented by autonomous drifting buoys. J. Geophys. Res.: Oceans, 127, e2021JC017848, doi:10.1029/2021JC017848, 2022.
Hill, V.J., B. Light, M., Steele, & R.C. Zimmerman, Light availability and phytoplankton growth beneath Arctic sea ice: Integrating observations and modeling, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 123, 3651–3667, doi:10.1029/2017JC013617, 2018.
Hill, V.J., B. Light, M., Steele, & R.C. Zimmerman, Light availability and phytoplankton growth beneath Arctic sea ice: Integrating observations and modeling, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 123, 3651–3667, doi:10.1029/2017JC013617, 2018.
Scavenging on stranded large whale carcasses may have aided polar bear survival through past interglacial periods, during which sea‐ice was limited and access to seals was reduced. Will whales play a similar role in the future as Arctic conditions change? To learn more, read the recent study led by PSC’s Kristin Laidre in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
Hogg, A.E., A. Shepherd, S.L. Cornford, K.H. Briggs, N. Gourmelen, J. Graham, I. Joughin, J. Mouginot, T. Nagler, A.J. Payne, E. Rignot, J. Wuite. (2017), Increased ice flow in Western Palmer Land linked to ocean melting, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, doi: 10.1002/2016GL072110
Holland, M.M., Clemens-Sewall, D., Landrum, D., Light, B., Perovich, D., Polashenski, C., Smith, M., & M. Webster (2021), The influence of snow on sea ice as assessed from simulations of CESM2, The Cryosphere, doi:10.5194/tc-2021-174.
Holland, M.M., Clemens-Sewall, D., Landrum, D., Light, B., Perovich, D., Polashenski, C., Smith, M., & M. Webster (2021), The influence of snow on sea ice as assessed from simulations of CESM2, The Cryosphere, doi:10.5194/tc-2021-174.
The Seattle Times covered Harry Stern’s research study which tracked changes along the Arctic ice edge combining modern technology and historical records such as maps and logs from Captain James Cook’s 18th-century voyage.
Because of the yearlong COVID-19 pandemic, the hundreds of scientists and engineers behind the Perseverance rover mission have had to work almost exclusively from home. On the big day, only a minimal crew of ground controllers will be on duty at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. APL-UW Physicist Tim Elam, too, will be watching from home on February 18th.
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.
Huang, Y., Taylor, P.C., Rose, F.G., Rutan, D.A., Shupe, M.A., Webster M., & M. Smith (2022), Towards a more realistic representation of surface albedo in NASA CERES satellite products: a comparison with the MOSAiC field campaign, Elementa: Sci. of the Anthro., 10, doi:10.1525/elementa.2022.00013.
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.
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.
Ecosystems can draw down carbon and buffer us from the worst effects of climate change — but only if we protect them.