News

• September 30, 2013: Profs. Dennis Hartmann and Chris Bretherton are in the news—"UW researchers helped draft international assessment of climate change" (By Hannah Hickey, UW Today)
  
• September 14, 2013: Prof. Cliff Mass is in the news—"Uncivil scientists thwart Cliff Mass' climate-change debate" (By Danny Westneat, Seattle Times)
  
• August 30, 2013: Atmospheric Sciences Affiliate Prof. Nicholas Bond is in the news—"New ocean forecast could help predict fish habitat six months in advance" (By Hannah Hickey, UW Today)
  
• August 9, 2013: WxChallenge 2013-2014 will be starting up soon. If you're interested in joining the department's team, please email Lynn McMurdie or Elizabeth Maroon. Start date for the contest is Sept. 30, deadline to sign up for the contest is Friday, Sept. 27.
  
• August 9, 2013: Congratulations to Luke Madaus, winner of the Student Award for Best Poster, and to Kristen Rasmussen, runner-up for the Student Award for Best Presentation, at the 15th AMS Conference on Mesoscale Processes in Portland, OR.
  
• August 1, 2013: Prof. Cecilia Bitz is in the news—"Scientists review the ecological effects of sea ice loss" (By Hannah Hickey, UW Today)
  
• July 24, 2013: "The Northwest has the best summer in the nation. But why?" (Cliff Mass Weather Blog, UW Today)
  
• July 19, 2013: Atmospheric Sciences Affiliate Prof. Nicholas Bond and Dr. Karin Bumbaco (Office of the Washington State Climatologist and Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean) are in the news—"Nighttime heat waves quadruple in Pacific Northwest" (By Hannah Hickey, UW Today)
  
• July 18, 2013: Prof. Cecilia Bitz is in the news—A warmer planetary haven around cool stars, as ice warms rather than cools" (By Peter Kelley, UW Today)
  
• July 9, 2013: Profs. Daniel Jaffe, Lyatt Jaeglé and Joel Thornton in the news—"Hazy days of summer: Southeast U.S. field work measures mercury, smog" (By Hannah Hickey, UW Today)
  
• June 12, 2013: The Department of Atmospheric Sciences Annual Teaching Award winner for 2013 is Prof. Dale Durran. Congratulations!
  
• June 12, 2013: Congratulations to Prof. David Battisti!—Battisti's and colleagues' work was awarded the 2013 Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) Sustainability Science Award for the work entitled Seeds of Sustainability: Lessons from the Birthplace of the Green Revolution. It was recognized by the ESA as a single scholarly contribution published in the last 5 years that represents the greatest contribution to the emerging science of ecosystem and regional sustainability through the integration of ecological and social sciences.
  
• June 6, 2013: Yen-Ting Hwang and Prof. Dargan Frierson in the news—"Pollution in Northern Hemisphere helped cause 1980s African drought" (By Hannah Hickey, UW Today)
  
• May 28, 2013: Elizabeth Maroon is the winner of the Spring 2013 Forecasting Competition. The annoucement was made today by Neal Johnson. Congratulations, Elizabeth!
• May 28, 2013: It is a great pleasure to congratulate Prof. Cecilia Bitz, who has won a 2013 Ascent Award from the AGU! This new award is described by the AGU as follows: "Established in 2012, the Atmospheric Sciences Ascent Award aims to reward exceptional mid-career (academic, government, and private sector) scientists in the fields of the atmospheric and climate sciences."
• May 21, 2013: Congratulations!—Kelly McCusker was selected as the winner of the 2013 Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award for Women in Atmospheric Sciences (Desert Research Institute). This is a great honor and a reflection of the excellent work demonstrated in her paper titled "Rapid and extensivde warming following cessation of solar radiation management."
• May 17, 2013: UW Undergraduate Research Symposium has six entries in Atmospheric Sciences—A search of the 2013 Online Proceedings under "Atmospheric Sciences" (UW Undergraduate Research Program)
  
• May 16, 2013: Congratulations to Dr. Peter Blossey—He has received his first award as PI from NSF for the project entitled "Collaborative Research: Isotopic Fractionation in Snow (IFRACS)" (Abstract)
  
• May 15, 2013: Cliff Mass quoted in article "Game-changing improvements in the works for U.S. weather prediction" (By Jason Samenow, Washington Post)
• May 15, 2013: Adjunct Professor Eric Steig in the news—"Tropical air circulation drives fall warming on Antarctic Peninsula" (By Vince Stricherz, UW Today)
  
• May 10, 2013: Professor Cecilia Bitz in the news—"News Digest: Underwater robot competition Saturday, Honors: Cecilia Bitz, Anthony Greenwald and Patricia Kuhl" (By News and Information, UW Today)
  
• May 7, 2013: Professor Dan Jaffe in the news—"Coal trains fire up UW chemist" (By Danny Westneat, Seattle Times)
  
• May 7, 2013: Bryce Harrop announces the latest UWAtmosOutreach video and Connect 4 Climate competition. Our latest outreach video is an entry for the Connect 4 Climate competition. The contest is run through facebook, so you can check out the video and vote for it there: https://apps.facebook.com/ichangecontest/entry/11165015. If you like it, be sure to share it with your friends! The video "Save the Coal" is up on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CRSdkkN1nk
  
• April 25, 2013: The Department's cutting-edge research is again on the front page of the UW web site—"Keeping beverages cool in summer: It’s not just the heat, it’s the humidity" (By Hannah Hickey, UW Today). Also see the article in Physics Today by Profs. Dale R. Durran and Dargan M. W. Frierson. It's a top story on Cosmic Log the Science and Technology section of nbcnews.com (By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News).
  
• April 20, 2013: Robert G. Fleagle, Sr., was Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences and Senior Fellow in the Joint Institute for Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean at the University of Washington. He earned an A.B. degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in physics-meteorology from New York University before joining the UW faculty in 1948. His initial strong focus on atmospheric research gradually broadened to embrace a growing interest in the application of the science to issues of public policy. He served in the Office of Science and Technology, Executive Office of the President, in 1963 and 1964 to oversee atmospheric research of the government agencies. Here he witnessed and participated in many of the crucial actions that led to major advances in the science and to increasing recognition of the importance of atmospheric processes to the welfare of the planet. In later years he served as Chair of the UW Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Chair of the Committee on Atmospheric Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and President of the American Meteorological Society. His memorial service is planned by the family for Saturday, June 22, 11:00 am, at University Unitarian Church (6556 35th Ave NE, Seattle). Directions: http://www.uuchurch.org/newcomers/directions
  
• April 18, 2013: Professors Dale Durran and Dargan Frierson, working with undergraduates Stella Choi and Steven Brey have shown that the heating produced by water vapor condensing on the outside of a cold can of beer on a hot humid day can heat its contents more rapidly than the heat transferred from the surrounding dry air. Further details appear in the April issue of Physics Today. Also UW Outreach has created a new video on the effects of latent heating that coordinates with this article (see under March 8 news item below).
  
• April 25, 2013 Event: Graduate Students Hansi Singh, Stephen Po-Chedley and Sara Purkey are organizing a public showing of a new documentary Thin Ice on April 25 at 5:30 pm. Many of you have seen this film advertised on the Real Climate blog. Come watch this new movie for free and stay for the discussion after! Where: Seattle Public Library, Northeast Branch (6801 35th Ave NE); When: April 25, 5:30 pm; What: Screening of the new documentary "Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Science."
  
• April 16, 2013: Registration open for public lecture to be held on May 16. Department of Atmospheric Sciences Graduate Students' Distinguished Visiting Lecture. For more information see http://tinyurl.com/GSDVL2013 ("Timescales and Uncertainties in Climate Change," presented by Prof. Geoffrey K. Vallis, Thursday, May 16, 7:00 pm, Kane Hall 210)
  
• April 12, 2013: Kudos WxChallege Team ("UW forecasters finish 14th in national forecast tournament," Scott Sistek, KOMOnews.com)
  
• April 5, 2013: Alumna M.J. McDermott—Speaking at the U.W. Book Store about her new book "The Improv" (Friday, April 5, 6:00 pm). It's not about weather...it's a novel based on a true story about when she was a Drama Major at an East Coast university in the early 1980s. She was cast in a production of "Hair" and something horrible happened. She was the whistleblower who made sure that the director never directed another play at the college. Here's a link to the book trailer (short video about the book): http://tinyurl.com/b538e9y
  
• April 3, 2013: Yen-Ting Hwang and Prof. Dargan Frierson in the news—"Rising Temperature Difference Between Hemispheres Could Dramatically Shift Rainfall Patterns in Tropics" (By Robert Sanders, UC Berkeley News Center)
  
• April 2, 2013: Prof. Cecilia Bitz 2013 Rosenstiel Award winner—The award will be presented to her by Dr. Roni Avissar, dean of the University of Miami Rosenstiel School at a dinner on April 23 (press release).
  
• March 11, 2013: Yen-Ting Hwang and Prof. Dargan Frierson in the news—"Remote clouds responsible for climate models' glitch in tropical rainfall" (By Hannah Hickey, UW Today)
  
• March 8, 2013: UW Atmos Outreach announced the release of their fifth video on YouTube. It is a companion piece to Profs. Durran and Frierson's Physics Today article on latent heat. For other UW Atmos Outreach videos visit http://www.youtube.com/user/UWAtmosOutreach.
  
• March 7, 2013: AMS Student Chapter Special Seminar (SIG 134, 6:00-7:30pm)
  [Forecast:] Cloudy, with a Chance of Oil Spills
  Debbie Payton, NOAA's Emergency Response Division Chief, will speak about NOAA's role in responding to oil and chemical spills in the marine environment. Thousands of incidents result in oil or chemicals spilling into our oceans and rivers every year. Using examples of several incidents, including Superstorm Sandy and the 2010 Gulf of Mexico well blowout, the responsibilities and issues of forecasting fate and effects of pollutants, coordinating science with Federal, State and local expertise, and communicating to a broad range of users will be presented.
• March 4, 2013: Congratulations to Prof. Cecilia Bitz. She is receiving a Fulbright Scholar Award to go to New Zealand next year.
  
• February 28, 2013: Dr. Ryan Eastman and Prof. Stephen Warren in the news—"Changes in cloud distribution explain some weather patterns" (By Nancy Gohring, UW Today)
  
• February 27, 2013: Congratulations to Prof. Daniel Jaffe. He is receiving a Fulbright Award as "Distinguished Chair in Environmental Sciences."
  
• February 14-18, 2013: Congratulations to Prof. Robert Houze who was inducted as a newly elected Fellow at the AAAS 2013 Annual Meeting—"AAAS names 11 UW researchers as fellows" (UW Today)
  
• February 6, 2013: Profs. Cliff Mass and Greg Hakim, and Luke Madaus in the news—"Smartphones, tablets help UW researchers improve storm forecasts," (By Hannah Hickey, UW Today)
  
• January 20, 2013: "2013 Northwest Weather Workshop," March 1-2, 2013
  
• January 17, 2013: Video of Prof. Cliff Mass' October 12, 2012 lecture —"50th Anniversary of 1962 Columbus Day Storm"
  
• January 15, 2013: Dr. Sarah Doherty and Prof. Stephen Warren in the news—"International study: Where there’s smoke or smog, there’s climate change" (By Hannah Hickey, UW Today)
  A few clips from the black carbon media coverage that quote the UW's Sarah Doherty: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/17/black-carbon-global-warming, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21033078, http://www.science20.com/news_articles/soot_finally_gets_some_respect_climate_change-100873
• December 31, 2012: Affiliate Assoc. Prof. Nick Bond in the news—"In rain and snow at home, Seahawks much more likely to win" (By Sandra Hines, UW Today)
  
• December 21, 2012: Prof. Cliff Mass in the news—"With climate change, winter isn't what it used to be" (By Lynda V. Mapes, Seattle Times)
  
• December 17, 2012: Prof. Daniel Jaffe (UW Bothell and Seattle) in the news—"Plumes across the Pacific deliver thousands of microbial species to West Coast" (By Sandra Hines, UW Today)
  
• December 7, 2012: Dr. Lei Geng in the news—"Greenland ice sheet carries evidence of increased atmospheric acidity" (By Vince Stricherz, UW Today)
  
• December 3, 2012: Professor Emeritus Robert Charlson—"The Science Behind Projections of Forced Climate Change: Historical Basis, Open Questions and Implications for Policymakers" (Faith in the Future: How Science can help in Meeting Environmental Challenges, The Royal Professors' Symposium on Global Sustainability, Sweden, 22 March 2012, Video: Permission from Swedish Television)
  
• November 29, 2012: AAAS Fellow—Congratulations to Prof. Robert Houze—"AAAS names 11 UW researchers as fellows" (UW Today)
  
• November 14, 2012: "Austin Post (1922-2012): Austin Post, seminal American glaciologist, has died at the age of 90." (International Glaciological Society) Excerpt from "The Opening of New Landscape," Chapter 3, W. Tad Pfeffer.
  
• November 13, 2012: "Roots of deadly 2010 India flood identified; findings could improve warnings" (UW Today)
  
• October 29, 2012: Josh Kerns, "UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass Dissects the 'Super Storm'" (MyNorthwest.com)
  
• October 26-28, 2012: UW Graduate Climate Conference
  
• October 26, 2012: John H. Cushman Jr., "Aging Satellite Fleet May Mean Gaps in Storm Forecasts" (The New York TImes), Prof. Dennis Hartmann is quoted.
  
• October 12, 2012: Weather with Cliff Mass, "The rain is here, but nothing like Columbus Day 1962" (By Keith Seinfeld, KPLU)
  
• October 11, 2012: The fourth UW Atmos Outreach video, "Ocean Acidification," is up on YouTube. A new demo that was created this past spring for the PAWS on Science Pac Sci climate booth we did. You can check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntBgzK_OlA4 —Bryce Harrop
  Video stars Erika Navarro, Bryce Harrop and Elizabeth Maroon; written by Dargan Frierson, Bryce Harrop, Elizabeth Maroon, Maximo Menchaca, Christopher Terai; music by Dargan Frierson. For more Outreach videos see: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/outreach/community.shtml
  
• October 1, 2012: News Digest: Rainfall rivalry, talk by Japanese ambassador: Friendly competition pits Washington volunteer rainfall observers against Oregon (UW Today)
  
• Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal:The American Meteorological Society has announced that Dennis Hartmann is this year's winner of The Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal. This award "is presented to individuals on the basis of outstanding contributions to the understanding of the structure or behavior of the atmosphere. It represents the highest honor that the Society can bestow upon an atmospheric scientist."
  
• Henry G. Houghton Award:The AMS also announced that Joel Thornton has won the Henry G. Houghton Award, which is given "to an individual in recognition of research achievement in the field of physical meteorology, including atmospheric chemistry. The award is given to promising young or early-career scientists who have demonstrated outstanding ability." Joel was cited "for groundbreaking contributions to understanding chemical processes in the atmosphere, especially those that occur between the condensed phases of wet atmospheric particles and the gas phase.”
  
• Global Hawk Video with Scott Braun
  09/20/2012 - This video shows the Global Hawk in the program that Jen DeHart and I are participating in. Scott Braun is the PI of the Global Hawk hurricane program. He is a graduate of our department.—Prof. Robert Houze
  Robotic Hurricane Hunters (http://www.weather.com/weather/videos/news-41/top-stories-169/robotic-hurricane-hunters-30804, courtesy of weather.com)
• UW in the Media: Snow Place to Call Home
  09/18/2012 - CBS Shrinking snow threatens seal lairs in Arctic
  Shrinking snow cover could threaten the seals' ability to make their icy lairs, UW-led researchers warn.
  09/18/2012 - KING-TV NBC 5 Habitat for ringed seal deteriorating
  Life is not easy in the arctic, and for one creature it's getting tougher every day. The ringed seal's world is changing. Paul Hezel, graduate student in atmospheric sciences, is interviewed.
• September 17, 2012: Shrinking snow depth on Arctic sea ice threatens ringed seal habitat (UW Today)
• September 7, 2012: The Global Hawk—Houze group's latest project
• August 20, 2012: Experiment would test cloud geoengineering as way to slow warming (UW Today)
• August 1, 2012: 26 from UW selected for state Academy of Sciences (UW Today)
• June 7, 2012: Kristen Rasmussen was presented with the Wagner Award for Women in Science at the Desert Research Institute in Reno. It is awarded for the best paper by a woman graduate student in atmospheric sciences.
• June 2012: Face Time, "A Patent Success" (Columns)
• May 7, 2012: New research brings satellite measurements and global climate models Closer (UW Today)
• May 2, 2012: Lights out for research satellites? (New York Times)
• May 2012: AMS Student Chapter at the University of Washington, Base Camp Weather Forecasters...just Amazing! (oarnorthwest.com)
• April 22, 2012: Op-Ed, "March Madness, weather-wise," by J.M. Wallace (Los Angeles Times)
• March 14, 2012: Professor Emeritus Norbert Untersteiner passed away. A celebration of Prof. Untersteiner's life will be held at the University Club on Friday, April 13, 6:00-8:00 pm.
• Feb. 12, 2012: Models underestimate future temperature variability; food security at risk (UW Today)
• Jan. 25, 2012: Injecting sulfate particles into stratosphere won't fully offset climate change (UW Today)
• The Grads and Dargan Frierson cook up some clouds. Cloud in a Bottle - YouTube
• The Grads and Dale Durran investigate heat transfer in your drink. Convection and Conduction - YouTube
• Feb. 24, 2012: Kids can explore icy worlds with scientists at Polar Science Weekend (with video) (UW Today)
• July 9, 2011: Professor Emeritus Conway B. Leovy passed away.
• Jun. 19, 2011: Atmospheric carbon dioxide buildup unlikely to spark abrupt climate change) (UW Today)
• May 16, 2011: Eyes on the storm (The Daily)
• Jan. 25, 2011: Rogue storm system caused Pakistan floods that left millions homeless (UW Today)
• Jan. 24, 2011: Scientists, artists collaborate to produce new art exhibit in Seattle (UW Today)
• Dec. 15, 2010: Polar bears still on thin ice, but cutting greenhouse gases now can avert extinction (University of Washington News)
• Nov. 4, 2010: Etc.: Campus news & notes (University of Washington News)
• Oct. 7, 2010: Illustrious career brings singular honors for Mike Wallace (University Week)
• Sept. 30, 2010: 34 University of Washington doctoral programs rated highly on national assessment (University Week)
• Sept. 26, 2010: Scientists, artists collaborate to produce new art exhibit in Seattle (Longview Daily News)
• Sept. 23, 2010: Trio of PNW universities to develop new tools for climate change planning (UW Today)
• Sept. 22, 2010: Sudden ocean cooling likely contributed to Northern Hemisphere global warming pause in mid-20th century (UW Today)
• Previous News Items

Newsletter 2012

• Atmospheric Circulation has finally hit the press. See the latest edition under Alumni & Friends / Annual Newsletter

Videos

• May 7, 2013: Bryce Harrop announces the latest UWAtmosOutreach video and Connect 4 Climate competition. Our latest outreach video is an entry for the Connect 4 Climate competition. The contest is run through facebook, so you can check out the video and vote for it there: https://apps.facebook.com/ichangecontest/entry/11165015. If you like it, be sure to share it with your friends! The "Save the Coal" video is up on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CRSdkkN1nk
  
• April 2, 2013: Emeritus Professor Robert Charlson in the news—Inventions that came from the UW (KING-TV, Evening Magazine).
  
• March 8, 2013: UW Atmos Outreach announced the release of their fifth video on YouTube. It is a companion piece to Profs. Durran and Frierson's Physics Today article on latent heat. For other UW Atmos Outreach videos visit http://www.youtube.com/user/UWAtmosOutreach.
  
• January 17, 2013: Video of Prof. Cliff Mass' October 12, 2012 lecture —"50th Anniversary of 1962 Columbus Day Storm".
  
• December 3, 2012: Professor Emeritus Robert Charlson—"The Science Behind Projections of Forced Climate Change: Historical Basis, Open Questions and Implications for Policymakers" (Faith in the Future: How Science can help in Meeting Environmental Challenges, The Royal Professors' Symposium on Global Sustainability, Sweden, 22 March 2012, Video: Permission from Swedish Television)
  
• October 11, 2012: The fourth UW Atmos Outreach video, "Ocean Acidification," is up on YouTube. A new demo that was created this past spring for the PAWS on Science Pac Sci climate booth we did. You can check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntBgzK_OlA4 —Bryce Harrop
  Video stars Erika Navarro, Bryce Harrop and Elizabeth Maroon; written by Dargan Frierson, Bryce Harrop, Elizabeth Maroon, Maximo Menchaca, Christopher Terai; music by Dargan Frierson. For more Outreach videos see: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/outreach/community.shtml
  
• The Grads and Dargan Frierson cook up some clouds. Cloud in a Bottle - YouTube
• The Grads and Dale Durran investigate heat transfer in your drink. Convection and Conduction - YouTube
• Our Graduate Students and Dargan Frierson Demonstrate the Power of Air Pressure