UW Earth & Space Sci

“Our whole Earth system depends, in part, on these ice sheets,” said Dominik Gräff. “It’s a fragile system, and if you disturb it even just a little bit, it could collapse. We need to understand the turning points. This requires deep, process-based knowledge of glacial mass loss”

For years, researchers have hypothesized that westerly winds were ferrying warm water toward the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, accelerating ice melt. A new @UW_ESS study flips the existing narrative on its head, pointing toward winds from the north instead. washington.edu/news/2025/09/1…

.@UWEnvironment will expand its work related to climate solutions thanks to a grant announced today from Fund for Science and Technology, a new foundation within the Paul G. Allen philanthropic ecosystem. washington.edu/news/2025/08/2…

UW ESS scientists deployed a fiber-optic cable in a Greenland fjord to study ice calving. Their findings show a key process speeding glacier mass loss & impacting ice sheets, ocean currents & ecosystems. #UWESS #UWEnvironment Read more: washington.edu/news/2025/08/1…

A team lead by researchers at @UW and @FieldMuseum is identifying the animals that thrived in southern Pangea just before the so-called “Great Dying," including saber-toothed predators, burrowing foragers and a large, salamander-like creature. More: washington.edu/news/2025/08/1…

The mountain is out ⛰️ @UW_ESS researchers went to Mt. Rainier last weekend to place 240 small seismometers in the park. The seismometers will capture tiny ground vibrations such as earthquakes & glacier quakes with the goal of better understanding surface hazards like avalanches

Happy #FieldWorkFriday! An unexpected (but very cute) guest joined our field staff last week on the way to site TWL1. While this tiny bear cub showed up by itself, we bet Momma Bear was somewhere close by! Springtime always brings lots of cute new faces to our local wilderness.

🌎 Happy Earth Day! Celebrate our amazing planet with us this weekend at the UW Earth & Space Sciences Open House 🌋🔭 🗓️ Sunday, April 27 | 1–3:30 pm 🪨 Split rocks, make fossils, build icy alien worlds 🎟️ Free + free parking 📍 Johnson Hall, UW 🔗 ess.uw.edu/alumni-communi…

🌍☀️🪐 Curious about what’s under your feet—or what’s happening on the surface of the Sun? Come to the UW ESS Open House on Sunday, April 27 from 1-3:30 pm! 🔬 Hands-on demos 🪐 Earth & planetary science booths 🚗 Free entry + free parking 📍 ess.uw.edu/alumni-communi…

The ESS Research Gala showcases the incredible work of our students. Your support helps fund cash awards that recognize their hard work and innovation. Join us in celebrating the next generation of Earth & space scientists! 🌎✨ 💜 Donate today👇together.uw.edu/Campaign/ess-g…

🚀 It’s Gala Week! 🚀 The ESS Research Gala is happening this week, and we can't wait to showcase the incredible work of UW Earth & Space Sciences students! From glaciers to galaxies, their research spans worlds. Get all the details here: 🌍✨ sites.google.com/uw.edu/ess-res…

🚀 A new study in Nature Communications led by @UW ESS planetary scientist @B_jour reveals groundbreaking research that could revolutionize the search for habitability in our solar system and beyond. Read the full story👇 ess.uw.edu/2025/03/unlock…

Happy birthday @USGS_ShakeAlert! Oregonians have been able to get earthquake early warning alerts on their phones since 3/11/2021. Schools, hospitals, and utilities can also integrate #ShakeAlert #EEW into their facilities. The ShakeAlert System is available in WA, OR, and CA.

The UW Board of Regents has named Robert J. Jones as the 34th President of the University of Washington! Jones brings a wealth of experience, having led @UofIllinois & @ualbany before being selected to join us in the PNW. washington.edu/34th-president/ 1/2

Happy #FieldworkFriday! This winter season keeps providing, with some incredible hoar frost by site ODUC. It grows in low temp & high moisture areas, where sunlight & precipitation haven't yet reached. Sol Duc Valley had perfect conditions for growing these crystals as of late!

Did you know that ESS is also on Bluesky?🦋Head over and give us a follow! 🌎bsky.app/profile/uwess.…

Important paper in Nature, relavant to one of the goals of the Hercules Dome project: positive isotope anomaly at Skytrain Ice Rise during last interglacial, as predicted from water-isotope simulations when the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapses. nature.com/articles/s4158…

Happy Year of the Snake! 🐍 Wishing everyone peace and good health. 🍊 🧧 💜 💛

Pacific Northwest’s busiest volcano predicted to erupt by end of 2025 #UWOceanography #UWEnvironment @KUOW kuow.org/stories/pacifi…

🌍🎙️ Check out #FieldSoundPodcast bonus video episodes from #AGU24 with Lisa Graumlich, Corey Garza, Rob Wood, Sarah Doherty and Haskelle White-Gianella! @americangeophysicalunion #UWEnvironment environment.uw.edu/news/2025/01/b… We'll also be back soon with more audio podcasts! 🎧