Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has put Fairbanks in its “serious” category for persistently violating Clean Air Act standards for PM2.5 levels and has threatened sanctions. The community for years has tried a variety of methods to improve air quality in the portion of the Fairbanks North Star Borough failing to meet air quality standards. 

A study co-led by Professor Jeff Riffell (BIO) and Professor Joel Thornton (ATMS) suggested that the presence of nitrate radicals (NO3) degrades common wildflowers’ scent molecules, reducing the flowers’ attractiveness to pollinating insects. 

Professor Mike Wallace (Left) received the Japan Prize in the Fields of Resources, Energy, the Environment, and Social Infrastructure along with Professor Sir Brian Hoskins (Right) from the UK. Their research established a scientific foundation for understanding and forecasting extreme weather and climate events that the world is experiencing. 

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you had a wonderful time during the holiday season. The UW ATMS Newsletter 2023-2024 has now been published, please give it a read. 

Professor Cliff Mass was elected Councilor of the American Meteorological Society, joining Professor Shuyi Chen on the AMS Council which is the principal governing body of the Society! Election results can be found here. 

Graduate Student Ursula Jongebloed and Prof. Becky Alexander’s new findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy showing that North Atlantic marine productivity may not be declining as had been proposed. 

Based on the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, the department maintains its No.1 position in atmospheric and climate science. Read more about it here. 

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences (ATMS) and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering (Allen School) at the University of Washington (UW) invite applications for a joint full-time, 9-month (100% FTE), tenure-track Assistant Professor faculty position. 

Professor Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, along with Tyler Cox (former postdoc), Zac Espinosa (graduate student), and Affiliate Professor Aaron Donohoe, investigated the reason behind the 70 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) heat wave in Antarctica from March 2022. 

The Future Horizons in Climate Science: Turco Lectureship is presented annually and recognizes significant interdisciplinary scientific research, discoveries, or advancements in climate science. Prof. Becky Alexander is this year’s recipient and is invited to present a lecture at the AGU annual meeting!