Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science

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! 

The decline of polar bear population is heavily impacted by climate change, making it the first species to be listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2008. Professor Cecilia Bitz and colleagues’ recent analysis showed the correlation between greenhouse gas emissions and changes in polar bear demographic. 

Rachel Tillman, daughter of Emeritus Professor James E. Tillman, started the Viking Mars Missions Education and Preservation Project to preserve the artifacts, original documents, and data from the Viking Missions. Professor Tillman worked on Viking 1 and 2 and was a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, he ran the Viking Computing Facility at UW until the lander sent its last signal in November 1982. 

Outside of work, Professor Dale Durran explores the intricacy of metalwork and his passion for the natural world to create pieces that embraces both science and art. His work is featured on the College of the Environment’s website and YouTube channel.