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Small headwater streams export surprising amounts of carbon out of Pacific...

Scientists have tracked a higher-than-expected amount of carbon flowing out of a Pacific Northwest forest from month to month through a small headwater stream, suggesting that forested watersheds may...

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On a wet British Columbia island, historical fires likely were human products

Fire-scarred trees on isolated Hecate Island off British Columbia have helped researchers from two Pacific Northwest universities isolate patterns of wildfires over the past 700 years of climate data....

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Discovery of new bacteria complicates problem with salmon poisoning in dogs

Researchers at Oregon State University have identified for the first time another bacterium that can cause symptoms similar to "salmon poisoning" in dogs - and may complicate the efforts of Pacific...

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Storing more carbon in western Cascades forests could benefit some wildlife...

Forest management policies that aim to store more carbon in the Pacific Northwest may benefit some wildlife species more than others.

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Study shows major changes in ice and temperatures could cause abrupt effects...

About 14,000 years ago, the southwest United States was lush and green, home to saber-toothed cats and mammoths. Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest was mostly grassland.

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El Nino, Pacific Decadal Oscillation implicated in domoic acid shellfish...

Researchers today reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences a strong correlation between toxic levels of domoic acid in shellfish and the warm-water ocean conditions orchestrated by...

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Researchers examine how supporting pollinators helps agriculture

When agriculture helps pollinators, pollinators help agriculture, according to a research review published today by an international group of experts, including a University of Idaho researcher.

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As more of the Pacific Northwest burns, severe fires change forest ecology

Over the last 30 years, the landscape annually affected by forest fires has slowly increased across the Pacific Northwest, and in some regions, severe blazes account for a higher proportion of the area...

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Researchers at SSA discuss performance of earthquake early warning systems

The future of earthquake early warning systems may be contained in smartphones—and vehicles, and "smart" appliances and the increasing number of everyday objects embedded with sensors and communication...

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Technology to improve rockfall analysis on cliffs could save money, lives

Pacific Northwest engineers have developed a new, automated technology to analyze the potential for rockfalls from cliffs onto roads and areas below, which should speed and improve this type of risk...

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Pacific Northwest forests are at a crossroads, scientists argue in new book

The Pacific Northwest faces two stark choices for managing its forests, scientists suggest in a new book. One choice leads to stagnant or declining rural communities and risks to some native species,...

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Hiding in plain sight: New species of flying squirrel discovered

For hundreds of years, a species of flying squirrel was hiding right under (actually, above) our noses.

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Steelhead trout population declines linked with poor survival of young fish...

Steelhead trout are entrenched in the economy, ecology, and culture of the Pacific Northwest. Declining numbers of steelhead in the rivers flowing through British Columbia, Washington state, and Oregon...

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Distant earthquakes can cause underwater landslides

New research finds large earthquakes can trigger underwater landslides thousands of miles away, weeks or months after the quake occurs.

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Surveying sea floor animals for offshore renewable energy

There is growing interest in developing offshore wind and wave energy facilities in the Pacific Northwest. But not much is known about the sediment and animal life along the sea floor in the region.

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Trump administration urged to avoid salmon protection rules

A group that represents farmers is calling the costs of saving imperiled salmon in the largest river system in the Pacific Northwest unsustainable and is turning to the Trump administration to sidestep...

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Image: Smoke and fires light up Pacific Northwest

Hot, dry conditions in the summertime make wildfires likely to plague the Pacific Northwest and California.  This year, however, record-dry conditions, record breaking heat and a spate of lightning...

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Image: Smoke obscures much of the Pacific Northwest

The Suomi NPP satellite's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument captured a look at the smoke obscuring much of the Pacific Northwest on September 05, 2017. Due to the huge number...

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Northwest forests will get more and bigger wildfires with climate change

As night fell last Monday in the Columbia River Gorge, the Oregon slopes burned as if carpet-bombed from above. Winds acted like bellows in a hearth to supercharge the flames spread by embers flying...

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Washington state deals blow to plan for coal export terminal

A company that wants to build and operate a large terminal to export coal from the western U.S. to Asia was denied a key permit by Washington state on Tuesday because of environmental concerns.

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Fires and snow in the Pacific Northwest

The Suomi NPP satellite's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument captured a look at multiple fires and smoke burning in the Pacific Northwest on September 28, 2017.  Accompanying...

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Fifty simulations of the 'Really Big One' show how a 9.0 Cascadia earthquake...

One of the worst nightmares for many Pacific Northwest residents is a huge earthquake along the offshore Cascadia Subduction Zone, which would unleash damaging and likely deadly shaking in coastal...

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Changing climate to bring more landslides on logged land, researchers say

Washington State University researchers say landslides on logged forests will be more widespread as the Northwest climate changes.

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Are petite poplars the future of biofuels? Studies say yes

In the quest to produce affordable biofuels, poplar trees are one of the Pacific Northwest's best bets—the trees are abundant, fast-growing, adaptable to many terrains and their wood can be transformed...

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2017 hurricanes and aerosols simulation

Tracking the aerosols carried on the winds let scientists see the currents in our atmosphere. This visualization follows sea salt, dust, and smoke from July 31 to November 1, 2017, to reveal how these...

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Satellite shows storms on both US coasts for Thanksgiving travelers

Satellites are keeping an eye on the U.S. and NOAA's GOES East satellite showed two storm systems for pre-Thanksgiving travelers on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017. One system was exiting the northeastern...

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Flowing toward cleaner rivers

What does a river researcher look like? The question may conjure images of people leaning over the sides of boats to gather water samples or standing in swirling currents with large nets to catch...

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World War I-era maps help track history of kelp forests in Pacific Northwest

In the early 1900s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recognized a problem. The United States relied heavily on fertilizer to grow crops and support its burgeoning economy, yet a crucial ingredient...

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Satellite keeps an eye on US holiday travel weather

A satellite view of the U.S. on Dec. 22 revealed holiday travelers on both coasts are running into wet weather. A visible image from NOAA's GOES-16 satellite showed systems affecting the Pacific...

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Climate change and snowmelt—turn up the heat, but what about humidity?

It's said on sticky summer days: "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." That holds true in the winter too, and could hold the key to the future of snowpack and water resources in the American West.

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