from UW Today, January 5, 2017:
The annual migration of some beluga whales in Alaska is altered by sea ice changes in the Arctic, while other belugas do not appear to be affected.
A new study led by the University of Washington finds that as Arctic sea ice takes longer to freeze up each fall due to climate change, one population of belugas mirrors that timing and delays its migration south by up to one month. 

The cracking, bulging and shaking from the eruption of a mile-high volcano where two tectonic plates separate has been captured in more detail than ever before. A University of Washington study published this week shows how the volcano behaved during its spring 2015 eruption, revealing new clues about the behavior of volcanoes where two ocean plates are moving apart.
“The new network allowed us to see in incredible detail where the faults are, and which were active during the eruption,” said lead author William Wilcock, a UW professor of oceanography. 

It measures one-inch long. It can heal its heart and regrow some amputated parts. It shares nearly three quarters of our genetic code and reproduces at rates that would make a rabbit blush.
It’s teaching landlubbers an extraordinary amount about what can go wrong inside our bodies.
Meet the tiny zebrafish. Once upon a time, this striped tropical fish mostly swam in aquariums in homes and offices. 

from “Tide Bites“, the monthly newsletter from Friday Harbor Labs
An Intertidal Compass!
by Julia Sigwart
Dr. Julia Sigwart is an Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the Queen’s University Marine Laboratory in Northern Ireland. She is currently back home on the west coast on an extended research sabbatical at University of California, Berkeley, funded by the European Commission. Her research on the evolution of chitons and other marine creatures covers many different aspects, from fossils to neurobiology, which provides a good reason to do all sorts of fun experiments all over the world. 

Acidification of the world’s oceans could drive a cascading loss of biodiversity in some marine habitats, according to research published Nov. 21 in Nature Climate Change.
The work by biodiversity researchers from the University of British Columbia, the University of Washington and colleagues in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan and China, combines dozens of existing studies to paint a more nuanced picture of the impact of ocean acidification. 

Think marine biology isn’t related to human health? Read a profile of the research done by Professor Billie Swalla and UW Biology doctoral student Shawn Luttrell on the regeneration properties of the acorn worm.
A new study of one of our closest invertebrate relatives, the acorn worm, reveals that this feat might one day be possible. Acorn worms burrow in the sand around coral reefs, but their ancestral relationship to chordates means they have a genetic makeup and body plan surprisingly similar to ours. 

Friday Harbor Labs was recently in the news due to the first live European green crab caught after 19 years of monitoring for the arrival of this invasive species? Why is this a big deal? What part did FHL and Washington Sea Grant researchers play in this? How can you help? Read more through the most recent issue of the FHL Tide Bites newsletter. 

“See, hear and study the deep sea: Ocean Observatories Initiative data now live“
Check out a livestream from a more exotic source than usual: the bottom of the ocean off the Oregon Coast. Read more on UW Today about how data from the Ocean Observatories Initative is available to the public. Current UW students interested in learning more can take OCEAN 121: Deep Sea Vents or OCEAN 454: Hydrothermal Systems in winter. 

[Out of This World: the Minnesota Seaside Station]
Click the link above for a great video shadowing the 2015 students of Friday Harbor Labs’ “Zoo/Bot” quarter on their multi-day camping trip to Botanical Beach on Vancouver Island. Find out what makes Botanical Beach special, what it has to do with Minnesota, and what UW students do there.
This trip is an annual part of the zoo/bot quarter, and there is still time to apply to study at FHL in spring 2016 (deadline: February 1). 

originally shared on the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Student Services Blog
SAFS alumnus Jason Ching is featured on the Mother Nature Network:
“If the realms of science and art seems worlds away from each other, you’d be gravely mistaken. After all, when you’re studying the science behind the world around us, how can you not feel inspired by its sublime beauty?