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Dry lightning sparks some of the most destructive, costly wildfires

A new study has found dry lightning outbreaks are the leading cause of some of the largest wildfire outbreaks in modern California history. Despite this, dry lightning has remained largely understudied across this region — until now.

Researchers from the School of the Environment at Washington State University, Vancouver, have developed the first long-term climatology of dry lightning — lightning which occurs with less than 2.5mm of rainfall — in central and northern California, published today by IOP Publishing in the journal Environmental Research: Climate.

Dmitri Kalashnikov.
Kalashnikov

“Wildfires are a growing threat in California as the climate continues to warm. Unlike human-caused fires that originate in a single location, lightning outbreaks can strike multiple locations and start numerous simultaneous wildfires, creating a substantial challenge for fire response,” says Dmitri Kalashnikov, a doctoral student and lead author of the paper. “This happened recently in 2020 when multiple lightning-caused fires burned nearly one million hectares across this region, and other prominent widespread lightning-caused wildfire outbreaks also occurred in 1987 and 2008.”

The team utilized daily lightning counts from the National Lightning Detection Network and precipitation observations from 1987–2020 in combination with atmospheric reanalyses to characterize the climatology of dry lightning and the associated meteorological conditions during the warm season (May–October) when wildfire risk is highest.

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Hundreds of endangered northern leopard frogs to be released in Grant County wildlife refuge

The state department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recently announced its intention to release hundreds of northern leopard frogs at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in Grant County this August.

WSU researchers will also fit a couple dozen of the frogs with small radio transmitters to help track the frogs’ movements and monitor their survival.

The species has been listed as endangered in Washington since 1999, and with only one known wild population remaining in the wild in the state, there is still a long path to recovery for the frogs.

Likely causes of the frogs’ decline in the Pacific Northwest include habitat loss and degradation, disease, non-native species, and climate change.

Erica Crespi.
Crespi

“The Washington state population of northern leopard frogs has a unique genetic variation relative to the rest of the species range, and they are part of the natural diversity of amphibians of the region,” said Erica Crespi, WSU associate professor of biology. “We are working to keep them here!”

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Scientists urge preparation for catastrophic climate change

Tim Kohler.
Kohler

With the rapid, unprecedented pace of climate change, it is time to start seriously considering the worst-case scenarios, warns Washington State University archaeologist Tim Kohler.

Kohler, an emeritus WSU professor of archaeology and evolutionary anthropology, is part of an international team of climate experts that argue that although unlikely, climate change catastrophes, including human extinction, should be more heavily considered by scientists.

He and his collaborators discuss how climate change could drive mass extinction events and propose a research agenda to investigate bad- to worst-case scenarios in a new commentary article published Aug. 1 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Tim Kohler
“It’s a topic that is too scary for most people to contemplate but that needs to change because the risks we face are very real,” said Kohler, who holds the distinction of being the first archaeologist to contribute to an IPCC report as a lead author. “We are entering a period where the climate dynamics are going to be completely outside the norm of what we have experienced in the last 12,000 years.”

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Newhouse’s primary success rare among GOP impeachment voters

The 4th Congressional District in Washington state is a land of snow-capped volcanic peaks and lush irrigated orchards that produce most of the nation’s apples. It’s also home to one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump and then won his next election.

U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump last year, and is one of only two to beat back GOP challengers this year.

Newhouse was the leading vote-getter in the race for his seat in the Aug. 2 Washington primary election, despite withering criticism from Trump and a Trump-backed challenger, Loren Culp. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif. – who like Newhouse ran in a top-two open primary – also prevailed two months ago.

Cornell Clayton.
Clayton

“Newhouse had a lot more credibility in the agriculture community,” Cornell Clayton, head of the Thomas S. Foley Institute at Washington State University, said this week. “And Culp just doesn’t. I think that did him in.”

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WSU faculty named to Washington State Academy of Sciences

The Washington State Academy of Sciences announced six faculty from Washington State University will be new members. Membership in WSAS recognizes their scientific and technical contributions to the state of Washington and the nation.

The new members will be formally inducted at the 15th Annual Members Meeting on Sept. 15.

“It’s wonderful to see the leadership and excellence of our faculty honored by the Washington State Academy of Sciences,” said WSU System President Kirk Schulz. “We are proud to have WSU scientists and engineers advancing the Academy’s mission to inform public policy throughout the state of Washington.”

Stephen Bollens.
Bollens

The new WSU members of the Academy include Stephen Bollens, professor in the School of the Environment and School of Biological Sciences and director of Meyer’s Point Environmental Field Station, who is recognized for his research on salt and freshwater aquatic systems that is both timely and important to understanding the impact of global climate change and rising sea levels on estuarine systems and biodiversity in the Pacific Northwest, and for a proven willingness to engage and serve institutions and the public.

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