NEWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
JANUARY 2017 
A year in review: A look back at UMCES' environmental impact


We had a busy year in 2016, but before we welcome a new year of challenges and accomplishments and challenges, we wanted to look back at some of the research and moments that made our year. Did you miss any of these top stories?

New forecast tool helps ships avoid blue whale hotspots 
Scientists have long used satellite tags to track blue whales along the West Coast, learning how the largest animals on the planet find enough small krill to feed on to support their enormous size. Now researchers have combined that trove of tracking data with satellite observations of ocean conditions to develop the first system for predicting locations of blue whales off the West Coast. The system, called  WhaleWatch, produces monthly maps of blue whale "hotspots" to alert ships where there may be an increased risk of encountering these endangered animals.

Here are our environmental hopes for the new year.  
What are yours?

UMCES scientists and students kick off the new year with environmental resolutions for a better planet. Join the conversation on our Facebook or Twitter pages. What are your hopes for the new year? How will you make a difference?  WATCH
Next Generation: Wenfei Ni

"I am studying physical oceanography. My research mainly focuses on the impact of physical process on the biogeochemical cycling in estuarine areas. I will use and improve a coupled numerical model to simulate how climate change (in wind, storm, river discharge, nutrient input) influences the estuarine water quality."

Prairie dog expert shares 40 year of experience fighting the cold

Dr. John Hoogland is an expert on staying warm in cold weather. For 40 years, he has spent upwards of 12 hours a day sitting in a tower to observe the intimate lives of prairies dogs. From dawn to dusk, during frigid months in late winter and early spring, in the remotest reaches and highest altitudes of the American West.  "It's well below freezing when we get there at dawn. Some days it never gets out of the 20s," he says. 

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Remembering Ted Peck

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science mourns the loss of our longtime Board of Visitors member Charles "Ted" Peck, who passed away at 91 on December 26.  He admirably made many important contributions to community, cultural, medical, educational, and historical causes over the years, including supporting the science behind the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.

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AN INSTITUTION OF THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND