Department of Geography

NEWS

Changes in the Great Salt Lake’s levels in 1985, left, and 2022, right
January 21st 2025

Here’s what’s causing the Great Salt Lake to shrink, according to PSU study

The Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere,...
Graphic of Earth over moss
September 25th 2024

Fall lecture series explores environmental issues, open to public

Portland State’s School of Earth, Environment and Society is kicking off...
Highway and trees during wildfire with deep red and orange sky
September 24th 2024

New grant will train PSU students to support community resilience in the face of extreme events

In a world where extreme weather events and natural hazards are becoming...
Wildfire smoke from the 2020 Labor Day wildfires
March 1st 2024

What caused 2020 extreme weather events? PSU study explores meteorology behind extreme fire, snow

The same weather system that led to the spread of the devastating Labor Day...
A storm
September 21st 2023

PSU study examines how weather patterns will change in the future

In a warming Pacific Northwest, summers are getting hotter and winters less...
View of Mount Hood
September 18th 2023

PSU joins Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center

Portland State University is joining the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science...
Map showing high temperatures (red) across the western U.S. during the heatwave
March 8th 2023

PSU study: Everything was stronger in that deadly June 2021 PNW heatwave

What was different about the deadly, record-breaking heat wave in June 2...
Axcelle Campana poses with award, with trees in backdrop
December 5th 2022

PSU student wins $100K environmental prize

A Portland State graduate student whose work focuses on the inequities in...
Figure showing atmospheric ridge
July 5th 2022

PSU, WSU researchers to study atmospheric ridges, a factor in Pacific Northwest's extreme weather events

Last year's record-breaking heatwave, recent droughts and the 2020 Labor...
Side-by-side images of snow-capped Mt. Hood in July 2018 and July 2021
August 30th 2021

How Hood River watershed can become more resilient to climate change

Hood River, long an agricultural center for Oregon, faces an uncertain future...
Lake with mountain in background
August 19th 2020

PSU research helps city better understand climate change's impact on vital Bull Run Watershed

The Bull Run Watershed is Portland's primary source of drinking water for...
August 29th 2018

El Niño predicted this winter; what does that mean for the Pacific Northwest?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting a 60% chance that we will experience an El Niño event this fall with that probability increasing to 70% for this upcoming winter. El Niño events often get a lot of...