Announcements
The UPP is screening the film "UPRIVER" on Thursday, November 9 at 4 PM at the Moda Tower. This film, produced by Freshwaters Illustrated, is about the Willamette River system and highlights one of the country's most active water conservation movements. Admission is free! In addition, there will be a networking opportunity before the movie where guests can enjoy food and drinks, learn about our calendar of upcoming events, and engage with our UPP affiliates! RSVP here! Check out the event flyer here for more details!
Partner Publications
In the publication “Assessing the effects of chloride deicer application on groundwater near the Siskiyou Pass, Southwestern Oregon, July 2018-February 2021,” Stephen B. Gingerich, Daniel R. Wise (USGS), and Adam J. Stonewall (USGS) evaluated the impacts of cold-weather chloride deicers, also known as road deicing chemicals, on groundwater quality near Siskiyou Pass. From 2016 to 2020, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) applied about 16,000 gallons per mile of road deicing chemicals and 143,000 pounds per mile of road salt along Interstate 5. Although this combination makes for safer driving conditions, it could potentially cause negative environmental impacts. This research aims to help ODOT make informed decisions on the application of road deicers and assess their environmental effects on water quality.
Cassandra D. Smith (USGS) and Tamara M. Wood (USGS) recently published “Implications of Water, Sediment, and Nutrient Budgets for the Restoration of a Shallow, Turbid Lake in Semiarid Southeastern Oregon” which identifies the critical sources of sediment and nutrients needed to restore Malheur Lake. Discrete water samples were collected and analyzed for nutrients, specifically total phosphorus, total nitrogen, orthophosphate, nitrate+nitrite, and ammonia, and suspended sediment concentrations.
News Articles
Kylee Brevick is an undergraduate biochemistry major who is undertaking an independent research project supported by the BUILD EXITO program, a program of PSU’s Center for Internship, Mentoring, and Research (CIMR). In collaboration with Anne Thompson (PSU), the principal investigator of PSU’s Microbial Ecology Lab, Kylee discovered several different kinds of picophytoplankton in water samples taken from the Willamette and Columbia Rivers over the course of a year. She investigated how these microorganisms reacted to changing river conditions over time and utilized environmental data provided by the US Geological Survey’s water sampling stations.
Andrew Fountain (PSU), a geology professor emeritus, and research assistant Bryce Glenn identified 1,331 glaciers and 1,176 perennial snowfields in the western continental U.S. between 2013 and 2020. This inventory, published in the journal of Earth System Science Data, used aerial and satellite imagery and provides a measuring point for glacial changes as climate temperatures continue to increase. The researchers discovered that some glaciers have disappeared entirely, including Milk Lake Glacier in Washington’s Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and Wyoming’s Hooker Glacier. The more glaciers melt, the less capable they are to buffering seasonal runoff variations. Retreating glaciers also make watersheds more prone to drought, embankments to collapse and cause debris flows, and sea levels to rise.
Elise Granek (PSU), a professor of Environmental Science and Management, contributed to an op-ed that encourages Oregon and local government officials to take immediate action to curb plastic usage. However, representatives must first recognize that recycling is a failed solution to plastic pollution. The authors, instead, are pushing for the systematic elimination of plastic materials from the market and promoting a new way of thinking, one that prioritizes prevention and less plastic use altogether. They suggest that public agencies could explore mandating rain gardens, ditch screens, and pipes in cities and counties to collect large plastic particles and other trash. Other considerations include restricting single-use plastic packaging and offering incentives that help users move away from plastic dependency.