News | Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, & Ecosystem Studies

Apr 10, 2026 / Spotlight, Magazine Stories

Retiree profile: Kevin O’Brien

by Caol Pérez, with support from Joe Selmont
We celebrate the remarkable career of Kevin O’Brien, who retired after nearly 35 years of service at CICOES.

An intern poses next to a large gold-pan-shaped sign that says "Welcome to Nome".

Apr 10, 2026 / Spotlight, Magazine Stories

Intern experience in Nome, Alaska

by Anjali Shah
In 2024, Anjali Shah (Brown ‘25) spent 9 weeks at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) as a NOAA Hollings Scholar working with the EcoFOCI program.

Two students and their mentor pose near a research poster.

Apr 10, 2026 / Spotlight, Magazine Stories

A summer of Fishyplots: A new tool for making cross-border fisheries data accessible and easy to understand

by Zoe Khan and Callie Murakami
Do you like fish? And statistics? Read on!
Government agencies like NOAA in the US and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) conduct surveys to assess the status of marine ecosystems.

A wirewalker as seen from underwater. It looks like a yellow box on a metal wire.

Apr 9, 2026 / Spotlight, Magazine Stories

An autonomous ballet in the open ocean

by Joe Selmont, UW CICOES
On November 22, 2024, two Saildrones rendezvoused with three Wirewalkers and a Seaglider along the equator in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, about 1,700 miles southeast of Hawai‘i.

Five or more fishing boats in a harbor, with mountains in the background.

Apr 9, 2026 / Spotlight, Magazine Stories

From cod to communities: Expanding climate risk research across Alaska’s fishing communities

by Sarah Stone and Lorenzo Cianelli, Oregon State University
Eastern Being Sea changes
Climate warming is driving major shifts in Alaska’s marine ecosystems, including changing the abundance and location of important fish and crab species.

Bird's eye view of crew members collecting sea ice.

Apr 9, 2026 / Spotlight, Magazine Stories

Molecular clues in a frozen ocean: How eDNA illuminates Arctic change

by Shannon Brown, UW CICOES, with support from Sam Setta, UW CICOES, and collaborators from NOAA Ecosystem & Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations
When winter arrives in the Arctic, this region transforms into one of the most extreme and inaccessible environments on Earth.

Two researchers pose on a deck with Lake Union in the background

Apr 9, 2026 / Spotlight, Magazine Stories

Postdoc experience: Uncovering the drivers of recent Southern Ocean cooling

by Dave Bonan and Matt Luong, UW CICOES Postdoctoral Scholars
A challenging region
The Southern Ocean plays a central role in regulating Earth’s climate under global change.

Qiuxian Li poses with a husky in front of a University of Washington backdrop.

Apr 9, 2026 / Spotlight, Magazine Stories

Postdoc experience: Journey in climate science

by Qiuxian Li, UW CICOES Postdoctoral Scholar
When I arrived in Seattle in the fall of 2023, the city’s gray skies felt both foreign and exciting.

Apr 8, 2026 / Spotlight, Magazine Stories

Changing ecosystems and the future of Alaskan crab fisheries: Understanding the role of uncertainty

How ocean acidification and warming could reshape a vital industry
by Heather Nibert, UW School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences
When the forecast looks cloudy
In the icy waters of Alaska, red king crab and southern Tanner crab scuttle through an uncertain future.

From the sky, the ice looks dark brown in spots.

Apr 8, 2026 / Spotlight, Magazine Stories

Postcard from the field: Watching the ice break

—by Jiaxu Zhang, UW CICOES & NOAA PMEL
Arrival in Kotzebue
We arrived in Kotzebue, Alaska, on May 15, 2025, after a smooth transit flight from Anchorage.

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