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scholarship — discovery — innovation — application      

What makes APL-UW exceptional is its balanced breadth of research at all levels, from answering fundamental physics-based questions through satisfying Deparment of Defense requirements in applied programs. This balance, fairly unique among University-Affiliated Research Centers, can be challenging. Conducting these varied activities within one organization and leveraging the knowledge base of APL-UW staff with colleagues across the Unviersity of Washington benefits our research sponsors and ultimately society-at-large.

This report highlights exciting research conducted at APL-UW over the last year. The stories cover a wide swath of the Laboratory's areas of expertise, and over half the stories center on work done by early career principal investigators. Supporting and mentoring the next generation of researchers is an important mission for APL-UW, in keeping with our status as a UARC and maintaining our core competencies.

global reach and influence   PACE: extend and enhance global ocean observations  

Laboratory physical oceanographers contribute expertise to multi-institutional research initiatives conducted in regions throughout the world's oceans. The coordinated efforts drive scientific progress in the field and sustain international cooperation.

A new satellite mission studies microscopic phytoplankton in the surface ocean in greater detail than ever before on daily, global scales. APL-UW scientists contributed to mission planning and are now ensuring accuracy and propelling scientific discovery from space-based measurements of ocean color.

engineering a seafloor subduction zone observatory   naval oceanography and acoustics experiments  

APL-UW engineers are engaged in a construction and installation project to leverage the Regional Cabled Array's location off the Oregon coast to create the Cascadia Offshore Subduction Zone Observatory. The infrastructure and geophysical instruments added will be the greatest expansion of the world's largest undersea cabled observatory.

Interdisciplinary teams from APL-UW are conducting field experiments of naval relevance in coastal environments to improve understanding and prediction capabilities of surface ocean evolution and acoustic transmission loss.

mélange in motion   coast, camera, action!  

A mixture of calved icebergs and sea ice chokes the fjords of Greenland's marine-terminating glaciers. Research to map mélange evolution and interactions with calving events demonstrates its role in glacier advance and retreat.

Researchers are partnering with community activists and state agency professionals to add crowd-sourced data to resource management decision-making. High-frequency photo submissions are showing how, when, and where efforts to combat beach erosion are working or failing.

sharing cool science ///
launching curiosity about the arctic
  research experiences for summer interns ///
DINO SIP
 

APL-UW has partnered with the Pacific Science Center since 2006 to bring hands-on activities and share cool scientific research to tens of thousands, especially young learners. One of the activities at Polar Science Weekend, Float Your Boat, now engages students and educators across the U.S. and internationally. While learning about Arctic Ocean circulation, sea ice, and how they are changing in a warming world, participants decorate small wooden boats that are deployed in flotillas in the Arctic with a beacon buoy so all can trace their journey around the basin.

In 2024 the second cohort of students accepted to the DINO SIP were hosted at APL-UW. The undergraduate students conducted project-based research, participated in professional development seminars, built community with fellow young scientists, and presented conclusions from their work publically.

all apl-uw reports   want a printed report?  

Acoustics Air-Sea Interaction & Remote Sensing Center for Environmental & Information Systems Center for Industrial & Medical Ultrasound Electronic & Photonic Systems Ocean Engineering Ocean Physics Polar Science Center
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