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♣ Washington State University Publications
♣ Oregon State University Publications
♣ University of Idaho Publications
Climate change is a critical issue that will increasingly affect agriculture, water supplies, ecosystems, human well-being, and economic activity. Although many thousands of scientists across a broad range of disciplines are working on climate related issues, much confusion still exists among the public, media, and decision makers about the science of climate change and the future implications of a changing climate.
This is narrated slide presentation that summarizes the science of climate change and its implications for humans and ecosystems. It is peer-reviewed and written at a lay level so is easy to understand. It is divided into 10 short sections in video format to allow viewing a few minutes at a time.
♣ Climate Change: Evidence and Causes. An overview from the Royal Society and the US National Academy of Sciences.
♣ What We Know: The Reality, Risks, and Response to Climate Change. The AAAS Climate Science Panel.
♣ National Academy of Sciences Climate Change. The National Research Council video series that explains the current scientific understanding of current climate change and its causes. These are short and easy to understand.
♣ RealClimate: Climate Science from Climate Scientists.
♣ Skeptical Science: Getting Skeptical about Global Warming Skepticism.
Beginning in 2002, we expanded our focus to organic farming systems, including organic amendments, cover crops, and quality of soils. We are working with an interdisciplinary team studying a range of issues important to small scale, direct-market, and organic agriculture, including nutrient management, food safety, soil quality, weed management, economics, marketing, and on-farm research.
Many organic wastes contain nutrients and organic matter that can benefit plant growth and soil productivity. Recycling these materials onto land captures nutrients that would otherwise be lost, and helps sustain our resource base. They are also a source of organic matter for soils, building and maintaining soil quality. Organic wastes may contain pathogens and small amounts of toxic materials, which can become pollutants if the materials are not managed properly. Over-application of some organic wastes can result in excessive levels of nutrients in the soil, which can harm crop production or water quality. We study nutrient availability from organic materials, to enable us to determine appropriate rates and timing of applications for crop production. We also evaluate short and long term effects of organic amendments on soil quality in agricultural and urban soils.
The goal of our program is to build soil productivity, support local agriculture, protect water quality, and facilitate recycling of organic wastes, by applying soil science principles to agricultural, development, and waste management issues.
