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It’s publication season and the College of the Environment (and friends from the Department of Chemistry and Salish Sea Institute) are rolling out the research. From lily pads to lead deposits, tidal swamps to temperature trends, read on for a roundup of exciting new articles highlighting the broad scope of work being done at Western. 

New study led by the Institute for Watershed Studies examines what drives variation in fish 

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�������� researchers used data from National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) to study what drives variation in freshwater fish. After looking at 50,000 individual body size measurements, as opposed to overall species averages, they found that freshwater ecosystem productivity, measured as algal biomass, and water temperature were key factors in explaining the distribution of body sizes across fish species and sites.  

Body size acts as a proxy for information about metabolism, reproduction, lifespan, and diet while mapping individual traits can reveal patterns that are more elusive when looking at averages. 

“Species loss is at the forefront of ecological research but changing environmental conditions don't act on entire species – they act on individuals and the traits they possess,” explained Alicia McGrew, a post-doctoral fellow with the Institute for Watershed Studies (IWS), who led the research. “Our use of individual-level species data and high-frequency environmental data reveals new insights into large-scale freshwater fish diversity across the United States.” 

These findings were published March 19, 2025, in a new article in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Animal Ecology and are based on research at ��������, led by the Institute for Watershed Studies (IWS) post-doctoral fellow Alicia McGrew and co-authored by Brigid Wills ('23, BS, Environmental Science), IWS Research Assistant Crysta Gantz, Environmental Sciences Professor and IWS Director Angela Strecker, and other researchers from Michigan State University, University of Maine, and the University of Florida. 

Publication looks at the effect lily pads have on carbon concentrations in Lake Louise 

A new study titled “,” was published April 5, 2025, in the journal Aquatic Sciences.  

Researchers looked at the effect that lily pad coverage has on carbon concentrations at Lake Louise, a small freshwater lake in the residential neighborhood of Sudden Valley. Lakes are important in the overall cycling of carbon and findings suggest that lily pads and other vegetation can account for a significant portion of the carbon pool.  

The study’s authors and contributors include Kyle Jutten, '20, B.S., chemistry, Zachary Landram, '19, B.A., chemistry, and Professor Catherine D. Clark from ��������’s Department of Chemistry; undergraduate Caleb D. R. Jansen and Angela Strecker from Environmental Sciences; and the Institute for Watershed Studies.

Caption: Lily pads on the surface of Lake Louise. Photo was taken during the Institute for Watershed Studies’ annual monitoring as part of the . 

Study finds some of the highest levels of carbon storage are in tidal swamps like those in the Pacific Northwest 

Coastal wetlands such as seagrass meadows, marshes, mangroves, and tidal swamps, can efficiently accumulate and store large quantities of organic carbon in their sediments.  

A new article titled “Blue Carbon Stocks Along the Pacific Coast of North America Are Mainly Driven by Local Rather Than Regional Factors,” published in the Global Biochemical Cycles journal on March 18, 2025. 

The authors, including Environmental Sciences Professor John Rybczyk and Research Associate Katrina Poppe, found that some of the highest levels of carbon storage are in tidal swamps like we have in the Pacific Northwest and differences in carbon stock are often site-specific factors rather than climate conditions.  

Knowing how soil carbon stocks differ across various coastal conditions can help with planning and decision-making in coastal conservation and restoration efforts. 

Environmental Sciences team looks at importance of single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry 

Environmental Sciences Professor Manuel Montaño and Environmental Sciences graduate student Brianna Benner published a perspective in the journal Environmental Science: Nano on January 29, 2025, examining the last 10 years of single particle ICP-MS analysis.  

ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry) is used to quantify a sample’s elemental composition, down to very low levels of concentrations. This is done by atomizing a sample in a 7,000 degree Celsius plasma flame and separating the resulting ions according to their atomic mass.  

Single particle ICP-MS builds on this principle by analyzing whole nanoparticles to determine their size, number, and composition. This technique has been part of major advances in the ability to detect, characterize, and quantify nanoparticulate matter in environmental samples and continues to grow and develop as we start to examine increasingly complex systems.  

This work will continue to be expanded on with Benner's master's thesis work examining nanoparticle distributions in the Nooksack River. 

New paper uses low-cost samplers to measure airborne lead deposits around Bellingham airport 

Environmental Sciences Professors David Shull and Manuel Montaño, Environmental Sciences undergraduate Stella Jarvis, and Whatcom Community College undergraduate Martha (Erandi) Sandoval published a research article April 1, 2025, in the journal Chemosphere quantifying airborne lead deposition around Bellingham International Airport.  

With funding from the grant that purchased Western's new ICP-MS —Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry — the team deployed airborne particulate sampling devices at various locations around Bellingham to monitor lead emissions from private aircraft operating out of Bellingham International Airport. 

New article shows historical and projected trends in temperature and precipitation in Salish Sea Region 

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A new article about climate change in the Salish Sea region was recently published by ��������’s Salish Sea Institute, authored by Environmental Studies Professor Aquila Flower, Institute for Energy Studies and Environmental Studies Assistant Professor Xi Wang, GIS Specialist Natalie Furness, and Environmental Studies MA candidate Emily Laura Bradford. 

Climate change has already altered temperature and precipitation patterns around the globe, and these effects are projected to intensify over the 21st century. The rate and specific patterns of climate change vary regionally, which makes locally focused analyses crucial for understanding and preparing for local climatic changes. To show how climate change will affect the transboundary Salish Sea Region, the authors looked at data and maps that span the U.S.-Canadian border. 

The team of �������� researchers compiled more than 100 years of data on historical temperature and precipitation records to calculate how much our climate has already changed and extracted future climate projections for the rest of the 21st century.  

They found that the Salish Sea region has already experienced a 1.14 degree Celsius (2.06 degree Fahrenheit) increase in mean annual temperature. Mean, minimum, and maximum temperatures are projected to increase in all seasons across the region over the 21st century. The total amount of precipitation received in a year is projected to increase, but the amount of precipitation received during the summer dry season is projected to decrease.  

The paper details how the results of their analysis of both historical trends and projected future changes, includes maps showing the impacted areas, and discusses the importance of planning and policy adaptation strategies for a range of likely future scenarios. 

More information, including interactive maps, are at

Jennifer Nerad covers Western's College of the Environment for the Office of University Communications. Have a great story idea? Reach out to her at neradj@wwu.edu.