An ultrasound-based system assembled from commercial components and customized software control locates kidney stones, applies an acoustic radiative force, and repositions the stones so they are more likely to pass naturally. Watch urologists test the system.

On Earth Day, 22 April, Senator Maria Cantwell was in Seattle to announce continued funding for research into ocean acidification in Washington State. Principal Oceanographer Jan Newton was on hand to describe the value of the acidification monitoring assets to shellfish farmers and scientists alike.

The satellite Aquarius measures sea surface salinity across the global ocean. Using a towed surfboard instrument, APL-UW scientists are collecting salinity data at depth to calibrate the satellite measurements that may be corrupted by freshwater lenses formed on the sea surface during heavy rainfall.

DARLA is a series of field experiments at river mouths, tidal inlets, and the surrounding beaches. The experiments couple dense sampling with data assimilation methods to study the complicated dynamics of interacting wave, bathymetry, and current fields in littoral environments.

Doctoral student researcher Chris Bassett is analyzing a long time series of ambient noise data from Puget Sound. Vessel traffic is the most significant noise source, but breaking waves, precipitation, biology, and sediment moving on the seabed are other common underwater noise sources.

APL-UW polar scientists are featured in the March edition of the UW TV news magazine UW|360, where they discuss their research on the current state of a diminished sea ice cover in the Arctic.

The 'Wave Chasers' research team cruised the South Pacific to study the Samoan Passage — a 5500-m deep choke point that Antarctic bottom water must flow through on its way to the North Pacific. Three movies chronicle the expedition's motivations & methods, the fun of crushing objects under the pressures of the abyssal ocean, and the cultural exchanges with Samoans on Upolu Island.