James Urton is a science writer based in Oak Park, Illinois, and working for the University of Washington as a senior public information officer.
Recent highlights:
Scientific meetings
image credit: fadi el binni, al jazeera english
"High Smog Levels Seen in Mecca During the Annual Pilgrimage"
In 2012, the Hajj drew 3.5 million Muslims to Mecca for five days of prayer and spiritual enlightenment. The annual pilgrimage, one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world, also brings dangerous levels of air pollution to Islam’s holiest city.
Eos: Earth and Space Science News, December 18, 2014
Research
image credit: NOAA
A multi-year survey of the nutritional, physiological and reproductive health of endangered southern resident killer whales suggests that up to two-thirds of pregnancies failed in this population from 2007 to 2014. The study links this orca population’s low reproductive success to stress brought on by low or variable abundance of their most nutrient-rich prey, Chinook salmon.
University of Washington, June 29, 2017
Newspaper coverage
image credit: Aric Crabb/Bay Area news group
"Research shows elephant seals wander far when not lounging ashore"
AÑO NUEVO -- On a typical winter day decades ago, the dunes and beaches along this strip of San Mateo County coast boasted little more than views of the light station on nearby Año Nuevo Island. But today, in a sure sign of their dramatic recovery from near extinction, elephant seals pack these shores, regaling throngs of visitors with their annual breeding-season spectacle.
San Jose Mercury News, January 18, 2015
