Environment college at UW names dean

When it comes to studying the environment, politics can sometimes overshadow science — something Lisa Graumlich knows from firsthand experience.

On Monday, Graumlich, the director of the University of Arizona's School of Natural Resources and the Environment, was named the inaugural dean of the University of Washington's fledgling College of the Environment.

The announcement comes two weeks after Graumlich stood before a congressional committee to testify about the state of global-warming science in the wake of what some have dubbed "Climategate," in which embarrassing e-mails written by some top climate scientists were hacked and released from England's University of East Anglia.

In the e-mails, some scientists trashed doubters and appeared to gloss over data inconsistencies.

Critics seized upon the e-mails as evidence that the scientific case for global warming has been overstated, even concocted. But many scientists, including Graumlich, argue that the underlying science pointing to climate change remains unassailable.

In an interview, Graumlich said she believes the debate has moved beyond whether climate change is happening to what the impacts will mean. She said the UW is engaged in leading research on, among other topics, ocean acidification, and that the new college will enhance this work.

"I think it positions the Pacific Northwest to take on international leadership," she said, adding that UW research "can inform the management of very large ecosystems in the next couple of decades."

Graumlich's scientific background is in studying tree rings as a barometer of climate change. She earned her doctorate at the UW in 1985. Before moving to Arizona in 2007, she served five years as executive director of the Big Sky Institute for Science and Natural History at Montana State University.

When the UW unveiled plans for the new college in 2008, it sparked controversy among a number of skeptical faculty. Some worried the college would have a narrow focus or would be considered a political statement. Graumlich said she caught wind of that controversy through colleagues, but felt it had given way in recent months to acceptance and excitement about the college's future.

Since its launch last year, the college has grown to include more than 600 faculty and staff and is responsible for producing more than 350 degrees annually. It has been led by interim Dean Dennis Hartmann, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences.

Graumlich, 57, is due to begin July 1. Her annual salary will be $285,000.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com