New tools for monitoring health of life at the bottom of Puget Sound

By Maggie Dutch, Senior Benthic Ecologist, Washington Department of Ecology




Up close and personal view of brittlestars taken by Maggie Dutch of Ecology's marine sediment monitoring program.

The sand and mud at the bottom of Puget Sound is home to a wide variety of microscopic
invertebrates that scientists refer to as the “benthos.”



Microscopic creatures support the food chain
These

"Eyes Over Puget Sound" - September 11, 2013

By Sandy Howard, Environmental Assessment Program



A furry visitor takes a rest on the float plane. High
river flows lead to striking fronts of turquoise-colored water carrying
glacial flour in many northeastern regions. Satellite and aerial images
show widespread phytoplankton blooms in Whidbey Basin, Hood Canal, South Puget
Sound and West Bay of Orcas Island. We see lots of large debris

What “Eyes Over Puget Sound” saw on Aug. 21

By Sandy Howard



"Eyes Over Puget Sound” found continued warm air temperatures on Aug. 21, 2013, but less sunshine in the north, and increasing river flows in the past week.


Red-brown blooms were abundant in all inlets of South Sound and the Kitsap Peninsula. Large algal mats and floating organic material
persisted in Hood Canal, Central Sound, Sinclair Inlet and Padilla Bay.
Jelly fish

What did “Eyes Over Puget Sound” see July 15?

By Sandy Howard, Environmental Assessment program



Tacoma's Commencement Bay on July 15, 2013. (Department of Ecology photo)

What a visual! Our Eyes
Over Puget Sound cover shot for July 15 shows the Puyallup River’s milky
white discharge from Mt. Rainier flowing into Commencement Bay in Tacoma.

Ain't marine science a hoot?

On this flight, abundant sunshine gives rise to
large algal mats in

“Eyes Over Puget Sound” for June 17

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, Environmental Assessment Program

Is Puget Sound on fire?


Check out the June 17 “EyesOver Puget Sound.” Our cover photo shows Elliott Bay with one of several stunning views we captured from up high of another harmless Noctiluca plankton
bloom.

The bloom is dramatic in some cases almost resembling fire in the water.
This is our second large Noctiluca

See "Eyes Over Puget Sound" for May 20

By Sandy Howard, communications manager, Environmental Assessment Program




It’s just a click away — Eyes Over Puget Sound for May 20.

Phytoplankton blooms are notable, with extensive harmless, red-orange Noctiluca blooms showing up early following a period of high freshwater inputs and milder weather conditions.

As you can see in our cover photo,
the Fraser River sediment influence is

New “Eyes Over Puget Sound” for April 8

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, Environmental Assessment Program

Our cover photo shows the Skokomish River at Hood Canal.

For the last week, sunshine was sparse and rivers and air temperatures were warmer than expected due to prevailing southerly winds. Heavy rains caused long foam lines and large river plumes that were filled with sediment. Jelly fish patches persist in smaller bays.

Eyes Over Puget Sound for February 26

By Sandy Howard, Communications Manager, Environmental Assessment Program

We’ve just posted the latest aerial photos of Puget Sound surface conditions taken on Feb. 26 here.

Personal flight log
Better than a cup of coffee: Marine monitoring on the morning radio! Listen to marine flight technician Mya Keyzers discuss Eyes here.

Weather conditions
The weather has been cloudy but rivers are

Ocean acidification seminar scheduled for Friday Harbor Labs

By Sandy Howard, Acting Ecology Communication Director



San Juan County residents wanting to learn more about ocean acidification are invited to a free seminar at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs on February 27.

Ocean acidification results from carbon dioxide emissions being absorbed from the atmosphere into seawater, forming carbonic acid. This radically alters ocean

Public seminar on ocean acidification in Everett on Jan. 24

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, water quality and environmental assessment programs


Snohomish County residents wanting to learn more about ocean acidification are invited to a free seminar at the Everett Station January 24.

The event, hosted by the Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee (MRC), will feature presentations by three members of the Washington State Panel on Ocean

Eyes Over Puget Sound for Jan. 15

By Sandy Howard, communications manager, Environmental Assessment Program

Here are the most recent aerial photos of Puget Sound surface conditions taken on Jan. 15.

Our cover photograph this time shows the float plane sitting among a large concentration of jellyfish in Budd Inlet' Swantown Marina that winter day.

We saw a persisting pattern of colder and fresher water in Puget Sound.

Eyes Over Puget Sound for Dec. 13

By Sandy Howard, Communications Manager, Environmental Assessment Program



We’ve just posted the latest aerial photos of Puget Sound surface conditions taken on Dec. 13.

This flight includes observations of Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor and Hood Canal.

The cover photo seen here shows  Hood Canal looking south showing the Skokomish River estuary flowing into Hood Canal during high tide. At left,

Eyes Over Puget Sound for Oct. 8, 2012

By Sandy Howard, communications manager, Environmental Assessment Program

We’ve just posted the latest aerial photos of Puget Sound surface conditions taken on Oct. 8.

We continue to observe large red-brown blooms in finger inlets in South Sound, Quartermaster Harbor and the Kitsap Peninsula —in particular in Sinclair Inlet.

We had a successful air-to-ground collaboration with the Squaxin

Eyes Over Puget Sound for Sept. 11, 2012

By Sandy Howard, Communication Manager, Environmental Assessment Program

We’ve got new aerial photos of Puget Sound surface conditions from Ecology’s Sept. 11 flight.

Strong sunshine, warm days, and cool nights have characterized the past week.

Extensive red-brown blooms continue in Inlets of South and Central Sound. Jellyfish are increasing in number and aggregate sizes.

We found

"Eyes Over Puget Sound" for July 31, 2012

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, Environmental Assessment Program


Check out the aerial photos from our marine monitoring program’s July 31st Puget Sound over-flight.

We saw extensive red-brown blooms in South Sound Inlets and parts of Central Sound. We also observed high algae blooming activity in most of Puget Sound. Jellyfish aggregations have grown in size and numbers in Budd Inlet

Eyes Over Puget Sound for March 19, 2012

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, Environmental Assessment ProgramWe’ve just posted our aerial photos from our March 19 Puget Sound flight (pdf).Do you recognize this photo? (It’s Capitol Lake in Olympia.)Eyes Over Puget Sound” combines high-resolution photo observations with satellite images, en route ferry data between Seattle and Victoria BC, and measurements from our moored

Polluted waters listings will not fix the problem of declining pH on marine waters

By Sandy Howard, Communication Manager, Water Quality programYou might be hearing about the problem of declining pH in our ocean’s waters, also called “ocean acidification.” The Center for Biological Diversity is bringing this topic up once again today.What is the cause?What causes declining pH and why is it a problem?It’s a fact that our earth’s oceans are becoming more and more acidic as they