estuaries

Future oceanography of Puget Sound: a first look

Climate change pushes on coastal and estuarine regions by a lot of pathways simultaneously, and it is surprisingly hard to untangle and prioritise these. As just one example from the US Pacific Northwest: should we expect future water temperatures to go up or down? Up makes sense, because of atmospheric warming. Down also makes sense, … Read more

Why is the Northwest coast so productive?

The Pacific Northwest coast is the most biologically productive region of the California Current upwelling system, despite the fact that the upwelling winds are much stronger farther south. How can this be?

Connectivity among rivers and subbasins of Puget Sound

Compared with most large, temperate estuaries, the biogeochemistry of Puget Sound is highly marine dominated: 70% of dissolved nutrients come from the Pacific. Nevertheless, there’s significant policy and management interest in understanding watershed contributions of environmental stressors, e.g. nutrient loading in relation to hypoxia, and pathogen and pollutant impacts on commercial, recreational, and tribal shellfish … Read more

Future oceanography of Puget Sound: a first look

Why is the Northwest coast so productive?

Connectivity among rivers and subbasins of Puget Sound

Invasive green crab in Willapa Bay (2009)

Hypoxia in Lynch Cove, WA, USA (2009)

Dynamics of Willapa Bay, WA, USA (2005)