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Articles 931 - 960 of 10266

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Health And Habitat Use Of Glaucous-Winged Gulls Wintering In The Salish Sea, Hannah Hall Apr 2022

The Health And Habitat Use Of Glaucous-Winged Gulls Wintering In The Salish Sea, Hannah Hall

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Salish Sea is a globally significant location for marine birds. However, forage fish declines, legacy contaminants, and increasing industrial activity are ongoing concerns for wildlife and humans here. Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) are effective biomonitors of long-term shifts in marine food-webs and contaminant trends. Over the past 150 years, they have increasingly relied on terrestrial prey and urban areas to forage and nest. Simultaneously, Glaucous-winged gulls (GWGU) have experienced lower reproductive success and significant population declines. Currently, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has a mandate through the Ocean’s Protection Plan to assess threats to wildlife posed by new …

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Traffic Separation Scheme Feasibility Study, Sara German Apr 2022

Traffic Separation Scheme Feasibility Study, Sara German

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Southern Resident Killer Whales are endangered and face three key threats to their survival: prey availability, physical and acoustic disturbance, and contaminants. In an effort to mitigate the threat of physical and acoustic disturbance, Transport Canada has worked with an external contractor over the last two years to assess the feasibility of making changes to the Traffic Separation Scheme, as a potential way to reduce physical and acoustic disturbance from vessels in southern BC coastal waters. The goal of the project was to assess and recommend options to amend the TSS that balance the protection of the Southern Resident killer …

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The Echo Program: Key Learnings At 5-Year Anniversary Of Vessel Slowdown For At-Risk Whales Off Bc's Southern Coast, Ryan Ford Apr 2022

The Echo Program: Key Learnings At 5-Year Anniversary Of Vessel Slowdown For At-Risk Whales Off Bc's Southern Coast, Ryan Ford

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority-led Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program is a regional collaborative initiative to better understand and reduce the cumulative effects of commercial shipping activities on at-risk whales along BC's southern coast. Bringing together over 100 U.S. and Canadian partners and advisors from across government, the marine transportation industry, Indigenous communities, scientists, and environmental groups. The ECHO Program advances research and implements voluntary seasonal initiatives that encourage ship operators to slow down or stay distanced while transiting through key foraging areas of the endangered southern resident killer whale (SRKW) population. In 2020, these voluntary initiatives achieved …

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Quiet Sound: A New Program To Protect Southern Resident Killer Whales From The Acoustic And Physical Impacts Of Large Commercial Vessels, Rachel Aronson, Todd Hass, Kathleen Hurley Apr 2022

Quiet Sound: A New Program To Protect Southern Resident Killer Whales From The Acoustic And Physical Impacts Of Large Commercial Vessels, Rachel Aronson, Todd Hass, Kathleen Hurley

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Quiet Sound is a new public-private partnership to better understand and reduce the cumulative effects of acoustic and physical disturbance from large commercial vessels on southern resident killer whales throughout their range in Washington State. Quiet Sound grew out of the Orca Recovery Task Force, and was jointly funded by state, local, and federal partners in 2021. This presentation will introduce the partners who have joined together to form Quiet Sound, and how these partners are organizing a program that is science-based, collaborative and transparent. We will review what we know now about large commercial vessel noise and SRKWs, and …

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Citizen Science And Collaborative Programs Help Reveal Coastal Waterbird Trends And Understand The Mechanisms Underlying Those Trends In The Salish Sea And Pacific Coast, Dr. Remi Torrenta Apr 2022

Citizen Science And Collaborative Programs Help Reveal Coastal Waterbird Trends And Understand The Mechanisms Underlying Those Trends In The Salish Sea And Pacific Coast, Dr. Remi Torrenta

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Waterbirds are often used as indicators of ecosystem function across broad spatial and temporal scales. Resolving which species are declining and the ecological characteristics they have in common can offer insights into ecosystem changes and their underlying mechanisms. Using 20 years of citizen science data collected by the British Columbia Coastal Waterbird Survey, we examined trends in abundance of coastal waterbird species, both in the Salish Sea and along the outer Pacific Ocean coast, representing the core wintering coastal bird community of British Columbia, Canada. Results suggest that most populations are stable in both the Salish Sea and Pacific coast …

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Mapping Of Microplastics In Surface Sediments Of Puget Sound To Determine Impacts On Benthic Communities From 2014-2021, Maggiejo Baer Apr 2022

Mapping Of Microplastics In Surface Sediments Of Puget Sound To Determine Impacts On Benthic Communities From 2014-2021, Maggiejo Baer

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In 2020, 368 million tonnes of plastics were produced worldwide, with 59% common polymers (i.e. polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride). The rate of input of ocean plastic is estimated to be approximately 9.5 million tonnes per year. Primary plastics are those manufactured at the size for use, and secondary plastics are those that have broken down from primary plastics. Size-categories for plastics are macroplastics (> 5 mm) and microplastics (< 5 mm). This project explores microplastics in sediments collected throughout the Puget Sound from 2014-2021 to create baseline observations and determine if plastic pollution in sediments have changed over time. Washington State Department of Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Team has provided sediment samples to analyze for microplastics since 2014. Long-term stations have been sampled using a grab sampler to recover 2-3 cm of the top sediment from the seabed. Researchers at the University of Washington Tacoma analyzed the sediments for the presence of microplastic throughout Puget Sound. Results from the 2014-2021 long-term monitoring stations showed that microplastics were found every year in all samples, except for one sample taken in 2017. Data for 2020 is missing since sampling did not occur due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued monitoring for microplastics in sediments throughout the Puget Sound is needed to understand the sinks of this emerging pollutant. We offer special thanks to the Department of Ecology’s Puget Sound Sediment Monitoring Program for collecting samples.

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Indigenous-Led Cumulative Effects & Bridging The Informational Gap For Informed Decision Making, Marian Ngo, Bridget Dunne Apr 2022

Indigenous-Led Cumulative Effects & Bridging The Informational Gap For Informed Decision Making, Marian Ngo, Bridget Dunne

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

ABSTRACT TITLE: Indigenous-led Cumulative Effects & Bridging the Informational Gap for Informed Decision Making MOTIVATION: The Salish Sea and its ecosystem are vital to the health, heritage, livelihood, and way of life of a multitude of First Nations. Our mission is to ensure that we are supporting our members with usable baseline and cumulative effects data to make informed decisions as it pertains to development and resource policy in our Traditional Territories. Our work is intended to be a regional amalgamation of data that bridges the gap of information and is intended to complement the ongoing stewardship programs of individual …

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Salish Sea Pigeon Guillemot Breeding Surveys, Terence Lee Apr 2022

Salish Sea Pigeon Guillemot Breeding Surveys, Terence Lee

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba) are one of four seabird species designated by the Puget Sound Partnership as an indicator species in the Salish Sea. Community science programs like the Salish Sea Guillemot Network can provide long-term data that inform regional population status trends and nesting success that reflect overall ecosystem health. The goals of this project are to provide a baseline for detecting changes and trends in local Pigeon Guillemot populations by compiling a multi-year dataset. Educating and training community scientists helps them develop a sense of place and stewardship through observation of processes in the nearshore environment and appreciation …

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Pollution Tracker: Long-Term Monitoring Of Priority Contaminants In Coastal British Columbia, Kelsey Delisle, Marie Noel, Peter S. Ross Apr 2022

Pollution Tracker: Long-Term Monitoring Of Priority Contaminants In Coastal British Columbia, Kelsey Delisle, Marie Noel, Peter S. Ross

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Pollution Tracker is the first long-term marine pollution monitoring program in Canada (pollutiontracker.org). Established in 2015, the program currently operates coast-wide in British Columbia (BC) with over 60 sampling sites established to date. Collaboration with coastal First Nations, government agencies, port authorities, industry, and community groups has enabled the completion of Phase 1 and 2 and the implementation of Phase 3. Mussels and nearshore subtidal sediment are being used to monitor spatial and temporal trends of both legacy and emerging contaminants of concern. Over 450 individual analytes from 14 contaminant classes are being measured using high-resolution analysis. Both current-use and …

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Six Years Of Adult Education About The "Wonders Of The Salish Sea", Deborah Simpson Apr 2022

Six Years Of Adult Education About The "Wonders Of The Salish Sea", Deborah Simpson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The "Wonders of the Salish Sea" (WSS) is an environmental education program designed to connect residents to the Salish Sea ecosystem through community-based, awe-inspiring education. The program aims to create a community of citizens who love, care for, and want to protect the Salish Sea; and to provide an opportunity for local scientists, naturalists, environmentalists, and enthusiasts to share their passion and expertise with the general public. Started in 2016 in Vancouver BC, WSS fills a gap in education by meeting the needs of beginning youth and adult learners who want to gain an in-depth understanding of the ecosystem in …

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Community Science Project: Exploring Plastic Pollution With Undergraduate Researchers And Aspiring Girl Scientists, Julie Masura, Amy Kovacs, Jenny Huntley Apr 2022

Community Science Project: Exploring Plastic Pollution With Undergraduate Researchers And Aspiring Girl Scientists, Julie Masura, Amy Kovacs, Jenny Huntley

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Community science is key to contributing data to large-scale projects. Public connections inform groups about human effects on the environment and afford opportunities for university students to demonstrate skills learned during their major programs. Marine plastic pollution has been an emerging topic of concern for several decades. Understanding the distribution and impacts is key to developing action plans that will reduce the input of plastics into the world’s ocean, specifically the Salish Sea. Undergraduate students at University of Washington Tacoma are trained in sampling techniques, laboratory analysis, and data synthesis in several courses throughout their program. Student researchers, along with …

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Monitoring Vegetation Response To Culvert Removals In A Salt Marsh: Education For College Interns, Citizen Scientists And The Local Community., Dr. Melissa Fleming, Hanna Brush, Jenna Wright Apr 2022

Monitoring Vegetation Response To Culvert Removals In A Salt Marsh: Education For College Interns, Citizen Scientists And The Local Community., Dr. Melissa Fleming, Hanna Brush, Jenna Wright

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Stillwaters Environmental Center spearheaded the Carpenter Creek Estuary Restoration project, which replaced two undersized culverts in a pocket estuary in Kingston, WA with large-span bridges in 2012 and 2018. This restored natural tidal and creek flows and sediment transport, and increased access for salmonids to the creek and estuary. To establish a pre-restoration baseline and involve the community, Stillwaters coordinated citizen science monitoring of water quality and ecological conditions in the estuary, salt marsh, and creek in 2005 and have continued this monitoring during the recovery. Since 2013, we have also hosted 31 undergraduate and graduate interns from local colleges …

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Community Science In The Salish Sea: Intertidal Monitoring In The Cherry Point And Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserves, Rondi Nordal, Eleanor Hines Apr 2022

Community Science In The Salish Sea: Intertidal Monitoring In The Cherry Point And Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserves, Rondi Nordal, Eleanor Hines

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Monitoring programs are an essential part of habitat restoration and protection efforts, but many programs often require more time and capacity than career scientists can afford. One way to fill this gap is to train and organize volunteers through community science programs overseen by staff. The Fidalgo Bay and Cherry Point Aquatic Reserves each have teams of volunteers who work diligently to collect baseline data on intertidal biota, beach substrate, and beach slope across 4 sites per reserve. This work provides a record for baseline conditions that can be used to assess natural change over time as well as the …

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River Field Studies Network: Connecting People, Rivers, And Science Through Immersive Education, Dr. John Mclaughlin Apr 2022

River Field Studies Network: Connecting People, Rivers, And Science Through Immersive Education, Dr. John Mclaughlin

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Rivers are universal landscape features that underlie cultural identity, provide essential ecosystem services, support substantial biodiversity, and are among our most threatened ecosystem components. Over forty river basins circumscribe the Salish Sea region, integrating human land use impacts and connecting those impacts to the Salish Sea. Restoring rivers and human-river relationships rank among our most vital imperatives. The River Field Studies Network (RFSN) is a National Science Foundation funded Research Coordination Network in Undergraduate Biology Education (RCN-UBE) project that aims to transform undergraduate STEM education through immersive interdisciplinary river and watershed programs. Specifically, we are building a network of collaborators …

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Here’S What To Know About The New Puget Sound Vital Signs!, Corinne Noufi, Mary Ramirez, Nathalie Hamel Apr 2022

Here’S What To Know About The New Puget Sound Vital Signs!, Corinne Noufi, Mary Ramirez, Nathalie Hamel

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

After more than 10 years of collaborative reporting, the Puget Sound Vital Signs, their indicators and targets are changing. In 2019 the Puget Sound Partnership, a state agency leading the recovery of Puget Sound, undertook a collaborative effort to revise the Vital Signs and indicators. The focus of the revisions was on the “biophysical” Vital Signs: water quality, water quantity, habitats, and species and food web. The process convened hundreds of experts from throughout the region during three workshops and smaller group meetings. In the end, the Partnership chose 13 biophysical Vital Signs and 34 indicators. The revised Vital Signs …

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Characterizing Contaminant Concentrations In Priority Chinook Salmon Stocks Consumed By Resident Killer Whales In The Northeastern Pacific Ocean, Stephanie Holbert Apr 2022

Characterizing Contaminant Concentrations In Priority Chinook Salmon Stocks Consumed By Resident Killer Whales In The Northeastern Pacific Ocean, Stephanie Holbert

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The critically endangered, transboundary Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) (Orcinus orca) population faces significant threats including a reduced abundance of their primary prey (Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), physical and acoustic disturbance, and high levels of endocrine disrupting contaminants. However, the sympatric Northern Resident Killer Whales (NRKW) that also primarily consume Chinook salmon have had continued population growth and have lower contaminant burdens. Studies have reported adverse health effects from contaminant burdens in transient killer whales and NRKWs. Contaminant exposure modeling has predicted protracted health risks for both resident killer whale populations. Despite Chinook salmon from the Fraser River watershed in …

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Investigating Contaminant-Related Health Effects In Killer Whales In British Columbia Using Omics, Dr. Bethany Decourten Apr 2022

Investigating Contaminant-Related Health Effects In Killer Whales In British Columbia Using Omics, Dr. Bethany Decourten

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are an iconic species in the Salish Sea with three populations inhabiting the area: the northern resident, southern resident, and Bigg’s populations. Low food availability, contaminant exposure, and noise are the major threats to these populations with the southern residents being the most vulnerable. We measured PCB and PBDE concentrations in blubber biopsies collected from individuals in the southern resident, northern resident, and Bigg’s populations between 2019 and 2021. Our data show differences in PCB and PBDE concentrations between populations and sex. Building upon this research, we are combining multiple omics approaches to deepen our understanding …

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2021 Mapping Of Microplastics In Surface Sediments Of Elliot Bay Near Seattle, Wa To Determine Impacts On Benthic Communities, Sade Mcnight, Olivia Kirby Apr 2022

2021 Mapping Of Microplastics In Surface Sediments Of Elliot Bay Near Seattle, Wa To Determine Impacts On Benthic Communities, Sade Mcnight, Olivia Kirby

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In 2020, 368 million tonnes of plastics were produced worldwide, with 59% common polymers (i.e. polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride). The rate of input of ocean plastic is estimated to be approximately 9.5 million tonnes per year. Primary plastics are those manufactured at the size for use, and secondary plastics are those that have broken down from primary plastics. Size-categories for plastics are macroplastics (> 5 mm) and microplastics (< 5 mm). This project explores microplastics in sediments collected in Elliot Bay near Seattle, WA 2021 to create baseline observations and determine if plastic pollution in sediments have changed over time. Washington State Department of Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Team has provided sediment samples to analyze for microplastics. A part of the 4-year rotation of urban bays, stations were sampled using a grab sampler to recover 2-3 cm of the top sediment from the seabed. Researchers at the University of Washington Tacoma analyzed the sediments for the presence of microplastic throughout Puget Sound. This poster will present the results from a summer research program hosted at the University of Washington Tacoma. Preliminary results have shown the presence of microfibers in all samples. Continued monitoring for microplastics in sediments Elliot Bay is needed to understand the sinks of this emerging pollutant. We offer special thanks to the Department of Ecology’s Puget Sound Sediment Monitoring Program for collecting samples.

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Establishing A Baseline For Northern Anchovy Populations By Ichthyoplankton Sampling In Puget Sound, Wa., Katie Olson Apr 2022

Establishing A Baseline For Northern Anchovy Populations By Ichthyoplankton Sampling In Puget Sound, Wa., Katie Olson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

As part of the forage fish complex, Northern Anchovy (Engraulis mordax) is recognized as a critical prey species for many fish, birds and mammals. Recent observations of large schools of anchovy and increased encounters in research studies suggest anchovy have become more abundant in Puget Sound since 2014 while most stocks of another important forage fish, Pacific Herring, have been declining. Research by Duguid et al. (2018) showed anchovy contribute to the Puget Sound ecosystem in periodic spikes, but there is currently no monitoring program to document anchovy abundance trends over time and only limited information on spawn timing and …

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A Preliminary Ranking Of Contaminants Of Concern In Juvenile Harrison Chinook And Their Habitat In The Fraser River, British Columbia., Bonnie Lo Apr 2022

A Preliminary Ranking Of Contaminants Of Concern In Juvenile Harrison Chinook And Their Habitat In The Fraser River, British Columbia., Bonnie Lo

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Fraser River (British Columbia) was once considered one of the world’s most productive salmon rivers. This river is home to 19 Chinook populations which represent an important species not only to First Nations, recreational anglers and commercial fisheries but also to Southern resident killer whales. The Harrison River Chinook stock, which numerically dominate the lower Fraser River stocks, spend 30-50 days in the Fraser River estuary, where they feed and grow prior to entering the marine environment. This stock was selected as a focal stock due to its spawning location origin in the lower Fraser River, and because ocean …

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Reporting On The Health Of The Salish Sea Via Transboundary Ecosystem Indicators: Reflecting On Twenty Years And Mobilizing For The Future, Sarah Bartnik, Michael Rylko Apr 2022

Reporting On The Health Of The Salish Sea Via Transboundary Ecosystem Indicators: Reflecting On Twenty Years And Mobilizing For The Future, Sarah Bartnik, Michael Rylko

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Joint Statement of Cooperation for the Georgia Basin and Puget Sound (now Salish Sea) established Salish Sea ecosystem Indicators reporting to support knowledge sharing and to identify common priorities for action across the international boundary. The newly-updated report consists of 10 indicators and focuses mostly on quantitative information that present the state of water, air, species, and human wellbeing, and describes briefly how these elements are interconnected. The updated report describes mixed trends among the suite of ecosystem indicators, reflecting the complexity of the system. Over the 20 years of reporting on the health of the Salish Sea, the …

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Transboundary Cooperation In The Salish Sea: 2021-2024 Action Plan Of The Us Environmental Protection Agency And Environment And Climate Change Canada, Ian Rogalski, Dr. Lisa Chang Apr 2022

Transboundary Cooperation In The Salish Sea: 2021-2024 Action Plan Of The Us Environmental Protection Agency And Environment And Climate Change Canada, Ian Rogalski, Dr. Lisa Chang

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Transboundary Cooperation in the Salish Sea: This poster will profile the new 2021-2024 Action Plan, developed under a long-standing forum for federal transboundary cooperation in the Salish Sea: the Joint Statement of Cooperation on the Georgia Basin and Puget Sound Ecosystem (“Statement of Cooperation” or “SoC”) that was signed by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Minister for Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in January 2000. The SoC outlines common goals for the health of the internationally-shared ecosystem and commits the two agencies to work collaboratively to achieve these goals. In a separate presentation, we …

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Salish Sea Certified Program As A Way To Focus Consumer Energy On Protecting The Salish Sea, Riley Starks Apr 2022

Salish Sea Certified Program As A Way To Focus Consumer Energy On Protecting The Salish Sea, Riley Starks

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The goal of this program is to allow consumers to recognize which seafood they buy at retail or in restaurants comes from the Salish Sea. By knowing this, they can taste for themselves the difference, and ask for it again if they like it. As things stand now, there is no way for consumers to know if the crabs, halibut, prawns, or salmon come from the Salish Sea, the coast, or Alaska. If they know for themselves what is harvested here, they are likely to work to protect the habitat our seafood comes from. It is basic marketing, but with …

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Microchemical Techniques To Evaluate Priority Contaminant Sources Along The Migration Routes Of Chinook (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) And Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus Kisutch), Micah Quindazzi Apr 2022

Microchemical Techniques To Evaluate Priority Contaminant Sources Along The Migration Routes Of Chinook (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) And Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus Kisutch), Micah Quindazzi

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

During their marine life stage, Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from watersheds connected to the Salish Sea display two distinct migration phenotypes; Salish Sea resident and out-migrant. Knowledge of Chinook and Coho marine migrations has been limited to tagged individuals caught by anglers and researchers. It is unclear how fishing effort and angler compliance, as well as other factors influence the proposed migration pathways undertaken by different stocks. Amongst the migrant phenotype, these salmon may only move as far as the continental shelf just off the coast of Washington and Vancouver Island, or they may migrate offshore …

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Sentinels Of Change: Engaging Communities To Monitor Marine Invertebrates In The Salish Sea, Heather Earle, Dr. Matthew Whalen Apr 2022

Sentinels Of Change: Engaging Communities To Monitor Marine Invertebrates In The Salish Sea, Heather Earle, Dr. Matthew Whalen

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Salish Sea supports an abundance of marine invertebrates that play critical roles in food webs and fisheries. Between climate change and intensifying local human impacts, species in the region face a growing list of threats, with the potential for population-level changes and cascading effects within nearshore ecosystems. Across our inland sea, coastal communities are poised to contribute to meaningful monitoring and science and, in doing so, enhance community capacity, ocean literacy, and environmental engagement. Working with communities, organizations, and Nations from across the Salish Sea, we are mobilizing a network of community scientists to monitor invertebrate communities and populations. …

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A Community Collaboration Striving For A Plastic Free Salish Sea, Karin Roemers-Kleven Apr 2022

A Community Collaboration Striving For A Plastic Free Salish Sea, Karin Roemers-Kleven

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Plastic pollution has become a globally recognized problem, especially for our oceans. Its presence is having a devastating effect on marine life as well as human health. The impacts of larger marine debris such as derelict fishing gear and discarded household items can result in deadly entanglements of marine life including mammals, birds, sea turtles, and fish. More alarming is the proliferation of microplastics throughout the world’s oceans, including here in the Salish Sea. Microplastics have found their way into species from the bottom of the food chain to the very top, even in sea salt and as a result …

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The Importance Of Plankton-The Base Of The Salish Sea's Food Chain, Beautiful Organisms, Usually Invisible, Presented In An Ongoing Series Of My Paintings. (Will Not Present Live), Susan Taylor Apr 2022

The Importance Of Plankton-The Base Of The Salish Sea's Food Chain, Beautiful Organisms, Usually Invisible, Presented In An Ongoing Series Of My Paintings. (Will Not Present Live), Susan Taylor

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Without zooplankton and phytoplankton, most of which is invisible, the Salish Sea would die. With the paintings in my Plankton series, I'm striving to create awareness of the crucial importance and beauty of these organisms. If we can't see something, we tend not to care about it. And we need to start caring about plankton. You can see the paintings in my Importance of Plankton series on my website bloodstargallery.com

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Pah Removal, Fate And Transport In Stormwater Bioretention Systems Amended With Biochar And Fungi, Chelsea Mitchell Apr 2022

Pah Removal, Fate And Transport In Stormwater Bioretention Systems Amended With Biochar And Fungi, Chelsea Mitchell

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Bioretention is a widely implemented form of Green Stormwater Infrastructure used to prevent the pollution of receiving waters by stormwater runoff. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a family of organic contaminants which are ubiquitous in stormwater. Several PAHs are toxic to aquatic species. Little is known about the transport and fate of individual PAH compounds in bioretention systems. Even less is known about how amendments to standard bioretention formulations might optimize PAH treatment. We conducted a mesocosm-scale experiment to evaluate the removal of PAHs using four types of bioretention media. We used a standard, planted bioretention media mixture (60:40 sand:compost …

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Impacts Of Combined Sewer Outflow Overflows On Dissolved Oxygen And Turbidity In Possession Sound, Katie Shaw Apr 2022

Impacts Of Combined Sewer Outflow Overflows On Dissolved Oxygen And Turbidity In Possession Sound, Katie Shaw

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Combined sewer outflow (CSO) overflows are a threat to water quality, particularly in such urbanized areas as the Puget Sound. CSOs contribute to spills of untreated sewage mixed with storm water that wash into water systems during heavy rain events. Possession Sound, fed by the Snohomish River, has 13 CSO outfalls in Everett, Washington, some of which experience CSO events fairly regularly. Contaminants in these CSO overflows can release pathogens, solids, nutrients, toxins, and oxygen-consuming pollutants into the water. These variables can in turn affect DO (dissolved oxygen) and turbidity (measure of water clarity) – two important measures of water …

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Tahlequah Soft Shore Project Tahlequah Ferry Terminal, Rick Huey Apr 2022

Tahlequah Soft Shore Project Tahlequah Ferry Terminal, Rick Huey

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Tahlequah Soft Shore Project Since 1920, the shoreline to the west of the Tahlequah Ferry Terminal was the site of the Tahlequah Store and Dock, serving boaters and south Vashon Island residents. In 2005, Washington State Ferries purchased the property for a future trestle project. The building was removed in 2007, and the decaying dock in 2015. In 2021, Washington State Ferries constructed the Tahlequah Soft Shore Project, removing a failing creosote timber bulkhead, and a concrete bulkhead that was causing bank erosion. Beach material was added, the intertidal zone planted; the bank grubbed of non-native plants and debris, and …

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