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Articles 1081 - 1110 of 2456

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Restoration Action Effectiveness: Employing The Concept Of Net Ecosystem Improvement, Ronald M. Thom, Thomas Mumford, Lucas Hart, Richard Childers Apr 2018

Restoration Action Effectiveness: Employing The Concept Of Net Ecosystem Improvement, Ronald M. Thom, Thomas Mumford, Lucas Hart, Richard Childers

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The mission statement of the Northwest Straits Initiative includes ‘improving ecosystem health’ of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Northern Puget Sound by restoring and protecting natural habitats and resources. For the Initiative, and many other programs, defining ‘ecosystem health’ and developing relevant and measureable health metrics is problematic, and yet critical to both assessing program action effectiveness as well as justifying investments. The Initiative is exploring utilizing the concept of net ecosystem improvement (NEI) to summarize results of actions and couch the results in a broader ecosystem perspective. Net improvement is defined as following development; there is an …

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Integrated Floodplain Management In Washington: How Can We Make It More Resilient?, Guillaume Mauger, Andrew M. Smith, Cindy Dittbrenner, Se-Yeun Lee, Jason Won Apr 2018

Integrated Floodplain Management In Washington: How Can We Make It More Resilient?, Guillaume Mauger, Andrew M. Smith, Cindy Dittbrenner, Se-Yeun Lee, Jason Won

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Floodplains are home to a wide range of economic, cultural, and natural resources. Although there is a strong desire to include climate change into these planning efforts, very little guidance has been developed to help incorporate climate impacts into planning and design. This is further complicated by weak or non-existent coordination among the various agencies, jurisdictions, and interests that have a stake in floodplain management. This talk will describe a recent assessment – from the perspective of agency-level flood risk managers – of ways to better integrate climate change in floodplain management. The work was focused on the Washington State …

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Hydrodynamic Regime Determines The Magnitude Of Surface Sediment 'Blue Carbon' Stocks In British Columbia Eelgrass Meadows, Carolyn Prentice, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Rhea Sanders-Smith, Anne K. Salomon Apr 2018

Hydrodynamic Regime Determines The Magnitude Of Surface Sediment 'Blue Carbon' Stocks In British Columbia Eelgrass Meadows, Carolyn Prentice, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Rhea Sanders-Smith, Anne K. Salomon

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Carbon storage in marine vegetated habitats (blue carbon) is increasingly being considered in carbon financing and coastal ecosystem management. Amongst other ecosystem functions, seagrass meadows are reported to be highly efficient at sequestering and storing significant amounts of carbon. However, seagrass blue carbon data remain sparse and regionally biased to tropical regions. In the Pacific Northwest, we lack information on the magnitude and variability of carbon stocks, as well as local drivers of variability. We collected sediment cores from six eelgrass meadows on the central coast of British Columbia, Canada, to quantify sedimentary organic carbon (Corg) stocks and accumulation rates. …

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Canadian Coast Guard Initiatives, Timothy Mccann, Philip Murdock Apr 2018

Canadian Coast Guard Initiatives, Timothy Mccann, Philip Murdock

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

As part of the Oceans Protection Plan the Canadian Coast Guard will be undertaking several initiatives focused on continued improvement in our preparedness and response to marine emergencies. One aspect will see the establishment of new search and rescue lifeboat stations and a new CCG logistics depot in Port Hardy, BC that will include environmental response staff and equipment. Investments will be made in modernizing Coast Guard’s Environmental Response equipment including mobile command posts and communications equipment. Additionally, the Coast Guard will enhance the 24/7 emergency response capacity within the existing Regional Operations Centers supporting the Coast Guard’s capacity to …

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Zooplankton Variability In The Northern Salish Sea Over The Past 3 Decades, And Relationships With Coho Salmon, Kelly Young, Moira Galbraith, Richard Ian Perry Apr 2018

Zooplankton Variability In The Northern Salish Sea Over The Past 3 Decades, And Relationships With Coho Salmon, Kelly Young, Moira Galbraith, Richard Ian Perry

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The past 30 years have seen huge changes in the populations of Pacific salmon in the Salish Sea. These changes include very large reductions in the abundances of Chinook and Coho, and high variability of Fraser River Sockeye salmon populations. The Salish Sea Marine Survival Program is a Canada – U.S. collaborative multi-year research initiative established to investigate two main questions: what has driven the very strong declines in abundances of Coho and Chinook populations in the Salish Sea since the 1980s, and what determines the interannual variability of present populations. In this study we examine these two questions from …

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Effects Of Environmentally Realistic Concentrations Of Neonicotinoid Insecticides On An Aquatic Invertebrate Community, Claire Duchet, Alyssa Kraft, John D. Stark Apr 2018

Effects Of Environmentally Realistic Concentrations Of Neonicotinoid Insecticides On An Aquatic Invertebrate Community, Claire Duchet, Alyssa Kraft, John D. Stark

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Neonicotinoid insecticides represent 24 % of the global market, and their use is increasing globally. Among them, clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam are widely used systemic insecticides, but are also used for lawn and garden care, and pest control. Residential usage has been linked to the occurrence of toxic level of pesticides in urban water bodies. Neonicotinoids are highly soluble in water and persistent in soil, and even though they are not intended for use in water bodies, they may enter in the aquatic compartment via spray drift, runoff or leaching, and contribute to downstream aquatic toxicity. Neonicotinoids interfere with the …

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Seasonal Patterns Of Estuarine Acidification In Seagrass Beds Of The Snohomish Estuary, Wa, Stephen Pacella, Cheryl A. Brown, T. Chris Mochon-Collura, George G. Waldbusser, Rochelle G. Labiosa, Burke Hales Apr 2018

Seasonal Patterns Of Estuarine Acidification In Seagrass Beds Of The Snohomish Estuary, Wa, Stephen Pacella, Cheryl A. Brown, T. Chris Mochon-Collura, George G. Waldbusser, Rochelle G. Labiosa, Burke Hales

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Recent studies have begun to explore physical and biogeochemical mechanisms of carbonate chemistry variability in a variety of coastal habitats, including coral reefs, upwelling margins, and inland seas. To our knowledge, there have been limited mechanistic studies of annual carbonate chemistry variability in nearshore estuarine environments. Here, we present autonomous sensor and grab sample data of carbonate chemistry covering a 10 month period from two subtidal seagrass bed sites in Possession Sound, WA. Simple mass balance stoichiometric models are used to evaluate seasonal drivers of carbonate system parameters in the seagrass beds. Simulations of increasing anthropogenic carbon (Canth) burdens in …

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Effective Application Of Citizen Science For Adaptive Management Of An Aquatic Marine Reserve, Eleanor Hines Apr 2018

Effective Application Of Citizen Science For Adaptive Management Of An Aquatic Marine Reserve, Eleanor Hines

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Citizen science is becoming more broadly recognized as an important means of gathering scientific data. Blending scientific data gaps with the strengths of citizen science will result in meaningful data that can inform policy for resource management agencies. In addition, using volunteers builds a base of citizens with improved understanding of complex ecological and policy issues. Here, we present a case study of an intertidal monitoring program in the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve that has developed and adapted a robust citizen science program over the past 5 years. This program will be incorporated into the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Management …

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Does Puget Sound Have A Long-Term Memory?, John Mickett, Wendi Ruef, J. A. (Jan A.) Newton Apr 2018

Does Puget Sound Have A Long-Term Memory?, John Mickett, Wendi Ruef, J. A. (Jan A.) Newton

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

More than a decade of high-resolution, full-water column data collected by profiling UW ORCA/NANOOS moorings in several Puget Sound Basins are used to investigate interannual variability of near-surface and deep water properties. Although there are no significant trends in temperature, salinity, density and dissolved oxygen spanning the last decade, measurements show steady and relatively strong trends in these variables over periods of 3 to 5 years in both South Sound near bottom waters and in south Hood Canal deep water. For example, the annual minimum density in south Hood Canal deep water increased four years in a row from 2006 …

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Agency Silos, Cultural Isolation, And Integrated Floodplain Design: The French Slough Case Study, Paul Cereghino Apr 2018

Agency Silos, Cultural Isolation, And Integrated Floodplain Design: The French Slough Case Study, Paul Cereghino

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

French Slough provides a challenging but familiar environment for ecosystem recovery. Historical floodplain modification has created chronic water quality and fish passage problems within a 4,000 acre floodplain ecosystem. Levees, pumping, and beaver suppression are required to sustain duck hunting clubs and agricultural operations. Episodic government-led planning efforts have alienated landowners with prolonged processes, heavy with spectators, but always short on capacity. Floodplain regulations are complicated, layered, and political. Sea levels are rising, and population pressures are relentless. What are the tools and relationships necessary to recover the French Slough ecosystem? How can French Slough help us learn about the …

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Eelgrass Donor Sites: Potentially Overlooked Impacts Of Restoration In Puget Sound, John Vavrinec, A. B. (Amy B.) Borde, Jeffrey Gaeckle, Valerie Cullinan, Susan Southard, Kate Hall, Lara Aston Apr 2018

Eelgrass Donor Sites: Potentially Overlooked Impacts Of Restoration In Puget Sound, John Vavrinec, A. B. (Amy B.) Borde, Jeffrey Gaeckle, Valerie Cullinan, Susan Southard, Kate Hall, Lara Aston

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is an important habitat in the Salish Sea and restoration efforts are being undertaken around the region to increase eelgrass abundance and resilience. Eelgrass restoration is typically performed by transplanting whole shoots or dispersing viable seeds collected from reproductive shoots to a site. Most of the restoration efforts in the Pacific Northwest utilize whole shoots harvested from donor meadows and transplanted into restoration areas, but little work has been done to look at the impacts of the harvest on the donor stock. In response to the lack of existing data for Puget Sound, Washington Department of Natural …

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A Data Science Approach To Understanding Physical Drivers Of Coastal Primary Productivity And Effects On Carbonate Chemistry, Tereza Jarnikova, Susan E. Allen, Debby Ianson, Elise Olson Apr 2018

A Data Science Approach To Understanding Physical Drivers Of Coastal Primary Productivity And Effects On Carbonate Chemistry, Tereza Jarnikova, Susan E. Allen, Debby Ianson, Elise Olson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

How do ocean mixing regimes influence primary productivity and carbon dynamics? Primary productivity is a key quantity in the quality of habitat for higher trophic levels including larval salmon. Here, we analyze the physical oceanographic and primary productivity dynamics of the Salish Sea using the output of SalishSeaCast, a newly-developed biophysical model based on the NEMO framework (Olson et al, in preparation). The biophysical model estimates three classes of primary producers - diatoms, small flagellates and Mesodynium rubrum. Here, we consider daily depth-integrated biomass signals for all three organismal classes extracted from the model domain over the course of two …

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Biogeochemical Cycling Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (Pbdes) In The Strait Of Georgia, Yuanji Sun, Maria T. Maldonado, Roger Francois Apr 2018

Biogeochemical Cycling Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (Pbdes) In The Strait Of Georgia, Yuanji Sun, Maria T. Maldonado, Roger Francois

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The temporal and spatial distribution of dissolved and particulate PBDEs seawater concentration has been monitored in the Strait of Georgia (SoG) since 2013. We aim to determine the sources, sinks and biogeochemical cycling of PBDE congeners in the water column in SoG. Particulate PBDEs concentrations show high temporal and spatial variability, indicating that the outfalls from the waste water treatment plants are major point sources. Changes in congener distributions in relation to total particulate PBDE concentrations suggest that the less brominated congeners desorb from sewage particles and add to the dissolved PBDEs pool more rapidly than the more brominated congeners. …

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Floodplains By Design: Advancing A New Generation Of Holistic Floodplain Practices And Projects, Bob Carey, Julie Anne Morse Apr 2018

Floodplains By Design: Advancing A New Generation Of Holistic Floodplain Practices And Projects, Bob Carey, Julie Anne Morse

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In 2011, the Puget Sound Partnership created a floodplain recovery goal and embraced an integrated, multi-benefit approach to addressing one of the most critical elements of Salish Sea recovery – mainstem river and estuary habitat restoration. The Floodplains by Design partnership was launched in 2012 to build the know-how, support and incentives to accelerate the adoption of integrated floodplain management approaches to advance floodplain recovery. This presentation will focus on the results of an intensive review and re-visioning process aimed at taking stock of what’s worked over the last 5 years and developing a roadmap for the next 5. Input …

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Exploration Of Microplastics In The Lower Puyallup River Watershed, Julie Masura, Shannon Black, Jessica Kelsey, Mary Eldridge Apr 2018

Exploration Of Microplastics In The Lower Puyallup River Watershed, Julie Masura, Shannon Black, Jessica Kelsey, Mary Eldridge

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Microplastics are polymers < 5mm, varying in shape, color, chemical composition, and density. Manufactured plastics are primary microplastics which include pellets, fibers, and microbeads. Secondary microplastics are plastics fragmented through photodegradation and/or mechanical weathering. Research has documented microplastics in high densities (e.g., 100,000 items per m3) in marine environments, but little work has been conducted in riverine environments. Our study is focusing on the Puyallup River Watershed, located in Washington State, and its role in microplastic transport. The Puyallup River and its two principal tributaries, the White River and the Carbon River, drain a watershed of approximately 1,040 square miles and stream from several glaciers located on Mount Rainier, including the Puyallup Glacier. During our preliminary research, samples were collected monthly, both upstream and downstream of municipal wastewater treatment plants, from five cities in the lower reaches of the Puyallup River Watershed. Fibers, fragments, and foams were identified, characterized and quantified. Only 1-foam and 5-fragments were found, with the majority being fibers. The concentration of fibers, ranged from 0 to 204 fibers/L, with an average of 22-fibers/L in each sample collected. Results were statistically inconclusive to determine if wastewater treatment plants were a point source of plastic pollution to the Puyallup River Watershed, although more fiber numbers were located upstream than downstream at most sites.

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The Citizen Scientific Method: Tapping A Human Natural Resource In Ecosystem Restoration, Bianca S. Perla, Greg Rabourn Apr 2018

The Citizen Scientific Method: Tapping A Human Natural Resource In Ecosystem Restoration, Bianca S. Perla, Greg Rabourn

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Citizen science forms a nexus point between research and education, between social outreach and project implementation, and between local knowledge (traditional ecological knowledge) and scientific knowledge. For this reason, citizen science can be a valuable tool to integrate the many different players in ecosystem restoration projects and help projects succeed. Citizen science can increase civic engagement in ecosystem restoration, fill in data gaps, and help make adaptive ecosystem management a real community process. However, significant challenges often impede the ability of citizen science projects to reach their full potential. Here, we discuss trends and insights gained through examining three citizen …

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Recent Conditions Highlight Regional Differences In Temperature, Salinity And Dissolved Oxygen Between Strait Of Juan De Fuca And Puget Sound Sites Under Anomalous 2014-2017 Climate Patterns, Julia Bos, Christopher Krembs, S. L. Albertson, Mya Keyzers, Allison Brownlee, Carol Maloy Apr 2018

Recent Conditions Highlight Regional Differences In Temperature, Salinity And Dissolved Oxygen Between Strait Of Juan De Fuca And Puget Sound Sites Under Anomalous 2014-2017 Climate Patterns, Julia Bos, Christopher Krembs, S. L. Albertson, Mya Keyzers, Allison Brownlee, Carol Maloy

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Understanding impacts of climate change on Salish Sea water quality is critical yet challenging due to the complexity, strength and diversity of influences on circulation and mixing. Different extreme climate conditions in recent years (2014-2017) include record warm temperatures with reduced snow pack in 2014-2015 followed by a few years of alternating summer droughts with record rainy seasons. These conditions influenced marine water temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen (DO) throughout the Salish Sea. Analyses reveal distinct differences in these key physical and chemical characteristics between Strait of Juan de Fuca sites and sites within Puget Sound basins. Extremely low DO …

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Identifying Nutrient Thresholds For Sustainable Local Management Of British Columbia Seagrass Beds, Sarah Bittick, Matthew Christensen, Mary I. O'Connor, Nikki Wright Apr 2018

Identifying Nutrient Thresholds For Sustainable Local Management Of British Columbia Seagrass Beds, Sarah Bittick, Matthew Christensen, Mary I. O'Connor, Nikki Wright

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Canada has vast seagrass ecosystems, yet they are virtually unprotected and experiencing threats associated with accelerating coastal development and climate change eutrophication, sedimentation, and increased temperature. In British Columbia, there is a long history of community effort to protect seagrass, but little formal legislative action. While federal measures are progressing under the convention on biological diversity (CBD), federal efforts will often miss seagrass which occurs only at the coastal margins. Local action is necessary to protect seagrass, though this will be primarily occurring on a case-by-case basis as individual communities and municipalities act to limit or reduce seagrass-harming actions. We …

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Ameliorating Ocean Acidification: Towards A Model Relating Pco2, Irradiance And Leaf Area Index Of Zostera Marina (Eelgrass) In Padilla Bay, Wa, Tyler Tran, Brooke Love, Sylvia Yang, Cinde Donoghue Apr 2018

Ameliorating Ocean Acidification: Towards A Model Relating Pco2, Irradiance And Leaf Area Index Of Zostera Marina (Eelgrass) In Padilla Bay, Wa, Tyler Tran, Brooke Love, Sylvia Yang, Cinde Donoghue

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In nearshore, soft-sediment habitats of the Salish Sea, eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) meadows have been identified as potential mitigators of ocean acidification (OA) because their photosynthetic activity can decrease pCO2, increase pH and provide refuge for organisms sensitive to OA. The diurnal light cycle controls photosynthetic production of eelgrass and therefore, along with tidal cycles, exerts strong controls on variations in pCO2 in nearshore environment. In this study, we investigate the carbon uptake rates for eelgrass under varying light, ambient pCO2 conditions and eelgrass densities (leaf area index). The magnitude of changes predicted based on experimentally derived photosynthetic rates, measured …

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Variability In Water Column Respiration In Salish Sea Waters And Implications For Coastal And Ocean Acidification, Jude K. Apple, Claire Cook, Natasha R. Christman, Shauna Bjornson, J. A. (Jan A.) Newton Apr 2018

Variability In Water Column Respiration In Salish Sea Waters And Implications For Coastal And Ocean Acidification, Jude K. Apple, Claire Cook, Natasha R. Christman, Shauna Bjornson, J. A. (Jan A.) Newton

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Water column respiration is a key driver of carbon cycling, ocean acidification, and oxygen dynamics in marine ecosystems. However, empirical estimates of the range and variability of respiration and its relative contribution to ocean acidification are seldom measured. In 2014, we began measuring respiration rates at multiple sites in the central Salish Sea (San Juan Islands, Bellingham Bay) and then initiated routine monitoring of water column respiration at multiple sites in Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Measurements in Padilla Bay were integrated into the well-established NERR System Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP). Our investigation revealed that 1) rates of …

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Elevated Carbon Dioxide Alters Neural Signaling And Anti-Predator Behaviors In Ocean Phase Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus Kisutch), Chase Williams, Evan Gallagher, Andrew Dittman, Paul Mcelhany, Shallin Busch, Theo Bammler, James Macdonald Apr 2018

Elevated Carbon Dioxide Alters Neural Signaling And Anti-Predator Behaviors In Ocean Phase Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus Kisutch), Chase Williams, Evan Gallagher, Andrew Dittman, Paul Mcelhany, Shallin Busch, Theo Bammler, James Macdonald

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Elevated levels of CO2 have been shown to disrupt numerous neurological sensory systems in marine fish. This is of concern as Pacific salmon rely heavily on an important neurosensory system for survival, the olfactory system. In this study, we investigated the effects of elevated CO2 on a salmon olfactory driven behavior, as well as changes in neural signaling and gene expression within the peripheral and central olfactory system. Juvenile coho salmon were exposed to three different levels of CO2 for two weeks. These included a current CO2 level with a pH of 7.8, a medium CO2 level with a pH …

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Building Citizen Science Rigor, Efficiency And Policy Applications: Examples From Island County Marine Resources Committee, Elsa Schwartz, Barbara Bennett, Anna Toledo Apr 2018

Building Citizen Science Rigor, Efficiency And Policy Applications: Examples From Island County Marine Resources Committee, Elsa Schwartz, Barbara Bennett, Anna Toledo

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Island County Marine Resources Committee (IC MRC) has maintained for 18 years a rolling portfolio of projects that tap MRC members and other local volunteers (such as Sound Water Stewards) to collect data, provide local knowledge and, on some occasions, collaborate with scientists to define research questions, design studies and analyze data. This spectrum of activities falls under the broad umbrella of citizen science, a rapidly emerging field in which scientists engage volunteers to supplement scientists’ capacity to research environmental questions of broad scope and scale. IC MRC relies on an annual review to ensure each project addresses a research …

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The Fisher Slough Case Study: Seven-Year Monitoring Summary: Measuring Outcomes For Fish, Farms And Flooding, Jenny Lynn Baker Apr 2018

The Fisher Slough Case Study: Seven-Year Monitoring Summary: Measuring Outcomes For Fish, Farms And Flooding, Jenny Lynn Baker

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Half of Puget Sound’s wild Chinook salmon come from the Skagit River. Although the number dropped dramatically as 80 percent of salmon habitat in the river delta was lost over the last two centuries, the Skagit remains a critical stronghold for Puget Sound Chinook. The Skagit Chinook Recovery Plan calls for 2,700 acres of estuary restoration. But with farms in Skagit County generating more than $500 million each year, there are concerns that habitat restoration would mean loss of agricultural land, and the economy and culture it supports. The Fisher Slough project was intended to overcome long-standing conflicts between farm …

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The 30-Year History Of The Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference: Where We Started, Where We've Been, And Where We May Be Going, Scott B. Redman Apr 2018

The 30-Year History Of The Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference: Where We Started, Where We've Been, And Where We May Be Going, Scott B. Redman

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

No abstract provided.

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Seasonal Dynamics Of Oceanographic Conditions, Phytoplankton, And Zooplankton In The Malaspina Strait, Strait Of Georgia, Svetlana Esenkulova, Karyn Suchy, Richard Ian Perry, Kelly Young, Maycira Costa, Ryan Flagg, Moira Galbraith, Isobel Pearsall Apr 2018

Seasonal Dynamics Of Oceanographic Conditions, Phytoplankton, And Zooplankton In The Malaspina Strait, Strait Of Georgia, Svetlana Esenkulova, Karyn Suchy, Richard Ian Perry, Kelly Young, Maycira Costa, Ryan Flagg, Moira Galbraith, Isobel Pearsall

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Plankton dynamics in the Salish Sea may directly impact resident and migratory fish populations that are of major economic importance in the region. The Malaspina Strait in the northern Salish Sea is of particular interest as it is an important migration route for juvenile salmon. Here, we present data collected at three stations in the Malaspina Strait as part of the Citizen Science initiative of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. Sampling was conducted at bi-monthly (or higher) frequency from February to October, 2015 to 2017. Relationships between the regional hydrography, environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, etc.), nutrient concentrations, …

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Prioritizing Seagrass Meadows For Biodiversity Conservation Based On Landscape Connectivity, John Cristiani, Mary O'Connor Apr 2018

Prioritizing Seagrass Meadows For Biodiversity Conservation Based On Landscape Connectivity, John Cristiani, Mary O'Connor

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The spatial configuration of habitat and biological dispersal traits affect how organisms move across heterogenous landscapes, connecting populations and maintaining biodiversity. Quantifying this connectivity is critical to understanding and managing marine biodiversity. Despite its importance, for most regions, we lack estimates of connectivity and consideration of how habitat loss or restoration scenarios change connectivity and thereby affect diversity. We simulated dispersal and connectivity in several habitat change scenarios for seagrass habitats in the Salish Sea of British Columbia and Washington. We used a spatially explicit biophysical model to track passive larval dispersal in oceanographic currents for select life history traits. …

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Oceans Protection Plan Overview, Lorraine Gill Apr 2018

Oceans Protection Plan Overview, Lorraine Gill

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Oceans Protection Plan highlights the Canadian Government’s new direction on marine safety and shipping. The Government is investing $1.5 billion in the Oceans Protection Plan, a national strategy to create a world-leading marine safety system that provides economic opportunities for Canadians today, while protecting coastlines for future generations. It will focus on four priority areas: • A world-leading marine safety system, which will improve how we prevent and respond to marine incidents • Protecting the marine environment by preserving and restoring marine ecosystems • Strengthening Indigenous partnerships; and • Investing in science and local knowledge to produce a stronger …

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Listening To Farmers: The Farming In The Floodplain Project, Spencer Easton Apr 2018

Listening To Farmers: The Farming In The Floodplain Project, Spencer Easton

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Farming in the Floodplain Project (FFP) is an effort to engage farmers in the Clear Creek area, just east of Tacoma, in the planning and design of a multiple-benefit floodplain reconnection project. The foundation of the FFP is to understand and document technical information on the needs of the agricultural community in the area so that those needs can be incorporated into the project. Environmental Science Associates (ESA) conducted technical work on the FFP on behalf of PCC Farmland Trust. Over the course of the FFP, we learned to let the viewpoints of farmers guide how we conducted our …

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Puget Sound No Discharge Zone For Vessel Sewage, Amy Jankowiak Apr 2018

Puget Sound No Discharge Zone For Vessel Sewage, Amy Jankowiak

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Washington State Department of Ecology conducted a detailed five-year evaluation process leading to the establishment of a No Discharge Zone (NDZ) for vessel sewage in Puget Sound. The evaluation included gathering data on Puget Sound vessels, pumpout facilities, the conditions of Puget Sound, marine sanitation device performance, boater surveys, research on other states with NDZs, modeling of pollutant movement in areas of Puget Sound, an evaluation of implementation, and outreach to stakeholders. This led to a petition to EPA and for public comment. EPA reviewed our petition and in February 2017, determined that a no discharge zone can be …

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Community Forage Fish Habitat Restoration In The San Juans, Tina Whitman Apr 2018

Community Forage Fish Habitat Restoration In The San Juans, Tina Whitman

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

As intertidal spawners, surf smelt and Pacific sand lance are vulnerable to the effects of shoreline development – especially hard armoring which has both immediate and long-term impacts to the incubating eggs and the availability of suitable spawning substrate. On private property along a public road, Friends of the San Juans restored large sections of a priority year-round forage fish spawning beach. Key steps included spawn surveys, landowner, neighborhood and community outreach including school youth involvement in pre-project monitoring. Rock removal designs were completed for the entire documented spawning reach. In the fall of 2017, 600 linear feet of habitat …

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