Author: Jeff Rice

A network of computer models is predicting the future of Puget Sound

Tacoma Narrows Bridge viewed from Gig Harbor side https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomcollinsphoto/47070840014/in/photostream/
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A new $4.8 million dollar project led by the Puget Sound Institute links together a series of computer models to explore future scenarios across the watershed. Some of Puget Sound’s biggest concerns hold the greatest uncertainties.  Will we have clean water? Can the ecosystem sustain species like endangered salmon? How can the region continue to grow and still maintain healthy habitats for wildlife and people? What, in other words, is the future of Puget Sound? No one can travel through time to answer these questions firsthand (science has its limits), […]

Event celebrates the anniversary of the Clean Water Act and new funding for Puget Sound

EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe gave a speech about new federal funding for the environment while visiting the Center for Urban Waters in Tacoma.
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It could have been mistaken for a foggy morning along the waterfront, but the occasional coughs and burning eyes among the crowd of 60 or so people gathered here last Wednesday told a different story. Like much of the Northwest, Tacoma was shrouded in a haze of smoke from a spate of forest fires giving it and its neighbor Seattle the dubious distinction of having some of the worst air quality in the world, topping places like Delhi and Beijing. A group of policymakers, tribal leaders and elected officials were […]

Workshop series continues with a look at nutrient pollution in the Baltics

Satellite image of an algae bloom in the Baltic Sea. This image contains data from a satellite in the Copernicus Programme, such as Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 or Sentinel-3.
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Find out how researchers in the Baltic Sea are tackling some of the same issues facing Puget Sound. Jacob Carstensen of the Baltic Nest Institute will be speaking at our next online workshop. He’ll talk about his region’s responses to nutrient pollution. The image shown above, although pretty, is an example of how excess nutrients (nitrogen and other sources) can lead to harmful blooms of phytoplankton that sometimes cause low oxygen levels and other conditions harmful to sea life. After Carstensen’s talk, Tim Essington of the University of Washington will […]

PSI monthly roundup: September 2022

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PSI monthly roundup: September 2022 View the fully formatted newsletter Six things that people should know about ecosystem modeling and virtual experiments Mathematical models running on high-speed computers are being used successfully to describe and predict all sorts of environmental changes, from annual salmon runs to sea-level rise to warming waters in streams, bays and oceans. We talked with six experts involved in a variety of ecosystem models. Here’s what they said you should know about how models work and why computer simulations are becoming increasingly important to our understanding of the […]

Upcoming workshops on tools to evaluate water quality and biological integrity 

An image of brackish water mixing in the Salish Sea as shown by the Salish Sea Model. Image courtesy of the Salish Sea Modeling Center.
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New event: More than 130 researchers, scientists, modelers, and other experts attended our first workshop in July on The Science of Puget Sound Water Quality. The discussion continues with two interrelated workshops focusing on scientific tools for evaluating marine conditions and species health. Join us:  September 29th from 8 – 10 AM PT for Tools to Evaluate Water Quality. Learn about tools and new analyses from monitoring and modeling that help us better understand water quality and potential eutrophication impacts. We will look in particular at increased access to spatial and temporal […]

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves the 2022-2026 Action Agenda

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Press release reprinted from The Puget Sound Partnership U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves the 2022-2026 Action Agenda FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 24, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Hyde, 360.819.3045, kevin.hyde@psp.wa.gov OLYMPIA — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the 2022-2026 Action Agenda as the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Puget Sound National Estuary Program (NEP). Each NEP develops a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan that establishes priorities for activities, research, and funding for the estuary. These plans serve as a blueprint to guide decisions about a wide range of environmental protection issues. […]

PSI monthly roundup: July 2022

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VIEW THE FULLY FORMATTED NEWSLETTER in your browser Low-oxygen problems to be scrutinized in talks about research, modeling efforts   For decades, researchers have been advancing their understanding of what causes the harmful and sometimes deadly low-oxygen problems afflicting some areas of Puget Sound. A series of 10 workshops on the subject will begin Tuesday, July 26th, and continue into next year. The workshops, coordinated by the Puget Sound Institute, will build on previous discussions, such as the Washington Department of Ecology’s Nutrient Forum and a forthcoming Marine Water Quality Implementation Strategy that […]

Series of workshops will advance understanding of nutrients in Puget Sound

Water quality monitoring and computer models are being used to address scientific questions surrounding nutrient management. Left photo. Right photo.
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Our region is navigating complex and challenging decisions on how best to manage nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, and the potential impacts of eutrophication on the key habitats and species of the Salish Sea. Over the next year, the Puget Sound Institute is sponsoring a series of scientific workshops to help address technical uncertainties and to advance modeling tools to assist decision-making related to nutrient pollution and broader water quality challenges. Supported by King County and municipalities in the Puget Sound Clean Water Alliance, we are collaborating to: Facilitate 10 scientific workshops with […]

PSI monthly roundup: June 2022

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VIEW THE FULLY FORMATTED NEWSLETTER in your browser Boundary spanning in Puget Sound Ecosystem-based management is often a large-scale collaborative effort involving many distinct groups. Boundary spanning organizations such as the Puget Sound Institute can help to support communication and policy development across institutions. In a new paper in the journal Environmental Science & Policy, we look at how knowledge exchange influences science-based ecosystem recovery in Puget Sound. Our paper is now online, and we have created an extended abstract available on the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound. Read more. Magazine series looks […]

Meet our intern: Audrey Rhodes

Audrey Rhodes is the recipient of this summer's stormwater internship at the Center for Urban Waters.
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We are pleased to welcome Audrey Rhodes as a summer research assistant at the Center for Urban Waters. Audrey will be working in cooperation with the Stormwater Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (SWEMA) to analyze the effectiveness of new stormwater treatment technologies through literature reviews of published research. As part of her internship, she will work closely with experienced stormwater professionals to provide content for the SWEMA website such as social media, white papers, and short videos. Audrey was born and raised in Eastern Washington and received her Bachelor of Environmental Science degree from the University of Washington […]

Magazine series looks at salmon returns in the Elwha River

View of the Elwha River above the site of the former Glines Canyon Dam in 2021. Photo: Sylvia Kantor
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It has been more than ten years since the first of the Elwha River’s two dams was breached, and scientists are gaining new perspectives on the resilience of that ecosystem and its species. The dramatic sight of a river suddenly running free, and the swift return of its salmon has captured the public’s imagination. But a key factor driving the return of the Elwha’s fish populations is less visible. It exists in the microscopic realm, in the genes of the species. We are pleased to kick off a new series this week […]

Governor Inslee appoints Dennis McLerran as chair of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council

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This is a reprint of a press release from the Puget Sound Partnership. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 10, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Hyde, 360.819.3045, kevin.hyde@psp.wa.gov OLYMPIA — Governor Jay Inslee has appointed Dennis McLerran as chair of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council, the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. McLerran has served as the vice chair of the Leadership Council since December 2021. Jay Manning, chair of the Leadership Council since December 2016, has stepped down from the Leadership Council. “Dennis’s decades of environmental leadership will help bring together the […]