The University of Washington Puget Sound Institute is sponsoring up to 10 student writers to report short (300-word) stories about science findings presented at the upcoming Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference. The conference will be held online April 26-28. We are offering $200 per story and can cover conference registration costs. Successful writers will publish their work …
The University of Washington Puget Sound Institute is seeking a Research Scientist experienced in applying state of the art numerical models, or analysis and reporting of results for large model and measured physical data sets. This position will expand current capabilities within the Puget Sound Institute and the Salish Sea Modeling Center at the Center for Urban Waters, supporting applied …
The University of Washington Puget Sound Institute (PSI) is seeking a highly motivated stakeholder engagement and science communication manager, with experience working with municipal staff and their stakeholders in wastewater or stormwater, marine/aquatic resources, or other interdisciplinary environmental management and planning areas. The position will expand current PSI capabilities to synthesize and communicate scientific results in a compelling …
A series of reports from the Puget Sound Institute will synthesize key findings from close to 100 projects funded over the past five years by the Environmental Protection Agency. Six years ago, the EPA authorized more than $20 million dollars for projects to protect, restore and study critical habitats like beaches and floodplains in Puget …
The Puget Sound Institute is seeking a highly motivated researcher with a background in interdisciplinary environmental science, marine/aquatic resource management, or conservation planning and experience connecting science to policy. The position is housed at the Center for Urban Waters in Tacoma, Washington, and is expected to work on campus but may be eligible for partial …
In late 2013, a marine heatwave that scientists dubbed “the blob” began warming the ocean throughout the Northeast Pacific, causing temperatures to rise almost 3°C above normal. The disruption severely depressed salmon returns. Whales, sea lions and seabirds starved, and warm water creatures were suddenly being spotted off the coast of Alaska. In Puget Sound, temperatures also jumped, but the effects of the blob …
While Covid restrictions remain a part of everyday life, a lot has eased since the global quarantines of spring 2020. During that time, the coronavirus effectively shut down scientific fieldwork in Puget Sound, leaving huge gaps in data for most facets of the ecosystem, from orcas to eelgrass. Despite the lockdowns, a new report from …
Occasionally, this space includes reports and essays from guest writers on the subject of Puget Sound ecosystem recovery. Biologist and author Eric Wagner has this look at the controversy surrounding a recent study of salmon numbers in the Salish Sea. By Eric Wagner A couple of weeks ago, the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic …
Whether on land or in the sea, oxygen is critical for sustaining life. Healthy ecosystems depend on it, and the amount of dissolved oxygen in marine environments is one of the ways that scientists measure water quality. Both the research community and the regulatory authorities rely on complex computer models of the Salish Sea to …
The International Conference on Emerging Contaminants (EMCON), hosted virtually this month by the University of Washington, focused on newly identified threats from chemicals and microplastics in the environment. The conference provided an opportunity to hear the latest research on the discovery of a tire-related compound deadly to Puget Sound’s coho salmon. The cause of what scientists …
Researchers at our affiliate organization the Center for Urban Waters have received a $797,107 National Science Foundation grant for the purchase of new equipment to identify toxic contaminants in Puget Sound. Ed Kolodziej is the project’s principal investigator. Co-principal investigators include David Beck, Allison Gardell, Jessica Ray, and Andy James. The funds were awarded on …
Puget Sound Institute Director and University of Washington Tacoma Professor of Environmental Science Joel Baker is one of 38 new members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2021. Baker, an environmental chemist who has worked extensively on science and policy issues related to Puget Sound, was selected for his “foundational work on …