Our online magazine Salish Sea Currents launches a six-story series today focusing on shoreline armoring in the Puget Sound region. Close to a third of Puget Sound’s shoreline is classified as armored with bulkheads and other structures meant to hold back storm surge and erosion. But new studies reveal the often significant toll this is taking […]
February 18, 2016
Will Ballard Locks withstand a major earthquake?
Concerns are growing that an earthquake or major ship accident could cause a failure that would halt ship traffic — or, worse, drop water levels in Lake Washington and Lake Union by up to 20 feet. That could mean stranded boats, disabled bridges and big problems for salmon restoration. Read the story in Salish Sea […]
January 14, 2016
Going viral: Concerns rise over potential impacts of disease on the ecosystem
From orcas to starfish to humans, disease affects every living creature in the ecosystem. Scientists are increasingly alarmed by its potential to devastate already compromised populations of species in Puget Sound. Read the story in our Salish Sea Currents series.
January 13, 2016
‘Inside Radiolab’ will interview PSI Director and other Puget Sound area panelists
Our Director Joel Baker is part of a panel of four environmental leaders in Puget Sound who will be interviewed onstage at the Inside Radiolab show next week in Tacoma. Radiolab’s Robert Krulwich will host the January 22nd event at the Pantages Theater where he will interview panelists about Northwest water issues. In addition to […]
January 6, 2016
The question of unpermitted shoreline armoring in Puget Sound
Last year, we reported on an exciting trend related to shoreline armoring in Puget Sound. For the first time, state agencies actually noted a decrease in new armoring in which removal of these controversial beach structures outpaced new permits for development. That was good news for state and federal agencies trying to reverse more than 100 […]
July 24, 2015
Auklet recordings featured on Living on Earth
The Puget Sound region is home to one of the largest nesting colonies of rhinoceros auklets in the world. Each summer tens of thousands of these puffin-like birds raise their chicks on Protection Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. You can listen to the sounds of this summer ritual on PRI’s Living on Earth this week. The […]
February 10, 2015
Printable flyers for Salish Sea Currents stories
The Salish Sea Currents magazine series has been very popular with our readers. As part of this project, we offer a printer-friendly, 2-page flyer of each story.
January 23, 2015
Airport offers a glimpse at tightening stormwater regulations
How does one of the West’s busiest airports deal with extreme stormwater, and what does that mean for water quality standards in the rest of the state? Read the latest article from Salish Sea Currents in the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound.
December 20, 2014
Puget Sound stormwater fixes could cost billions
Pollution from stormwater has been called one of the greatest threats to Puget Sound. How much will it cost to hold back the rain? A new EPA-funded study says the price could reach billions per year, a figure that dwarfs current state and federal allocations. Read the article in Salish Sea Currents.
November 21, 2014
Nature inspires new approach to flood control
Every year, winter rains bring the threat of millions of dollars in property damage, or even the loss of life, from floods. Rivers have historically been channeled and tamed to protect towns and farms in low-lying floodplains, but research shows that this approach may actually be making flooding worse while at the same time threatening […]