A recent article in the Kitsap Sun features a PSI-related study that uses caffeine as a tracer of human contamination in Puget Sound. The article was distributed by the Associated Press to dozens of news sites around the country. PSI and the University of Washington Center for Urban Waters have been collaborating with Kitsap County […]
April 10, 2014
Socio-cultural values associated with salmon in the Quinault Indian Nation
A 2014 report from the Puget Sound Institute describes a study of socio-cultural values associated with blueback salmon in the Quinault Indian Nation. The blueback salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) is a unique strain of sockeye that returns primarily to the Quinault river system. The report was prepared by Kelly Biedenweg and Sophia Amberson of the University of […]
April 1, 2014
PSI Visiting Scientist key advisor in halt to Japanese whaling
By Jeff Rice A March 31st ruling by the United Nations to halt Japanese whaling in the Antarctic draws heavily on analysis by PSI Visiting Scientist Marc Mangel, who served as an Independent Scientific Expert in the case. The Japanese government had argued that whaling in the region was primarily for scientific research, but had been challenged […]
March 25, 2014
PSI publishing mobile app for Salish Sea conference
PSI’s Encyclopedia of Puget Sound has been chosen to publish the official mobile app for the upcoming Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Seattle. The app will allow users to customize their schedules, network with conference participants and receive real-time news about conference events. It will be available for all devices and will be the first […]
March 13, 2014
Legislature hears testimony on Puget Sound forage fish
Puget Sound Institute research scientist Tessa Francis testified before the Washington House Environment Committee today about the ecological importance of the region’s forage fish. She discussed findings from PSI’s recent Study Panel on Ecosystem-based Management of Forage Fish in Puget Sound. Watch the testimony online.
March 11, 2014
Governor appoints new members to PSP Leadership Council
The governor’s office has appointed Jay Manning and Stephanie Sollen to the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council. Diana Gale was re-appointed through 2015 and will take over for David Dicks, who recently stepped down. Read Leadership Council member bios.
February 26, 2014
From Puget Sound to Everest: water quality studies may aid climbers
By Jeff Rice Scientists at the Puget Sound Institute (PSI) and the Center for Urban Waters have taken their research to the highest place on earth. The same techniques used to analyze water quality in Puget Sound are being applied at Everest base camp. Water samples were collected on the mountain and sent back to […]
February 25, 2014
Reducing the risk of PCBs in sediments
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) were banned in the 1970s, but continue to persist in sediments at the bottom of Puget Sound. A vestige of earlier use and improper disposal, they remain among the most toxic pollutants in local waters, are implicated in the decline of the region’s endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population, and are at […]
February 21, 2014
New approaches to ecosystem synthesis
Is technology changing the way we think about ecosystem information? PSI’s Encyclopedia of Puget Sound will host a two-part session on new approaches to ecosystem synthesis at this spring’s Salish Sea conference. Presentations will run the gamut from demonstrations of visualization software to wiki-based conceptual models. The session will conclude with a 30-minute panel discussion […]
February 20, 2014
Updated habitat classifications for Puget Sound
Species and their habitats are a foundation of the ecosystem framework, but there is currently no generally agreed upon habitat classification system for Puget Sound. The closest thing for its marine and nearshore environments may be Dr. Megan Dethier’s 1990 resource A Marine and Estuarine Habitat Classification System for Washington State. Much of the work for […]