"> 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 […]
December 10, 2022
"> As winter approaches, salmon and orcas are still a commanding presence
With salmon and orcas still on the move and facing ever-changing weather conditions, I thought it might be time for a brief update to my blog post of Nov. 21. At the time of the last report, the Puget Sound region had gone through a 13-day dry spell, which followed a period of brief and […]
November 21, 2022
"> Low rainfall leads to an odd and changing year for salmon, killer whales and people
It has been an interesting year for observing the behavior of Southern Resident killer whales, chum salmon and humans in the Puget Sound region. Weather played a significant role. Two weeks ago, all three pods of endangered orcas spent four days together in Puget Sound, something we have not seen in years. Chum salmon, which […]
November 4, 2022
"> Lawsuit seeks to block Southeast Alaska troll fishing to increase salmon for orcas
How much should Alaskan fishing be curtailed to provide more food for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales? It is an important question, enmeshed in conflicting federal priorities and provoked by a lawsuit brought by Wild Fish Conservancy, a Seattle-based conservation group. A federal court ruled in August that the National Marine Fisheries Service had […]
October 14, 2022
Job alert: PSI is hiring two post-doctoral scholars focusing on ecosystem modeling and fisheries science
From UWHires: https://ap.washington.edu/ahr/position-details/?job_id=104123 Postdoctoral Scholar – Ecosystem Modeling and Fisheries Science: Climate Change, Nutrient, and Contaminant Impacts on the Salish Sea Position Overview Organization: School of Engineering and Technology Title: Postdoctoral Scholar – Ecosystem Modeling and Fisheries Science: Climate Change, Nutrient, and Contaminant Impacts on the Salish Sea Position Details Position Description The University of Washington Tacoma’s […]
October 14, 2022
"> Scientists dig into massive data collected during international high-seas expedition
Questions about where salmon go and how they survive when traveling far out into the Pacific Ocean have puzzled scientists for 200 years. But a new vision for piecing together this intricate puzzle has begun to emerge, thanks to sophisticated research tools deployed during an international expedition this past winter. Last week, scientists got together […]
October 5, 2022
"> Workshop series continues with a look at nutrient pollution in the Baltics
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 […]
September 27, 2022
"> Killer whale census shows another down year, with three deaths and two births
Three deaths and two births. Over the past year, the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population has declined by a total of one, according to the annual census report submitted yesterday by the Center for Whale Research. Now the number of whales in all three pods stands at 73, down from 74 last year and […]
September 27, 2022
PSI monthly roundup: September 2022
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 […]
September 25, 2022
"> Six things that people should know about ecosystem modeling and virtual experiments
The Puget Sound Institute is facilitating a series of online workshops and discussions to explore the technical uncertainties related to the science of Puget Sound water quality. As part of the project, we are publishing informational blogs and articles, including this look at how computer models are becoming increasingly important to our understanding of the natural world. The project is […]