United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy visited Tacoma on 8/13/2014 to meet with Puget Sound environmental leaders at the Center for Urban Waters. Read more about the visit on the Puget Sound Partnership blog: Heck, Kilmer continue to build momentum for a healthy Puget Sound with EPA Administrator visit, release of white […]
August 11, 2014
Shedding new light on eelgrass recovery
One of the goals set by the state’s Puget Sound Action Agenda is to add 20 percent more eelgrass to the region by 2020. But three years into the effort, there’s been little or no progress, and growing perplexity. Studies show that some eelgrass beds are increasing while others are in decline. Scientists met at […]
July 23, 2014
New online series features Puget Sound science
Salish Sea Currents is a new online series featuring the latest science from the 2014 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference. Join us as we report on some of the key issues driving Puget Sound recovery. The magazine-style series is housed on the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound and is developed in collaboration with the Puget Sound Partnership with […]
July 18, 2014
Developing Human Wellbeing Indicators for the Puyallup Watershed
How does a healthy environment translate into human health? What do aesthetic concepts like natural beauty or even feelings like happiness mean to ecosystem recovery? These are some of the central questions behind the research of Puget Sound Institute’s Lead Social Scientist Kelly Biedenweg. Biedenweg has been working closely with the Puget Sound Partnership and organizations like […]
July 11, 2014
PSI Visiting Scientist receives honorary doctorate
Congratulations to Puget Sound Institute Visiting Scientist Marc Mangel for his recent honorary doctorate from the University of Guelph. Mangel was presented with the honor last month in Ontario in recognition for his “significant academic contributions combining mathematics and statistics with theoretical ecology and evolutionary biology.” The presenters wrote: “You have profoundly influenced an entire generation of […]
July 1, 2014
Journal focuses on social sciences in Puget Sound recovery
The July 2014 issue of the journal Coastal Management focuses on the role of social sciences in Puget Sound recovery. PSI’s Lead Social Scientist Kelly Biedenweg was co-editor, and authored an article in the issue describing the development of Puget Sound human wellbeing indicators. Issue now available.
June 27, 2014
Shoreline armoring forum now available on video
More than 125 planners and scientists gathered for a May 20th forum focusing on the latest scientific studies of shoreline armoring in Puget Sound. A video of forum presentations is now available online (below). “Armoring” refers to hardened structures designed to protect shorelines against natural processes like erosion and storm surge, and it is common throughout the region. Almost […]
June 26, 2014
SSEC14 by the numbers
The Salish Sea’s premier science conference concluded last month in Seattle, and judging strictly by the numbers, it was one of the most successful in conference history. The 2014 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference, or #SSEC14 as it came to be known in various social media, featured several significant firsts. It was the largest in its […]
June 23, 2014
New benthos list on EoPS
Ever wonder what is wriggling around in the sediment at the bottom of Puget Sound? Dip into a list of over 1800 benthic invertebrates prepared as part of the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Program. Now available with links to species accounts and habitat classifications on the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound.
June 23, 2014
What we know about harbor seals
Harbor seals are the most commonly seen marine mammals in the Salish Sea and can be found throughout the region at all times of the year. They have been intensively studied here, and a new in-depth profile from Jacqlynn Zier and Joe Gaydos provides an overview of their local ecology and behavior. This is a must-read […]