The Puget Sound Marine Waters Overview for 2014 is now available. The report is part of an annual effort from NOAA and the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program to synthesize marine conditions for the region. According to its authors, 2014 “was a year with notable departures from average.” In particular, the report provides details on the large scale mass of warm water that came to be known as “the blob,” and has stretched from Alaska and Puget Sound to as far south as Mexico. The report also looks at status and trends for a number of key species, including rhinoceros auklets, harbor porpoise and Pacific herring.

Read the full report at the Puget Sound Partnership’s website.