December 23, 2019
Seaweed has been receiving a lot of attention recently as the next sustainable superfood. Not only is it packed with micronutrients, but seaweed also absorbs carbon dioxide as it grows. This means cultivating seaweed alongside other marine species could help buffer vulnerable organisms, such as oysters, from the corrosive effects of ocean acidification.
But getting a seaweed farm ...
Read MoreDecember 20, 2019
A new report details the effects of a changing climate on Puget Sound in 2018, and describes how these changes trickled down through the ecosystem to affect marine life and seafood consumers.
Scientists observed unusually warm water temperatures, though not as hot as during the years of “the Blob,” the marine heatwave of 2014-2016. Salinity went up everywhere in the Puget ...
Read MoreFrom the autumn 2019 Sea Star print newsletter
By Andrew Chin, WSG Science Communications Fellow
On a quiet day in Oak Harbor last January, the surface of Puget Sound was as smooth as glass. The water gently reflected the winter sun as 45 pairs of eyes watched the tide slowly overtake the shoreline, reaching the line of driftwood that had been thrown ashore in storms past and the grass lawn of Flinstone Park. This encroachment was a king tide: the edge ...
Read MoreAugust 22, 2019
The Salish Sea Equity and Justice Symposium, to be held November 14-15, 2019, aims to center historically marginalized and underrepresented voices while creating space for ongoing dialogues.
Addressing inequity and working toward environmental justice is essential to a successful environmental movement. Although professionals in this field are aware and concerned about issues related to Diversity, ...
Read MoreMay 8, 2019
The joint team from Washington Sea Grant (WSG), Climate Impacts Group (CIG) and Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) that released a report containing the best sea level rise projections yet for Washington’s coasts last summer received the UW College of the Environment Award for Outstanding Community Impact. The report is part of the Washington Coastal Resilience Project, a three-year effort funded in 2016 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“The team has been instrumental in helping ...
Read MoreMarch 26, 2019
Washington Sea Grant held viewing parties in Oak Harbor and Raymond in January to help local residents understand the effects of sea level rise
Sea level rise has major implications for coastal Washington. The recent projections released by Washington Sea Grant, WA Department of Ecology, UW Climate Impacts Group, The Nature Conservancy, and other partners predict approximately one foot of sea level rise by 2050, and up to two feet by 2100.
Bridget Trosin, Coastal Policy Specialist at ...
Read MoreDecember 18, 2018
The ability to smell is critical for salmon. They depend on scent to avoid predators, sniff out prey and find their way home at the end of their lives when they return to the streams where they hatched to spawn and die.
New research from the University of Washington and NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center shows this powerful sense of smell might be in trouble as carbon emissions continue to be absorbed by our ocean. Ocean ...
Read MoreOctober 1, 2018
A feature article in The Revelator tells the story of what researchers including WSG coastal hazards specialist have learned since the two dams that once sat on the Elwha River were removed.
The key takeaway? That recovery is possible. “When we go into these large-scale ecosystem-restoration projects, it’s hard for our human brains to wrap our heads around what to expect … because it’s a very complex ecosystem,” Miller said. “But in general, you walk away with a sense that ...
Read MoreSeptember 6, 2018
When the two dams on the Elwah River were removed starting in 2011, it was the world’s largest project of that kind. Years later, the now free-flowing river continues to mend and reshape its surrounding environments. A new study documenting the changes in sediment was published in Nature this week. Co-authored by WSG Coastal Hazards Specialist Ian Miller, the research was done in collaboration with scientists from the United States Geological Survey, the National Park Service, the U.S. ...
Read MoreAugust 9, 2018
A sea-level rise report led by Washington Sea Grant and the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group provides the clearest picture yet of what to expect in sea-level rise along Washington State coastlines.
Coverage in the Tacoma Weekly News recognizes that the information in the report is vital to urban planners. “This new, risk-based information will allow planners and developers to better assess the impacts of sea level rise on their projects along Tacoma’s waterfront,” researcher Harriet Morgan ...
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