Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Assessment Of Nutrient, Metal, And Organic Contaminant Concentrations In Eelgrass (Zostera Marina L.) In Puget Sound, Wa (Usa), Jeff Gaeckle

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), the dominant seagrass in the Pacific Northwest region, is an ecologically important component of the marine nearshore throughout greater Puget Sound, WA. Eelgrass and other seagrasses are known to provide extensive ecosystem services worldwide, but are under threat from a suite of anthropogenic stressors, notably nutrient and sediment loading associated with coastal development and population growth. Loading sources span from atmospheric deposition to thousands of outfalls that range from small manmade or natural drainages to the largest permitted facilities in the country. Research has demonstrated seagrasses uptake nutrients, metals and organic contaminants with varied physiological …

Can Intimate Ecological Knowledge Evoke Spirituality?, Robin B. Clark

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Salish Sea Ecoregion lies within the Marine West Coast Forest Ecoregion (CEC) or the Pacific temperate rain forest (WWF) and others. The marine and upland forested ecosystems are some of the richest and most diverse on the planet. As a registered professional forester and ecologist, I use the biogeoclimatic ecosystem classifications of zones, subzones, site series and edaphic grids in my everyday work in the management of forested ecosystems. I see the forest is a mosaic of interconnectedness that displays with a variety of trees and plants the above and below ground moisture and nutrient regimes. My spirituality arises …

A Long-Term Phytoplankton Monitoring Program For Central Puget Sound Using Particle Imaging, Gabriela Hannach, Lyndsey M. Swanson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Puget Sound is a large and highly productive estuarine system that is vulnerable to climate change and anthropogenic impacts from a growing population. King County operates an exceptionally comprehensive, long-running monitoring program designed to assess water quality in the Puget Sound Central Basin. Data are collected year-round for a suite of physical, chemical, and biological parameters. Phyoplankton monitoring using traditional methods was added to the program in 2008 to address a significant biological data gap at the lower trophic level. Since acquisition of a FlowCAM particle imaging system in 2014 the program is generating a more extensive and robust dataset …

Environmentally Sound Energy For The Future, Genevra E L Harker-Klimes

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

One of the growing industries in coastal and ocean waters is marine renewable energy. To date, there have been very few deployments in US waters, but the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Marine Sciences Laboratory is conducting research into the environmental impacts of such developments in order to enable the industry to grow. At one time, there were nine tidal projects being investigated within Puget Sound, and none of these has been taken forward. There were several reasons why these projects did not progress but one of the key factors was the cost of the environmental studies. Consequently, there is a …

Holding The Line, To Let Shorelines Move Naturally, Kyle Loring

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

This poster will identify mechanisms for limiting the impacts of residential development on the natural functions of marine shorelines.

First, it will share the results from two recent legal cases that successfully prevented the unnecessary bulkheading of a documented surf smelt spawning beach on San Juan Island. Friends of the San Juans appealed two local permit approvals to the Shoreline Hearings Board. The local permits authorized two-tiered armoring that extended nearly 20 total feet in height and would have removed most of the vegetation that shaded the beaches and supplied insects for juvenile Chinook salmon in an area identified as …

Skagit Climate Science Consortium: Using Local Polling To Provide Relevant Science, Carol B. Macilroy, Larry Wasserman

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Skagit Climate Science Consortium (SC²) and the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication partnered to conduct a public opinion poll in the spring of 2015 regarding Skagit County resident’s attitudes and perceptions regarding global warming. The effort, part of Yale’s renown 6 America’s Project, also is providing SC² critical information to help understand local concerns and beliefs about climate change in order to better provide relevant and timely climate science to a broader Skagit community. This presentation will provide an overview of SC²’s theory of change regarding the role of climate science in supporting …

Virtual Simulations Of Potential Vessel Discharges In Puget Sound And The Puget Sound No Discharge Zone, Teizeen Mohamedali, Mindy Roberts, Amy Jankowiak

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) evaluated the potential transport, dispersion and dilution of potential vessel sewer discharges within the draft proposed Puget Sound No Discharge Zone (NDZ). These model simulations included potential vessel sewer discharges at six locations in Puget Sound along major shipping routes. Results are presented as virtual animations of surface concentrations, allowing us to visualize the transport, circulation, and dilution of these discharges over the course of several days.

Ecology and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory jointly developed a three-dimensional hydrodynamic FVCOM (Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model) computer model of the Salish Sea. This model is …

Volunteer-Assisted Monitoring Of A Significant Private Bulkhead Removal, Jeffrey Adams, Brenda Padgham, Jason David Toft, Kyra O'Neil, Kate Litle

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Monitoring efforts to restore physical and biological functions along developed shorelines can take many forms and be influenced by monitoring goals, the scope and scale of the project, and available resources. The Powel project in Port Madison on Bainbridge Island, Washington, had regional significance because of its scale (removing 1544 lineal feet of armor), the diversity of types of armor and shoreline, and its private ownership, but it lacked the funding to support a broad, long-term monitoring program. Not willing to let the opportunity pass without some effort to gather as much appropriate information as possible about the impact and …

Learning From Lionfish: Modeling Marine Invaded Systems, Matthew Johnston

Mathematics Colloquium Series

Simulating marine invaded systems requires broad consideration of physical oceanographic processes, such as ocean circulation patterns and temperature, and biological traits of the invader, such as their reproductive strategy and tolerances to their environment. Through this understanding of baseline biological and oceanographic function, models can be developed in order to forecast the incursion patterns of marine invasive species - helpful both to predict their spread as well as forewarn of impacts. To facilitate this understanding, computer simulation is useful in order to quickly and efficiently assimilate large biological and oceanographic datasets into digestible products. Data derived from such simulations are …

Effect Of Oil And Dispersants From The Gulf Of Mexico On Estuarine Fish Species, Nancy D. Denslow, Olanike K. Adeyemo, Kevin J. Kroll

21st International Conference on Environmental Indicators (ICEI 2015)

No abstract provided.

Histopathological Studies And Heavy Metals Accumulation In Water, Sediment And Chrysichthys Nigrodigitatus At The Agility Iarea Of The Ogun River, S. O. Ayoola, G. Ahamefule, H. O. Omogoriola

21st International Conference on Environmental Indicators (ICEI 2015)

No abstract provided.

Climate Warming Reduces Essential Fatty Acid Production In Algae, Michael T. Arts, Stefanie M. Hixson, Samantha Mercieca

21st International Conference on Environmental Indicators (ICEI 2015)

No abstract provided.

Salmonid Early Response To Restored Freshwater Floodplain, Erin Morgan, Jeffery R. Cordell, Lauren Rich

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Shortly after the construction of the Hansen Creek floodplain restoration project in 2010-2011, we conducted a pilot study of the initial use of the site by juvenile salmonids and the early development of invertebrate communities. We found that juvenile Coho salmon collected from the restored floodplain during periodic inundation events had higher instantaneous rations (a measure of feeding intensity) than Coho collected during regular monthly sampling in the creek channels. The floodplain site also had consistently higher insect abundances. Applying the data and lessons learned from the pilot study, we undertook a more comprehensive 13-month study of Hansen creek and …