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Western Washington University

2022

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Articles 1 - 30 of 304

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Mussel Squeeze: Dissolved Oxygen And Temperature Can “Squeeze” Zebra Mussels Out Of Invaded Reservoirs, Crysta A. Gantz, Rich Miller, Steve Wells, Mark Sytsma, Angela Lee Strecker Dec 2022

Mussel Squeeze: Dissolved Oxygen And Temperature Can “Squeeze” Zebra Mussels Out Of Invaded Reservoirs, Crysta A. Gantz, Rich Miller, Steve Wells, Mark Sytsma, Angela Lee Strecker

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are an aquatic invasive species that cause extensive economic and ecological impacts and are a management priority in areas outside of their native range. Survivorship and distribution of zebra mussels within a waterbody are thought to be influenced by temperature and dissolved oxygen conditions, but detailed information to confirm the importance of these environmental controls is necessary to inform management efforts. We measured planktonic zebra mussel veliger density and adult survivorship in San Justo Reservoir in central California to determine distribution and timing of spawning in relation to temperature and dissolved oxygen throughout winter, spring, and …

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Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter And Dissolved Organic Carbon In Lakes Across An Elevational Gradient From The Mountains To The Sea, Kyle Juetten, Angela Lee Strecker, Aaron Harrison, Zachary Landram, Warren J. De Bruyn, Catherine D. Clark Dec 2022

Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter And Dissolved Organic Carbon In Lakes Across An Elevational Gradient From The Mountains To The Sea, Kyle Juetten, Angela Lee Strecker, Aaron Harrison, Zachary Landram, Warren J. De Bruyn, Catherine D. Clark

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in lakes across elevation gradients is a complex function of topography, climate, vegetation coverage, land use, and lake properties. To examine sources and processing of DOM from sea level to mountain lakes (3–1,574 m), we measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) optical properties, lake characteristics, and water quality parameters in 62 freshwater lakes in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Higher elevation lakes had lower DOC concentrations and absorbance. These lakes had higher forest cover and minimal wetlands in their watershed, in addition to low nutrients, water temperatures, and chlorophyll a in …

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A Field Guide To Jezero Crater, Mars, Lee Adair Oct 2022

A Field Guide To Jezero Crater, Mars, Lee Adair

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This project aims to blend art, creative writing, and scientific inquiry to explore the possibilities of geology research on our neighboring planet, Mars. This exploratory field guide combines journals, notes, and images to inform the reader of what they can expect to see on the Martian surface.

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Magnetic Methods To Characterize The Emplacement Of The Nodule Point Intrusion (Marrowstone Island, Wa), Charlie Nuncio Oct 2022

Magnetic Methods To Characterize The Emplacement Of The Nodule Point Intrusion (Marrowstone Island, Wa), Charlie Nuncio

Geology Graduate and Undergraduate Student Scholarship

The mafic intrusion of Nodule Point, Marrowstone Island, WA has sparse scientific literature to substantiate the local geologic history around its emplacement conditions. To fill this gap, rock magnetism and paleomagnetic methods have been applied to the intrusion and the sandstone of Scow Bay host rock. Samples taken from both lithologies were subject to thermal and alternating field demagnetization to assess paleomagnetic components. The Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) of samples was measured, and the maximum axis of susceptibility, K1, was used as an analog to hypothesize emplacement conditions. The host rock: the sandstone of Scow Bay, returned magnetization characteristics …

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The Impact Of Cross-Border Environmental Media And Advocacy At The Skagit River Headwaters, Derek Moscato Jul 2022

The Impact Of Cross-Border Environmental Media And Advocacy At The Skagit River Headwaters, Derek Moscato

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

The regional media of Cascadia has directed significant media attention toward the Skagit River watershed since 2018 as a result of a controversial mining proposal at the international border dividing British Columbia and Washington State. At the center of this con-troversy sits the so-called “Donut Hole” located at the headwaters of the Skagit watershed. As a result of concerns about impacts to wildlife and the surrounding North Cascades ecosystem, opposition to the project was substantial, led by environmental advocates and Indigenous community leaders. In turn, they harnessed extensive media coverage and advocacy to facilitate a larger regional dialogue about the …

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Supporting Information For Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (Cdom) Across An Elevational Gradient From Sea Level To Mountain Lakes In The Pacific Northwest, Kyle Juetten, Angela L. Strecker, Aaron Harrison, Zachary Landram, Warren J. De Bruyn, Catherine D. Clark Jun 2022

Supporting Information For Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (Cdom) Across An Elevational Gradient From Sea Level To Mountain Lakes In The Pacific Northwest, Kyle Juetten, Angela L. Strecker, Aaron Harrison, Zachary Landram, Warren J. De Bruyn, Catherine D. Clark

Chemistry Faculty and Staff Publications

This dataset is in support of Juetten et al., which has been submitted to the Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences for consideration for publication. Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in lakes across elevation gradients is a complex function of topography, climate, vegetation coverage, land use, and lake properties. To examine sources and processing of CDOM from sea level to mountain lakes (3 to 1574 m), we measured CDOM optical properties, lake characteristics, and water quality parameters in 62 freshwater lakes in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Higher elevation lakes had lower dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and absorbance. These lakes had higher …

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Heavy Metals In Moss Guide Environmental Justice Investigation: A Case Study Using Community Science In Seattle, Wa, Usa, Sarah E. Jovan, Christropher Zuidema, Monika M. Derrien, Amanda L. Bidwell, Weston Brinkley, Robert J. Smith, Dale Blahna, Roseann Barnhill, Linn Gould, Alberto J. Rodriguez, Michael C. Amacher, Troy D. Abel, Paulina Lopez Jun 2022

Heavy Metals In Moss Guide Environmental Justice Investigation: A Case Study Using Community Science In Seattle, Wa, Usa, Sarah E. Jovan, Christropher Zuidema, Monika M. Derrien, Amanda L. Bidwell, Weston Brinkley, Robert J. Smith, Dale Blahna, Roseann Barnhill, Linn Gould, Alberto J. Rodriguez, Michael C. Amacher, Troy D. Abel, Paulina Lopez

College of the Environment on the Peninsulas Publications

Heavy metal concentrations often vary at small spatial scales not captured by air monitoring networks, with implications for environmental justice in industrial-adjacent communities. Pollutants measured in moss tissues are commonly used as a screening tool to guide use of more expensive resources, like air monitors. Such studies, however, rarely address environmental justice issues or involve the residents and other decision makers expected to utilize results. Here, we piloted a community science approach, engaging over 55 people from nine institutions, to map heavy metals using moss in two industrial-adjacent neighborhoods. This area, long known for disproportionately poor air quality, health outcomes, …

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Storytelling For Energy Solutions Toolkit, Solomon Duke Jun 2022

Storytelling For Energy Solutions Toolkit, Solomon Duke

Energy Studies Student Scholarship

As a fundamental form of human communication, storytelling can play a powerful role in advancing global energy efforts; that is what this toolkit aims to do. This toolkit is created from academic literature, interviews, and action-based evidence. It includes methods of gathering energy stories, empowering marginalized voices, finding common ground on polarized issues, and effectively communicating stories for change.

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Mastcam Multispectral Database From The Curiosity Rover’S Traverse In Gale Crater, Mars (Sols 0-2302), Melissa S. Rice May 2022

Mastcam Multispectral Database From The Curiosity Rover’S Traverse In Gale Crater, Mars (Sols 0-2302), Melissa S. Rice

Geology Faculty Publications

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has explored fluvio-deltaic, lacustrine, and aeolian strata as it climbed over 400 m in elevation over the first 2302 sols of its traverse. Curiosity’s Mast Camera (Mastcam) instrument is a pair of multispectral imagers covering visible to near-infrared (VNIR) wavelengths (445 nm - 1013 nm). Mastcam spectra can broadly distinguish between iron phases and oxidation states, and in combination with chemical data from other instruments, Mastcam spectra can help constrain mineralogy, depositional origin, and diagenesis. This dataset includes representative Mastcam spectra from >600 multispectral observations acquired across Curiosity’s traverse through Vera Rubin ridge …

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The Plight Of The Enigmatic Southern Resident Killer Whales: Have We Done All We Can To Recover These Icons Of The Salish Sea?, Orla Robinson, Regan Nelson, Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, Carleen Thomas Apr 2022

The Plight Of The Enigmatic Southern Resident Killer Whales: Have We Done All We Can To Recover These Icons Of The Salish Sea?, Orla Robinson, Regan Nelson, Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, Carleen Thomas

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Southern Resident killer whales recognize no boundaries but frequent the coastal waters of southern British Columbia (Canada) and northern Washington State (USA). Having acknowledged their conservation plight, the two respective national governments have afforded this distinct and much-valued population the status of ‘Endangered’ under their respective endangered species laws. Divergent natural resource management regimes, endangered species legislation, and marine use profiles in the two nations have at times limited a concerted conservation push for these killer whales. However, much has been learned over the past 20 years about the three primary threats to their recovery - diminished prey (primarily Chinook …

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On-Site Sewage System (Oss) And Social Vulnerability Gis Dashboard: Using Data To Inform Approaches For Equitable Wastewater Futures, Meagan Jackson, Lynn Schneider Apr 2022

On-Site Sewage System (Oss) And Social Vulnerability Gis Dashboard: Using Data To Inform Approaches For Equitable Wastewater Futures, Meagan Jackson, Lynn Schneider

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Public Health – Seattle & King County created the On-site Sewage Systems (OSS) and social vulnerability GIS map and dashboard to evaluate if the distribution of aging on-site wastewater treatment systems (also known as septic systems) is correlated with demographics and social inequities. The dashboard combines King County OSS location and age data with the CDC Social vulnerability index at the census tract level, showing that urban OSS are more likely to be located in the most vulnerable census tracts. The map and dashboard provide a data-informed tool to help prioritize locations that have the greatest need for infrastructure planning …

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A Collaborative Approach To Developing A Model For Oil Spill Policy Decision Support: Building A Better Model While Learning Together, Jd Ross Leahy Apr 2022

A Collaborative Approach To Developing A Model For Oil Spill Policy Decision Support: Building A Better Model While Learning Together, Jd Ross Leahy

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Washington State Department of Ecology is developing a quantitative model to evaluate risk of oil spills in Washington waters. The model provides a long-term resource for evaluating oil spill policy and oil spill risks in Washington waters. To do so, it must produce understandable and accessible information for effective decision-making support and characterize risk in a way that addresses the concerns of tribes and stakeholders. Guided by the analytic-deliberative process recommended by the National Research Council, our team approached model development with a focus on collaboration and empirical rigor. Between the summer of 2020 and fall of 2021, we …

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Getting From One Size Fits All To Variable Width Riparian Buffer Recommendations, Kollin Higgins Apr 2022

Getting From One Size Fits All To Variable Width Riparian Buffer Recommendations, Kollin Higgins

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In 2014, King County began an effort called, Fish Farm Flood, to recover Chinook salmon in the Snoqualmie River while also maintaining a healthy viable agricultural industry. An initial agreement in 2017 called for the formation of a Buffer Task Force with the goal of providing the foundation and guidance for a scientifically credible, context-sensitive, locally derived decision support framework that describes the potential of variable-width riparian buffers along all watercourses in the Snoqualmie Valley Agricultural Production District. The agricultural district is mostly contained within the roughly mile wide floodplain of the Snoqualmie River. The district includes more than 150 …

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Noaa’S Nearshore Conservation Program And Calculator – What Is New, Stephanie Ehinger Apr 2022

Noaa’S Nearshore Conservation Program And Calculator – What Is New, Stephanie Ehinger

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Poor nearshore habitat conditions are a key factor limiting survival of threatened juvenile Puget Sound Chinook salmon. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has recently implemented regulatory approaches to avoid, minimize, and offset further losses of critical nearshore habitat while at the same time supporting development and re-development of infrastructure. Several recently completed Endangered Species Act consultations on over 50 Corps regulatory proposed actions in Puget Sound’s nearshore required avoidance, minimization, and compensation for all unavoidable long-term project-related impacts. In these consultations, NMFS used a Habitat Equivalency Analysis-based tool, the “Nearshore Conservation Calculator”, to consistently and empirically determine certain impacts …

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A Novel Social-Ecological Clam Garden Site Selection Process, Courtney Greiner Apr 2022

A Novel Social-Ecological Clam Garden Site Selection Process, Courtney Greiner

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Clam gardens are intertidal features modified by Northwest Coastal Indigenous people to enhance clam habitat for optimal shellfish production. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC) recently initiated a clam garden project to address declining clam populations and community concerns regarding climate change and ocean acidification. This effort will integrate traditional ecological knowledge into contemporary resource management and climate adaptation strategies, encourage local food security and sovereignty, and promote sustainable seafood production. SITC’s Fisheries Department and Community Environmental Health Program have co-designed a social-ecological site selection process focused on community participation to promote the long-term success of the project. This presentation …

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Howe Sound/Átl’Ḵa7tsem Marine Stewardship Initiative: A Bottom-Up And Community Based Approach To Marine Spatial Planning In The Salish Sea, Bridget John, Nikita Wallia Apr 2022

Howe Sound/Átl’Ḵa7tsem Marine Stewardship Initiative: A Bottom-Up And Community Based Approach To Marine Spatial Planning In The Salish Sea, Bridget John, Nikita Wallia

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Life in the ocean faces myriad anthropogenic pressures that vary in their spatial scales, from global climate change to site-specific industrial projects. Marine spatial planning (MSP) is one approach to manage these pressures while protecting ocean health and human access. Unfortunately, many coastal communities have restricted capacity to lead MSP processes due to two barriers: limited access to high resolution local data, and insufficient knowledge sharing across jurisdictions. Our project seeks to address these barriers by implementing a bottom-up approach to MSP in the Salish Sea, Canada. The Howe Sound/Átl’?a7tsem Marine Stewardship Initiative’s goal is to protect the diverse human …

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Marine Shoreline Armor Mapping, Change Analysis (2009-2019) And Regulatory Compliance And Effectiveness Assessment For San Juan County, Washington, Tina Whitman Apr 2022

Marine Shoreline Armor Mapping, Change Analysis (2009-2019) And Regulatory Compliance And Effectiveness Assessment For San Juan County, Washington, Tina Whitman

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Significant improvements have occurred in our technical understanding of the impacts shoreline armoring has on coastal processes and habitats. In response, expanded voluntary and regulatory efforts to remove armor, reduce demand for new armor, and reduce impacts of authorized armor have been implemented across the region. While some progress in removing armor and limiting new armor appears to be happening, tracking armor trends relies on a review of state permit records. Assessments of actual changes in the extent of armor along marine shorelines are limited. Friends of the San Juans recently completed a Shoreline Armor Mapping, Change Analysis, and Regulatory …

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Using Shore-Based Surveys To Assess Vessel Traffic Patterns In Two Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, Dr. Louise Blight, Dr. Patrick O'Hara Apr 2022

Using Shore-Based Surveys To Assess Vessel Traffic Patterns In Two Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, Dr. Louise Blight, Dr. Patrick O'Hara

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The waters of the Salish Sea encompass habitat of international conservation significance to coastal and marine birds, and include Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary and Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary (MBS; total area ~2000 ha). Both MBS were designated in the early 1900s to protect overwintering waterbirds from urban hunting, but have subsequently seen considerable development within their waters, including marinas, fuel docks, and other marine infrastructure. Vessel disturbances have been identified as a stressor to waterbirds, but traffic rates in these coastal areas are poorly understood for vessels without AIS tracking. We conducted a pilot study using shore-based observers …

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Government Of Canada: Reducing Vessel Noise And Disturbance, Sara German Apr 2022

Government Of Canada: Reducing Vessel Noise And Disturbance, Sara German

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

This presentation describes Canada's comprehensive approach to reducing underwater radiated noise (URN) from ships, as well as some of Canada's national and international efforts to reduce and tackle the URN issue. One of the goals of these efforts is to better understand and manage the cumulative effects of shipping activities on endangered whales in different parts of the country, particularly the Southern Resident Killer Whale on our West Coast. Given the complexity of reducing underwater noise and physical disturbance from ships, the Government of Canada has taken a multidimensional approach to this issue. This approach includes both operational and technical …

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Nature’S Value In The Salish Sea: The Ecosystem Services Of The Salish Sea Basin, Erin Mackey, Ken Cousins Apr 2022

Nature’S Value In The Salish Sea: The Ecosystem Services Of The Salish Sea Basin, Erin Mackey, Ken Cousins

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the Salish Sea basin provide vital fish and wildlife habitat, serve as a foundation for food production, employment, and outdoor recreation, improve water and air quality, and reduce natural disaster risks, such as flooding. This year, Earth Economics conducted a geospatial Ecosystem Services Valuation (ESV) of the nonmarket value provided by ecosystems throughout the basin, updating and expanding on Earth Economics 2010 report, “Valuing the Puget Sound Basin,” which estimated the value provided by the US portion of the basin—cited in the Seattle Times as recently as 2019. The availability of transnational 30m spatial …

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The Health And Habitat Use Of Glaucous-Winged Gulls Wintering In The Salish Sea, Hannah Hall Apr 2022

The Health And Habitat Use Of Glaucous-Winged Gulls Wintering In The Salish Sea, Hannah Hall

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Salish Sea is a globally significant location for marine birds. However, forage fish declines, legacy contaminants, and increasing industrial activity are ongoing concerns for wildlife and humans here. Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) are effective biomonitors of long-term shifts in marine food-webs and contaminant trends. Over the past 150 years, they have increasingly relied on terrestrial prey and urban areas to forage and nest. Simultaneously, Glaucous-winged gulls (GWGU) have experienced lower reproductive success and significant population declines. Currently, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has a mandate through the Ocean’s Protection Plan to assess threats to wildlife posed by new …

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Traffic Separation Scheme Feasibility Study, Sara German Apr 2022

Traffic Separation Scheme Feasibility Study, Sara German

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Southern Resident Killer Whales are endangered and face three key threats to their survival: prey availability, physical and acoustic disturbance, and contaminants. In an effort to mitigate the threat of physical and acoustic disturbance, Transport Canada has worked with an external contractor over the last two years to assess the feasibility of making changes to the Traffic Separation Scheme, as a potential way to reduce physical and acoustic disturbance from vessels in southern BC coastal waters. The goal of the project was to assess and recommend options to amend the TSS that balance the protection of the Southern Resident killer …

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The Echo Program: Key Learnings At 5-Year Anniversary Of Vessel Slowdown For At-Risk Whales Off Bc's Southern Coast, Ryan Ford Apr 2022

The Echo Program: Key Learnings At 5-Year Anniversary Of Vessel Slowdown For At-Risk Whales Off Bc's Southern Coast, Ryan Ford

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority-led Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program is a regional collaborative initiative to better understand and reduce the cumulative effects of commercial shipping activities on at-risk whales along BC's southern coast. Bringing together over 100 U.S. and Canadian partners and advisors from across government, the marine transportation industry, Indigenous communities, scientists, and environmental groups. The ECHO Program advances research and implements voluntary seasonal initiatives that encourage ship operators to slow down or stay distanced while transiting through key foraging areas of the endangered southern resident killer whale (SRKW) population. In 2020, these voluntary initiatives achieved …

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Quiet Sound: A New Program To Protect Southern Resident Killer Whales From The Acoustic And Physical Impacts Of Large Commercial Vessels, Rachel Aronson, Todd Hass, Kathleen Hurley Apr 2022

Quiet Sound: A New Program To Protect Southern Resident Killer Whales From The Acoustic And Physical Impacts Of Large Commercial Vessels, Rachel Aronson, Todd Hass, Kathleen Hurley

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Quiet Sound is a new public-private partnership to better understand and reduce the cumulative effects of acoustic and physical disturbance from large commercial vessels on southern resident killer whales throughout their range in Washington State. Quiet Sound grew out of the Orca Recovery Task Force, and was jointly funded by state, local, and federal partners in 2021. This presentation will introduce the partners who have joined together to form Quiet Sound, and how these partners are organizing a program that is science-based, collaborative and transparent. We will review what we know now about large commercial vessel noise and SRKWs, and …

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Citizen Science And Collaborative Programs Help Reveal Coastal Waterbird Trends And Understand The Mechanisms Underlying Those Trends In The Salish Sea And Pacific Coast, Dr. Remi Torrenta Apr 2022

Citizen Science And Collaborative Programs Help Reveal Coastal Waterbird Trends And Understand The Mechanisms Underlying Those Trends In The Salish Sea And Pacific Coast, Dr. Remi Torrenta

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Waterbirds are often used as indicators of ecosystem function across broad spatial and temporal scales. Resolving which species are declining and the ecological characteristics they have in common can offer insights into ecosystem changes and their underlying mechanisms. Using 20 years of citizen science data collected by the British Columbia Coastal Waterbird Survey, we examined trends in abundance of coastal waterbird species, both in the Salish Sea and along the outer Pacific Ocean coast, representing the core wintering coastal bird community of British Columbia, Canada. Results suggest that most populations are stable in both the Salish Sea and Pacific coast …

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Community Science Project: Exploring Plastic Pollution With Undergraduate Researchers And Aspiring Girl Scientists, Julie Masura, Amy Kovacs, Jenny Huntley Apr 2022

Community Science Project: Exploring Plastic Pollution With Undergraduate Researchers And Aspiring Girl Scientists, Julie Masura, Amy Kovacs, Jenny Huntley

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Community science is key to contributing data to large-scale projects. Public connections inform groups about human effects on the environment and afford opportunities for university students to demonstrate skills learned during their major programs. Marine plastic pollution has been an emerging topic of concern for several decades. Understanding the distribution and impacts is key to developing action plans that will reduce the input of plastics into the world’s ocean, specifically the Salish Sea. Undergraduate students at University of Washington Tacoma are trained in sampling techniques, laboratory analysis, and data synthesis in several courses throughout their program. Student researchers, along with …

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Monitoring Vegetation Response To Culvert Removals In A Salt Marsh: Education For College Interns, Citizen Scientists And The Local Community., Dr. Melissa Fleming, Hanna Brush, Jenna Wright Apr 2022

Monitoring Vegetation Response To Culvert Removals In A Salt Marsh: Education For College Interns, Citizen Scientists And The Local Community., Dr. Melissa Fleming, Hanna Brush, Jenna Wright

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Stillwaters Environmental Center spearheaded the Carpenter Creek Estuary Restoration project, which replaced two undersized culverts in a pocket estuary in Kingston, WA with large-span bridges in 2012 and 2018. This restored natural tidal and creek flows and sediment transport, and increased access for salmonids to the creek and estuary. To establish a pre-restoration baseline and involve the community, Stillwaters coordinated citizen science monitoring of water quality and ecological conditions in the estuary, salt marsh, and creek in 2005 and have continued this monitoring during the recovery. Since 2013, we have also hosted 31 undergraduate and graduate interns from local colleges …

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Mapping Of Microplastics In Surface Sediments Of Puget Sound To Determine Impacts On Benthic Communities From 2014-2021, Maggiejo Baer Apr 2022

Mapping Of Microplastics In Surface Sediments Of Puget Sound To Determine Impacts On Benthic Communities From 2014-2021, Maggiejo Baer

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In 2020, 368 million tonnes of plastics were produced worldwide, with 59% common polymers (i.e. polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride). The rate of input of ocean plastic is estimated to be approximately 9.5 million tonnes per year. Primary plastics are those manufactured at the size for use, and secondary plastics are those that have broken down from primary plastics. Size-categories for plastics are macroplastics (> 5 mm) and microplastics (< 5 mm). This project explores microplastics in sediments collected throughout the Puget Sound from 2014-2021 to create baseline observations and determine if plastic pollution in sediments have changed over time. Washington State Department of Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Team has provided sediment samples to analyze for microplastics since 2014. Long-term stations have been sampled using a grab sampler to recover 2-3 cm of the top sediment from the seabed. Researchers at the University of Washington Tacoma analyzed the sediments for the presence of microplastic throughout Puget Sound. Results from the 2014-2021 long-term monitoring stations showed that microplastics were found every year in all samples, except for one sample taken in 2017. Data for 2020 is missing since sampling did not occur due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued monitoring for microplastics in sediments throughout the Puget Sound is needed to understand the sinks of this emerging pollutant. We offer special thanks to the Department of Ecology’s Puget Sound Sediment Monitoring Program for collecting samples.

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Indigenous-Led Cumulative Effects & Bridging The Informational Gap For Informed Decision Making, Marian Ngo, Bridget Dunne Apr 2022

Indigenous-Led Cumulative Effects & Bridging The Informational Gap For Informed Decision Making, Marian Ngo, Bridget Dunne

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

ABSTRACT TITLE: Indigenous-led Cumulative Effects & Bridging the Informational Gap for Informed Decision Making MOTIVATION: The Salish Sea and its ecosystem are vital to the health, heritage, livelihood, and way of life of a multitude of First Nations. Our mission is to ensure that we are supporting our members with usable baseline and cumulative effects data to make informed decisions as it pertains to development and resource policy in our Traditional Territories. Our work is intended to be a regional amalgamation of data that bridges the gap of information and is intended to complement the ongoing stewardship programs of individual …

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Salish Sea Pigeon Guillemot Breeding Surveys, Terence Lee Apr 2022

Salish Sea Pigeon Guillemot Breeding Surveys, Terence Lee

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba) are one of four seabird species designated by the Puget Sound Partnership as an indicator species in the Salish Sea. Community science programs like the Salish Sea Guillemot Network can provide long-term data that inform regional population status trends and nesting success that reflect overall ecosystem health. The goals of this project are to provide a baseline for detecting changes and trends in local Pigeon Guillemot populations by compiling a multi-year dataset. Educating and training community scientists helps them develop a sense of place and stewardship through observation of processes in the nearshore environment and appreciation …

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