Advanced Search

Background Average annual flow rate can be affected by changes in precipitation. Analysis of historical precipitation data suggests that significant trends in historical rainfall patterns associated with climate change in the Pacific Northwest are not detectable (Hamlet et al. 2005, Mote et al. 2005, Hamlet and Lettenmaier 2007, Hamlet et al. 2007). Climate change modeling sug...

Background Streamflow patterns in Puget Sound rivers and streams are classified into three hydrologic regimes: snowmelt dominated, rainfall dominated, and transitional (Stewart et al. 2005, Beechie et al. 2006, Elsner et al. 2009). Generally, in snowmelt-dominated rivers, a significant proportion of winter precipitation is stored as snowpack, resulting in low winter flows with...

Background The hydrologic regime of rivers and streams in the Puget Sound is characterized by peak flows during the winter as a result of heavy precipitation, or during the spring due to snowmelt runoff. Base flows during the summer are low, consisting mainly of groundwater discharge. Base flows can be affected by climate change, urbanization, or groundwater withdrawals. Summe...

Tim Essington1, Terrie Klinger2, Tish Conway-Cranos1,2, Joe Buchanan3, Andy James4, Jessi Kershner1, Ilon Logan2, and Jim West3 1School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science, University of Washington2School of Marine Affairs, University of Washington3Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife4Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, University of Washington

Our objective in this section is to review the status and trends of biophysical components of Puget Sound that speak to the Puget Sound Partnership's key goals: species and food webs, habitats, water quality and water quantity. Each of these goals are multi-facetted, and a nearly limitless range of topics could be covered. Indeed, one of the qualities that make Puget Sound a natu...

BackgroundPacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas). Photo by Don Rothaus. Courtesy of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.Molluscs in the Class Bivalvia feed on phytoplankton and detrital particles suspended in the water column, serving as a key trophic link between microscopic primary producers and higher consumers. Epibenthic bivalves can function as ecosystem engineers through...

Photo courtesy of Dave Cowles, Walla Walla University.BackgroundPinto abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) were once widely distributed throughout the waters of British Columbia and Washington state. In recent decades, populations have undergone sharp declines, likely in response to the combined stressors of overharvest, poaching, and sub-optimal environmental conditions (Campell 2000). K...

Photo by Dan Boone. Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.BackgroundDungeness crabs (Cancer magister) occur throughout Washington waters, including the outer coast (mostly in coastal estuaries) and inland waters. Dungeness crabs use different habitats throughout their life cycle: as larvae they are planktonic, as juveniles they are found in intertidal mixed sand or gravel areas w...

Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) photo by Hans Hillewaert. Courtesy of U.S.G.S. BackgroundThe term jellyfish is taxonomically broad, referring to gelatinous plankton in the phyla Ctenophora (comb jellies) and Cnidaria (all other jellyfish). While jellyfish have been components of pristine marine ecosystems for millennia, recent worldwide increases in the abundance of some jellyfish hav...