2007 Puget Sound Update

The Puget Sound Update is a technical report that integrates results of PSAMP and other scientific activities in Puget Sound focused on marine life and nearshore habitat, marine and freshwater quality, and toxic contamination.

2007 Puget Sound Update report cover page
2007 Puget Sound Update report cover page

The report contains summary information on status and trends, as well as findings from focused studies, but does not include methodologies and analytical details found in agency reports or peer-reviewed publications. The target audience for this report is resource managers, scientists, decision-makers, and interested citizens.

The goal of the Puget Sound Update is to provide a clear summary of monitoring and research findings so that readers can evaluate the current condition of Puget Sound as well as understand how the water quality, sediments, and biological resources have changed over time. It is also expected that Puget Sound Update findings will be integrated into management activities aimed to protect, conserve, and restore Puget Sound’s ecosystem.

This edition of the Puget Sound Update is organized into four main topics:

• Biological Resources

• Physical Environment and Habitat

• Toxic Contaminants

• Nutrients and Pathogens

The breadth of spatial coverage in each chapter encompasses the greater Puget Sound Region, including Hood Canal and the San Juan Archipelago. To develop a common basis for monitoring and reporting, PSAMP has delineated six main basins in Puget Sound. From the north, the basis are: San Juan Archipelago, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, North Puget Sound (Whidbey Basin and Admiralty Inlet), Central Puget Sound, Hood Canal, and South Puget Sound (Figure 1-1). In some basins, the boundaries coincide with sills; for others, the demarcation is arbitrary. The report also includes data from studies where the range of sampling sites extend into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the outer Washington Coast, or the Strait of Georgia.

Each chapter begins with an introduction to the topic and lists key findings from the information within the chapter. In some instances, topics are shared between chapters, in which case, cross-references are noted within the text. The status and trends of each topic are summarized and the ecological and human health implications of the findings are reported, when information was available. Each chapter concludes with recommendations that summarize data gaps and research needs, and provides recommended targets or goals for consideration by management when planning future research and monitoring activities.

Citation

Puget Sound Action Team. 2007. 2007 Puget Sound Update: Ninth Report of the Puget Sound Assessment and Monitoring Program. Puget Sound Action Team. Olympia, Washington. 260 pp.

Download the full report