All Articles
Science letter: Bird declines in North America and Puget Sound
Citizen science bird counts are providing more detail than ever about North American bird declines. While the overall numbers are discouraging, new levels of understanding may help conservation efforts. Biologist Eric Wagner writes that despite larger trends, species recovery can be important on a very small scale, perhaps a few birds at a time.
How do you evaluate the effects of reduced oxygen on aquatic life?
There is an ongoing concern that human activities can cause reductions in the amount of oxygen available to fish and other marine species. In Puget Sound, scientists are working to evaluate when and where some of these reductions could have an adverse ecological impact. As part of a series of workshops on Puget Sound water quality, the Puget Sound Institute asked Dr. Tim Essington of the
Risso’s dolphins in the Salish Sea
Risso’s dolphins are easily recognizable by their light color and extensive scratches and scars on their bodies. This rare visitor to the Salish Sea feeds almost exclusively on cephalopods like octopus and squid and is most commonly found in relatively warm tropical to temperate waters over the outer continental shelf and slope.
Structured decision making for the real world: A qualitative analysis of how governance structures en(dis)able SDM in local watershed planning
A 2025 article in the journal Environmental Management analyzes the use of structured decision making (SDM) with four different watershed groups to understand the governance factors that facilitated the use of SDM as a decision support tool.
Human well-being indicators as a boundary object for social science integration into conservation
A 2025 article in the journal Conservation Biology examines the integration of human well-being indicators into regional conservation efforts.
Researchers zero in on low-oxygen areas of concern in Puget Sound
Low dissolved oxygen levels put aquatic life in Puget Sound at risk – but not everywhere. A combination of careful monitoring efforts and powerful computer models are now enabling scientists to identify which areas of our regional waters are most prone to low oxygen levels, when, and why. This article is part of a series of reports funded by King County about the quest to define healthy oxygen
Research and whale watching enhanced with artificial intelligence to identify individual orcas
Artificial intelligence is emerging as a powerful new tool for whale identification. New software can be adapted and used to identify any animal with a dorsal fin on its back.
The secret legacy of tidal beavers
Beavers are typically associated with freshwater environments, but scientists have learned that they also survive and thrive in the shoreline marshes of the Salish Sea. New research is revealing the vital connection between tidal beavers and salmon.
'Natural conditions' are at the center of disputes over dissolved oxygen standards
Oxygen is indisputably essential to aquatic life, but conflicts are brewing over water quality standards mandated in state regulations. This article is part of a series of reports funded by King County about the quest to define healthy oxygen levels in Puget Sound. By some estimates, those definitions could affect billions of dollars in state and local spending. [Editor's note: King County is