All Articles
Water-cleanup plans and the search for ‘reasonable’ actions
Scientists at the Washington Department of Ecology along with many other researchers have spent years studying and debating the problem of low oxygen in Puget Sound. Now, many new developments — technical, scientific and legal — are reaching a critical stage and setting up a framework to make some major decisions. This is part two of a four-part series originally published in the Puget Sound
The debate over oxygen in Puget Sound
Scientists at the Washington Department of Ecology along with many other researchers have spent years studying and debating the problem of low oxygen in Puget Sound. Now, many new developments — technical, scientific and legal — are reaching a critical stage and setting up a framework to make some major decisions. This four-part series was originally published in the Puget Sound Institute blog and
Ocean water sets a baseline for oxygen in Puget Sound
About 83% of the water in Puget Sound comes from the ocean. That brings with it all kinds of benefits, including an ocean-size amount of life-giving nutrients that feed the creatures that live here. But it has one potential drawback. That ocean water is notoriously low in oxygen. Why is that and what does it mean for the future of Puget Sound?
A century of warming has reduced dissolved oxygen in Puget Sound
A new study outlines the strong link between dissolved oxygen declines and increasing water temperatures, raising questions about the effect of future climate change on Puget Sound.
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.