Oxygen

This overview describes how nitrogen in the marine environment changes depending on oxygen levels and can be lost from the system as nitrogen gas. In spring and summer, nitrogen near the surface of the Salish Sea may become low enough to limit primary production, and organic carbon that settles into sediments can reduce dissolved oxygen.

A new report from the Puget Sound Institute and the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences examines a species-level approach to oxygen risks in Puget Sound. Case studies of Dungeness crabs, English sole, and Chinook salmon provide new details on when and where individual species may be most vulnerable. Funding for this article is provided in part by King County.