Eyes Over Puget Sound: Surface Conditions Report – December 2016 Review

The year 2016 in pictures: After two years of very warm air and record high water temperatures starting with the Blob (2015) and followed by El Nino (2016), temperatures have fallen and remain slightly warmer than normal in Puget Sound. Very low summer river flows (e.g., Fraser River) reflect climatic predictions for the NW. Record temperatures and low salinities occurred alongside observations of abundant jellyfish, floating macro-algae, and Noctiluca blooms. Surprisingly, only South Sound developed very low summer oxygen levels in 2016. In the fall, La Niña came with a punch, rain increased, and air temperatures dropped. Will this be an unusual La Niña?

Eyes Over Puget Sound: Surface Conditions Report – December 2016 Review
Eyes Over Puget Sound: Surface Conditions Report – December 2016 Review
Title

Eyes Over Puget Sound: Surface Conditions Report – December 2016 Review

 
Publication number Date Published
16-03-079 December 2016
VIEW NOW: Eyes Over Puget Sound: Surface Conditions Report – December 2016 Review (Number of pages: 32) (Publication Size: 8728KB)





 
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Author(s) Krembs, C.
Description The year 2016 in pictures: After two years of very warm air and record high water temperatures starting with the Blob (2015) and followed by El Nino (2016), temperatures have fallen and remain slightly warmer than normal in Puget Sound. Very low summer river flows (e.g., Fraser River) reflect climatic predictions for the NW. Record temperatures and low salinities occurred alongside observations of abundant jellyfish, floating macro-algae, and Noctiluca blooms. Surprisingly, only South Sound developed very low summer oxygen levels in 2016. In the fall, La Niña came with a punch, rain increased, and air temperatures dropped. Will this be an unusual La Niña?
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Contact Christopher Krembs at 360-407-6675 or Ckre461@ecy.wa.gov
Keywords marine waters, Hood Canal, Puget Sound, dissolved oxygen
About the Author: 
Christopher Krembs, Ph.D., is the Lead Oceanographer at the Washington State Department of Ecology and oversees the Eyes Over Puget Sound monitoring program.