Monitoring

Gulls are perhaps our most familiar seabird. Pick a seashore or even an occasional landfill, and you are likely to see at least a few. But casual sightings don't always paint a true picture of population health. Recently, scientists took to the field to see how glaucous-winged gulls are faring in the Salish Sea. The gulls were ready for them.

Kayaker-scientist Brian Footen is back on the waters of Puget Sound this summer, paddling through inlets and circling islands on a 2,700-mile journey to photograph the shoreline and document natural and human-caused changes to the habitat.

This state-funded project is Brian’s second photographic trip along the sinuous shoreline throughout the entirety of the Sound, from Budd Inlet in the south to the San Juan Islands in the north, as well as the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Hood Canal. When conditions warrant, Brian uses a motorized skiff or inflatable raft, especially where strong currents impede his travels.

The project

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.

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 levels in Puget Sound.

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.

Each year, the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program releases the annual Puget Sound Marine Waters Overview report. The latest report combines a wealth of data from comprehensive monitoring programs and provides a concise summary of what was happening in Puget Sound’s marine waters during 2023. The report represents the collective effort of 67 contributors from federal, tribal, state, and local agencies, academia, nonprofits, and private and volunteer groups.