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Saving the Puget Sound

The networked profiling buoy in Puget Sound is one of the NANOOS assets, the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems.  More>>

Near real-time data from the buoy is available through the NANOOS Visualization System

Scientists find rising carbon dioxide and ‘acidified’ waters in Puget Sound
Scientists have discovered that the water chemistry in the Hood Canal and the Puget Sound main basin is becoming more "acidified," or corrosive, as the ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These changes could have considerable impacts on the region's shellfish industry over the next several decades.

Scientists: Acidity in much of the Sound can be lethal
NOAA and the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory will launch a buoy 15 miles off the coast near La Push and equip it with instruments to monitor the weather, the atmosphere, the water chemistry and plankton growth.

Lack of funding slows research, cleanup of Sound
Jan Newton’s research has found high nitrogen levels caused by people's septic systems are killing the fish. She's also found that those same high levels can be created by our native Alderwood trees. And as dramatic as video of dead fish is, she feels there are far more dramatic things happening with the ecosystem.

Threats to Puget Sound are oceanographer Jan Newton’s top priority.

We are so data poor in Puget Sound. We know a lot more about the Equatorial Pacific Ocean than about Puget Sound in terms of having real-time data that’s constantly feeding back.

Our networked profiling buoy has a sensor package that takes variables such as salinity, temperature, and oxygen, and also how much chlorophyll is there, indicating the phytoplankton. It tells us about the currents — the full water column attributes — because the surface and the deep have very different conditions and it’s important if we’re going to understand how the Sound flushes. The other thing is that it’s networked, so it does those profiles once per hour every hour and then relays that back in near-real time so we’re looking at the data minutes after it’s been taken.

To detect and define the threats to Puget Sound, Newton says a dozen more high-tech buoys are needed.

You have to have knowledge as the first step to any actions.