Presentation Abstract
The Washington State Department of Ecology has been routinely monitoring marine water quality throughout the Puget Sound since 1973. An established historic baseline from 1999 to 2008 allows us to examine how water quality varies year to year as a result of both natural and human influences. The recent large scale climate anomaly, the Blob, impacted this region when a mass of warm water entered Puget Sound in fall 2014. In conjunction with higher than normal air temperatures, patterns of estuarine circulation and stratification were regionally altered in Puget Sound. Changes to these physical patterns affect ecosystem functions starting at the base of the food web with phytoplankton. The water quality data collected monthly in 2015 allows us to gain a better understanding of how large-scale climate anomalies affect the timing and amplitude of phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a) in different regions of Puget Sound. Exploring the regional changes in phytoplankton biomass in response to the Blob provides us with insight into how future climate impacts could effect ecosystem functioning in different regions of Puget Sound.
Session Title
Posters: Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, & Research
Keywords
Phytoplankton, Puget Sound, Long-term monitoring, Water quality, The Blob, WA State Department of Ecology
Conference Track
SSE18: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE18-14
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 1:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
posters; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Water quality--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Marine phytoplankton--Climatic factors--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Washington (State). Department of Ecology
Geographic Coverage
Puget Sound (Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
How did large scale climate anomalies impact 2015 phytoplankton blooms in Puget Sound?
The Washington State Department of Ecology has been routinely monitoring marine water quality throughout the Puget Sound since 1973. An established historic baseline from 1999 to 2008 allows us to examine how water quality varies year to year as a result of both natural and human influences. The recent large scale climate anomaly, the Blob, impacted this region when a mass of warm water entered Puget Sound in fall 2014. In conjunction with higher than normal air temperatures, patterns of estuarine circulation and stratification were regionally altered in Puget Sound. Changes to these physical patterns affect ecosystem functions starting at the base of the food web with phytoplankton. The water quality data collected monthly in 2015 allows us to gain a better understanding of how large-scale climate anomalies affect the timing and amplitude of phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a) in different regions of Puget Sound. Exploring the regional changes in phytoplankton biomass in response to the Blob provides us with insight into how future climate impacts could effect ecosystem functioning in different regions of Puget Sound.
