Presentation Abstract

At the end of 2014 water temperatures in Puget Sound rapidly increased in response to The Blob and persisted into 2017. Climate anomalies on land caused premature snow melt and freshening of Puget Sound. The seasonal shift in freshwater delivery increased winter estuarine circulation allowing greater import of heat from the ocean but decreased summer circulation, retaining more heat in Puget Sound in summer. In both seasons, Puget Sound temperatures increased affecting water quality and ecosystem performance. We contrast salinity, temperature, and density records from 2014-2017 to infer residence time and changes in water masses during the extreme climate years. Increased winter temperatures >8C might have promoted overwintering for temperature sensitive species such as anchovy.

Session Title

Posters: Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, & Research

Keywords

Residence time, Retention time, Water temperatures, Blob

Conference Track

SSE18: Posters

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)

Document Type

Event

SSEC Identifier

SSE18-13

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 temperature--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Water quality--Washington (State)--Puget Sound

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

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Apr 5th, 11:30 AM Apr 5th, 1:30 PM

Recent climate patterns are affecting seasonal water residence times and water temperatures in Puget Sound

At the end of 2014 water temperatures in Puget Sound rapidly increased in response to The Blob and persisted into 2017. Climate anomalies on land caused premature snow melt and freshening of Puget Sound. The seasonal shift in freshwater delivery increased winter estuarine circulation allowing greater import of heat from the ocean but decreased summer circulation, retaining more heat in Puget Sound in summer. In both seasons, Puget Sound temperatures increased affecting water quality and ecosystem performance. We contrast salinity, temperature, and density records from 2014-2017 to infer residence time and changes in water masses during the extreme climate years. Increased winter temperatures >8C might have promoted overwintering for temperature sensitive species such as anchovy.