Eops 2015 2_17

Surface Conditions Report, February 17, 2015
Eyes Over Puget Sound
Fieldlog Climate Water column Aerial photos Ferry andSatellite Moorings
Publication No. 15-03-071
Start here
Up-to-date observations of visiblewater quality conditions in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Picture credit: Joe Leatherman
Guest: South Sound Estuary Association

Personalfieldlog p.4
Why do I love Puget Sound?
Climateconditions p.6
The air temperatures andoceanconditions remainwarm.
Rivers are above normal except at the coast (Chehalis). The
past week has generally beensunny and dry across the region.
Watercolumn p.7
Puget Sound is a lot warmer at the end of 2014 with new
maximumtemperatures observedthroughout the Sound!
The higher dissolvedoxygenandcoldtemperature anomalies
inHoodCanal are disappearing.
Moorings p.37
Comparedto past years,2015 starts withwarmer water and
lower salinity at Mukilteo. Dissolvedoxygenis rebounding.
Aerialphotography p.10
Patches of jellyfishpersist infinger inlets of SouthSound. First
signs of growingphytoplanktonare seenwhere water is turning
green. Otherwise,the surface waters are nice shades of blue
andgreen and, as expected,carry sediment near rivers.
Ferryand satellite p.36
Victoria Clipper is in the shipyard
LONG-TERMMARINEMONITORINGUNIT
Mya Keyzers
Laura Hermanson
Joe Leatherman
Skip Albertson
Dr. Christopher
Krembs
Guest:
Dr. Brandon
Sackmann,
Integral
Julia Bos
Suzan Pool
Editorial assistance provided by: Suzan Pool, CarolMaloy
Marine conditionsfrom 2-17-2015 at a glance
Please give us feedback

Expanded services and programs
A larger location at 309 State Ave. NE hosts
classes, citizen science projects, interpretive
displays, and larger aquariums.
TheEstuarium is more visible this summer; a
new muralon the east-facing wall, and new
eye-catching artat the entrance.
Learn about the fundraising concertfeaturing
blues pianist Scott Cossu on May 1st, and other
exciting events.
South Sound Estuary Association in Olympia
A larger location this summer
Visit us on the web at: http://www.sseacenter.org

I Puget Sound
Charismatic marine mammals
SunriseOver the Water
Islandsand hidden baysWondrousmarinelife
Whatdo you love the most
aboutPugetSound?
Peoplethat arecurious and care
Personal Field Impression
Fieldlog Weather Water column Aerial photos Ferry andSatellite Moorings

Sea anemones in orangeand white
Unique geological featuresGlacial flour and river plumes
Miles of diverse coastline

Climateand natural influencesbefore 2-17-2015
Summary:
Air temperatures remain above
normal, continuing a 10-month trend.
Precipitation has been below
normal for the past week and month
in the Central Puget Sound region.
Sunshine has been abundant for
the past five days and above normal
for the winter.
River flows are above normal
across the Puget Sound region, but
below normal at the coast (Chehalis
River).
PDO remains in the warm phase,
and upwelling is below normal.
lowerhigher expected No data
New section! Climate and natural influences are conditions that influence our marine waters,
including weather, rivers, and the adjacent ocean (previously called Weather). For an explanation of
the figure, see: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/mar_wat/weather.html, page 26.

We use a chartered float
plane to access our
monthly monitoring
stations.
We communicate data and
environmentalmarine
conditions using:
1. MarineWater
ConditionIndex
(MWCI)
2. EyesOverPuget
Sound (EOPS)
3. Anomaliesand
sourcedata
Ourlong-termmarinemonitoringstationsinWashington
Starthere
Isl.
.

Physical conditionstracked in statistically historic context
Nov. 2014:
Higher Temperature! LowerOxygenexcept HCLowerSalinity in Central S.
Redboxesshow
thatthe water
measuredinfall
2014 is warmer
thanany of our
measurements
since 1999
Explore profiles
atall stations
Month
In2014,conditions were dominatedby warm water during summer and fall,associatedwiththe NE
Pacific Oceanwarmsurface anomaly. InOctober andNovember,temperatures werethe highest onour
recordsince 1989. In2014,salinity was higher and later,waters southof Admiralty Reachbecame fresher.
Oxygenwas mostly lower except inHoodCanal where a highanomaly persistedinto the fall.

a) PacificDecadalOscillationIndex(PDO,temperature) (explanation)
b) UpwellingIndex(anomalies)(Upwelling,lowoxygen) (explanation)
c) NorthPacificGyreOscillationIndex(NPGO,productivity) (explanation)
Theoceanaffectswaterquality: OceanClimateIndices
NPGO(x10)
PDO/UpwellingIndex
Three-year running average of PDO, Upwelling, and NPGO indices scores
.
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Ocean boundaryconditions are no longer favorable for water qualityin Puget Sound: (a) water is warming
(PDO), (b) upwellingoflow oxygen and high nutrient ocean water is again increasing(UpwellingIndex),
and (c) higher surface productivityalongthe coast (NPGO) is falling. Where are we headingnext?

Is the food web changing in Puget Sound?
Follow the experts
WebEx
Hypothesis!
Increasesin
nitrate
concentrations
couldbe caused
by a top-down
controlon
phytoplankton
biomass.
Is Noctiluca
a visible
harbingerof a
food web
change?
Hypothesis for combining a series of recent observations
affecting energy and material transfer to higher trophic levels
Arechangesin highertropic levelspart of a story of the low food web?

Summary: Aerial photography2-17-2015
Patchesof jellyfish persist in finger inlets of South Sound. Firstsigns of growing
phytoplankton appear wherewater is turning green. Otherwise, the surfacewaters are
in nice shades of blue and green and, as expected, carry sediment near rivers. High tides
aremobilizing driftwood.
Start here
Mixing andFronts:
Tidal frontsand a high tide mobilizing driftwood. Several
sizabletidal eddies as a result of strong tides.
Debris:
Largelines and patches of organic debris in South Sound
(Budd and Totten Inlets).
Visible blooms:
Green-brown: Firstsigns of growing phytoplankton biomass
in response to sunny weather across the Sound. No blooms.
Jellyfish:
Jellyfish patches still persist in southern inlets of South Sound
(Totten, Eld, and Budd Inlets).
BloomDebrisFront
Suspendedsediment:
Largesuspended sediment plume confined to region around
Rosario Strait. How does this work?
Plume
Reflections onthe propeller of the plane
1 2
4 5 9 17
Bigsea anemones growingonflotsam
Picture credit: Joe Leatherman
1 3 5 6 9 11 12 13 14 15 19
3
20191811 12
1 2 3 5 6 11 12 13 14 15 1918

Straitof
Juan de Fuca
San Juan Islands
Padilla Bay
Main Basin
Hood Canal
South Sound
Whidbey Basin
Observation Maps:
Afternoonflight,photos 13-20
Sunny,high visibility,winds
Flight Information:
Morningflight,photos 1-12
Sunny,cold,high visibility
8
11
10
Aerial photography
and navigation guide
6
Centraland NorthSound
SouthSound
7
12
5
Flight route and fuelingstop
17
9
18
3
2
1
4
1314
19
16
Tides Feet (Seattle)
4:08 AM 11.65 H
9:38 AM 6.05 L
2:54 PM 11.31 H
9:43 PM -1.56 L
15
20

Jellyfishpatches and strong organic debris lines.
Location: OffBurfoot Park, Budd Inlet (South Sound),9:32 AM.
1 Aerial photography 2-17-2015 Navigate
jellyfish
jellyfish
Debris
Debris

2 NavigateAerial photography 2-17-2015
Numerous jellyfishpatches lasting through the warm winter.
Location: Near YoungCove,Budd Inlet (South Sound),9:34 AM.
jellyfish
jellyfish
jellyfishjellyfish
jellyfish
jellyfish
Debris
Debris
boat

Long organic debris line along front.
Location: OffBaron Point,Totten Inlet (South Sound),9:51 AM.
jellyfish
Debris
boat

4 Navigate
Aerial photography 2-17-2015
Skokomish River plume enteringHood Canal between tidally submerged flats.
Location: OffUnion (Hood Canal),11:18 AM.
suspendedsediment

Fronts delineating the flow of Skokomish River water.
Location: Across from Union,Great Bend (Hood Canal),9:48 AM.
Plume
Plume
Debris
boat

Long front and organic debris line at entrance to Dabob Bay.
Location: Across from Seabeck (Hood Canal),10:03 AM.
Debris

Quilcene Bay appears to be clear of algal blooms
Location: Dabob Bay(Hood Canal),10:10 AM.

Tidal eddies form as water flows southward through Portage Canal.
Location: Indian Island(North Sound),10:22 AM.
tidal eddy
tidal eddy
boat

Strong tidal currents (flood) and fine suspended sediments show structures of turbulence and shear.
Location: Fort Worden State Park (North Sound),11:04 AM.
suspendedsediment
boat

Panorama shot of Fort Ebey State Park and Penn Cove.
Location: Strait ofJuan de Fuca (North Sound),11:07 AM.

Strong front with debris line retainingsediment-richsurface water in Rosario Strait.
Location: Entrance to Obstruction Pass (San Juan Islands),11:22 AM.
Front
suspendedsediment
suspendedsediment
Debris
boat

Strong front with debris line retainingsediment-richsurface water in Rosario Strait.
Location: Entrance to Obstruction Pass (San Juan Islands),11:58 AM.
12 Navigate
suspendedsediment
Debris
Debris

Strong front with debris line with sediment-richsurface water to the east.
Location: Across from San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge (San Juan Islands),12:03 PM.
Front
Front
Front
suspendedsediment
Debris

A. B.
Very structured surface water with fronts and debris lines.
Location: A.Eastsound,B.San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Orcas Island),12:04 PM.
14 Navigate
Front
Debris
Debris

B.
A.
15 Navigate
Front with near-surface phytoplankton-rich layer and debris lines.
Location: A.Tumbo Island lookingacross US-Canada border,B.Ship wake (Georgia Basin),12:08 PM.
Debris
Debris
Debris
ship

16 Navigate
South Padilla Bay during high tide.
Location: North entrance ofSwinomish Channel (North Sound),1:47 PM.

17 Navigate
Suspended sediment of the Skagit River carrying woody debris into Skagit Bay.
Location: Near La Conner, Skagit Bay (WhidbeyBasin),1:50 PM.
Plume

B. D.
Plumes of a murky creek (A), turbid and green water (B), patches of organic debris and driftwood (C, D)
Location: A-B.Livingston Bay,C-D.Outside Triangle Cove,Port Susan (WhidbeyBasin),2:27 PM.
Plume
tidal eddy
Plume
woodydebris
woodydebris
Debris
Debris
A. C.
18 Navigate

A. B.
C. D.
19 Navigate
Smaller bays prone to water quality issues are appearing relatively clear (A-B, D). Small eddy (C).
Location: A-C.Holmes Harbor (WhidbeyBasin),D. Port Gamble (Hood Canal),3:50 PM.
suspendedsediment
suspendedsediment
Plume
tidal eddy
Debris
boat
boat
boat

20 Navigate
Ongoing suspended sediment from human activity.
Location: NortheasternbayofHarstine Island,Case Inlet (South Sound),4:27 PM.
suspendedsediment
boat
boat

NorthSound/SanJuan Islands
Date: 2-17-2015
CentralSound
Aerial photography observations in Central SoundQualitative aerial observer map during transit Navigate
5
6
10
9
11
12
4
7
8
13
15
16
17
14
18
19
Numbers on map refer to picture numbers for spatial reference

Date: 2-17-2015
Qualitative aerial observer map during transit
Numbers on map refer to picture numbers for spatial reference
Navigate
SouthSound
1
2
3
20

Legendto map annotations
Comments:
Maps are producedby observers during and
after flights. They are intendedto give an
approximate reconstructionofthe surface
conditions onscales that connect to and
overlapwithsatellite images inthe sectionthat
follows.
Debris:
Debris canbe distinguished into natural and
anthropogenic debris floatingat the surface
sensu Moore andAllen(2000). The majority of
organic debris inPuget Sound is natural and
mixedwithdiscardedman-made pieces of
plastic,wood,etc. Fromthe plane,we cannot
differentiatethe quality of debris at the surface
andtherefore,call it for reasons of practicality
just “debris”.
S.L. Moore,M. J. Allen. 2000. Distribution of
Anthropogenicand Natural Debris on the
Mainland Shelf of the Southern California Bight.
Marine Pollution Bulletin,40(1): 83–88.
Navigate

Current Conditions:
Victoria Clipper in the shipyard this month.
No data.
Brandon Sackmann
Contact: bsackmann@integral-corp.com
Ferry and satelliteobservations2-17-2015
Starthere
16 November 201416 November 2014
TheVictoria Clipper IV carries
sensors in its sea chest. The
sensors allow us to get
surfacetransects of
temperature, chlorophyll,
salinity, and other bio-optical
measurements between
Seattle and Victoria, BC twice
per day.

Mooring observationsand trends
02-04-2015 to 02-17-2015
AtMukilteo, recent observations indicate continuation of decreasing water temperatureand increasing
dissolved oxygen. In the upper mooring, water mixing appears influenced by tides. In early February,
the deeper mooring detected decreasing salinity and increasing temperature that coincides with river
flows.
These plots show the
probability of
observationsover the
pasttwo-week period.
High probability shown in
warmcolors.
Left Panels: Density is
defined by salinity and
temperature.
Right Panel: Dissolved
oxygen concentration in
relation to salinity.
2-6 m depth
Dissolvedoxygennot
measured
12-16 m depth

01-18-2015 to 02-17-2015
Our mooring station in Mukilteo is located in
Whidbey Basin near Everett. Itis also
located at the transition between Possession
and Central Soundsat a depth that is
influenced by the Skagitand Snohomish river
discharges, prevailing winds, and tidal
mixing.
Asthe largest regional contributor of
freshwater to Puget Sound, understanding
the timing and magnitude of the Skagit River
flow is important.
We present data of daily means for the past
31 days. Data are plotted in Pacific Standard
Time. Wind data arefrom Paine Field in
Everett. River flow data arefrom USGS.
Click on icon to view real-time
data of the moorings
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
DailyTidalRange
(db)
Near-bottom sensor and associated environmental data at Mukilteo
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
MeanDailyWind
Speed(kts)
Northerly
Southerly
0
500
1000
1500
2000
18-Jan
19-Jan
20-Jan
21-Jan
22-Jan
23-Jan
24-Jan
25-Jan
26-Jan
27-Jan
28-Jan
29-Jan
30-Jan
31-Jan
1-Feb
2-Feb
3-Feb
4-Feb
5-Feb
6-Feb
7-Feb
8-Feb
9-Feb
10-Feb
11-Feb
12-Feb
13-Feb
14-Feb
15-Feb
16-Feb
17-Feb
MeanDailyRiver
Discharge(m3/sec)
SkagitRiver
Snohomish River
27.0
28.0
29.0
30.0
9.6
9.7
9.8
9.9
10.0
10.1
MeanDaily
Salinity(psu)
MeanDailyWater
Temperature(°C)
Temperature
Salinity

Mukilteo2010 to 2015
Atthe Mukilteo mooring, weuse the near-bottom
sensor (12-16 mdeep) to measure significant inter-
annualvariability in temperature, salinity, and dissolved
oxygen.
Inter-annualvariability is shown over a 5-year period.
All three variables show strong seasonality.
Ascompared to past years, the start of 2015 is showing
thatwater temperature is warmer and salinity is lower.
Dissolved oxygen is roughly similar to 2010, 2011, and
2013.
Seasonally, there is an increase in water temperature,
decrease in salinity, and little change in dissolved
oxygen.
Pleasenote that data are provisional. Data are in GMT.

Accessmooring
data:
ftp://www.ecy.wa.gov/ea
p/Mooring_Raw/Puget_S
ound/
Ferryand satellite :
Suzan.Pool@ecy.wa.gov
Get data from Ecology’sMarine MonitoringPrograms
Long–Term
MonitoringNetwork
Real–Time
SensorNetwork
Accesscore
monitoringdata:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/a
pps/eap/marinewq/mwda
taset.asp
christopher.krembs@ecy.w
a.gov
Ecology’s long-termmarine
monitoring stations
Ferrytrack
Riverand Stream WaterQuality
Monitoring
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/fw_riv
/rv_main.html
Discontinued (fundingcuts)

You maysubscribe or unsubscribe to the Eyes Over Puget Sound email listservby going to:
http://listserv.wa.gov/cgi-bin/wa?A0=ECOLOGY-EYES-OVER-PUGET-SOUND
Many thanks to our business partners: Clipper Navigations,SwantownMarina,andKenmore Air.
We are looking forfeedbackto improve ourproducts.
Dr. ChristopherKrembs
christopher.krembs@ecy.wa.gov
Marine Monitoring Unit
EnvironmentalAssessment Program
WA Department of Ecology

Eops 2015 2_17

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Eops 2015 2_17