News and Events

Trailer for “The Olympic Coast as a Sentinel: Tribal Communities at the Forefront of Ocean Change,” produced by Washington Sea Grant in partnership with Hoh Tribe, Makah Tribe, Quileute Tribe, Quinault Indian Nation, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Olympic National Park, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, UW Applied Physics Lab, UW Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, and University of Connecticut. 

At the helm of EarthLab’s Washington Ocean Acidification Center are two experienced ocean scientists, but what they are trying to do is something entirely new. Terrie Klinger and Jan Newton are Salish Sea experts – one an ecologist, one an oceanographer – and they are addressing one of the biggest emerging threats to our environment today, ocean acidification.
“When we first were funded by the legislature to stand up the Washington Ocean Acidification Center, there was no precedent. 

Most of us rely on the weather forecast to choose our outfit or make outdoor plans for the weekend. But conditions underwater can also be useful to know in advance, especially if you’re an oyster farmer, a fisher or even a recreational diver.
A new University of Washington computer model can predict conditions in Puget Sound and off the coast of Washington three days into the future. 

For people who make their living connected to nature, a favorable environment is critical. For farmers, that means having enough rain to bring a crop to harvest. For ski resort operators, that means having enough snow for a robust ski season. For commercial fishermen, that means having seasonal ocean temperatures that favor the fish they need for market.
The same goes for shellfish growers in Washington, who rely on the Northwest’s historically favorable marine waters to help produce delectable invertebrates, like clams and oysters.