Eyes over Puget Sound

Once a month, we take to the air and travel by boat to obtain high-resolution aerial photo observations and gather water data at our monitoring stations and via state ferry transects. This provides us a visual picture of the health of Puget Sound, which we call Eyes Over Puget Sound or EOPS.

Latest observations

Large-scale influences on Puget Sound, climate, and streams

• It's summer! Air temperatures have been above normal while precipitation has been well below normal in July.
• With mountain snowpack mostly gone, these conditions have resulted in river flows that are generally below normal levels.
• Nearly all stream gages are reporting normal or below-normal flows.

Technology as a tool to explore habitat  

• We tested an infrared camera on the flight, resulting in images of temperature patterns that the eye can’t see.
• We documented surface water temperatures above 15° Celsius.
• These warmer waters increase the risk of harmful algal blooms if toxin-producing species are present.
• River deltas, tidal eddies, and ship wakes all reveal interesting temperature patterns.

 What we saw on our flight over Puget Sound

• Algae blooms are causing intense red-brown colors in Bellingham and Samish Bays, as well as in East Sound, Marrowstone Island, Liberty Bay, and finger inlets in South Sound.
• Macroalgae is drifting as mats on the water in South Sound and Central Sound, particularly in Carr Inlet, Commencement Bay, and Port Madison.

Also in this edition

• Our Washington Conservation Corps intern shares her perspectives on Puget Sound.

How do we do it?

Our marine scientists fly and boat to 37 remote marine monitoring stations once a month. Join us as Eyes Over Puget Sound takes you into the air with photos, commentary, and water quality data.

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Archives

All editions of Eyes Over Puget Sound are available through the Marine Waters publication index.