Publication Summary

This is the quality assurance project plan for the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program Integrated Assessment and Modeling Study Year 1 Activities.

The Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program Integrated Assessment and Modeling Study was designed to quantify the relative magnitude of natural and anthropogenic factors contributing to increasing hypoxia (low oxygen concentrations). Over the last decade, data indicate that hypoxia in Hood Canal has become more severe than occurred historically. The University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory and the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group will lead the planned three-year project, which includes water quality data collection and model development and application. The purpose of this Quality Assurance (QA) Project Plan is to describe the first year of activities conducted by a team of federal, tribal, state, and local organizations. These activities include continuing ongoing monitoring programs, supplementing those programs with additional targeted monitoring programs, and initiating the development of modeling tools. These programs will continue beyond the one-year schedule described in the present document, and the information developed during this first year will be used to scope subsequent work. Future activities will be described in subsequent documents.