Saving Puget Sound > Sound Science

Sound Science

Studies and Monitoring

• Puget Sound Water Quality Activities - including toxic chemical assessments, dissolved oxygen studies & models, coordinated monitoring and more.
• Marine Sediment Monitoring - As part of the Puget Sound Assessment and Monitoring Program (PSAMP), Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Team conducts annual monitoring of Puget Sound sediments.
• Marine Water Quality Monitoring - Estuaries like the Puget Sound have naturally large differences in water quality. Ecology monitors marine water in Puget Sound, Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay using seaplanes, ferries and moored instruments.
• Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication and Health (BEACH) Program - A partnership between the Departments of Ecology and Health, to protect beach goers by monitoring our beaches for fecal bacteria, notifying the public when the results are high, and educating people about what they can do to avoid getting sick from playing in saltwater.
• Data for 1999-2007 South Puget Sound Studies (SPSMEM) - Ecology thoroughly test its data to ensure it is of the highest quality. The department provides all quality information to users and can readily supply more detailed information if requested. Find out the details about how this data is collected and qualified before using.

Related Areas

• Hood Canal Focus Study - The 2004 Hood Canal focus study and 1932-2005 follow-up summary of historical data document geographic differences, changes over time, and relationships between sediment quality, sediment-dwelling invertebrate communities, and dissolved oxygen levels in Hood Canal.
• Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program (HCDOP) - The goal of the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program is to determine the sources of low dissolved oxygen in Hood Canal and subsequent effect on marine life. HCDOP works with local, state, federal, and tribal government policy makers to evaluate potential corrective actions to restore and maintain a level of dissolved oxygen that reduces stress on marine life.
• Puget Sound Georgia Basin Ecosystem Indicators (EPA) - A 2006 comprehensive report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluating the following indicators: Population Health; Urbanization and Forest Change; Solid Waste and Recycling; River, Stream and Lake Quality; Shellfish; Air Quality; Marine Species at Risk; Toxics in Harbor Seals and Marine Water Quality.

Related Links

• Science and the Puget Sound Partnership - Integrating scientific information into the decision-making process is of the utmost importance to the Puget Sound Partnership. Monitoring and research are vital to understanding the status of Puget Sound's health.
• Climate change - Washington State is addressing climate change because its impacts go far beyond a change in the weather. Climate shapes everything — ecosystems, crops, water, economy, lifestyles, health — so even small changes can have big impacts.