Drought conditions and record-low river levels are causing the Puget Sound to stagnate like an unflushed toilet bowl, scientists say, hurting Puget Sound’s food web and underwater habitats. In a media briefing Thursday coordinated by the state Department of Ecology, scientists explained how the effects of Seattle’s record-breaking temperatures this summer don’t stop at the water’s edge - they get worse.
“What I want to emphasize here is how warm our water has become, as well as our air temperatures,” said Nick Bond, the state climatologist and a UW researcher and professor. “Upper-layer temperatures are well above normal – up to four degrees and more.”
That's enough to have a significant impact on the ocean’s biology, he said. “The waters off the coast of the Pacific Northwest have been substantially warmer for something like a year and a half,” Bond said. “I’ve started calling this mass of water 'the blob.'” The Department of Ecology says the blob entered into the Puget Sound in late 2014.
