Coastal Habitats in Puget Sound Active
A Pacific Northwest icon, Puget Sound is the second-largest estuary in the United States. Its unique geology, climate, and nutrient-rich waters produce and sustain biologically productive coastal habitats. These same natural characteristics also contribute to a high quality of life that has led to growth in human population and urbanization. This growth has played a role in degrading the Sound, including declines in fish and wildlife populations, water-quality issues, and changes in coastal habitats. Natural resource managers look to the USGS as a critical science resource needed to solve problems in this important ecosystem.
The deterioration of the Puget Sound nearshore is of special concern — the area extending from the top of shoreline bluffs to a depth offshore where sunlight does not reach the bottom, and upstream in estuaries to the head of tidal influence. It includes bluffs, beaches, mudflats, kelp and eelgrass beds, salt marshes, gravel spits, and estuaries. Because the nearshore is one of the most productive parts of the Sound, improved understanding of it is vital to restoration and preservation of the entire Sound.
To develop a restoration program, Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments, non-governmental organizations, universities, and private industry joined in 2001 to create the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project (PSNERP). In December 2005, protection and restoration of Puget Sound was expanded in scope with the creation of the Puget Sound Partnership. As a task force within the Governor of Washington's Puget Sound Initiative, the Puget Sound Partnership's goal is to develop recommendations to restore the Sound by 2020.
The overall scientific goal of the CHIPS project is to provide scientific support for ecosystem recovery activities in Puget Sound. Through its diverse studies, the CHIPS project strives to demonstrate a structure and process for conducting interdisciplinary ecosystem science.
See links below for more information about USGS work in Puget Sound.
Below are data releases associated with this project.
Below are publications (USGS products, journal articles, etc.) associated with this project. See the “Data and Tools” tab for a list of Data Releases.
Mount Baker lahars and debris flows, ancient, modern, and future
Guidelines for monitoring and adaptively managing restoration of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) on the Elwha River
Conservation and Ecology of Marine Forage Fishes--Proceedings of a Research Symposium, September 2012
U.S. Geological Survey ecosystems science strategy—Advancing discovery and application through collaboration
River turbidity and sediment loads during dam removal
Dam decommissioning has become an important means for removing unsafe or obsolete dams and for restoring natural fluvial processes, including discharge regimes, sediment transport, and ecosystem connectivity [Doyle et al., 2003]. The largest dam-removal project in history began in September 2011 on the Elwha River of Washington State (Figure 1a). The project, which aims to restore the river ecosys
Analysis of streamflow-gaging network for monitoring stormwater in small streams in the Puget Sound Basin, Washington
The U.S. Geological Survey Ecosystem Science Strategy, 2012-2022 - Advancing discovery and application through collaboration
Western Fisheries Research Center--Forage fish studies in Puget Sound
The influence of wave energy and sediment transport on seagrass distribution
Arrival and expansion of the invasive foraminifera Trochammina hadai Uchio in Padilla Bay, Washington
Shallow stratigraphy of the Skagit River Delta, Washington, derived from sediment cores
Land-use planning for nearshore ecosystem services—the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model
Below are data releases associated with this project.
Below are news stories associated with this project.
- Overview
A Pacific Northwest icon, Puget Sound is the second-largest estuary in the United States. Its unique geology, climate, and nutrient-rich waters produce and sustain biologically productive coastal habitats. These same natural characteristics also contribute to a high quality of life that has led to growth in human population and urbanization. This growth has played a role in degrading the Sound, including declines in fish and wildlife populations, water-quality issues, and changes in coastal habitats. Natural resource managers look to the USGS as a critical science resource needed to solve problems in this important ecosystem.
The deterioration of the Puget Sound nearshore is of special concern — the area extending from the top of shoreline bluffs to a depth offshore where sunlight does not reach the bottom, and upstream in estuaries to the head of tidal influence. It includes bluffs, beaches, mudflats, kelp and eelgrass beds, salt marshes, gravel spits, and estuaries. Because the nearshore is one of the most productive parts of the Sound, improved understanding of it is vital to restoration and preservation of the entire Sound.
To develop a restoration program, Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments, non-governmental organizations, universities, and private industry joined in 2001 to create the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project (PSNERP). In December 2005, protection and restoration of Puget Sound was expanded in scope with the creation of the Puget Sound Partnership. As a task force within the Governor of Washington's Puget Sound Initiative, the Puget Sound Partnership's goal is to develop recommendations to restore the Sound by 2020.
The overall scientific goal of the CHIPS project is to provide scientific support for ecosystem recovery activities in Puget Sound. Through its diverse studies, the CHIPS project strives to demonstrate a structure and process for conducting interdisciplinary ecosystem science.
- Science
See links below for more information about USGS work in Puget Sound.
- Data
Below are data releases associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 16No Result Found - Publications
Below are publications (USGS products, journal articles, etc.) associated with this project. See the “Data and Tools” tab for a list of Data Releases.
Filter Total Items: 91Mount Baker lahars and debris flows, ancient, modern, and future
The Middle Fork Nooksack River drains the southwestern slopes of the active Mount Baker stratovolcano in northwest Washington State. The river enters Bellingham Bay at a growing delta 98 km to the west. Various types of debris flows have descended the river, generated by volcano collapse or eruption (lahars), glacial outburst floods, and moraine landslides. Initial deposition of sediment during deAuthorsDavid S. Tucker, Kevin M. Scott, Eric E. Grossman, Scott LinnemanGuidelines for monitoring and adaptively managing restoration of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) on the Elwha River
As of January, 2014, the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the Elwha River, Washington, represents the largest dam decommissioning to date in the United States. Dam removal is the single largest step in meeting the goals of the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act of 1992 (The Elwha Act) — full restoration of the Elwha River ecosystem and its native anadromous fisheriesAuthorsR.J. Peters, J.J. Duda, G.R. Pess, M. Zimmerman, P. Crain, Z. Hughes, A. Wilson, M.C. Liermann, S.A. Morley, J. McMillan, K. Denton, K. WarheitConservation and Ecology of Marine Forage Fishes--Proceedings of a Research Symposium, September 2012
Locally and globally, there is growing recognition of the critical roles that herring, smelt, sand lance, eulachon, and other forage fishes play in marine ecosystems. Scientific and resource management entities throughout the Salish Sea, agree that extensive information gaps exist, both in basic biological knowledge and parameters critical to fishery management. Communication and collaboration amoAuthorsTheresa Liedtke, Caroline Gibson, Dayv Lowry, Duane FagergrenU.S. Geological Survey ecosystems science strategy—Advancing discovery and application through collaboration
Executive SummaryEcosystem science is critical to making informed decisions about natural resources that can sustain our Nation’s economic and environmental well-being. Resource managers and policymakers are faced with countless decisions each year at local, regional, and national levels on issues as diverse as renewable and nonrenewable energy development, agriculture, forestry, water supply, andAuthorsByron K. Williams, G. Lynn Wingard, Gary Brewer, James E. Cloern, Guy Gelfenbaum, Robert B. Jacobson, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Anthony D. McGuire, James D. Nichols, Carl D. Shapiro, Charles van Riper, Robin P. WhiteRiver turbidity and sediment loads during dam removal
Dam decommissioning has become an important means for removing unsafe or obsolete dams and for restoring natural fluvial processes, including discharge regimes, sediment transport, and ecosystem connectivity [Doyle et al., 2003]. The largest dam-removal project in history began in September 2011 on the Elwha River of Washington State (Figure 1a). The project, which aims to restore the river ecosys
AuthorsJonathan A. Warrick, Jeffrey J. Duda, Christopher S. Magirl, Chris A. CurranAnalysis of streamflow-gaging network for monitoring stormwater in small streams in the Puget Sound Basin, Washington
The streamflow-gaging network in the Puget Sound basin was analyzed for its capacity to monitor stormwater in small streams. The analysis consisted of an inventory of active and inactive gages and an evaluation of the coverage and resolution of the gaging network with an emphasis on lowland areas. The active gaging network covers much of the Puget Lowland largely by gages located at sites on largeAuthorsChristopher P. Konrad, Frank D. VossThe U.S. Geological Survey Ecosystem Science Strategy, 2012-2022 - Advancing discovery and application through collaboration
Ecosystem science is critical to making informed decisions about natural resources that can sustain our Nation’s economic and environmental well-being. Resource managers and policy-makers are faced with countless decisions each year at local, state, tribal, territorial, and national levels on issues as diverse as renewable and non-renewable energy development, agriculture, forestry, water supply,AuthorsByron K. Williams, G. Lynn Wingard, Gary Brewer, James E. Cloern, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Robert B. Jacobson, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Anthony D. McGuire, James D. Nichols, Carl D. Shapiro, Charles van Riper, Robin P. WhiteWestern Fisheries Research Center--Forage fish studies in Puget Sound
Researchers at the Western Fisheries Research Center are working with other U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Centers to better understand the interconnected roles of forage fishes throughout the ecosystem of Puget Sound, Washington. Support for these studies primarily is from the USGS Coastal Habitats in Puget Sound (CHIPS) program, which supports studies of the nearshore areas of Puget Sound. HumanAuthorsTheresa L. LiedtkeThe influence of wave energy and sediment transport on seagrass distribution
A coupled hydrodynamic and sediment transport model (Delft3D) was used to simulate the water levels, waves, and currents associated with a seagrass (Zostera marina) landscape along a 4-km stretch of coast in Puget Sound, WA, USA. A hydroacoustic survey of seagrass percent cover and nearshore bathymetry was conducted, and sediment grain size was sampled at 53 locations. Wave energy is a primary facAuthorsAndrew W. Stevens, Jessica R. LacyArrival and expansion of the invasive foraminifera Trochammina hadai Uchio in Padilla Bay, Washington
Trochammina hadai Uchio, a benthic foraminifera native to Japanese estuaries, was first identified as an invasive in 1995 in San Francisco Bay and later in 16 other west coast estuaries. To investigate the timing of the arrival and expansion of this invasive species in Padilla Bay, Washington, we analyzed the distribution of foraminifera in two surface samples collected in 1971, in nine surface saAuthorsMary McGann, Eric E. Grossman, Renee K. Takesue, Dan Penttila, John P. Walsh, Reide CorbettShallow stratigraphy of the Skagit River Delta, Washington, derived from sediment cores
Sedimentologic analyses of 21 sediment cores, ranging from 0.4 to 9.6 m in length, reveal that the shallow geologic framework of the Skagit River Delta, western Washington, United States, has changed significantly since 1850. The cores collected from elevations of 3.94 to -2.41 m (relative to mean lower low water) along four cross-shore transects between the emergent marsh and delta front show relAuthorsEric E. Grossman, Douglas A. George, Angela LamLand-use planning for nearshore ecosystem services—the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model
The 2,500 miles of shoreline and nearshore areas of Puget Sound, Washington, provide multiple benefits to people—"ecosystem services"—including important fishing, shellfishing, and recreation industries. To help resource managers plan for expected growth in coming decades, the U.S. Geological Survey Western Geographic Science Center has developed the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model (PSEPM).AuthorsKristin Byrd - Web Tools
Below are data releases associated with this project.
- News
Below are news stories associated with this project.