Unified Interior Regions
Washington
Washington's Puget Sound is a complex ecosystem directly adjacent to a robust metropolitan area that scientists from the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center study. Recent surveys have looked at juvenile surf smelt, a key link in the food web that are consumed by predators such as salmon, orca, and many marine birds.
Western Fisheries Research Center
Research at the WFRC focuses on the environmental factors responsible for the creation, maintenance, and regulation of fish populations including their interactions in aquatic communities and ecosystems.
Go to CenterWashington Water Science Center
The Water Science Center's mission is to collect, analyze and disseminate the impartial hydrologic data and information needed to wisely manage water resources for the people of the United States and the State of Washington.
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Puget Sound Fall Chinook Estuarine Utilization
The WFRC has partnered separately with both the Skagit River System Tribal Cooperative and the Nisqually Tribe to research the use of otoliths (calcium carbonate deposits beneath the brain used in hearing and balance that grow in proportion to the overall growth of the fish) as a tool in examination of Puget Sound Fall Chinook salmon life history.
Research on Emerging Viruses of Salmonids - FHP
At the request of the State of Washington, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Western Fisheries Research Center has been providing technical advice and conducting research regarding the emergence of IHNV in the watersheds of coastal Washington State.
Reference Laboratory Service - FHP
The Fish Health Section provides reference laboratory services to identify viral pathogens submitted by staff from the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) fish health laboratory.
Emerging Viruses - FHP
Fish Diseases
Emerging Viruses
Nucleospora Salmonis - FHP
Fish Diseases
Nucleospora Salmonis
Whirling Disease - FHP
Fish Diseases
Whirling Disease
Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) - FHP
Fish Diseases
Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS)
Spring Viremia of Carp (SVC) - FHP
Fish Diseases
Spring Viremia of Carp (SVC)
Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis (IHN) - FHP
Fish Diseases
Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis (IHN)
Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD) - FHP
Fish Diseases
Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD)
Koi (Cyprinus carpio koi) - FHP
Species Studied
Koi (Cyprinus carpio koi)
Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) - FHP
Species Studied
Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)
Topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, August 2011
This part of the data release presents topography data from the Elwha River delta collected in August 2011. Topography data were collected on foot with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers mounted on backpacks.
Oceanographic time-series measurements from the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2013
Time-series data of water surface elevation, wave height, and water column currents, temperature, salinity, and acoustic seabed images were acquired for 38 days between 9 May and 15 June, 2013 in the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington.
Vegetation habitat units derived from 2009 aerial imagery and field data for the Elwha River estuary, Washington
Estuary vegetation cover delineated from 11 September 2009 1-meter-resolution NAIP aerial imagery at a scale of 1:1500.
Detection of Nanophyetus salmincola in water, snails and fish tissues by quantitative PCR
The data are used to support the development and validation of two quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays to detect the parasite Nanophyetus salmincola DNA in water samples and fish and snail tissues. The data link to a series of experiments that are described in the publications. Experiment 1 defines the linearity and detection limits of the assays. Experiment 2 assesses the...
Nearshore bathymetry data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, April 2014, collected from personal watercraft
This part of the data release presents bathymetry data from the Elwha River delta collected in April 2014 using two personal watercraft (PWCs). The PWCs were equipped with single-beam echosounders and survey-grade global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers.
Surface-sediment grain-size data from the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2013
This portion of the USGS data release presents sediment grain-size data from samples collected from the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, in 2013. Surface sediment was sampled using a small ponar, or 'grab', sampler on May 9, 2013 from the F/V Cape Windy at 3 locations. A handheld global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver was used to determine the lo
Surface-sediment grain-size distributions from the Elwha River delta, Washington, August 2012
This portion of the data release presents sediment grain-size data from samples collected on the Elwha River delta, Washington, in August 2012 (USGS Field Activity W-05-12-PS). Surface sediment was sampled using a small ponar, or 'grab', sampler between August 28 and August 30, 2012 from the R/V Frontier at a total of 57 locations in water depths between about 1 and 9 m around
Aquatic invertebrate abundance in the Elwha River estuary, Washington, in 2007 and 2013
This portion of the data release presents aquatic invertebrate abundance data from samples collected in the Elwha River estuary, Washington, in 2007 and 2013 (no associated USGS Field Activities numbers because data were collected predominantly by biologists from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe). Replicate benthic samples were collected at 18 locations throughout the estuary complex using a
Continuous and optimized 3-arcsecond elevation model for the United States west coast (32-bit GeoTiff, geographic, NAD83)
Investigations of coastal change and coastal resources often require continuous elevation profiles from the seafloor to coastal terrestrial landscapes. Differences in elevation data collection in the terrestrial and marine environments result in separate elevation products that may not share a vertical datum. This data release contains the assimilation of multiple elevation products into a...
Lagrangian drifter data from the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2013
Lagrangian surface currents were measured using drifters equipped with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers. A total of 8 drifter deployments were performed between May 25 and June 8, 2013. For each deployment, drifters were released within the MCR and their positions were recorded until the drifters were recovered. The average duration of the drifter deployments varied bet
Surface-sediment grain-size distributions from the Elwha River delta, Washington, March 2013
This portion of the data release presents sediment grain-size data from samples collected on the Elwha River delta, Washington, in March 2013 (USGS Field Activity W-01-13-PS). Surface sediment was sampled using a small ponar, or 'grab', sampler on March 4, 2013 from the R/V Frontier at a total of 48 locations in water depths between about 1 and 12 m around the delta. An additi
Terrestrial invertebrate abundance in the Elwha River estuary, Washington, in 2007 and 2013.
This portion of the data release presents terrestrial invertebrate abundance data from samples collected in emergent and shrub vegetation along the edge of the Elwha River estuary, Washington, in 2007 and 2013 (no associated USGS Field Activities numbers because data were collected predominantly by biologists from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe). We deployed terrestrial insect fallout trap
Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon life history investigations
Predation by nonnative fishes is one factor that has been implicated in the decline of juvenile salmonids in the Pacific Northwest. Impoundment of much of the Snake and Columbia rivers has altered food webs and created habitat favorable for species such as Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu. Smallmouth Bass are common throughout the Columbia...
Erhardt, John M.; Bickford, Brad K.; Hemingway, Rulon J.; Rhodes, Tobyn N.; Tiffan, Kenneth F. Microfossil measures of rapid sea-level rise: Timing of response of two microfossil groups to a sudden tidal-flooding experiment in Cascadia
Comparisons of pre-earthquake and post-earthquake microfossils in tidal sequences are accurate means to measure coastal subsidence during past subduction earthquakes, but the amount of subsidence is uncertain, because the response times of fossil taxa to coseismic relative sea-level (RSL) rise are unknown. We measured the response of diatoms and...
Horton, B.P.; Milker, Yvonne; Dura, T.; Wang, Kelin; Bridgeland, W.T.; Brophy, Laura S.; Ewald, M.; Khan, Nicole; Engelhart, S.E.; Nelson, Alan R.; Witter, Robert C. Coastal habitat and biological community response to dam removal on the Elwha River
Habitat diversity and heterogeneity play a fundamental role in structuring ecological communities. Dam emplacement and removal can fundamentally alter habitat characteristics, which in turn can affect associated biological communities. Beginning in the early 1900s, the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams in Washington, USA, withheld an estimated 30...
Foley, Melissa M.; Warrick, Jonathan A.; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Stevens, Andrew W.; Shafroth, Patrick B.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Beirne, Matthew M.; Paradis, Rebecca; Gelfenbaum, Guy R.; McCoy, Randall; Cubley, Erin S.
Juvenile salmonid monitoring in the White Salmon River, Washington, post-Condit Dam removal, 2016
Condit Dam, at river kilometer 5.3 on the White Salmon River, Washington, was breached in 2011 and removed completely in 2012, allowing anadromous salmonids access to habitat that had been blocked for nearly 100 years. A multi-agency workgroup concluded that the preferred salmonid restoration alternative was natural recolonization with monitoring...
Jezorek, Ian G.; Hardiman, Jill M. Projecting community changes in hazard exposure to support long-term risk reduction: A case study of tsunami hazards in the U.S. Pacific Northwest
Tsunamis have the potential to cause considerable damage to communities along the U.S. Pacific Northwest coastline. As coastal communities expand over time, the potential societal impact of tsunami inundation changes. To understand how community exposure to tsunami hazards may change in coming decades, we projected future development (i.e. urban,...
Sleeter, Benjamin M.; Wood, Nathan J.; Soulard, Christopher E.; Wilson, Tamara Evidence for distributed clockwise rotation of the crust in the northwestern United States from fault geometries and focal mechanisms
Paleomagnetic and GPS data indicate that Washington and Oregon have rotated clockwise for the past 16 Myr. Late Cenozoic and Quaternary fault geometries, seismicity lineaments, and focal mechanisms provide evidence that this rotation is accommodated by north directed thrusting and right-lateral strike-slip faulting in Washington, and SW to W...
Brocher, Thomas M.; Wells, Ray E.; Lamb, Andrew P.; Weaver, Craig S. Cascadia subduction tremor muted by crustal faults
Deep, episodic slow slip on the Cascadia subduction megathrust of western North America is accompanied by low-frequency tremor in a zone of high fluid pressure between 30 and 40 km depth. Tremor density (tremor epicenters per square kilometer) varies along strike, and lower tremor density statistically correlates with upper plate faults that...
Wells, Ray; Blakely, Richard J.; Wech, Aaron G.; McCrory, Patricia A.; Michael, Andrew
Precipitation thresholds for landslide occurrence near Seattle, Mukilteo, and Everett, Washington
Shallow landslides along coastal bluffs frequently occur in the railway corridor between Seattle and Everett, Washington. These slides disrupt passenger rail service, both because of required track maintenance and because the railroad owner, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, does not allow passenger travel for 48 hours after a disruptive...
Scheevel, Caroline R.; Baum, Rex L.; Mirus, Benjamin B.; Smith, Joel B.
Effects of experimental removal of barred owls on population demography of northern spotted owls in Washington and Oregon—2016 progress report
Evidence indicates that competition with invasive barred owls (Strix varia) is causing rapid declines in populations of northern spotted owls (S. occidentalis caurina), and that the long-term persistence of spotted owls may be in question without additional management intervention. A pilot study in California showed that removal of barred owls in...
Wiens, J. David; Dugger, Katie M.; Lewicki, Krista E.; Simon, David C. 2010-2015 Juvenile fish ecology in the Nisqually River Delta and Nisqually Reach Aquatic Reserve
The return of tidal inundation to over 750 acres of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge (NNWR) in fall of 2009 was the crowning moment in the effort to protect and restore the Nisqually Delta. The Nisqually NWR project complemented three earlier restoration projects completed by the Nisqually...
Hodgson, Sayre; Ellings, Christopher S.; Rubin, Steve P.; Hayes, Michael C.; Duval, Walker; Grossman, Eric E. Veligers of the invasive Asian clam Corbicula fluminea in the Columbia River Basin: Broadscale distribution, abundance, and ecological associations
The invasive Asian clam Corbicula fluminea was introduced to North America in the 1930s and now inhabits most regions of the conterminous United States; however, the distribution and ecology of C. fluminea in the Columbia River Basin is poorly understood. During 2013 and 2014, 5 Columbia-Snake River reservoirs were sampled monthly from May through...
Hassett, Whitney; Bollens, Stephen M.; Counihan, Timothy D.; Rollwagen-Bollens, Gretchen; Zimmerman, Julie; Emerson, Joshua E. Trophic interactions and consumption rates of subyearling Chinook Salmon and nonnative juvenile American Shad in Columbia River reservoirs
We used a large lampara seine coupled with nonlethal gastric lavage to examine the diets and estimate consumption rates of subyearling Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha during July and August 2013. During August we also examined the diet and consumption rates of juvenile American Shad Alosa sapidissima, a potential competitor of subyearling...
Haskell, Craig A.; Beauchamp, David A.; Bollins, Stephen M
J1 East Transect – 2017
Permanent Site: J1 East Transect; Depth: 9.1 Meters (29.8 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 6.7 Kilometers (4.1 Miles) east; Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.13607725,-123.47935008; Site Description: This site is medium depth. Substrate is mainly a gravel/sand mixture. Visibility was poor this day. Both red (0:51 seconds) and brown seaweed
J1 West Transect – 2017
Permanent Site: J1 West Transect; Depth: 9.2 Meters (30.2 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 6.6 Kilometers (4.1 Miles) east; Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.13607725,-123.48002186; Site Description: This site is medium depth. Substrate is mainly a gravel/sand mixture. Visibility was poor this day. Both red (0:48, 1:25 seconds) and brown seaweed
Mount St. Helens, as viewed from the Castle Lake Overlook.
Mount St. Helens, as viewed from the Castle Lake Overlook.
4SP1 West Transect – 2017
Permanent Site: 4SP1 - West Transect; Depth: 6.2 Meters (20.2 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 0.8 Kilometers (0.5 Miles) East; Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.15257, -123.557376; Site Description: This site has converted from gravel/cobble substrate to all sand. Since 2013, seaweed has been completely absent. However, this year six species of
C2 East Transect – 2017
Permanent Site: C2 East Transect; Depth: 15.1 Meters (49.7 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 0.7 Kilometers (0.4 Miles); Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.147841,-123.57596074; Site Description: One of our deepest sites. Substrate is all muddy sand. Both brown and red seaweeds are absent except for one acid kelp Desmarestia (0:38 seconds). Two
C2 West Transect – 2017
Permanent Site: C2 West Transect; Depth: 15.3 Meters (50.3 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 0.7 Kilometers (0.5 Miles); Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.147841,-123.57663268; Site Description: One of our deepest sites. Substrate is all muddy sand. Seaweed is absent. Woody debris is present (1:18 seconds). The featherduster tubeworms that were
4SP1 East Transect – 2017
Permanent Site: 4SP1 - East Transect; Depth: 5.5 Meters (18.1 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 0.8 Kilometers (0.5 Miles) East; Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.15257, -123.556704; Site Description: The site has converted from gravel/cobble substrate to all sand. Since 2013, seaweed has been completely absent. However, this year three species
GP2 East Transect – 2017
Permanent Control Site: GP2 East Transect; Depth: 13.2 Meters (43.2 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 18.8 Kilometers (11.7 Miles) east; Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.12781102,-123.31645664; Site Description: This site was established as the eastern control. Substrate is mainly a gravel/sand mixture. A few large boulders are located off
GP2 West Transect – 2017
Permanent Control Site: GP2 West Transect; Depth: 12.7 Meters (41.6 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 18.8 Kilometers (11.6 Miles) east; Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.12781102,-123.31712832; Site Description: This site was established as the eastern control. Substrate is mainly a gravel/sand/cobble mixture surrounding boulders. This year red
A2 East Transect – 2017
Permanent Site: A2 East Transect; Depth: 12.9 Meters (42.3 Feet); Distance from river mouth: Kilometers 1.8 (1.1 Miles); Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.14130295, -123.58766124; Site Description: One of our deeper sites at over 40 feet. Sediment is primarily sand/sandy mud. Five species of seaweeds are present though not abundant. The two most
A2 West Transect – 2017
Permanent Site: A2 West Transect; Depth: 12.8 Meters (42.0 Feet); Distance from river mouth: Kilometers 1.8 (1.1 Miles); Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.14130295, -123.5883331; Site Description: One of our deeper sites at over 40 feet. Sediment is primarily sand/sandy mud with scattered boulders. Seven species of seaweeds are present though not
C1 East Transect – 2017
Permanent Site: C1 East Transect; Depth: 8.5 Meters (28.0 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 0.7 Kilometers (0.4 Miles); Pre/Post Dam Removal: 6 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.14525225,-123.57294101; Site Description: Substrate is entirely sand. Current was high and contained lots of drift seaweed and eelgrass (0:05 seconds). In 2016 all seaweeds were absent but this
NEW DELHI, INDIA – The collaborative work of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe to restore the Elwha River of Washington, USA was recognized as a world-renowned restoration project during the awarding of the 2016 Thiess International Riverprize.
Developing Water Temperature Models to Help Understand Fish Population Dynamics and Management Actions
MEDIA ADVISORY
Twenty middle-school girls from Washington and Oregon are participating in the second annual “GeoGirls” outdoor volcano science program at Mount St. Helens, jointly organized by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Mount St. Helens Institute.
New USGS and NOAA Collaboration in Alaska Will Help Gain Insight into Juvenile Chinook Salmon Distributions and Migrations
WFRC Welcomes Dr. Dave Beauchamp as New Ecology Section Chief
First-of-its-kind survey shows that algal toxins are found nationwide
New WFRC Pump-house in Magnuson Park Provides Water for Scientific Research, Wetlands, Wildlife and Recreation
Building a river setback levee to reduce the risk of flood for a community may also help endangered fish species to thrive, according to the results of a novel computer model reported by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The U.S. Geological Survey announced the completion of its new Western Fisheries Research Center pump-house structure in the southeast part of Magnuson Park in Seattle. The pump-house provides water for scientific research, nearby wetlands and associated wildlife and recreation.
Understanding the Effects of Temperature on Diseases in Fish
Water managers in eastern Washington now have access to the first U.S. Geological Survey computer model of the East Pasco Basin, allowing them to simulate “what-if” groundwater management scenarios, according to a USGS report.
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Locations
Washington Water Science Center
Phone: (253) 552-1600
Fax: (253) 552-1581
Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC)
Phone: (206) 526-6282
Fax: (206) 526-6654
USGS Volcano Science Center
Phone: 360-993-8900
Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO)
vhpweb@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8900
Fax: 360-993-8980
Columbia River Research Laboratory
Phone: (509) 538-2299
Fax: (509) 538-2843
WFRC - Fish Health Program
Phone: 206-526-6282
Fax: 206-526-6654
Marrowstone Marine Field Station
Phone: (360) 385-1007
Fax: (360) 385-7207
Northwest Washington Field Office
Phone: (360) 312-8155 x2001
Fax: (360) 312-8565
Mid-Columbia Field Office
Phone: (509) 735-3739
Fax: (509) 735-3723
Upper Columbia Field Office
Phone: (509) 353-2649
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Olympic Field Station
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-565-3041
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Cascadia Field Station
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 206-616-1874
Fax: 206-685-0790
Contacts
Western Fisheries Research Center
Research at the WFRC focuses on the environmental factors responsible for the creation, maintenance, and regulation of fish populations including their interactions in aquatic communities and ecosystems.
Go to CenterWashington Water Science Center
The Water Science Center's mission is to collect, analyze and disseminate the impartial hydrologic data and information needed to wisely manage water resources for the people of the United States and the State of Washington.
Go to Center