Shoreline

Three adult harbor seals in Puget Sound have tested positive for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 strain, marking the first incidence of HPAI in marine mammals on the West Coast, and officials are urging beachgoers to avoid contact with wildlife.

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife said the fish are yellow perch, which are common in the lake.

As the driest summer in Seattle’s record books ended, trees across the city were sounding silent alarms. It was the latest in a string of Seattle summers in the last decade, including a record-breaking heat dome in 2021, to feature drier conditions and hotter temperatures that have left many trees with premature brown leaves and needles, bald branches and excessive seeding –- all signs of stress.

It would be an obscure sighting of the species. The closest beluga population, which lives at least 1,400 miles away in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, is endangered and covered under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

If upwelling starts a month earlier than usual, the amount of oxygen, already low, has to last until the fall when storms promote mixing which adds oxygen back into the system. As of late September this year, upwelling is still occurring and low levels of oxygen are still persisting.

Nearly 30 transient orcas were spotted in the Salish Sea around British Columbia and Washington state over the Labor Day weekend, a positive sign for the species, according to local whale watchers and researchers.

For the first time in Seattle’s history, temperatures spiked above 100 degrees two days in a row, with residents scrambling to find relief — and flocking to beaches, parks and...

Moss balls imported from Ukraine to pet shops in the United States have been found to house the invasive Zebra mussel. Once in bodies of water, this mussel reproduces rapidly and wreaks havoc on ecosystems.

Residents in Seclusion Cove were evacuated Monday night due to a landslide. As residents were warned of the threat, Poulsbo Fire said trees were heard cracking.

Some 22,950 sockeye were counted at Ballard’s Hiram Chittenden Locks in 2020, but only about 3,000 made it to the mouth of the Cedar. Another 40 to 50% of those fish typically die on the spawning grounds before they can reproduce.A vortex of climate change, urbanization and predators endangers a beloved species.

DES MOINES, Wash. - Drier weather on Wednesday helped to lessen the landslide threat across Western Washington, but another system will be moving in later in the week, increasing the threat by Friday.

All the rain and snow falling in Western Washington bumps up the risk for mudslides and avalanches.

The tornado touched down and damaged homes on the Kitsap Peninsula. No injuries were discovered in a primary search, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Southern resident orcas are on the brink of extinction, while killer whales to the north are growing in numbers. The contrast exposes what’s killing Puget Sound’s orcas.

An increase in carbon emissions are showing up not only in the air, but also in water. Now researchers and shellfish farmers are teaming up to see how marine plants can help stave off the effects of ocean acidification. Special correspondent Jes Burns of Oregon Public Broadcasting reports.

The population of endangered killer whales has hit a 30-year-low, numbering only 75 this year.

The biggest challenges for whales is the buildup of toxic chemicals in their bodies and the shrinking runs of Chinook salmon, their primary prey.

Shellfish in the Puget Sound tested positive for the prescription opioid oxycodone, and this was not the only drug found by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Environmental reporter Christopher Dunagan discusses the challenges of protecting Puget Sound and all things water-related. Weather extremes now surpassing the realm of natural possibilities