Climate change has created dangerously low oxygen levels in the ocean, causing problems for creatures and the communities that rely on them.
Ocean
Posted inArticles
Offshore oil rigs are a surprising safe haven
Marine life finds a home on the artificial reefs. What happens when the platforms are decommissioned?
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
A shellfish company gets into the weeds
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community shows how eelgrass and aquaculture can coexist in Puget Sound.
Posted inDecember 1, 2021: Visions of Wildness
How heat waves warp ecosystems
After the Northwest ‘heat dome’ this summer, scientists look for signs of ecological ruin — or resilience.
Posted inArticles
After more than 50 years in captivity, will Tokitae ever get justice from Seaquarium?
A new USDA report finds further mistreatment of the exploited Washington orca.
Posted inNovember 1, 2021: The Radioactive Waste Next Door
Alaska Native villages band together to keep the Yukon River’s wild salmon afloat
‘As a unified voice, we are unstoppable — and we can manage the river better.’
Posted inArticles
What makes a whimbrel?
A writer reflects on natural cycles of absence and abundance, loss and love.
Posted inArticles
Tribal nations adapt to being at ‘ground zero’ of the climate crisis
‘Tribes are on the front line of fixing things, using our resources, setting good public policy [and using] good science.’
Posted inArticles
What the narwhal can tell us about the climate crisis
An analysis of the species’ 10-foot-long tusk shows an accumulation of mercury and a change in diet as sea ice retreats.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2021: No Place Like Home
Drowning the derelicts: Yesterday’s boats are today’s problems
States and municipalities from Alaska to California struggle to dispose of old vessels without federal support.
Posted inDecember 1, 2020: A Community Divided
Climate change intensifies tsunami threat in Alaska
As glaciers retreat and permafrost thaws, massive landslides threaten coastal communities.
Posted inArticles
Inhospitable, remote and compelling: The island swallowed by nowhere
Alaska’s St. Matthew Island has had its share of human visitors, but none can remain long.
Posted inJuly 1, 2020: 'I am here fighting for my life and future children'
As the Arctic warms, the Inupiat adapt
‘What choice do we have?’
Posted inArticles
Whales are left to themselves as watchers stay at home
There are pros and cons to COVID-19’s impact on whales — less boat traffic, but also less research.
Posted inArticles
Gift and theft in the far North
‘Floating Coast,’ the first comprehensive history of the Bering Strait, offers a lesson in ecological economics.
Posted inArticles
Scientists decode environmental impacts from Bering Sea bird feathers
To understand the evolving marine environment, scientists look to the seabirds.
Posted inArticles
California condors reach recovery milestone
With a population of over 100 in central California, the species could soon be downlisted.
Posted inOctober 28, 2019: Where Hunting Still Has Meaning
Antibiotic resistance is spreading among marine mammals
A new study of seals and porpoises in the Salish Sea shows how antibiotic-resistant bacteria proliferate in coastal waterways.
Posted inSeptember 16, 2019: "We can either wait on Mother Nature – or we can give it a shot ourselves."
West Coast fishermen have few options against sea lions
The federal government continues to use explosives despite their ineffectiveness.
Posted inSeptember 16, 2019: "We can either wait on Mother Nature – or we can give it a shot ourselves."
Scientists struggle to find reasons behind gray whale deaths
Some researchers think the whales are starving, but the cause of death may be far more complicated.