Millions of jellyfish take the center stage for this month's Eyes Over Puget Sound

By: Jessica Payne, Environmental Assessment Program communications manager


Click here to view this month's report.

Low flows from our rivers and warm temperatures from “the Blob” have Puget Sound waters acting strange. During this month's Eyes Over Puget Sound monitoring flight, we saw massive blooms of jellyfish stretching hundreds of feet long. By teaming up with NOAA, we were able to measure one of these jellyfish blooms and found that it was over 36 feet deep! That's a lot of jellies! Our waters are acting in a way never seen before.

Also in this edition

Estuarine circulation is weak, so what gets into Puget Sound stays there. Mats of organic debris and red-brown algae blooms are prevelant throughout the Sound and just bake in the sun. Learn more about the Blob, jellyfish, and current Puget Sound conditions in this month's Eyes Over Puget Sound report.

Click image to enlarge.

Puget Sound is 4° F warmer than is normal for this time of year. See how these warm conditions are impacting water quality and marine wildlife in our blog: Puget Sound waters left sweltering after double punch from the drought and the Blob.

What's Eyes Over Puget Sound?

Eyes Over Puget Sound combines high-resolution photo observations with satellite images, ferry data from travel between Seattle and Victoria BC, and measurements from our moored instruments. We use a seaplane to travel between our monitoring stations because they are so far apart.

Once a month, we take photos of Puget Sound water conditions and turn those out, along with data from our stations, in the monthly Eyes Over Puget Sound report.

Learn more and see other issues on our website.