Chelan PUD Juvenile Salmon Passage Study At Rocky Reach Dam Shows High Survival Numbers; HCPs Call For No Net Impact
November 30th, 2023
More than 93% of young Chinook safely passed Rocky Reach Hydroelectric Project last spring, says Chelan PUD. The results represent the most successful survival study of yearling Chinook in the 21-year history of the Rocky Reach Habitat Conservation Plan.
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Logging And Climate Change: Forest Modeling By OSU Shows Which Harvest Rotations Maximize Carbon Sequestration
November 30th, 2023
Forest modeling by Oregon State University scientists shows that a site’s productivity – an indicator of how fast trees grow and how much biomass they accumulate – is the main factor that determines which time period between timber harvests allows for maximum above-ground carbon sequestration.
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Rethinking Wolf Hunting Behavior: Researchers Observe Wolves Killing Sea Otters, Seals On Alaska Coast
November 3rd, 2023
Firsthand observations of a wolf hunting and killing a harbor seal and a group of wolves hunting and consuming a sea otter on Alaska’s Katmai coast have led scientists to reconsider assumptions about wolf hunting behavior.
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OSU Scientists Author State Of The Climate Report: ‘We Are On Our Way To Potential Collapse Of Natural, Socioeconomic Systems’
October 26th, 2023
An international coalition of climate scientists says in a paper published this week that the Earth’s vital signs have worsened beyond anything humans have yet seen, to the point that life on the planet is imperiled.
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Study Looks At What Factors Drive Juvenile Salmon Smolts To Pass Columbia/Snake Dams Through Turbines
October 12th, 2023
High spill volumes to maximum total dissolved oxygen levels in order to reduce passage of juvenile salmon smolts through turbines at federal Columbia and Snake river dams is likely to be most effective at night, during high river flows and when temperatures are colder, according to a recent study. These are times when juveniles are less active and their swimming ability is low.
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Study: The Massive Surge Of Hatchery Pink Salmon In North Pacific Harming Abundance Of Other Salmon Species, Whales, Birds
September 28th, 2023
Chinook, coho and sockeye salmon are in steep decline in the North Pacific and one of the causes is the proliferation of pink salmon, many of which originate from Russian, Japanese and Alaskan fish hatcheries, according to a recent study by scientists in Alaska, Canada and Washington.
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Portland State Inventory Shows Western States’ Glaciers Disappearing, Getting Smaller
September 28th, 2023
The Western United States is losing its glaciers. A new inventory from Portland State University researchers shows that some glaciers have disappeared entirely, some no longer show movement, some are too small to meet the 0.01 square kilometer minimum and some are actually rock glaciers — rocky debris with ice in the pore spaces.
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Researchers Use Models To Estimate Where West Coast Salmon Habitat Will Remain Favorable With Warming Climate
September 15th, 2023
With climate change, some spawning habitat in British Columbia could actually expand, peaking in area around 2060, according to a recent study that looked at current stream habitat and projected future favorable spawning habitat as the climate warms.
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UW Researchers Find That Fall Snow Levels (December) In Oregon, Washington Can Predict Total Snowfall An Area Will Get
September 15th, 2023
Researchers who study water resources want to know how much snow an area will get in a season. The total snowpack gives scientists a better idea of how much water will be available for hydropower, irrigation and drinking later in the year.