Researchers are documenting the decline of once-plentiful kelp beds in an effort to reverse the trend.
Ocean
Posted inJanuary 1, 2024: January 2024
Defending the Tijuana Estuary
Stewardship saved a Southern California estuary from development. Climate change is the next challenge.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2024: January 2024
Big-eared bats, badass boulders and very determined hikers
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2024: January 2024
How 3 Indigenous women are leading the way on climate change
These experts bring knowledge and justice to the climate conversation.
Posted inJune 1, 2023: Seen and Unseen
Ferry felines, ornithopters and Tokitae going home at last!
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Will the new U.N. High Seas Treaty help protect Pacific salmon?
In March, conservationists worldwide celebrated the historic agreement, which governs the ocean waters where salmon spend most of their lives.
Posted inArticles
The terrible toll of the cruise ship industry
Noise pollution, mounds of trash and an inordinate influx of humanity damage ecosystems from Washington to Alaska.
Posted inMarch 1, 2023: Moving Parts
A little pickle, a fireball and an Indigenous astronaut
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2023: The Reveal
This Washington experiment could rebuild eroding coastlines
In 2016, David Cottrell dropped $400 worth of rock on Washaway Beach to see what would happen. Now engineers are watching, too.
Posted inDecember 1, 2022: Beyond Illusion
What emerges at low tide
Queer history is all around us, even if it is obscured from sight.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2023: Ripple Effects
Why the country’s largest shellfish farm is struggling to hire and retain workers
And how it’s dealing with climate change and housing costs to make back-breaking work a little easier.
Posted inArticles
Returning sea otters to Oregon could revive kelp forests
Reintroduction of the marine mammals may restore coastal ecosystems but also threatens shellfish industries and tribal self-governance.
Posted inArticles
Alaska environmentalists disappointed by Inflation Reduction Act compromise
The bill includes historic investments in climate programs — and expands oil and gas leasing in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.
Posted inArticles
Deep-sea mining creates a ‘cylinder of sound’ risking impacts on marine life
A new report shows that noise from just one mine could travel more than 300 miles across the ocean.
Posted inArticles
Snail scars provide insight into crab population changes
Small chips in snail shells provide a 100,000-year record on California’s crustaceans.
Posted inApril 1, 2022: The Archives Issue
A mystery worm is threatening the future of Washington’s oysters
Clues from 1,000-year-old shells could reveal the parasite’s past —and portend the future.
Posted inArticles
Sea Potential works to empower people of color in marine sciences
‘The key is being able to feel comfortable … these spaces need to feel safe.’
Posted inArticles
Whales and fishers compete for what’s on the line
Whales are eating catches right off the hook instead of foraging naturally, and some fishing crews react violently.
Posted inArticles
Pacific Coast crabs are suffocating
Climate change has created dangerously low oxygen levels in the ocean, causing problems for creatures and the communities that rely on them.
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?