The risk of climate catastrophe is complex, but people of color often face ‘unnatural hazards.’
Coast
Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst
Reviving the Samish Tribe’s kelp
Researchers are documenting the decline of once-plentiful kelp beds in an effort to reverse the trend.
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 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 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
See the LA River at a fragile crossroads
Photographer Pablo Unzueta explores an urban river at peril and in constant flux.
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 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 inMarch 1, 2022: The Cloning Conundrum
How a Tacoma gas facility started a fight over climate change, sovereignty and human rights
A Washington methane gas project is compounding a crisis of tribal consultation, pension funds and national immigration practices.
Posted inArticles
Biden’s ‘herky-jerky’ first year on Western issues
The new president sacrificed bold executive action to try to win over Congress.
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.