8/27 Robots, rain, BC fracking quakes, 'blob,' sewage spill, hatchery losses

Pink octopus (Ocean Networks Canada)

If you like to watch: Deep sea robots livestream ocean floor landscapes, creatures
Join two robots exploring the deeps off the British Columbia coast — without getting wet. You can watch them online during a three-week mission by the University of Victoria's Ocean Networks Canada in the Salish Sea and Pacific Ocean to discover new species, map the ocean floor, upgrade high-tech undersea sensors – and drop off a couple of fresh pig carcasses. (CBC)

Major Weather Shift Will Bring Substantial Rain And Help Bring Wildfires Under Control
The end of August often brings the entrance of a major weather system and a touch of fall, and this year will follow this pattern. The atmosphere has been shifting into a different configuration the past week, and during the next few days a major transition will occur, with persistent strong troughing (low pressure) over the Northwest.  It will bring large amounts of rain to our mountains, knock back and end some of the fires, and allow firefighters to gain control of the situation.   It will bring substantial water to reservoirs that have dropped to extremely low levels. Cliff Mass forecasts. (Weather Blog)

Fracking-induced quakes in B.C. are among largest on record
At least two earthquakes in British Columbia over the past year – including one last week – are among the largest ever caused by natural gas fracking in North America and were both strong enough to force temporary shutdowns of operations. But while the province’s oil and natural gas ministry as well as the shale gas industry have both played down the severity of fracking-induced quakes – insisting they are rare and present no threat to people or buildings – experts caution much is still not known about just how strong a fracking-induced earthquake could be. Kat Sieniuc reports. (Globe and Mail)

‘Blob’ lures more tropical fish to waters off Island
Tropical fish continue to be spotted off Vancouver Island and scientists say a warm patch of ocean known as “the blob” is to blame. Ocean sunfish, butterfish and tuna are just some of the marine species that have moved beyond their usual habitats into B.C. waters, said Ian Perry, a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. And while some of those species have appeared in past warm years, others are making their debut. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

Seward Park beach closed after sewage spill in Lake Washington
A large underground sewage storage tank spilled about 12,000 gallons of sewage into Lake Washington Wednesday morning, prompting the beach at Seward Park to close, according to a Seattle Public Utilities news release. Waker Orenstein reports. (Seattle Times)

Drought Becomes Deadly For Olympic Peninsula's Hatchery Fish
This summer’s extreme drought is becoming increasingly deadly for fish in the northwest. The state department of Fish and Wildlife had already lost about one and a half million juvenile fish in overheated rivers and streams in Washington at the end of July, due to this summer’s historically warm temperatures and low water levels. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Now, your tug weather
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PDT THU AUG 27 2015
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 17 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING NW TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W
 SWELL 3 FT AT 16 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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