12/22 Carbon tax, king tide, seahorse birth, ship aground, crab season, Skagit gene bank

Carbon Tax Initiative Sponsors Consider Not Turning In Signatures
The sponsors of a Washington initiative to tax carbon emissions say they're considering not turning in a final batch of about 100,000 voter signatures by Dec. 31 that would all but assure the measure would go before the legislature in January…. In a letter to supporters posted to the Carbon Washington website Monday night, Initiative 732 sponsor Yoram Bauman said an alternative carbon pricing measure has emerged that polls better…. He said details of the competing measure are still being worked out, but that it would be a "carbon fee" with significant portions of the revenues going to support clean energy and clean water projects. In October the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy, backed by labor and environmental interests, announced its intention to pursue an alternative carbon-pricing ballot measure. The Alliance conducted the polling that Bauman references in his blog post. Austin Jenkins reports. (KPLU)

Upcoming King Tide Offers A Preview Of Sea Level Rise
What will coastal communities look like as the sea level rises with climate change? This week’s king tide could offer a preview. Several groups will be photographing the effects of the extremely high tides expected Wednesday through Friday. They hope it will help communities visualize and prepare for a warming world. The 10-foot king tide is about two feet higher than normal high tides. Its surging seawater is a natural effect of the moon being closer to the Earth. Experts say it can cause the kind of flooding and erosion that climate models are predicting as average temperatures rise. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

If you like to watch: Wild seahorse birth caught on camera in 'surreal' video
Two researchers from the University of British Columbia have filmed a rare video of a seahorse giving birth in the wild. The pregnant father can be seen clinging to seagrass, as tiny, thread-like creatures emerge from a pouch on his abdomen, before being swept away in the fast moving water. Clayton Manning and Meagan Abele witnessed the birth off the coast of New South Wales, Australia as part of Project Seahorse, a marine conservation program based out of UBC and the Zoological Society of London. (CBC)

Cargo ship runs aground in Squamish
A team of safety investigators is headed to Squamish after a bulk carrier ran aground there Monday morning. The Kai Xuan, a cargo ship sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, has been in Squamish since Friday, according to an online marine traffic service. No injuries have been reported and there appears to be no leakage from the ship so far, according to Transportation Safety Board spokesman Eric Collard. Dan Bate, with the Canadian Coast Guard, says the guard wasn’t called out to respond because there was no concern the incident had caused any pollution. Bethany Lindsay reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Crab Season In Northwest Gets Go-Ahead A Month Late
Oregon and Washington fisheries managers announced Monday that commercial crab season will open Jan. 4. That’s about a month later than it was scheduled to start. High levels of domoic acid in the Pacific Ocean had delayed the season. Scientists suspect a lingering patch of warm water led to high levels of the toxin. Jes Burns reports. (OPB)

Some officials take position on gene banking Skagit River
With various groups clashing over what the state should do about steelhead management on the Skagit River, some local governments have taken a position. The Sedro-Woolley City Council and Lyman Town Council each recently passed resolutions stating they oppose designating the Skagit River as a wild steelhead gene bank. The Concrete Town Council decided last week not to take a side. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PST TUE DEC 22 2015  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS  AFTERNOON

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY  MORNING  

TODAY  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 11 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS  IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT  W WIND 20 TO 30 KT...RISING TO 30 TO 40 KT BEFORE  MIDNIGHT. COMBINED SEAS 9 TO 10 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 12  SECONDS...BUILDING TO 16 TO 17 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 13  SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY  AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told