8/9 Pickleweed, Fraser R slide, Ericksen on dams, Balcomb on orcas, Rainier slide, heat-killed coral

Pickleweed [Mary Jo Adams]

Pickleweed  Salicornia virginica
This species can be found in salt marshes and beaches with low wave energy along the Pacific Coast of the United States and British Columbia, on the American East Coast, and also in Western Europe.  It is a common and easily recognized perennial with fleshy stems, leaves reduced to scales, and tiny yellow flowers that bloom in July and August.  This plant belongs to the goosefoot family.  Other common names for it include saltwort, sea asparagus, and American glasswort.  A similar but less common species, Salicornia maritima tends to take on a bright red hue in the fall. (Mary Jo Adams/Sound Water Stewards)

First Nations assembly wants Fraser River salmon fishing stopped due to landslide
The B.C. Assembly of First Nations is calling on Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to prohibit all marine and recreational salmon fishing in the Fraser River due to the Big Bar landslide near Lillooet. The landslide, which was discovered in the remote area in June, created a massive obstruction for migrating salmon returning to their spawning grounds in the Fraser, one of the largest salmon-producing rivers in the world. Millions of fish are expected to reach the site to spawn in the coming weeks, and authorities say 40,000 fish have already arrived. (CBC)

Sen. Ericksen tells Seattle to tear down its dams and to imagine the consequences
Sen. Doug Ericksen has proposed a study of breaching the Ballard Locks, removing Seattle City Light dams from the Skagit River and restoring Seattle’s lakes — Lake Union, Lake Washington and Green Lake — to historic water levels. The proposal is in response to a recent Seattle-based study that valued the noneconomic — or public goodwill — benefits to taking out the four Lower Snake River hydropower dams in Eastern Washington at nearly $11 billion. That dam removal study was done by ECONorthwest for Seattle-based Vulcan Inc., which oversees the business and philanthropic interest of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Annette Cary reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Biologist warns it's 'past the time' to act for Southern resident killer whales
Many called it a "tour of grief" when orca J35 or “Tahlequah” captivated the world by pushing her dead calf for a thousand miles over 17 days around the Salish Sea. A year later, biologist Ken Balcomb said nothing significant has changed to keep the endangered Southern resident killer whales from disappearing forever. Alison Morrow reports. (KING)


Massive boulders, floodwater rush down Mount Rainier after glacial outburst
The Pacific Northwest’s landscape is precarious and ever-shifting. Mount Rainier provides no shortage of proof. A glacial outburst at about 6:50 p.m. Monday at the mountain’s South Tahoma Glacier sent debris and boulders as big as pickup trucks flowing down the mountain, said Mount Rainier National Park geologist Scott Beason. The debris flow registered on seismic monitors and ran for more than 8 miles, Beason said. Evan Bush reports. (Seattle Times)

Climate change: Marine heatwaves kill coral instantly
Increasingly frequent marine heatwaves can lead to the almost instant death of corals, scientists working on the Great Barrier Reef have found. These episodes of unusually high water temperatures are - like heatwaves on land - associated with climate change. Scientists studying coral after a heat event discovered that extreme temperature rises decayed reefs much more rapidly than previously thought. They published their findings in the journal Current Biology. Duncan Mascarenhas reports. (BBC)


Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  242 AM PDT Fri Aug 9 2019   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. N  swell 2 ft at 14 seconds. A slight chance of drizzle in the  morning. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. N swell 3 ft at 15 seconds. 
SAT  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. N swell 2 ft at 15 seconds. A slight chance  of rain. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. N swell 2 ft at 14 seconds. 
SUN  SW wind to 10 kt becoming W in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. N swell 2 ft at 17 seconds.



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