1/12 House mouse, wet weather, sea sponge compound, Bigg's and humpbacks, sewer violations, smelt ears

House mouse

House mouse Mus musculus Linnaeus 1758
Mus musculus may have originally been distributed from the Mediterranean region to China, but it has now been spread throughout the world by humans and lives as a human commensal. Because of their association with humans, house mice have been able inhabit inhospitable areas (such as tundra and desert) which they would not be able to occupy independently. (Animal Diversity)

Flurry of weather warnings for southwest B.C., up to 120 mm of rain forecast
Environment Canada has issued a series of rainfall and wind warnings for British Columbia's South Coast, spanning Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast and the Sea to Sky corridor, along with parts of Vancouver Island. (Canadian Press)  Atmospheric river to bring rain, possible flooding to Western Washington An atmospheric river moving from storm-battered California will bring about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of rain accompanied by possible river flooding to Western Washington through the end of the week. (Seattle Times)

Compound derived from B.C. sea sponge could block COVID-19 virus, researchers find
Researchers at the University of British Columbia say a compound derived from sea sponges found off the B.C. coast can block coronavirus infection in human cells. An international team led by UBC scientists analyzed a catalogue of more than 350 compounds derived from natural sources that included plants, fungi and marine sponges in an effort to find new antiviral drugs to treat coronavirus variants. (CBC)

There was a record number of sightings of these whales in the Salish Sea in 2022
A record number of Bigg’s killer whales and Humpback whales were spotted in the Salish Sea during 2022. There were 1,221 unique sightings of Bigg’s killer whales, formerly known as transients whales, in the Salish Sea. This is double the amount recorded from 2017, and an increase of 153 from 2021. In 2022, 396 individual humpback whales were photographed in the Salish Sea. This includes 34 mothers with calves, beating out the previous record of 21 humpback calves, set in 2021. This is the largest number of humpbacks recorded in over a century. Jack Belcher reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Seattle and King County fined for sewer overflow violations
(News Release) The Washington Department of Ecology and the Environmental Protection Agency have  fined the city of Seattle and King County for overflow violations that occurred between July 2020 and June 2021. Seattle’s penalty is a total of $117,500: $87,500 for 35 sanitary sewer overflow events and $30,000 for four dry-weather overflows from combined sewer overflow discharge pipes (outfalls). King County’s penalty totals $53,500: $36,000 for exceeding pollutant limits at its wet weather treatment stations that treat combined sewer overflow discharges and $17,500 for seven sanitary sewer overflows. (Dept of Ecology)

Something Fishy Is Happening Inside the Ears of Delta Smelt
Abnormalities in the ear bones of hatchery-reared delta smelt could challenge efforts to save the endangered fish native to the San Francisco estuary. Annie Roth reports. (Hakai Magazine)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  336 AM PST Thu Jan 12 2023   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 9 to 11 ft subsiding to  2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell 8 ft at 20 seconds building  to 10 ft at 20 seconds and S 16 ft at 13 seconds in the  afternoon. Rain. TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell  12 ft at 18 seconds and S 16 ft at 13 seconds. Rain.

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