8/3 Sea sacs, low tide, ocean heat, Antarctic ice, ticks, Tacoma paper mill, Sea Dragons

 

Sea sacs

Sea sacs Halosaccion glandiforme
Sea sacs were first described to science by S. G. Gmelin in 1768, in what is arguably the first book to focus on marine biology, Historia Fucorum. Franz Josef Ruprecht is responsible for the current taxonomic description. Wikipedia

Seattle’s last low tides of the summer are here.
The last of the summer low tides will grace Seattle’s shores Thursday, offering one of the last glimpses of the sea anemone and starfish along the city’s intertidal zones. The best time to go tide pooling will be between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., with the tide reaching its lowest point at 12:44 p.m. Amanda Zhou reports. (Seattle Times)

Ocean heat wave comes to Pacific Northwest shores
An ocean heat wave has come ashore in the Pacific Northwest. While the world’s oceans have been hitting record temperatures in 2023, Northwest coastal waters have, until recent weeks, remained cooler than their long-term average. Now the Pacific Northwest has joined the rest of the world in having exceptional ocean heat. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)  See also: Ocean Temperatures Are Hotter Than Ever. What Does It Mean for Earth? Elena Shao reports. (NY Times)

A Look at How Much Less Antarctic Sea Ice There Is This Year
It’s winter in Antarctica, when sea ice cover typically grows. But this year’s sea ice is way behind, reaching record lows with implications for the planet. Delger Erdenesanaa and Leanne Abraham report. (NY Times)

Ticks spreading in the Pacific Northwest? Warming trends could worsen health threat
More commonly found in the Midwest and northeast, ticks are expanding their range. And Washington state is not immune. Warming trends, exacerbated by climate change, are creating a more hospitable environment for the parasites. Conrad Swanson reports. (Seattle Times)

Tacoma Tideflats paper mill to end operations this fall, affecting hundreds of workers
Westrock Co., owner-operator of the Tacoma Tideflats paper mill, announced that it will conclude production on September 30. The mill was build in 1929 and employs about 400 people. Debbie Cockrell reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Sea Dragons recover pots
An estimated 12,000 crab pots are lost each year in the Salish Sea, killing nearly 180,000 harvestable crabs alone, in addition to other marine life caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Sea Dragons, a student-run underwater robotics team, combines a passion for environmental science with their knowledge of technology and seamanship to recover derelict pots using custom-designed remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs. Anna Tallarico reports. (Port Townsend Leader)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  257 AM PDT Thu Aug 3 2023   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. NW swell  2 ft at 7 seconds. Widespread fog in the morning. Patchy dense  fog in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 3 to 5 ft subsiding to 2 to 3 ft after midnight. W  swell 2 ft at 7 seconds. Patchy dense fog after midnight.

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