Hydrothermal vents
In 1977 near the Galápagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador at a depth
of 2,500 meters (8,250 feet), ocean explorers first sighted hydrothermal
vents, openings on the ocean floor from which heated, mineral-rich
water emerges. The scientists found that these vents were surrounded by
large numbers of organisms that had never before been seen. (NOAA)
Today's top story in Salish Current: Salish Tribute bike trail weaves through Indigenous art
The Salish Sea is the place to be for orcas this summer. What's behind this trend?
Move over, Jimothy. The Seattle area is in the midst of a hot orca summer. The Orca Behavior Institute recorded a record-breaking number of Bigg’s killer whale sightings in the Salish Sea in July. Natalie Akane Newcomb, Paige Browning and Sami West report. (KUOW)
Now a river stopped flowing: NW nature seems to be squealing
About 10 miles east of downtown Spokane, more than a mile-long stretch of the seemingly formidable Spokane River just stopped flowing. The boulder-strewn bed went dry. The same phenomenon happened last year — believed to be the first such flow break for the Spokane dating back more than a century. Danny Westneat writes. (Seattle Times)
Cost to battle 20 wildfires in WA has topped $200M
In the span of a month, firefighting costs for 20 wildfires burning across Washington have totalled $207 million, according to data from the state’s Department of Natural Resources. The expenses will be split among local, state and federal agencies. But the number is telling: Those 20 fires, some of which are still burning, have cost more than two-thirds of what the Department of Natural Resources spent over the last state fiscal year battling wildfires. Aspen Ford reports. (Washington State Standard)
What an El Niño could mean for the Northwest
It’s not often that you get a peek into the future. But climate scientists said Washington state has glimpsed into the crystal ball with low snowpack, warming temperatures and low stream flows. One such glimpse happened in 2015. That’s when Washington had its lowest snowpack on record, which led to hundreds of thousands fewer sockeye returning, major crops that didn’t do well and millions of dollars spent on fire suppression. By the 2070s or 2080s, these conditions could be normal. Courtney Platt reports. (NW Public Broadcasting)
Move over, Jimothy. The Seattle area is in the midst of a hot orca summer. The Orca Behavior Institute recorded a record-breaking number of Bigg’s killer whale sightings in the Salish Sea in July. Natalie Akane Newcomb, Paige Browning and Sami West report. (KUOW)
Now a river stopped flowing: NW nature seems to be squealing
About 10 miles east of downtown Spokane, more than a mile-long stretch of the seemingly formidable Spokane River just stopped flowing. The boulder-strewn bed went dry. The same phenomenon happened last year — believed to be the first such flow break for the Spokane dating back more than a century. Danny Westneat writes. (Seattle Times)
Cost to battle 20 wildfires in WA has topped $200M
In the span of a month, firefighting costs for 20 wildfires burning across Washington have totalled $207 million, according to data from the state’s Department of Natural Resources. The expenses will be split among local, state and federal agencies. But the number is telling: Those 20 fires, some of which are still burning, have cost more than two-thirds of what the Department of Natural Resources spent over the last state fiscal year battling wildfires. Aspen Ford reports. (Washington State Standard)
What an El Niño could mean for the Northwest
It’s not often that you get a peek into the future. But climate scientists said Washington state has glimpsed into the crystal ball with low snowpack, warming temperatures and low stream flows. One such glimpse happened in 2015. That’s when Washington had its lowest snowpack on record, which led to hundreds of thousands fewer sockeye returning, major crops that didn’t do well and millions of dollars spent on fire suppression. By the 2070s or 2080s, these conditions could be normal. Courtney Platt reports. (NW Public Broadcasting)
How hard would an Alaskan tsunami hit WA? New model full of surprises
Twenty-foot waves cresting off Westport. Swift and dangerous currents coursing through Hood Canal. Tsunami water pushing down to Olympia and up to Washington’s northern border with Canada. For the first time, state researchers have modeled the impact of a tsunami sparked by a magnitude 9.2 quake along the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone, and they’ve found some surprises. oseph O’Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times)
B.C. turned this W̱SÁNEĆ fishing village into a park. Now an Elder is leading the fight to protect it
Once arrested for hunting on W̱SÁNEĆ territory, Carl Olsen is now holding the B.C. government to their word — as he fights the Malahat highway expansion and ‘be the voice for the salmon.’ Julie Chadwick reports. (The Narwhal)
Democracy Watch
Twenty-foot waves cresting off Westport. Swift and dangerous currents coursing through Hood Canal. Tsunami water pushing down to Olympia and up to Washington’s northern border with Canada. For the first time, state researchers have modeled the impact of a tsunami sparked by a magnitude 9.2 quake along the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone, and they’ve found some surprises. oseph O’Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times)
B.C. turned this W̱SÁNEĆ fishing village into a park. Now an Elder is leading the fight to protect it
Once arrested for hunting on W̱SÁNEĆ territory, Carl Olsen is now holding the B.C. government to their word — as he fights the Malahat highway expansion and ‘be the voice for the salmon.’ Julie Chadwick reports. (The Narwhal)
Democracy Watch
- Longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes to retire, citing differences with Pentagon leadership (AP)
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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-
131 PM PDT Wed Aug 19 2026
THU NW wind around 5 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 11 seconds.
THU NIGHT W wind around 5 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 10 seconds.
THU NW wind around 5 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 11 seconds.
THU NIGHT W wind around 5 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 10 seconds.
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"Salish Sea News
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