Oxygen levels in Hood Canal are dropping into the danger zone, as researchers observe a condition they have never seen before. According to a KOMO news report that aired June 30, not enough new ocean water came into Hood Canal this year, and that amounts to stale water and a potential for massive fish kills. To view video: click here And Chris Dunagan of the Kitsap Sun reports:
"Hood Canal never bounced back from the low-oxygen levels of last winter, and now a huge mass of oxygen-depleted water is building up at the bottom of the canal, according to oceanographer Jan Newton, who heads the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program.
Normally, by this time of year, a band of dense water containing greater amounts of dissolved oxygen has pushed in from the ocean and lies at the bottom of the waterway. But that band, which scientists call an intrusion, is missing this year, leaving the canal with a greater oxygen deficit than ever seen before, based on data going back to the 1950s.
It is too early to predict the likelihood of a major fish kill, such as the one that decimated thousands of fish in the fall of 2006, Newton said, but the lack of oxygen at depth leaves the canal with little breathing room going through summer and into fall." For the complete article click here.
To view the data yourself via the Orca Buoy click here.