Aquatic ecosystems connect the ecosystems and history of parks in the North Coast and Cascades Network, from the Cascade and Olympic mountain glaciers through rivers to the lagoons and intertidal zones of Olympic National Park, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve, and Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. In the past, waterways were important modes of travel and food for Native Americans and early settlers. Today, we monitor mountain lakes, glaciers, the ocean, and other waterbodies for signals of changing climates, pollutants, and introduced species to interpret the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems.
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- Mount Rainier National Park
Inferring Movements of Bull Trout Using Geochemical Signatures in Mount Rainier National Park
- Locations: Mount Rainier National Park
Bull trout, a federally threatened species, are native to several drainages within Mount Rainier National Park, including the Puyallup River Basin and many of its tributaries. The life history and migratory patterns of bull trout in the Puyallup Basin are variable and largely unknown. We aim to use the natural variation in elemental and isotopic tracers of river waters and fish fin rays across the Puyallup Basin to infer movement patterns among different habitats.
- Locations: Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park
Remote high alpine lakes are sensitive indicators of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. Anthropogenic N deposition has potential to change species composition and ecosystem function in alpine lakes.
- Locations: Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park
- Offices: North Coast and Cascades Research Learning Center
Mountain lakes may seem pristine, but they are subjected to multiple types of man-made stressors. Since the industrial revolution, toxins from industrial activities have begun to travel through the atmosphere and be deposited onto the mountain landscape, where lakes act as collection basins. This study sought to determine the range of mercury concentrations in mountain lake fish, and to understand which variables contribute to high mercury in fish.
- San Juan Island National Historical Park
Early Detection of European Green Crab in Washington’s Salish Sea
- Locations: San Juan Island National Historical Park
Crab Team is a project of Washington Sea Grant at the University of Washington that aims to learn about Washington’s inland shorelines and monitor them for invasion by the European green crab. We partner with volunteers, tribes, and agencies to survey habitats that could be affected by the globally-invasive crab, with the goal of detecting it at the earliest possible stage of establishment, increasing our chances of controlling populations and reducing impacts.
Last updated: June 25, 2018