Friday's Northwest Now focuses on pollution and Puget Sound
Posted: September 03, 2015
It’s a major source of food, commerce, recreation, and even life itself. But over the past few decades, it’s also become an area of serious environmental concern.
On the next Northwest Now, airing Friday at 7:30 p.m., host Tom Layson takes a closer look at efforts to save Puget Sound from pollution and acidification.
“We have a particular problem here in the Pacific Northwest because ocean acidification is more severe here than anywhere else on the planet,” said Richard Feeley, Senior Scientist with NOAA’s Marine and Environmental Lab. “The reason for that is that we have the natural condition of upwelling and upwelling brings up corrosive waters onto our continental shelf and into Puget Sound. In addition to that we have the man-made contribution from burning the fossil fuels coal, oil and natural gas that releases CO2 into the atmosphere and about a third of that gets taken into the ocean.”
We’ll also talk to members from Partnership for Puget Sound and Tacoma’s Urban Waterways. Plus, we’ll spend some time on Tacoma’s Commencement Bay as we tag along with experts while they gather water samples in an effort to monitor the overall well-being of Puget Sound.
KBTC 28.1, 28.2, 28.3 digital channels (including K41KT-D Grays River-Lebam and K24IC-D, Bellingham and Channel 16 Digital, Seattle) KCKA 15.1, 15.2, 15.3 digital channels.