'Got Mud?' Researchers monitor the health of the Puget Sound
EVERETT — Holding a hard hat decorated with a “Got Mud?” sticker, Sandy Weakland hopped on her crew’s boat. Her shimmering eye shadow contrasted her black waders and rubber boots, but the sparkly makeup matched the morning sun reflecting off Puget Sound.
Weakland is a sediment monitoring lead for Washington’s Department of Ecology. For the next few weeks, she and other state researchers will make their rounds across Puget Sound, Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.
The team’s data informs the state about ecological changes and can be a helpful indicator of whether or not regulatory policies are effective in curbing pollution.
This year, in addition to collecting sediment and water samples, the team is collecting tissue samples of benthic invertebrates — organisms without backbones living under the Sound’s floor.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/department-of-ecology-members-get-all-the-dirt-around-the-sound/