Ocean Conditions on Tap for Science Pub

Changing conditions in Oregon’s nearshore ocean, and their potential impact on marine ecosystems and salmon populations, will be the topic of a “Science Pub” event on Thursday, Oct. 1, 6:30 p.m. at the Twisted Snout brewery in Toledo (318 S. Main St.).

The free event is co-sponsored by MidCoast Watersheds Council and the Hatfield Marine Science Center.

Dr. Laurie Weitkamp will be the presenter.  She is a salmon biologist at the NOAA Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Newport.  She studies the ecology of young salmon in estuarine and marine environments to better understand why salmon survival is highly variable among years. This topic includes documenting the impacts of recent unusual conditions on our local marine ecosystem.
 
Since late 2013, the Northeast Pacific ocean and adjacent terrestrial environments have been unusually warm; this warm water mass is commonly referred to as "the Blob.”  In spring 2015, an El Niño began to develop at the equator, which will reach full strength during the winter 2015/2016 and is expected to be unusually strong.  Weitkamp will provide a review of these two factors and describe some of the biological impacts they're having in local waters and across the North Pacific.