We almost missed #WorldWetlandsDay on February 2 with all of the excitement over the snow and Groundhog Day. King County has some 10,000 wetlands, ranging from tiny to very large. 📍Grand Ridge Wetland. Azolla mexicana is a true fern with a symbiotic relationship with cyanobacteria. It turns pink in the sunlight and extreme temperatures.
Wetlands are important to the health of natural ecosystems because they: 🌿protect water quality by trapping sediments and retaining excess nutrients and other pollutants such as heavy metals. 🌿provide flood protection by holding the excess runoff after a storm, and then releasing it slowly, thereby maintaining streamflows. 🌿recharge groundwater systems/aquifers, which, in turn, provide water for drinking, irrigation, and maintenance of streamflow and lake and reservoir levels. 🌿provide habitat for bird, fish, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species that rely on wetlands for breeding, foraging, and cover.
It would be hard to list all the animal species that use wetlands! Birds use them disproportionately higher than other habitats. Woodpeckers and other cavity nesters use the snags that beaver ponds create. Wetland birds use them almost exclusively: American Bittern, Sora, Virginia Rail, and Marsh Wren, to name only a few. Amphibians rely on them. Some of our more common local species include red-legged frogs, Pacific treefrogs, and Northwestern salamanders. Weasels, mink, river otters, coyotes, black bears, and of course beavers are just a small selection of mammals that use our wetlands. Consequently, beavers create wetlands by building dams, and beaver-created wetlands not only have all these benefits and more, but the amount of biodiversity found at beaver dams is even higher than other similar wetlands.
#wetlands #wildlifeconservation #pnw #azollamexicana #wildlifephotography
King Tides are here!
Predicted King Tides dates and times for Seattle and Vashon: Jan. 24 7:44 a.m. and Jan. 25 8:24 a.m.. If you catch King Tides on camera, tag the location and post them with @kingcountydnrp and #KingTidesWA
King Tides typically occur in December and January when the gravitational forces of the sun, Earth and moon are aligned. During this time, the gravitational force on the Earth is strongest, creating the King Tides. Local weather conditions during the King Tide period can influence how high the King Tide actually gets relative to the predicted levels. If high pressure system settles over the Puget Sound region during our King Tide events, the observed tides may be lower than predicted. Conversely, if a low pressure systems settles over the area, the observed tides could be even higher than predicted. Higher tides can also occur at other times of the year based on weather conditions, but those tidal events are not as predictable.
King Tides provide an opportunity to get a sense of how sea level rise may affect our shorelines. Shoreline areas will typically see increased coastal flooding; saltwater intrusion; and increased erosion, wave damage, and marine debris (especially if it is windy) during these events. Stormwater drainage can also be more difficult during a King Tide. Documenting these King Tide impacts can provide an important insight into how and where we need to be preparing for sea level rise.
Sea level rise in Seattle is projected to increase about 1 foot by 2050 and by up to 5 feet by 2100 if emissions continue at their current pace. Preparing for sea level rise is one of 19 priority actions for climate preparedness that King County is working on as part of the 2015 Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP). 📷 credit: @ecologywa
#citizenscience #PugetSound #kingtide #kingtideswa #climateaction
