ORCA Interdisciplinary Projects
State of Possession Sound
The overarching theme of ocean research at ORCA is evidenced in quarter and year long research projects. The most extensive of these projects is the State of Possession Sound, a student designed and implemented monitoring project in the local area. Every two weeks, rotating groups of students conduct on the water sampling from the custom designed research vessel, Phocoena, funded by a generous grant from the National Science Foundation. ORCA has been conducting State of Possession Sound (SOPS) research for eleven years as an in-house project, designed as a way to facilitate student engagement in scientific inquiry. Students work collaboratively onboard armed with monitoring and sampling equipment to measure temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, chlorophyll concentration, phosphates and nitrates from various depths at five different locations. At each station, vertical and horizontal plankton tows are conducted, bird and mammal species presence and abundance are recorded, and a sediment sample is collected. This research lays the foundation for further independent work during student's second year.
The Annual Possession Sound Student Showcase and Talks provides an opportunity for visitors to see the research students have been engaged in during their first and second year of the ORCA program. Join us on Thursday, June 8!
Sample of 2022 student presentation topics
- Trends in Water Currents Tidally and Temporally in a Salt-Wedge Estuary
- Predictive Model of Combined Sewer Overflow Impacts on Dissolved Oxygen and Turbidity in Possession Sound
- A Six Year Look at pH Spatially and Seasonally in Possession Sound
- River Otter Behavior at Latrines in Relationship to Possession Sound’s Weather Patterns
- Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Nutrient Levels Over 13 Years in Possession Sound
- Analyzing Trends of Dissolved Oxygen and Abundance of Crab Zoea in Possession Sound
- Harbor Porpoises in Possession Sound: Seasonal Abundance and Spatial Patterns 2012-2021
- Temperature and pH Trends in Possession Sound from 2016-2022
- Correlation between Pseudo-Nitzschia Density and Eelgrass beds
- Tides and Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) Haul-Out Behavior in the Snohomish River
Recent partnerships with the Washington State Department of Ecology, Gravity Marine Consulting and the Port of Everett along with funding from the National Science Foundation resulted in the deployment of an underwater instrument that measures temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen every 30 minutes.
