| Puget Sound | |
|---|---|
| x̌ʷəlč (Lushootseed)[1][2] | |
.jpg) Satellite view of Puget Sound and surrounding waterways, taken bySentinel-2 in September 2018 | |
 Show Puget Sound Show Washington Show the United States | |
 | |
| Location | Puget Sound Lowlands,Washington, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47°36′N122°24′W / 47.6°N 122.4°W /47.6; -122.4 |
| Etymology | Peter Puget |
| Part of | Salish Sea |
| Primary inflows | Deschutes River,Nisqually River,Puyallup River,Duwamish River,Cedar River,Snohomish River,Stillaguamish River,Skagit River |
| Primary outflows | Admiralty Inlet,Deception Pass avg: 41,000 cu ft/s (1,200 m3/s)[3] max: 367,000 cu ft/s (10,400 m3/s) min: 14,000 cu ft/s (400 m3/s) |
| Catchment area | 12,138 sq mi (31,440 km2)[4] |
| Max. length | 100 mi (160 km) |
| Max. width | 10 mi (16 km) |
| Surface area | 1,020 sq mi (2,600 km2)[3] |
| Average depth | 450 ft (140 m) |
| Max. depth | 930 ft (280 m)[3] |
| Water volume | 26.5 cu mi (110 km3)[3] |
| Settlements | Seattle,Tacoma,Olympia,Everett,Bremerton |
Puget Sound (/ˈpjuːdʒɪt/PEW-jit;Lushootseed:x̌ʷəlčIPA:[ˈχʷəlt͡ʃ]WHULCH)[1][2] is a complexestuarine[5] system of interconnectedmarine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state ofWashington. As a part of theSalish Sea, thesound has one major and two minor connections to theStrait of Juan de Fuca, which in turn connects to the open Pacific Ocean. The major connection isAdmiralty Inlet; the minor connections areDeception Pass and theSwinomish Channel.
Puget Sound extends approximately 100 miles (160 km) from Deception Pass in the north toOlympia in the south. Its average depth is 450 feet (140 m)[6] and its maximum depth, off Jefferson Point betweenIndianola andKingston, is 930 feet (280 m). The depth of the main basin, between the southern tip ofWhidbey Island andTacoma, is approximately 600 feet (180 m).[3]
In 2009, the termSalish Sea was established by theUnited States Board on Geographic Names as the collective waters of Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and theStrait of Georgia. Sometimes the terms "Puget Sound" and "Puget Sound and adjacent waters" are used for not only Puget Sound proper but also for waters to the north, such asBellingham Bay and theSan Juan Islands region.[7]
The term "Puget Sound" is used not just for the body of water but also thePuget Sound region centered on the sound. Major cities on the sound includeSeattle,Tacoma,Olympia, andEverett. Puget Sound is also the second-largestestuary in the United States, afterChesapeake Bay inMaryland andVirginia.[8]
In 1792,George Vancouver gave the name "Puget's Sound" to the waters south of theTacoma Narrows, in honor ofPeter Puget, aHuguenot lieutenant accompanying him on theVancouver Expedition. This name later came to be used for the waters north of Tacoma Narrows as well.[9]
An alternative term for Puget Sound, used by a number of Native Americans and environmental groups, is Whulge (or Whulj), ananglicization of theLushootseed name for Puget Sound,x̌ʷəlč, which literally means "sea, salt water, ocean, or sound". The name for the Lushootseed language,dxʷləšucid, is derived from the root word√ləš, an alternative name for Puget Sound.[1][2]
TheUSGS defines Puget Sound as all the waters south of three entrances from theStrait of Juan de Fuca. The main entrance atAdmiralty Inlet is defined as a line betweenPoint Wilson on theOlympic Peninsula, andPoint Partridge onWhidbey Island. The second entrance is atDeception Pass along a line from West Point on Whidbey Island, to Deception Island, then to Rosario Head onFidalgo Island. The third entrance is at the south end of theSwinomish Channel, which connectsSkagit Bay andPadilla Bay.[10] Under this definition, Puget Sound includes the waters ofHood Canal, Admiralty Inlet,Possession Sound,Saratoga Passage, and others. It does not includeBellingham Bay, Padilla Bay, the waters of theSan Juan Islands or anything farther north.
Another definition, given byNOAA, subdivides Puget Sound into five basins or regions. Four of these (includingSouth Puget Sound) correspond to areas within the USGS definition, but the fifth, called "Northern Puget Sound" includes a large additional region. It is defined as bounded to the north by the international boundary with Canada, and to the west by a line running north from the mouth of theSekiu River on the Olympic Peninsula.[11] Under this definition, significant parts of theStrait of Juan de Fuca and theStrait of Georgia are included in Puget Sound, with the international boundary marking an abrupt and hydrologically arbitrary limit.
According to Arthur Kruckeberg, the term "Puget Sound" is sometimes used for waters north of Admiralty Inlet and Deception Pass, especially for areas along the north coast of Washington and the San Juan Islands, essentially equivalent to NOAA's "Northern Puget Sound" subdivision described above. Kruckeberg uses the term "Puget Sound and adjacent waters".[7] Kruckeberg's 1991 text, however, does not reflect the 2009 decision of theUnited States Board on Geographic Names to use the termSalish Sea to refer to the greater maritime environment.
Continentalice sheets have repeatedly advanced and retreated from the Puget Sound region. The most recentglacial period, called theFraser Glaciation, had three phases, orstades. During the third, orVashon Glaciation, a lobe of theCordilleran Ice Sheet, called the Puget Lobe, spread south about 15,000 years ago, covering the Puget Sound region with an ice sheet about 3,000 feet (910 m) thick nearSeattle, and nearly 6,000 feet (1,800 m) at the present Canada-U.S. border. Since each new advance and retreat of ice erodes away much of the evidence of previous ice ages, the most recent Vashon phase has left the clearest imprint on the land. At its maximum extent the Vashon ice sheet extended south ofOlympia to nearTenino, and covered the lowlands between the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges. About 14,000 years ago the ice began to retreat. By 11,000 years ago it survived only north of the Canada–US border.[12]
The melting retreat of the Vashon Glaciation eroded the land, creating a drumlin field of hundreds of aligneddrumlin hills.Lake Washington andLake Sammamish (which areribbon lakes),Hood Canal, and the main Puget Sound basin were altered by glacial forces. These glacial forces are not specifically "carving", as in cutting into the landscape via the mechanics of ice/glaciers, but rather eroding the landscape from melt water of the Vashon Glacier creating the drumlin field. As the ice retreated, vast amounts ofglacial till were deposited throughout the Puget Sound region.[12] The soils of the region, less than ten thousand years old, are still characterized as immature.
As the Vashon glacier receded a series ofproglacial lakes formed, filling the main trough of Puget Sound and inundating the southern lowlands.Glacial Lake Russell was the first such large recessional lake. From the vicinity of Seattle in the north the lake extended south to theBlack Hills, where it drained south into theChehalis River.[13] Sediments from Lake Russell form the blue-gray clay identified as the Lawton Clay. The second major recessional lake wasGlacial Lake Bretz. It also drained to the Chehalis River until theChimacum Valley [ceb], in the northeastOlympic Peninsula, melted, allowing the lake's water to rapidly drain north into the marine waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which was rising as the ice sheet retreated.[13]
As icebergscalved off the toe of the glacier, their embedded gravels and boulders were deposited in the chaotic mix of unsortedtill geologists callglaciomarine drift. Many beaches about the Sound displayglacial erratics, rendered more prominent than those in coastal woodland solely by their exposed position; submerged glacial erratics sometimes cause hazards to navigation. The sheer weight of glacial-age ice depressed the landforms, which experiencedpost-glacial rebound after the ice sheets had retreated. Because the rate of rebound was not synchronous with the post-ice age rise in sea levels, the bed of what is now Puget Sound filled alternately with fresh and with sea water. The upper level of the lake-sediment Lawton Clay now lies about 120 feet (37 m) above sea level.
The Puget Sound system consists of four deep basins connected by shallower sills. The four basins areHood Canal, west of theKitsap Peninsula, Whidbey Basin, east of Whidbey Island,South Sound, south of theTacoma Narrows, and theMain Basin, which is further subdivided intoAdmiralty Inlet and the Central Basin.[14] Puget Sound's sills, a kind of submarineterminal moraine, separate the basins from one another, and Puget Sound from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Three sills are particularly significant—the one at Admiralty Inlet which checks the flow of water between the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound, the one at the entrance to Hood Canal (about 175 ft or 53 m below the surface), and the one at the Tacoma Narrows (about 145 ft or 44 m). Other sills that present less of a barrier include the ones atBlake Island,Agate Pass,Rich Passage, andHammersley Inlet.[7]
The depth of the basins is a result of the Sound being part of theCascadia subduction zone, where theterranes accreted at the edge of theJuan de Fuca Plate are beingsubducted under theNorth American Plate. There has not been amajor subduction zone earthquake here since themagnitude nineCascadia earthquake; according toJapanese records, it occurred on January 26, 1700. Lesser Puget Soundearthquakes with shallowepicenters, caused by the fracturing of stressed oceanic rocks as they are subducted, still cause great damage. TheSeattle Fault cuts across Puget Sound, crossing the southern tip ofBainbridge Island and underElliott Bay.[15][better source needed] To the south, the existence of a second fault, theTacoma Fault, has buckled the intervening strata in the Seattle Uplift.
Typical Puget Sound profiles of dense glacial till overlying permeable glacial outwash of gravels above an impermeable bed of silty clay may become unstable after periods of unusually wet weather and slump in landslides.[16]
TheUnited States Geological Survey (USGS) defines Puget Sound as a bay with numerous channels and branches; more specifically, it is afjord system of flooded glacial valleys. Puget Sound is part of a largerphysiographic structure termed the Puget Trough, which is a physiographic section of the largerPacific Border province, which in turn is part of the largerPacific Mountain System.[17]
Puget Sound is a large salt waterestuary, or system of many estuaries, fed by highly seasonal freshwater from the Olympic and Cascade Mountain watersheds. The mean annual riverdischarge into Puget Sound is 41,000 cubic feet per second (1,200 m3/s), with a monthly average maximum of about 367,000 cubic feet per second (10,400 m3/s) and minimum of about 14,000 cubic feet per second (400 m3/s). Puget Sound's shoreline is 1,332 miles (2,144 km) long, encompassing a water area of 1,020 square miles (2,600 km2) and a total volume of 26.5 cubic miles (110 km3) at mean high water. The average volume of water flowing in and out of Puget Sound during each tide is 1.26 cubic miles (5.3 km3). The maximum tidal currents, in the range of 9 to 10knots, occurs at Deception Pass.[3] Water flow through Deception Pass is approximately equal to 2% of the total tidal exchange between Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.[3]
The size of Puget Sound'swatershed is 12,138 sq mi (31,440 km2).[4] "Northern Puget Sound" is frequently considered part of the Puget Sound watershed, which enlarges its size to 13,700 sq mi (35,000 km2).[18] TheUSGS uses the name "Puget Sound" for itshydrologic unit subregion 1711, which includes areas draining to Puget Sound proper as well as the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Strait of Georgia, and theFraser River.[19] Significant rivers that drain to "Northern Puget Sound" include theNooksack,Dungeness, andElwha Rivers. The Nooksack empties into Bellingham Bay, the Dungeness and Elwha into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. TheChilliwack River flows north to the Fraser River in Canada.
Tides in Puget Sound are of the mixed type with two high and two low tides each tidal day. These are called Higher High Water (HHW), Lower Low Water (LLW), Lower High Water (LHW), and Higher Low Water (HLW). The configuration of basins, sills, and interconnections cause thetidal range to increase within Puget Sound. The difference in height between the Higher High Water and the Lower Low Water averages about 8.3 feet (2.5 m) atPort Townsend on Admiralty Inlet, but increases to about 14.4 feet (4.4 m) at Olympia, the southern end of Puget Sound.[3]
Puget Sound is generally accepted as the start of theInside Passage.[20][21]
Important marine flora of Puget Sound include eelgrass (Zostera marina)[22] and variouskelp, important kelps include canopy forming bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana).[23] and edible kelps like kombu (Saccharina latissima)[24]
_in_Puget_Sound_Washington_3.jpg)
Among the marine mammals species found in Puget Sound areharbor seals (Phoca vitulina).[25]Orca (Orcinus orca), or "killer whales" are famous throughout the Sound, and are a large tourist attraction. Although orca are sometimes seen in Puget Sound proper they are far more prevalent around theSan Juan Islands north of Puget Sound.[26]
Many fish species occur in Puget Sound. The varioussalmonid species, includingsalmon,trout, andchar are particularly well-known and studied. Salmonid species of Puget Sound includechinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha),chum salmon (O. keta),coho salmon (O. kisutch),pink salmon (O. gorbuscha),sockeye salmon (O. nerka), sea-runcoastal cutthroat trout (O. clarki clarki),steelhead (O. mykiss irideus), sea-runbull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), andDolly Varden trout (Salvelinus malma malma).[27][28]
Commonforage fishes found in Puget Sound includePacific herring (Clupea pallasii),surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus), andPacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus).[29] Importantbenthopelagic fish of Puget Sound includeNorth Pacific hake (Merluccius productus),Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus),walleye/Alaska pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), and thespiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias).[30] Lots of other notable groundfish exist in Puget Sound, such thelingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) and othergreenlings,cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus) and othersculpins, and thePacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) along with otherflatfish such as theCalifornia halibut (Paralichthys californicus,)soles, andsanddabs.[31][32]
There are about 28 species ofSebastidae (rockfish), of many types, found in Puget Sound. Among those of special interest arecopper rockfish (Sebastes caurinus),quillback rockfish (S. maliger),black rockfish (S. melanops),yelloweye rockfish (S. ruberrimus),bocaccio rockfish (S. paucispinis),canary rockfish (S. pinniger), andPuget Sound rockfish (S. emphaeus).[33] Interestingly, hybridization has occurred between some of these rockfish, in the case of between the quillback, copper, andbrown (S.auriculatus.)[34] Some rockfish, like the bocaccio andvermillion (S. miniatus,) have adistinct population segment in the sound, which are at risk ofoverfishing.[35][36]
Many other fish species occur in Puget Sound, such assturgeons,lampreys, and various cartilaginous like fishsharks,chimeras,rays, andskates.[32]
_in_Puget_Sound_(6842178290).jpg)
Puget Sound is home to numerous species of marineinvertebrates, includingsponges,sea anemones,chitons,clams,sea snails,limpets,crabs,barnacles,starfish,sea urchins, andsand dollars.[37]Dungeness crabs (Metacarcinus magister) occur throughout Washington waters, including Puget Sound.[38] Manybivalves occur in Puget Sound, such asPacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) andgeoduck clams (Panopea generosa). TheOlympia oyster (Ostrea lurida), once common in Puget Sound, was depleted by human activities during the 20th century. There are ongoing efforts to restore Olympia oysters in Puget Sound.[39]
In 1967, an initial scuba survey estimated that were "about 110 million pounds of geoducks" (pronounced "gooey ducks") situated in Puget Sound's sediments.[40] Also known as "king clam," geoducks are considered to be a delicacy in Asian countries.
There are manyseabird species in Puget Sound. Among these aregrebes such as thewestern grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis);loons such as thecommon loon (Gavia immer);auks such as thepigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba),rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata),common murre (Uria aalge), andmarbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus); thebrant goose (Branta bernicla);sea ducks such as thelong-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis),harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus), andsurf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata); andcormorants such as thedouble-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus). Puget Sound is home to a non-migratory and marine-oriented subspecies ofgreat blue herons (Ardea herodias fannini).[41]Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) occur in relative high densities in the Puget Sound region.[42]
Puget Sound has been home to many Indigenous peoples, such as theLushootseed-speaking peoples, as well as theTwana,Chimakum, andKlallam, for millennia. The earliest known presence of Indigenous inhabitants in the Puget Sound region is between 14,000 BCE to 6,000 BCE.[43]
Dispatched in an attempt to locate the fabledNorthwest Passage, British Royal Navy captainGeorge Vancouver anchored on May 19, 1792, on the shores ofSeattle, explored Puget Sound, and claimed it forGreat Britain on June 4 the same year, naming it for one of his officers,Lieutenant Peter Puget. He further named the entire region;New Georgia, after KingGeorge III.[44][45]After 1818 Britain and the United States, which both claimed theOregon Country, agreed to "joint occupancy", deferring resolution of theOregon boundary dispute. ThePuget Sound Agricultural Company was formed by HBC to encourage settlement. Pursuant to the 1846Oregon Treaty; Puget Sound which was part of the disputed region became US territory.
Americanmaritime fur traders visited Puget Sound in the early 19th century.[46]
AnHudson's Bay Company expedition led byJames McMillan in late 1824 was first non-Indigenous group to enter Puget Sound since George Vancouver in 1792. The expedition went on to reach theFraser River, first again to reach the lower Fraser since Fraser himself in 1808.[47]
The first non-Indigenous settlement in the Puget Sound area wasFort Nisqually, a fur trade post of theHudson's Bay Company (HBC) built in 1833.[48]Fort Nisqually was part of the HBC'sColumbia District, headquartered atFort Vancouver. In 1838, the HBC's subsidy operation, the Puget Sound Agricultural Company was established in part to procure resources and trade, as well as to further establish British claim to the region.[49] Missionaries J.P. Richmond and W.H. Wilson were attending Fort Nisqually for two years by 1840.[50] British ships, such as theBeaver, exported foodstuffs and provisions from Fort Nisqually, and would eventually export Puget Sound lumber, an industry that would soon outpace the dominant fur trading market and drive the early Puget Sound economy.[51][52]
The first organized American expedition took place under the helm of CommanderCharles Wilkes, whose exploring party sailed up Puget Sound in 1841. The first permanent American settlement on Puget Sound wasTumwater, founded in 1845 by Americans who had come via theOregon Trail. The decision to settle north of the Columbia River was made in part because one of the settlers,George Washington Bush, was consideredblack and theProvisional Government of Oregon banned the residency of mulattoes but did not actively enforce the restriction north of the river.[53]In 1853Washington Territory was formed from part ofOregon Territory.[54] In 1888 theNorthern Pacific railroad line reached Puget Sound, linking the region to eastern states.[55] Washington State was admitted to the union in 1889 as part of theEnabling Act, and the regions borders have since remained unchanged.[56]
The Washington State Ferries (WSF) are a state-run ferry system that connects the largerislands of Puget Sound the Washington mainland, and theOlympic andKitsap Peninsulas. Its vessels carry both passengers and vehicular traffic. The system averaged 24.3 million passengers in the 2010s[57] and 17.2 in 2022 with theCOVID-19 pandemic.[58] It is the largest ferry operator in the United States.[57]
Over the past 30 years, as the region's human population has increased, there has been a correlating decrease in various plant and animal species which inhabit Puget Sound. The decline has been seen in numerous populations includingforage fish, salmonids, bottom fish,marine birds,harbor porpoise, andorcas. The decline is attributed to various issues, including human population growth, pollution, and climate change.[59] Because of this population decline, there have been changes to thefishery practices, and an increase in petitioning to add species to theEndangered Species Act. There has also been an increase inrecovery and management plans for many different area species.[60]
.jpeg)
The causes of these environmental issues are toxic contamination,eutrophication (low oxygen due to excess nutrients), and near shore habitat changes.[60] TheWashington Department of Fisheries began anartificial reef construction program in 1975 to create habitats in Puget Sound for declining fish populations, particularlyrockfish andlingcod. Some reefs used disposed vehicletires, tied together withpolypropylene rope, until they were phased out in 1982 in favor of less-expensive scrap concrete.[61] The degraded rope allowed disposed tires to create obstructions that damage habitats and harm Puget Sound wildlife; the state government began removing the tire piles in late 2024 atTolmie State Park. An estimated 100,000 tires remain in Puget Sound at 14 identified sites.[62][63]
On May 22, 1978, a valve was mistakenly opened aboard the submarineUSSPuffer, releasing up to 500 US gallons (1,900 L; 420 imp gal) ofradioactive water into Puget Sound, during an overhaul indrydock atBremerton Naval Shipyard.[64]
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
Travel information from Wikivoyage| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
