Name of Café: Science Café of Olympia

Meeting time/date: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 7:00 pm

Meeting location:
Batdorf & Bronson Coffee House
516 Capitol Way S, Olympia WA

Description of meeting:

Assessing the Health of Puget Sound Sediments

Many chemicals, from industrial activities as well as those used by humans for personnel use, find their way into Washington's groundwater, rivers and streams. Some bind to soil particles suspended in the water and are ultimately carried to Puget Sound, where they settle to the bottom, accumulate, and can cause harm to bottom-dwelling organisms (benthos) and those higher in the food chain.

The Washington State Department of Ecology has been measuring the level and toxicity of chemicals and the health of the benthos in Puget Sound sediments since 1989 in a series of geographically "nested" study areas. Changes in the baseline sediment quality data over time have been gathered to characterize what is occurring in these study areas.

Maggie Dutch, Senior Marine Biologist, Washington State Department of Ecology, will present an overview of Ecology's Puget Sound sediment monitoring work, what it tells us about the health of Puget Sound, and where the program fits into the network of Puget Sound monitoring activities.

Café organized by:The Puget Sound Section of the American Chemical Society with help from the public television series NOVA scienceNOW and sciencecafes.org.

Café contact: dlypr@comcast.net

Date of next meeting: Tuesday, October 12, 7:00pm. Join us for a discussion about science! More details to follow.

About the café:

The Science Café of Olympia, based on the Cafés Scientifique which began in the UK, provides an informal atmosphere where people both with and without a scientific background can meet and gain a better understanding of interesting topics on science and technology After a brief presentation by an expert in the field, the meeting will be opened to discussions among everyone in attendance.

Presentations will focus on issues that impact our lives locally, nationally and internationally.