Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 'We tried to de-escalate it' App Finder: Top tax apps Emergency Services West Medford neighbors welcome program to feed homeless, but want bathrooms added Eight vie for Medford School Board positions Crime, Courts and Emergency Services 'We tried to de-escalate it' Emergency Services Boyfriend gets 20 years for abuse of toddler Pursuit of stolen car in Medford ends with crash, power outage Emergency services, March 19 Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state Ashland: Budget increase, swimming pool funding discussion on council agenda Education Eight vie for Medford School Board positions Proposed Medford textbook raises constitutional concern North Medford High School principal to retire in June Southern Oregon University's building boom adds up to $130 million South Medford, Ashland, St. Mary's students building video game Environment Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Odd visitors found off Oregon Coast Forum explores data gathered in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Herptilian haven Proposed new rules for Oregon critter catchers would require the killing of nuisance animals State News Bend company's aim: Connect investors to Africa Brown proposes $1 billion in California drought spending Are they decorations or desecration? The Dalles Standoff: Suicide by smoke inhalation Officials urge meningitis shots at University of Oregon Nation - World Obituaries Death Notices David Braden Frohnmayer Ray Houck Death Notices Geneva Rosel Canty Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Sports Latest Stories Grants Pass duo tops Crater tourney Thomas pitches North Medford past Henley Harden erupts for 50 in Rockets victory Djokovic reaches semifinals via walkover Grandma dies, then Hoffman takes lead Varsity 541 College Sports Despite critics aplenty, UCLA surprises SMU on rare 3-pointer Beavers ready for NCAA home date Familiar feeling greets Ducks, Cowboys Early exit for Colorado State at NIT BSU loses heartbreaker Pro Sports Harden erupts for 50 in Rockets victory Djokovic reaches semifinals via walkover Grandma dies, then Hoffman takes lead Cavs pick up 14th straight at home Federer, Nadal, Murray reach quarters Community Sports Business Latest Stories Blog: Three Cheers for Today! Test Drive: 2015 Subaru Outback Limited Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep Oregon winemaking emerges as mighty agricultural force Rogue Disposal plans natural gas fueling site Real Estate News East McAndrews Road sees a resurgence in commercial projects Business briefs: March 7 New construction prices jump 18.2 percent in Jackson County People In Business People in Business: Feb. 28 People in Business Transportation Rogue Disposal plans natural gas fueling site Alaska, United Express boost Medford airport to record February CEO Rieder leaving Erickson March 31 Lodging gains bode well for travel industries Agriculture Harry & David announces new president Warm winter has fruit growers poised for action Briefcase: Business briefs for Feb. 21 Opinion Latest Our View: Textbook authors' reasoning hard to fathom Letters to the Editor, March 20 Michael Gerson: Hillary Clinton's Nixonian path to office Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Antionette Kerr: Some items shouldn’t fly with TSA Editorials Our View: Textbook authors' reasoning hard to fathom Our View: White House public records move is less than sunny Our View: Where the wild things shouldn't be Our View: Keeping the light trained on government Other Views: State must rein in medical marijuana Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Letters to the Editor, March 16 Columns Michael Gerson: Hillary Clinton's Nixonian path to office Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Dana Milbank: GOP budget is one big gimmick George Will: Kasich waits in the wings Kathleen Parker: Hillary and the Media: Act 2016 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action Guest Opinion: Return to clearcutting is wrong approach for counties Guest Opinion: Plan a Hawthorne playground for all children Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report GUEST OPINION: Police, community should work to prevent profiling Lifestyle Latest stories Looking Up: Looking for the zodiacal light Ocean salmon look plentiful off the Southern Oregon coast this year, but next year's a different story (No heading) Wood bison to roam Alaska again Health Watch: 5 tips for seasonal allergy relief Food Eat this, not that Peanut allergy breakthrough Eat your sprouts More fast food perils Pork perfection: Consider pork steaks instead of ham for the Easter dinner table Home and Garden Hello, honey: Invite bees for a lush garden Understand home inspection Dear Monty: Tips for checking out an existing septic system Garden Cameos: Now is the perfect time to spot wildflowers Paul Rogers: It’s time to assess the damage to yards Health Health Watch: 5 tips for seasonal allergy relief A better bedtime Studying stress Eat this, not that Peanut allergy breakthrough Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs Religion News: Presbyterian Church gives approval on same-sex marriage Religion briefs: Friday, March 13 More religion events in the Rogue Valley Religion Briefs Milestones and Achievements Haga-Parks Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Engagement: Workman-Wright Anniversary: Hofer Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Here's five top entertainment picks for the coming week Alt-rock band Key of Three is a contender this weekend at Rising Stars Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Andrew Lloyd Webber's lush musical 'Sunset Boulevard' opens at Camelot Theatre in Talent Review: 'Same Time' after all these years Theater Andrew Lloyd Webber's lush musical 'Sunset Boulevard' opens at Camelot Theatre in Talent Review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' Review: 'Same Time' after all these years Randall Theatre presents playwright Bernard Slade's comedy Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' Music Alt-rock band Key of Three is a contender this weekend at Rising Stars Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Kites & Crows, Ryan Marchand and Mercy Duo face-off this weekend at Rising Stars music competition in Jacksonville Rogue Valley Chorale presents 'A Festival of Choirs' at the Craterian Theatre SOU's Chamber and Concert choirs present 'Songs of Passion' Community Events Rogue Valley artist Linda Evans' pastel paintings capture landscapes of Southern Oregon Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup OSF Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jesse Lawson and Joe Moxley host 'Barkeeper' Dining Jasmine Thai Cuisine Restaurant Inspections Agave offers gourmet tacos, tamales, ensaladas and more Serra storms Seattle Sakura Japanese Sushi Restaurant opens in new location Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW 'We tried to de-escalate it' ... Our View: Textbook authors' reasoning hard to fathom ... Emergency Services ... 'We tried to de-escalate it' ... Our View: Textbook authors' reasoning hard to fathom ... Emergency Services ... CLIMATE CHANGE Odd visitors found off Oregon Coast Unusual warm currents may spell trouble for salmon, steelhead, other ocean dwellers By Eric Barker Lewiston Tribune MailTribune.com By Eric Barker Lewiston Tribune Posted Mar. 18, 2015 @ 1:37 pm Updated Mar 18, 2015 at 3:31 PM By Eric Barker Lewiston Tribune Posted Mar. 18, 2015 @ 1:37 pm Updated Mar 18, 2015 at 3:31 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Over the past five months, Bill Thompson has found a dozen warm-water species of copepods — tiny, energy-rich organisms at the base of the marine food chain — during his biweekly surveys off the Oregon Coast. The senior scientist for the National Marine Fisheries Service at Newport said finding the out-of-place species is like looking out your window and seeing parrots and macaws instead of robins and finches. “These are tropical species that never get this far north — never,” he said. The presence of the tropical copepods, which are smaller, thinner and less abundant than the types of copepods Thompson has been collecting and counting for more than 20 years, is not a good thing. It is one of many indicators the ocean has entered a warm phase, with much less of the cold-water upwellings that have driven healthy returns of salmon and steelhead over the past few years. Normal sea churning lifts cold, nutrient-rich water from its depths to the surface, where it feeds copepods, which in turn feed the types of fish that salmon and steelhead eat to grow big and fat before they return to fresh water to spawn. Now an unusual blob of warm water that formed off the Gulf of Alaska and another in the eastern Pacific have merged and inundated the West Coast of the United States and the coast of British Columbia. The warm water has less upwelling and fewer copepods. “What it means is there is not much out there to eat, and that can’t be good for anybody — salmon included,” Thompson said. “The whole food chain, I would guess, is going to be impacted. The base in the food chain is very low in numbers and very low in mass.” The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration released a report Tuesday outlining the changing climate patterns in the coastal Pacific Ocean known as the California Current. The changes are likely responsible for a rash of malnourished sea lion pups that have washed up on California beaches over the past few weeks. Scientists have also found dying and emaciated sea birds, called Cassin’s auklets, that could be linked to changes in sea surface temperatures and currents. It’s not unusual to see changes in currents and temperatures. Scientists have long documented climate phenomenons such as the El Nino weather pattern that can lead to warmer and wetter winters in the Pacific Northwest and a longer-term pattern called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Each are marked by warmer sea surface temperatures, less upwelling and poor foraging conditions for fish and marine mammals. But scientists are scratching their heads over the conditions they are seeing this spring. For example, Chris Harvey, a fisheries biologist with the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, said the warm blob off Alaska that is sending currents of warm water down the coasts of Washington and Oregon is unprecedented. “As far as climate scientists know, it could be a weird aberration or it could very well be something that could stick around for a while,” he said. Or as Northwest Fisheries Science Center Director John Stien put it, “We’re seeing some major environmental shifts taking place that could affect the ecosystem for years to come.” Nate Mantua, another NOAA scientist, said the conditions are so unusual that he believes they won’t be long-lasting. But if they do persist into next year, it could lead to another strange winter with low snow accumulation in much of the Pacific Northwest and continued drought in California. “If those conditions in the tropics stay the same, maybe that is going to favor another crazy winter,” he said. The “crazy winter,” combined with the warmer, less-productive ocean, is lining up a one-two punch for salmon and steelhead. The winter produced meager snowpacks that will melt faster and lead to warmer temperatures and lower flows in the streams where salmon spawn and their offspring spend the first parts of their lives. Smolts that migrate to the ocean this spring won’t have the benefit of the high spring flows they depend on to flush them seaward. Once they reach the ocean, they won’t find much to eat. “That doesn’t bode well for early marine growth and early marine survival for Northwest salmon and also California salmon that go to the sea this year,” Mantua said. Scientists are on alert and monitoring conditions and trying to discern how long they might persist. Among all the doom and gloom, Thompson said there could be sliver of hope. Over the past few weeks, there have been strong north winds off the coasts of Oregon and Washington, another unusual pattern. If they persist, they could push the warm water off shore and lead to more upwelling. “But they have to keep blowing,” he said. “We don’t know if they will do that.” Eric Barker may be contacted at [email protected] or 208-848-2273.   By Eric Barker Lewiston Tribune MailTribune.com By Eric Barker Lewiston Tribune Posted Mar. 18, 2015 @ 1:37 pm Updated Mar 18, 2015 at 3:31 PM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501