The shoreline of Puget Sound is among some of the most rugged and beautiful shorelines in the world. The protected marine waters of Puget Sound provide invaluable habitat for fish and wildlife, including the region’s renowned Pacific Salmon and Orcas whales. The region supports one of the leading trade centers on the West Coast of North America and is a gateway to some of the continent’s busiest ports including Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver, BC.

During this study of the Puget Sound, at twenty different stations, a group of U.W Tacoma’s Environmental Science and U.W Seattle’s Oceanography students analyzed physical, chemical and biological aspects of the Sound. The intention was not to assess the Puget Sound’s health but instead how different characteristics (physical, chemical and biological) of the Puget Sound change with respect to depth. In order to so, at each designated station several samples were collected at different depths and analyzed on board using today’s most advance and professional apparatus in this field of science. The attached map on the next page shows all twenty stations where samples were collected during the study. Table 1.0 below the maps gives the latitude and longitude of each station and also gives an idea on the distance between the stations that were studied during the cruise in Nautical Miles.