Karen Sullivan

Karen Sullivan is a Port Townsend writer and poet, former ship captain, marine biologist, and spokesperson for a federal agency. She is a member of the Rainshadow Journal collective and is at work on a book. You can see her other work at https://karenlsullivan.com

A Whale Washes Up

It’s an extraordinary presence, a creature with a 50-million-year history, far longer than ours. In death a whale is still a leviathan asking us to approach with respect. When I saw it up close, my mind went toward humility, not comedy. Its emaciated body was an indictment.

An Alarming Rise in Ocean Heatwaves

Hotter now than they’ve ever been, the oceans have absorbed around 90 percent of the excess heat that humans have caused, but they can also give it back. One effect of a heated ocean surface is that it will stratify and not mix as much with colder layers below.

What Puget Sound Pilots Want You to Know

The bottom line is, if a ship is blowing its whistle at you, get out of the way. Make a clear course change; go astern of it.

Millions of Birds in Trump’s Crosshairs

If this new legal opinion and its proposed rule are adopted, you can expect to see fewer birds.

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