Starre Julia Vartan

Image Via Wikimedia Commons by Oliver Dodd

I took my brand-new sound recorder out for a spin (more like a crash-course in recording in situ) at the shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to speak with Anne Shaffer about her new research on how salmon do indeed use kelp forests—and explored why these underwater ecosystems are so important for a range of life. I also got to record myself diving into 49-degree water in Puget Sound for this Science Quickly podcast for Scientific American — which was actually quite fun! A fitting way to end my writing year.