Slide 58
At the heart of the study is the use of computer models to test the various hypotheses individually, to assess their effect on the oxygen concentrations in Hood Canal. In a computer model environment, we can mimic the natural and human processes. If our model is calibrated with data well enough that we trust it, then we can run "what-if" scenarios. "What if we took out all the septic tanks?" "What if the ocean input was denser?" "What if Cushman Dam didn't exist?" "What if the marine life food-web was the same as it was 20 years ago?" These questions are impossible to answer in real life, but in the computer environment we can gain an indication of which processes Hood Canal is most sensitive to.

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