Sediment characteristics are important to analyze to connect environmental conditions to sea floor sediments and characteristics of interest (i.e., benthic communities). Total organic carbon can represent oxygenated or reduced environments and/or biological vitality depending on water depth. Grain-size can represent high or low energy if sandy or silty, and the variability of grain-sizes (sorting) can indicate stormy conditions, landslides, or dumping. Washington State Department of Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Team has provided sediment samples to the University of Washington Tacoma for analysis since 2014, supporting undergraduate research efforts. This poster will present data on total organic carbon and particle grain-size from samples collected in 2021 from the long-term stations, covering the whole Puget Sound, as well as a high-resolution sampling of Elliot Bay near Seattle, WA. Samples were collected using a Van Veen grab sampler, and then analyzed in the lab with a Beckman-Coulter Particle Size Analyzer for sediment grain-size. The loss-on-ignition technique was used to determine the total organic content. This study provides a foundation for scientists to utilize in understand and maintaining environmental health
