With 2.4 million viewers every week across Washington state and British Columbia, KCTS 9 is the Northwest's premier source for meaningful media that informs, involves and inspires. Productions and co-productions include Inside Passage, The Video Game Revolution, The Perilous Fight: America’s World War II in Color, three-time James Beard Award winner Chefs A’Field, and Nick Stellino’s popular cooking shows. Each year, KCTS 9 community outreach involves parents, educators and children through more than 70 workshops, screenings and conferences. For more information, visit KCTS9.org.
Contributions from this Station
Fish Earbones Provide a Rare Glimpse into the Past and Future of Fisheries
Archiving artifacts from the sea, a natural history museum preserves precious data for scientists.
Post on May 23, 2013 by Cathy Britt
Thinking Like a Pirate – or a Scientist
New understandings about how scientists think inspire changes in school science standards.
Post on May 16, 2013 by Clancy J. Wolf
Tales from the Ghost Forests
When a megathrust earthquake strikes, scientists around the world know in seconds. But what about hundreds of years ago? How, exactly, do scientists know there was a megathrust quake on the Cascadia Subduction Zone on January 26, 1700 between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m.? The answer lies in a ghost forest discovered on the Washington coast that reveals the secrets of one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit the planet.
Post on Oct 07, 2011 by David Williams
Up, Up and Away: Escaping a Tsunami Vertically
Northwest disaster officials and communities propose new structures for people to get to safety when a killer tsunami wave is on the way, not by trying to outrun the wave, but by trying to out-climb it.
Post on Sep 21, 2011 by Cathy Britt
Megathrust Earthquakes
Experts warn that an offshore quake powerful enough to kill thousands and discharge a tsunami could hit the West Coast any time. QUEST Northwest talks with geologists and seismologists about cutting-edge research in earthquake prediction, and what it would look like if the next “Big One" hits close to home.
Video on Sep 20, 2011 by Lesley McClurg
Web Extra: Orca Sounds vs. Underwater Noise
When listening for orca whales underwater, researchers distinguish their sounds from other noises such as boats, ships, and other sea animals with hydrophones. Learn how these instruments work in this web extra from QUEST Northwest.
Video on Sep 12, 2011 by Kevin Bang
Two Endangered Icons: Southern Resident Killer Whales and Chinook Salmon
Kenneth Balcomb, senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research Friday Harbor, Washington, explains the connection between the Southern Resident killer whales (orcas) and chinook salmon.
Slideshow on Aug 24, 2011 by Jennifer Morton
Science on the SPOT: Sound Waves – Listening to Orcas
They are an icon of the Pacific Northwest, stirring a mix of fascination, awe and affection. Thousands of people come to the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound just to catch a glimpse of the Southern Resident orcas that call these waters home.
Video on Jul 20, 2011 by Ethan Morris
Into the Waves with Orcas
Orcas use sound to navigate, find food and communicate. But underwater noise is making it more difficult. We explore how scientists use hydrophones to track noise from ships and boats to discover what affect noise pollution really has on orcas.
Slideshow on Jul 20, 2011 by Cathy Britt
Why Killer Whales Don’t Eat People: Where Science and Legend Meet
It’s clear that in the wild, orcas seem to have a pretty universal rule: don’t attack humans. The reason would appear to be both biological and cultural.
Post on Jul 20, 2011 by Ethan Morris
Cultural Differences in Northwest Orcas
Even though different groups of orcas in the Pacific Northwest often share the same waters, they don’t interact outside of their group, follow a distinct diet and demonstrate unique behaviors.
Post on Jul 19, 2011 by Darcie Larson
Puget Sound Orca Poop is a 'Treasure Trove' for Researchers
Scientists are looking for clues in killer whales' aquatic droppings as they try to determine why their numbers remain so low in Puget Sound. To sniff out these floating data dumps, researchers have turned to a furry colleague named Tucker.
Post on Jul 19, 2011 by Ashley Ahearn
The Killer Affecting Killer Whale Populations
Nothing excites whale researchers and whale fanatics more than seeing a new calf born into the pod. However, researchers have learned that calf survival rates are incredibly low, especially for the orca’s first born. The mother’s young calf often dies because of something the mother passes on to her offspring—PCBs.
Post on Jul 19, 2011 by Cathy Britt
