Oregon
Wacky Beach Basics: What These Everyday Sights Mean on Oregon Coast / Washington Coast
Published 08/02/23 at 7:31 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff
(Long Beach, Washington) – When it comes to beaches, to paraphrase from that old Sci-Fi show: the truth isn’t so much out there as it is down there. Something you see every single moment on the sands of the Washington coast or Oregon coast is quite possibly not what you think it is, and neither is one cluster of sea stuff that you often find.
Get ready for some revelatory science.
Just What Is Sea Foam – Really?
From those billowing piles of soapsuds along the Oregon coast or Washington coast in storm season, to the calmest of waves and their bubbles, all that is not pollution. Those new to traveling in the region often think there’s something wrong on these beaches – in fact, plenty of inland residents seem to hold this misconception too.
Sea foam is awesome and the sign of a healthy ocean. What it comes from often surprises. Those bubbly lines in our surf are created by the breakdown of the skeletons of tiny single-celled plants called phytoplankton. When high wind and waves churn air into the water, their dissolved organic matter helps to create bubbles.
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Protein from the dead microscopic plants increase the seawater’s surface tension, producing bubbles when air is added. A lot of it comes from viscosity, but without the shells of deceased microscopic plants you’d see very little of the beautiful stuff.
Awe-inspiring oddities can happen more often in winter and in the spring with sea foam, thanks to those phytoplankton. According to the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, these tend to bloom in greater numbers in the spring, and seasonal storms at that time of year can result in incredible sights such as foam so frothy it moves like flurries of snow across the beaches and highways.
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Storms are so monstrous in winter it often happens then as well.
One of the coolest sights on the Oregon coast or Washington coast is seeing gigantic piles of bubbles just roaming across the scenery, kicked around by the wind or shoved forward and backwards by the surf. They almost look like they’re alive and moving on purpose.
Odd Piles of Things Onshore
Oregon Coast Beach Connection
Winter arrives on the Washington coast or Oregon coast, and then you’ll start to see interesting masses of stuff just washing onshore. You know those giant whip-like things that almost appear to have heads? That is bull kelp, and they create some weird-looking masses on the waterline, as if they were some herd of creatures out there that made lemming-like runs for the non-ocean environment – like some baffling mass stranding.
Bull Kelp and Their Upside Down Forests
Bull kelp are a large, brown algae that grow in “forests” near the shore. However, they are upside down forests.
These kelp are annuals, completing their life cycle in one season, and they can grow up to 20 meters (60 feet) in one year. At the bottom, their branching “holdfasts” anchor the kelp, although some are torn free in storms. Their long stipes (stems) tangle together to form large piles, as you see here on this page.
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Their floats have a high proportion of carbon monoxide to keep the blades (leaves) near the surface for photosynthesis. Their smooth, roundish shapes, when bobbing in the ocean, are sometimes confused with seals.
Oregon Coast Science Experts: What is Sea Foam?
Once they pile up onshore – in places like the south Oregon coast’s Whaleshead Beach, Bandon or up farther north at Newport or Long Beach, Washington – they start to dry out. These piles can get pretty smelly sometimes.
However, that doesn’t stop many a sibling from trying to smack the other with one of these. It’s kind’a gross, but they are irresistible fun.
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Oregon
Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon under a high wind watch Monday and Tuesday
The National Weather Service issued a high wind watch at 9:29 p.m. on Sunday valid from Monday 4 p.m. until Tuesday 10 a.m. for Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon.
The weather service states, “Southeast winds 25 to 40 mph with gusts of 45 to 65 mph possible for the base of the northern Blue Mountains of Oregon.”
“Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,” describes the weather service. “Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates.”
Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.
Oregon
Rewalking Oregon’s path to College Football Playoff
No. 1 Oregon will face No. 8 Ohio State in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
With the rematch officially set, we’re taking a look back at the path the Ducks (13-0) took to reach the CFP as the top seed.
The season began with a clunky 24-14 win over Idaho. The right side of the offensive line was responsible for multiple penalties and three sacks to an FCS opponent that made for an unnecessarily difficult opener, even as Dillon Gabriel threw for 380 yards with two touchdowns to Tez Johnson.
Special teams rescued the Ducks in a 37-34 comeback over Boise State. Ashton Jeanty had 192 yards and three touchdowns to legitimize his Heisman candidacy. An 85-yard punt return touchdown by Johnson and a 100-yard kickoff return by Noah Whittington and recovery in the end zone by Jayden Limar erased a fourth quarter deficit. The offensive line made constant changes while allowing four sacks and committing five penalties in the unit’s most disjointed performance in years.
The early issues up front were gone as Iapani Laloulu took over at center in a 49-14 plastering of Oregon State. Gabriel threw for two touchdowns and ran for one as the offense gained 546 yards with 10 plays of 20-plus. The defense shutdown the Beavers ground game in the second half and UO secured its first win in Corvallis since 2018.
Following its first bye week of the season, Oregon officially opened Big Ten play at UCLA with a 34-13 rout at the Rose Bowl. A 28-3 lead was more than enough for the Ducks to coast and they held the Bruins to just 47 rushing yards.
Jordan James and Jordan Burch took center stage in a 31-10 Friday night drubbing of Michigan State at Autzen Stadium. James had 166 yards and a touchdown and Burch had 2.5 sacks and recovered a fumble. Two red zone interceptions by Gabriel made things briefly more competitive but the Ducks pulled away to setup a clash of undefeated titans.
The Oct. 12 game with Ohio State lived up to the billing as the top game of the season. There were seven lead changes in the 32-31 Ducks win over the Buckeyes, who were driving in the closing seconds and Will Howard slid at the UO 26 with time expiring. A deliberate 12 men on the field penalty by Oregon led to an in-season rules interpretation by the NCAA and provided further evidence of Dan Lanning’s preparation relative to Ryan Day. Even without Burch, who suffered a knee injury two days before the game, the Ducks were able to generate some pressure on Howard.
A Friday night trip to West Lafayette, Ind. will be remembered as Oregon’s first shutout since 2012. Purdue was hapless, throwing for less than 100 yards. Even with Traeshon Holden suspended and Terrance Ferguson out following an appendectomy, the Ducks were vastly better in every facet.
A 38-9 blowout of Illinois was filled with physicality in all phases. The defense had seven tackles for loss with three sacks, two interceptions and eight pass breakups to help build a 35-3 halftime lead.
Ferguson and Burch returned in a 38-17 beat down of Michigan at the Big House. The Ducks also suffered injuries to Johnson and Marcus Harper II but still managed to gain 470 yards and did not allow a sack against one of the best defensive lines in college football.
Gabriel broke the NCAA career touchdown record in a 39-18 win over Maryland. A season-high 12 penalties, particularly a couple of pass interference calls in the end zone, made the game more competitive than it truly was and Burch sprained his ankle.
Another fourth quarter comeback was required to escape Wisconsin with a 16-13 win. Gabriel found Ferguson on fourth and nine to open the fourth quarter and the defense closed it out with back-to-back three-and-outs, a fourth down stop and interception by Matayo Uiagalelei to cap an eighth straight conference win in as many weeks.
The second bye week allowed for Johnson to return for a 49-21 rout of Washington to cap a 12-0 regular season with Dan Lanning’s first win in the rivalry. Burch had 2.5 of Oregon’s 10 sacks and Uiagalelei had two. The Huskies ran for just 43 yards and could not stretch the field vertically.
A battle of top 10 defenses instead was a shootout in the Big Ten championship game, which Oregon won over Penn State 45-37 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Gabriel threw four touchdowns, with three going to tight ends, and the defense had two interceptions to help secure the conference title, No. 1 seed in the CFP and Rose Bowl berth.
CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl
- Who: No. 1 Oregon Ducks (13-0) vs. No. 8 Ohio State (11-2)
- When: Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Time: 2 p.m. PT
- Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
- TV channel: ESPN
- Stream: You can watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or by signing up for Sling (cheapest streaming plans, $25 off your first month). If you already have cable, you can also watch this game live on Watch ESPN with your cable or satellite provider login information.
- Oregon Ducks football 2024 season schedule, scores
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— James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
Oregon
Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Betting Odds: Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff
The Oregon Ducks will face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. The Buckeyes handled business in the first round of the College Football Playoff and will now face the Ducks in the quarterfinals. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. PT on New Year’s Day.
What do the Vegas oddsmakers say about the upcoming matchup between Oregon and Ohio State?
The Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes will play in the Rose Bowl for a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Buckeyes are coming off a 42-17 dismantling of the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the CFP. That performance was enough for Ohio State to now be a slight favorite over the No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks.
It’s nearly a pick ‘em, but Ohio State is a one-point favorite as of now. The over/under is set at 53.5 points.
The odds makers have loved the Buckeyes all season, and they still do. Not only is Ohio State a slight favorite over Oregon, they also have better odds to win the national championship.
Texas is the overall favorite to win the national championship with odds of +340. Ohio State has the second best odds of +380. Oregon is third with odds of +400.
MORE: Oregon Ducks Land Transfer Defensive Lineman Bear Alexander From USC
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MORE: How Oregon Ducks Landed Transfer Portal Star Isaiah World Over Texas A&M Aggies
Oregon and Ohio State treated the country to one of the best games of the 2024 regular season when they played in October. The Ducks outlasted the Buckeyes in a 32-31 thriller at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
The Ducks were underdogs in that game too, but prevailed and won outright. Now, the two will play against each other in the “Granddaddy of Them All” in the Rose Bowl. The winner will play the winner of the Texas-Arizona State game in the semi-finals.
What are the other games in the quarterfinal slate?
The quarterfinals in the College Football Playoff will kick off when No. 3 Boise State plays No. 6 Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl at 4:30 p.m. PT on Dec. 31.
The New Year will start off with No. 5 Texas and No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl at 10 a.m. PT on Jan. 1.
Following the Rose Bowl between Oregon and Ohio State to finish off the quarterfinals is No. 2 Georgia and No. 7 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl at 5:45 p.m. PT on New Year’s Day.
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MORE: Why Oregon Ducks Five-Star Receiver Dallas Wilson To Flip To Florida Gators?
MORE: San Francisco 49ers To Draft Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dillon Gabriel? Brock Purdy Contract
MORE: Oregon Ducks Fans Color To Wear In Rose Bowl Vs. Ohio State Or Tennessee in Pasadena
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