Annual Report 1 July 2008–30 June 2009 Year 8 of Cooperative Agreement NA17RJ1224
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Annual Report 1 July 2008–30 June 2009 Year 8 of Cooperative Agreement NA17RJ1224 Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research University of Alaska Fairbanks Report from CIFAR to NOAA on the eighth year (No-Cost Extension) of Cooperative Agreement No. NA17RJ1224 1 July 2008–30 June 2009 Progress reported during Fiscal Year 2009 (including some activity that occurred in but was not reported during previous periods) September 2009 Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research P.O. Box 757740 University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK 99775-7740 www.cifar.uaf.edu Table of Contents Overview ................................................................................................................................................................................i Progress Reports Task I Education/Outreach, including CIFAR-IPY student/faculty projects ............................................................................1 Task II (None for this report.) Task III Research Themes Atmospheric and Climate Research........................................................................................................................... 31 Climate Modeling........................................................................................................................................................ 36 Fisheries Oceanography.............................................................................................................................................. 39 Hydrographic and Sea Ice Studies ............................................................................................................................. 44 Marine Ecosystem Studies.......................................................................................................................................... 47 Tsunami Research ....................................................................................................................................................... 51 Appendices 1. Personnel ................................................................................................................................................................. 73 2. Publication Activity ................................................................................................................................................ 75 3. PI Index.................................................................................................................................................................... 79 Cover art: “Pancake Ice and Arctic Cod,” a painting by Susan Farnham from an exhibit held October 2008 at the Well Street Art Company in Fairbanks, Alaska. The exhibit, based on the findings of the Arctic Ocean Diversity project, featured paintings by Farnham as well as photographs by several marine researchers, including CIFAR PIs Bodil Bluhm, Rolf Gradinger and Russ Hopcroft. More works from this exhibit and other art by Farnham can be seen at www.farnham-art.com/susan Report layout and production by Barb Hameister, CIFAR. Overview [In 2008, following a competitive application process, CIFAR was awarded a new 5-year cooperative agreement as the NOAA Alaska Regional Cooperative Institute. The new cooperative institute is called the “Cooperative Institute for Alaska Research,” to better reflect the Alaska regional aspect while retaining the acronym “CIFAR.” This report covers year 8, the final, “no-cost” extension year of cooperative agreement NA17RJ1224, of the Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research.] The Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research (CIFAR) was established through a Memorandum of Understanding between NOAA and the University of Alaska in April 1994. CIFAR is one of fourteen national NOAA, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)–University cooperative institutes. CIFAR is designed to foster collaboration between NOAA, the University of Alaska and others working in the Western Arctic (Alaska and the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas) and to conduct research relevant to NOAA’s mission as encompassed in our research themes. CIFAR cooperates with NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) in Seattle, the NOAA Arctic Research Office, the National Weather Service (NWS), and Alaska Fisheries Science Center (NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS) through the Auke Bay Laboratories (ABL). CIFAR is staffed by four people: John Walsh, director; Susan Sugai, associate director; Sherry Lynch, financial administrator; and Barb Hameister, publications and meetings manager. Since we are very distant from the closest NOAA lab and do not have in-house scientific staff, we conduct research in a different manner from other cooperative institutes. A primary mechanism is to involve researchers through a competitive process involving announcements of opportunity to the entire scientific community and to select projects by peer review. As a consequence, CIFAR research is conducted not only by the faculty and staff at the University of Alaska, but also at several other U.S. universities. CIFAR also provides an important mechanism for facilitating research collaboration between University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) scientists and other NOAA line offices, such as National Ocean Service (NOS), NWS, and NMFS. Research Themes Under cooperative agreement NA17RJ1224, research supported by CIFAR falls under several general research themes that characterize the scope of interest of the Institute. Thematic emphasis has changed somewhat from year to year but the themes have remained focused on the big problems of arctic research. Atmospheric and Climate Research Climate Modeling UV and Arctic Haze Studies • Arctic Oscillation • Coupled models • Ozone and UV radiation • Arctic clouds and energy • Model inter-comparisons • Arctic Haze balance • Paleoclimates Fisheries Oceanography Hydrographic and Sea Ice Studies • Global Ocean Ecosystem • Sea ice research Marine Ecosystem Studies Dynamics Program (GLOBEC) • Tides and currents • Southeast Bering Sea Carrying • Fisheries studies • Ocean fluxes and circulation Capacity (SEBSCC) • Bering Sea productivity Contaminant Effects Data Archiving and Support • Arctic pollution Tsunami Research • Effects on indicator species NOAA Mission Goals CIFAR research addresses all four of NOAA’s mission goals enumerated in the NOAA Strategic Plan. Each individual project report identifies which NOAA goal(s) are addressed, as well as a brief statement on societal benefits and/or the relevance of the research results to the needs of NOAA. 1. Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources through an Ecosystem Approach to Management 2. Understand Climate Variability and Change to Enhance Society’s Ability to Plan and Respond 3. Serve Society’s Needs for Weather and Water Information CIFAR Annual Report 1 July 2008–30 June 2009 i 4. Support the Nation’s Commerce with Information for Safe, Efficient, and Environmentally Sound Transportation This report covers activities for the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 during which no new funding was received for CIFAR under this cooperative agreement. Reports for on-going research projects funded in previous years that were granted no-cost extensions will be presented in this annual report. Highlights of CIFAR Task I Activities During this no cost extension year, our Task I administrative activities were focused upon preparing final annual reports and closing out awards under this cooperative agreement while moving forward under our new cooperative agreement NA08OAR4320751. Because there is some overlap in the reporting periods for the new and old cooperative agreements, we are reporting on outcomes like publications from the continuing projects here rather than in the year 1 report for the new cooperative agreement that covered the period 1 July 2008 to 31 March 2009 that we submitted in April 2009. Administrative activities were reported in the first progress report of the new cooperative agreement are not repeated here. Because CIFAR is located at UAF, we place high priority on our Task I competitively funded student traineeships that help prepare future human resource needs of NOAA and Alaska. During this no-cost extension year, funds that were not spent on other Task 1 activities were directed toward additional student support. Education/Outreach CIFAR has placed specific emphasis upon competitively supporting graduate and undergraduate students (in addition to those students supported on CIFAR research projects) whose research addresses issues that may not be limited to one NOAA line office or one academic program or unit. Because CIFAR is positioned within the University of Alaska system, we can bring together faculty and students from various departments and campuses to collaborate with NOAA scientists on research and educational efforts. To highlight the important role that students play in fulfilling NOAA’s mission goals, we have boldfaced the names of students in this overview of CIFAR accomplishments. Stock Assessment Training and Improvement In 2001, the National Marine Fisheries Service completed a Marine Fisheries Stock Assessment Improvement Plan, a comprehensive evaluation of resource needs and strategies for improving the quality and quantity of fisheries assessments nationwide. A central element of this plan was the development of collaborative research programs between NMFS and universities to ensure the training of students and the encouragement of innovative research. Responding to this report, the Alaska Fisheries Science