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Coastal Science Research in Alaska's National Parks

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Coastal Science Research in Alaska's National Parks National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Alaska Regional Office Alaska Park Science Anchorage, Alaska Coastal Science Research in Alaska's National Parks In this issue: Feathered Ambassadors of Arctic Coastal Parks 25 Connecting Youth to Coastal Resources in Western Arctic Parks 47 Changing Tides 87 ...and more. Volume 15, Issue 1 Table of Contents A Brief History of Coastal Marine Grant Projects ______________ 1 A Tale of Two Skeletons: Rearticulating Whale Bones ________________ 51 from Glacier Bay Benjamin Pister Christine Gabriele and Melissa Senac The Vulnerabilities of Cultural and Paleontological Resources _________ 11 to Coastal Climate Change Processes in Northwest Alaska Whales, Seals, and Vessels: Investigating ___________________________ 61 the Acoustic Ecology of Underwater Glacier Bay Michael J. Holt, Louise Farquharson, Dr. Thomas Urban, and Dael Devenport Christine Gabriele, Michelle Fournet, and Leanna Matthews Feathered Ambassadors of Arctic Coastal Parks ______________________ 25 Ocean Acidification in Glacier Bay __________________________________ 68 Stacia Backensto, Jeremy Mizel, Audrey Taylor, Megan Boldenow, Stacey Reisdorph and Martin Robards A Partnership to Remove Marine Debris ____________________________ 75 Understanding the Ecology of Arctic Coastal Lagoons ________________ 31 from Alaskan Coastal Parks through Fisheries Research and Monitoring Sharon Kim, Peter Neitlich, Carissa Turner, Miranda Terwilliger, Trevor Haynes, Tahzay Jones, Martin Robards, Jim Lawler, Benjamin Pister, Tahzay Jones, Janet Bering, and Lori Polasek Alex Whiting, Marguerite Tibbles, Mark Wipfli, and Peter Neitlich The Core of the Matter: Adventures in Coastal ______________________ 83 Promoting Spill Preparedness in Western Arctic Parks ________________ 39 Geology at Kenai Fjords National Park with the Community Integrated Coastal Response Project Christopher Maio, Richard Sullivan, and H. Sharon Kim Tahzay Jones, Peter Neitlich, and Paul Burger Changing Tides ___________________________________________________ 87 Connecting Youth to Coastal Resources in Western Arctic Parks _______ 47 Heather Coletti, Grant Hilderbrand, and Jim Pfeiffenberger Stacia Backensto, Dev Dharm Khalsa, and Melanie Flamme Cover photo: Tahzay Jones uses a water quality sonde to measure dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, temperature, and turbidity at Ikpek Lagoon in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. NPS photo courtesy of Jim Pfeiffenberger Two issues of Alaska Park Science are published a year. This issue of Alaska Park Science was funded Chukchi Sea by the National Park Service and a grant from the National Park Foundation, and produced by Alaska Geographic. Cape Krusenstern National Monument Contact Alaska Park Science at: Bering Land Bridge [email protected] National Preserve S K A L A A December 2016 Wrangell St.-Elias Lake Clark National Park and National Park Preserve Alaska Park Science and Preserve Glacier Bay Managing Editor: Nina Chambers National Park Guest Editors: Erin Kunish, Benjamin Pister and Preserve Editors: Stacia Backensto, Susan Sommer Kenai Fjords National Park Production Manager: Amanda Kramer Katmai National Designer: Tara Storter Park and Disclaimer: Articles published in Alaska Park Science have Preserve been reviewed by the National Park Service Alaska Region. Gulf of Alaska Publication in Alaska Park Science does not signify that the contents reflect the views of the National Park Service, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute Bering Sea National Park Service endorsement or recommendation. All issues of Alaska Park Science are posted for easy reading online at nps.gov/subjects/alaskaparkscience/index.htm About the Authors Stacia Backensto, Wildlife Biologist, Arctic Network Inventory and Jeremy Mizel, Avian Biologist, Arctic Network Inventory and Monitoring Program, National Park Service Monitoring Program, National Park Service Janet Bering, Technician, Alaska SeaLife Center Peter Neitlich, Natural Resources Program Manager/Ecologist, Western Arctic National Parklands, National Park Service Megan Boldenow, Graduate Student, Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Alaska Fairbanks Jim Pfeiffenberger, Education Coordinator, Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center, National Park Service Paul Burger, Hydrologist, Alaska Regional Office, National Park Service Benjamin Pister, Director, Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center, Heather Coletti, Ecologist, Southwest Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring National Park Service Program, National Park Service Lori Polasek, Marine Mammal Scientist, Alaska SeaLife Center and Dael Devenport, Archaeologist, Alaska Regional Office, National Park Service University of Alaska Fairbanks Louise Farquharson, PhD Candidate, Geophysical Institute Permafrost Laboratory, Stacey Reisdorph, Oceanographer, University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Alaska Fairbanks Martin Robards, Program Director, Arctic Beringia Program, Wildlife Michelle Fournet, PhD Student, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Conservation Society Oregon State University Melissa Senac, Tribal House Interpretation Coordinator, Glacier Bay National Park Christine Gabriele, Wildlife Biologist, Glacier Bay National Park, and Preserve, National Park Service National Park Service Richard Sullivan, Research Assistant II, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Trevor Haynes, Research Scientist, Arctic Beringia Program, Wildlife Conservation Society Audrey Taylor, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Alaska Anchorage Grant Hilderbrand, Office Chief, Marine Ecology, United States Geological Survey Miranda Terwilliger, Ecologist, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Michael Holt, Senior Archaeologist, Western Arctic National Parklands, National Park Service National Park Service Marguerite Tibbles, Research Technician, Arctic Beringia Program, Wildlife Tahzay Jones, Oceans and Coastal Coordinator, Alaska Regional Office, Conservation Society National Park Service Carissa Turner, Coastal Biologist, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Dev Dharm Khalsa, Visual Information Specialist, Alaska Public Lands National Park Service Information Center, National Park Service Thomas Urban, Geomorphologist/Ground Penetrating Radar Specialist, Sharon Kim, Chief of Resources, Kenai Fjords National Park, National Park Service Department of Geology, Cornell University Jim Lawler, Inventory and Monitoring Coordinator, Alaska Regional Office, Alex Whiting, Environmental Program Director, Environmental Protection National Park Service Department, Village of Kotzebue Christopher Maio, Assistant Professor Coastal Geography, University of Mark Wipfli, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Alaska Fairbanks Unit, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska-Fairbanks Leanna Matthews, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Biology, Syracuse University Melanie Flamme, Wildlife Biologist, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, National Park Service Long-term monitoring of coastal resources is critical to detecting trends and changes. NPS photo courtesy of Jim Pfeiffenberger Alaska Park Science, Volume 15, Issue 1 A Brief History of Coastal Marine Grant Projects NPS photo courtesy fo Jim Pfeiffenberger NPS photo courtesy fo Jim Pfeiffenberger By Benjamin Pister In 1999, the National Park Foundation, a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service (NPS), received settlement money from lawsuits against cruise ships for pollution and impact-related incidents in several locations, including Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. The money was designated for the scientific study and protection of National Park Service marine ecosystems and for the benefit of Alaskans and all visitors to Alaska’s national parks. Activities included scientific research, long-term monitoring, restoration, education, public outreach, and enforcement. Figure 2. Harbor seals haul out in Kenai Fjords National Park. The National Park Foundation invested the settlement money. Beginning in 2004, the earnings were used to (2004-2013). A complete list is also included to highlight Harbor Seals in Glacier Bay and Kenai Fjords support the Coastal Marine Grant Program for small the broad spectrum of successful projects. Projects National Parks marine projects (about $10,000 each) that didn’t fit the funded in 2014 are detailed in the following articles found With large soulful eyes and furry bodies juxtaposed requirements of other funding opportunities available throughout this issue of Alaska Park Science: on cold blue icebergs, harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) to parks. Since only the earnings were being spent, these are one of the most abundant and most photographed investment accounts weathered the Great Recession • Promoting spill preparedness in the western Arctic marine mammals in the Gulf of Alaska. Large, seasonal without losing value over the long-term; however, annual parks with the community integrated coastal aggregations of harbor seals are found in tidewater glacial distributions declined for several years. Beginning in response project fjords in Glacier Bay, Kenai Fjords, and Wrangell-St. 2006, the Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center • Understanding the ecology of Arctic coastal Elias national parks (Figure 2). Such fjords are popular (OASLC), an NPS entity devoted to the facilitation and
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