Environmental Assessment of the Alaskan Continental Shelf
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Environmental Assessment of the Alaskan 2V611 Continental Shelf Final Reports of Principal Investigators Volume 8. Biological Studies US. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE LI0 National oceanic & Atmospheric Administration O(TA Office of Marine Pollution Assessment C-) 0 n “SDWAWMU,0FMNT91MflI,I0* waa w.. c. ,.”0 . .. G.”l.. L U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management wu February 1981 The facts, conclusions and issues appearing in these reports are based on interim results of an Alaskan environmental studies program fian?cjed by the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAI-1) or th~ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Col:i~l~rce, and primarily funded by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Departnlen~ of Interior, through interagency agreement. DISCLAIMER Mention of a commercial company or product does not constitute an endorsement by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Use for publicity or advertising purposes of information from this publication concerning proprietary products or the tests of such products is not authorized. ii Volume 8 Biological Studies This is the second of a two volume final report for: RU# INVESTIGATOR(S) AGENCY Td?[& 467 Steven R. Johnson LGL Ecological Reaufort Sea- J.W. Richardson Research Associates, ~ar~’ier Island- Incorporated Lagoo! Ecological Processes Studies: Final !lcport, Simpson Lagoon Table of Contents SECTION TITLE AUTHOR(S) PAGE PART 5 Invertebrates W.B. Griffiths vi R.E. Dillinger PART 6 Primary Production and Nutrients W.B. Campell 199 PART 7 Synthesis, Impact Analysis and a Joe C, Truett 259 Monitoring Strategy iii BEAUFORT SEA BARRIER ISLAND-LAGOON ECOLOGICAL PROCESS STUDIES: FINAL REPORT, SIMPSON LAGOON RESEARCH UNIT 467 By LGL Ecological Research Associates, Inc. and LGL Ltd. Environmental Research Associates To Arctic Project Office Geophysical Institute University of Alaska, Fairbanks For Contract No. 03-6-022-35193 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (NOAA/OCSEAP); and, Bureau of Land Management March 1980 v PART 5. INVERTEBRATES W.B. Griffiths LGL Limited 2453 Beacon Avenue Sidney, British Columbia, Canada R.E. Dillinger LGL Ecological Research Associates 103 Pleasant Street Bryan, Texas 77801 March 1980 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page SUMMARY . .’, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . INTRODUCTION . Objectives . Relevance to Problems of Development . 1 CURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE . 1(3 STUDY AREA . 13 METHODS AND RATIONALE OF DATA COLLECTION . 17 Open-Water Season, 1977 . 17 Otter Trawl . 17 Faber Net . 17 Zooplankton Net . 18 Epibenthic Shore Transects . 18 Diver Transects . 1s Open-Water Season., 1978 . 18 Faber Net . 18 Drop Net . 21 Drift Net . 21 Amphipod Trap . 24 Diver Operations . 24 Winter Season, 1978-1979 . 25 Drop Net . 25 Amphipod Trap . 27 Wildco Dredge . 27 Dip Net . ?. 7 Airlift Samples . 27 Miscellaneous Collections . 28 Laboratory Techniques, 1977-1979 . 28 Sorting . 23 Measuring . 29 Biomass . 32 Limitations and Biases . 32 Drop Net . 33 Visual Estimates by Divers . 33 Airlift Samples . 34 Photographic Quadrats . 34 Amphipod Trap . 34 Wildco Dredge . ..s. 34 Laboratory Techniques . 35 Comparison of Sampling Techniques . 35 1 . TABLE OF CONTENTS (cent’d) RESULTS . 33 Under-Ice Distribution of Epibenthic Invertebrates . 38 Early Winter, 1978 . 38 Mid-Winter, 1979 . 40 Late Winter and Spring (April-Flay 1978-1979, June 1977-1978) . A 3 Winter Abundance and Biomass of Key Epibenthic Species . 49 Open-W&ter Season Movements, Distributions and Abundances of Epibenthic Invertebrates . 52 General Distribution and Behavior of Epibenthic Invertebrates . 53 Mysids . 56 Amphipods . 69 Transport of Invertebrates . 85 Trophic Relationships . 90 Biology of Key Invertebrate Species . 103 Distribution of@sLs Zitoralis and Mysis relieta . 103 Mzjsis Zitoralis . 104 Mysis relietia . 111 Onisimus glaeialis . ● ,,. 120 Other Species of Amphipods . 127 Bivalves . 134 Isopods . 137 Tunicates . 137 DISCUSSION . , . 138 Temperature . 138 Mysid: . 139 Amphipods . 140 Other Crustaceans . 141 Salinity . 143 Mysids . 143 Amphipods . 144 Other Crustaceans . 146 Tides and Currents . ..