1427 LTM SOW for Web
Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427 NPRB Use Only Proposal Ref.No: 926 Submitted: February 14, 2014 Received: July 01, 2014 12:00 AM Title: Measuring the pulse of Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line Period: July 2014 - June 2019 Name, Address, Telephone Number and Email Address of Applicant: Tobey-Jean Priest, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute, P.O. Box 757320 , Fairbanks, Alaska, 99775, phone: (907) 474-2733, [email protected] Lead Principal Investigator: (Include name, affiliation and email address): Russell R Hopcroft, University of Alaska Fairbanks [University of Alaska Fairbanks], Institute of Marine Science, School of Fiheries and Oceans, Professor, [email protected] Principal Investigator(s): (Include name, affiliation and email address):
1. Russell R Hopcroft, University of Alaska Fairbanks [University of Alaska Fairbanks], Institute of Marine Science, School of Fiheries and Oceans, Professor, [email protected] 2. Seth Danielson, University of Alaska Fairbanks [University of Alaska Fairbanks], Institute of Marine Science, School of Fiheries and Oceans, Research Assistant Professor, [email protected] 3. Kenneth O Coyle, University of Alaska Fairbanks [University of Alaska Fairbanks], Institute of Marine Science, School of Fiheries and Oceans, Research Assistant Professor, [email protected] 4. Kathy Kuletz, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service [U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service], Migratory Bird Management, Alaska Region, Wildlife Biologist, [email protected] 5. Suzanne L Strom, Western Washington University [Western Washington University], Shannon Point Marine Center, Senior Marine Scientist, [email protected]
Research Priority: Summary of Proposed Work:
Our understanding of community level changes would not be possible without long-term observation programs (LTOPs), the full value of which have only become apparent in recent years. This proposal seeks to continue the Seward Line multi-disciplinary long-term oceanographic sampling program in the Gulf of Alaska, to provide insights into ongoing ecosystem changes in the North Pacific. The program, now entering its 17th season, monitors the physics, chemistry, phytoplankton, metazooplankton, seabird and marine mammal communities during two key seasons annually: spring (May) and late summer (September). The assemblage of sampling sites describe the cross-shelf habitat of the northern Gulf of Alaska, and the adjoining Prince William Sound ecosystems. Here we propose to add assessment of the microzooplankton, a critical linkage between the phytoplankton and metazoan zooplankton, and formalize the funding of seabird observations. We seek to understand how changes in short- and long-term climatology propagate through the physical and chemical environment to influence the composition and quantity of life at lower trophic levels. On the deep Alaska shelf, it is these planktonic communities that, directly or indirectly, support the species of fish, seabirds and marine mammals that are iconic for the state. The Seward Line program provides the sea-going infrastructure for the Gulf of Alaska’s Ocean Acidification Program, as well as a creating a heavily-subscribed opportunity for graduate students to gain hands-on oceanographic experience. We seek the returning support of NPRB as the third major contributor to a consortium that supports these efforts.
Community and Stakeholder Involvement: Community and Stakeholder Involvement: The Seward Line provides local indices of ocean condition to communities and individuals dependent on resources in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Although the Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427 stakeholder community was not directly involved in the initial phases of the Seward Line (i.e. 1997-2004), community and agency feedback acknowledging the value of the project has occurred for the past decade. Such feedback resulted in the expansion of sampling efforts within Prince William Sound that began in 2010. We plan to further intact with the communities closest to the study area (Kodiak, Seward, & Cordova) during the next 5 years by visiting and presenting in those communities, not only about the Seward Line, but also about Climate Change.
Links to NPRB Projects: The Seward Line is a continuation of projects 520, 603, 708, 804, 1002, it is an embedded component of projects G83 and G85
The Seward Line collaborates with CPR PI Sonia Batten, and thus projects 302, 536, 601, 803, 903, & 1001 – data is complementary, not duplicative
The Seward Line project collects euphausiids, making its data relevant to Project 806, 1208
The Seward Line provides temporal perspective to a number of seabird projects e.g. 637,
The Seward Line contributed to project 902 – North Pacific Status report
The Seward Line provided validation data to a number of modeling projects 614, 805
It contributed data to project 1024, covariation in Alaskan and North Pacific ecosystems
It provided context to moored ocean acidification studies project 1004
Total Funding Requested From NPRB: $999,454.00
1. University of Alaska Fairbanks: $605,033.00 2. Western Washington University: $229,595.00 3. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: $164,826.00
Total Other Support: $135,000.00
1. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: $135,000.00
Proposal Applicant Signature and Affiliation: ______Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
1 Project Title. Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the 2 Seward Line (short title: Seward Line) 3 Proposal Summary. 4 Our understanding of community level changes would not be possible without long-term observation 5 programs (LTOPs), the full value of which have only become apparent in recent years. This proposal 6 seeks to continue the Seward Line multi-disciplinary long-term oceanographic sampling program in the 7 Gulf of Alaska, to provide insights into ongoing ecosystem changes in the North Pacific. The program, 8 now entering its 17th season, monitors the physics, chemistry, phytoplankton, metazooplankton, seabird 9 and marine mammal communities during two key seasons annually: spring (May) and late summer 10 (September). The assemblage of sampling sites describe the cross-shelf habitat of the northern Gulf of 11 Alaska, and the adjoining Prince William Sound ecosystems. Here we propose to add assessment of the 12 microzooplankton, a critical linkage between the phytoplankton and metazoan zooplankton, and formalize 13 the funding of seabird observations. We seek to understand how changes in short- and long-term 14 climatology propagate through the physical and chemical environment to influence the composition and 15 quantity of life at lower trophic levels. On the deep Alaska shelf, it is these planktonic communities that, 16 directly or indirectly, support the species of fish, seabirds and marine mammals that are iconic for the 17 state. The Seward Line program provides the sea-going infrastructure for the Gulf of Alaska’s Ocean 18 Acidification Program, as well as a creating a heavily-subscribed opportunity for graduate students to 19 gain hands-on oceanographic experience. We seek the returning support of NPRB as the third major 20 contributor to a consortium that supports these efforts. 21 The Problem: 22 We live in a constantly changing world, influenced by a combination of stochastic events, natural 23 cycles, longer-term oscillations, and the accelerating impact of human activities. Once thought to house 24 relatively stable ecosystems, the oceans are now known to fluctuate between multiple states or “regimes” 25 apparently coupled to major climatic shifts such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). This 26 knowledge derived initially from long-term and global views of physical changes in the ocean and 27 atmosphere, but most importantly from long-term biological observations that demonstrate the impact of 28 “regime shifts” (Francis & Hare 1994; Manuta et al. 1997). Such regime shifts may be common (Hare & 29 Mantua 2000), and we are beginning to appreciate the mechanisms by which these physical changes 30 impact ecosystems (McGowan et al. 1998; Beaugrand 2004). 31 Our understanding of community level changes would not be possible without long-term observation 32 programs (LTOPs), whose value is becoming increasingly apparent as our understanding of ecosystem 33 change and its drivers becomes more sophisticated. Biological time-series such as the North Atlantic CPR 34 (Beaugrand 2004), the North Pacific CalCOFI (McGowan et al. 1998), Station/Line P (Mackas et al. 35 2004), and the younger CPR program (Batten & Feeland 2007) in the subarctic Pacific are proving 36 invaluable at documenting regime shift-related changes in species distributions (Beaugrand & Reid 2003) 37 and timing of life histories (Mackas et al. 1998). In the Gulf of Alaska, the 1976 regime shift resulted in a 38 change from a shrimp-dominated fishery to one dominated by pollock, salmon and halibut. Understanding 39 how complex pelagic ecosystems work, and how they might be affected by climate change, was the 40 fundamental goal of the Global Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) program that occupied the Seward Line 41 from 1997 to 2004. One of the core hypotheses of that program revolved around the observed out-of- 42 phase covariance of the production regimes of zooplankton (Brodeur et al. 1996), and of the fish 43 populations such as salmon that feed on them (Hare et al. 1999). The existence of a second regime shift 44 during the past decade, to a new bimodal state dominated by the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (Di 45 Lorenzo et al. 2008), still remains debated. 46 Our proposed research will continue the multi-disciplinary long-term oceanographic sampling 47 program in the Gulf of Alaska, to provide insights into ongoing ecosystem changes in the North Pacific. 48 The work specifically addresses the NPRB mission of building a clearer understanding of the dynamics of 49 the North Pacific ecosystems that enables effective long-term management and sustainable use of marine 50 resources through the long-term multidisciplinary monitoring of marine environment.
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51 Objectives 52 Support ship transects along the Seward Line Fig.1. The Seward Line’s 53 (Fig. 1) and within Prince William Sound primary stations, with 54 (PWS) twice per year (spring and late locations of process studies 55 summer). Sampling activities will: in pink. Orange station 56 • Determine thermohaline, velocity, and were added in 2012 . 57 nutrient structure of the Seward Line 58 across the Gulf of Alaska shelf, and at 59 stations throughout PWS 60 • Determine phytoplankton biomass and size 61 distribution (chlorophyll) 62 • Determine the distribution and abundance of 63 micro-zooplankton. 64 • Determine the distribution and abundance of 65 meta-zooplankton 66 • Support determination of carbonate 67 chemistry (i.e. ocean acidification) 68 • Determine distribution and composition of 69 seabirds (& marine mammals) along the 70 Seward Line, PWS and Kenai coastline 71 • Provide at-sea experience for graduate 72 students within the University of Alaska 73 Hypotheses 74 • Climate variations propagate through changes in physical and chemical oceanography, impacting 75 the biological communities in the Gulf of Alaska in terms of composition, magnitude and phenology 76 • Cross-shelf zonation arises from gradients in the availability of nutrients as well as mixing energy, 77 and is associated with significant gradients in the composition and biomass of phyto-, micro- and 78 mesozooplankton; these in turn result in cross-shelf gradients in seabird communities. 79 • Standing stocks of plankton communities along the Seward Line, and within Prince William Sound, 80 provide useful indices of favorable conditions for higher trophic levels such as fish and seabirds. 81 Data Need and Application. 82 The Gulf of Alaska (GoA) shelf supports a rich and diverse ecosystem that sustains one of the world’s 83 largest commercial fisheries (e.g. Brodeur & Ware, 1992). Oceanographically, the region is complex, 84 with winter storms leading to persistent coastal “downwelling” that relaxes during summer. The shelf 85 consists of three dynamically distinct zones extending from the coast to the continental slope. The inner 86 shelf consists of the swift, westward-flowing Alaska Coastal Current (ACC), forced by coastal freshwater 87 runoff and extending from 10-40 km offshore. A middle shelf domain between the ACC front and the 88 shelfbreak front is highly variable (Stabeno et al. 2004) due to eddies spun off the ACC by capes and 89 meanders, as well as shelfbreak eddies (Okkonen et al. 2003; Ladd et al. 2007). The outer shelf consists of 90 the shelfbreak front and waters flowing westward as part of the Alaska Current-Alaskan Stream, with 91 decreasing transport as one moves into the high-nutrient low-chlorophyll Alaska Gyre. 92 The Seward Line represents the most comprehensive long-term multidisciplinary sampling program 93 in the Coastal Gulf of Alaska. It allows observation of changes in the oceanography of this region that is 94 critical to Alaska’s fisheries, subsistence and tourist economies. Seward Line observations over the past 95 17 years have fundamentally revised our understanding of the coastal Gulf of Alaska ecosystem, allowing 96 us an appreciation of not only its major properties and environmental drivers, but also their interannual 97 variability (e.g. Weingartner et al. 2005; Childers et al. 2005; Strom et al. 2007a; Coyle & Pinchuk, 2003, 98 2005; Pinchuk et al. 2008; Janout et al. 2010; Doubleday & Hopcroft, submitted). Initial studies along the 99 Seward Line established the growth rates and production potential of the dominant metazoan zooplankton
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100 (i.e. Liu & Hopcroft, 2006a,b, 2007, station 101 2008; Pinchuk & Hopcroft, 2006, 2007), GAK1 GAK2 102 and demonstrated the importance of PWS “dog-legs” GAK3 103 microzooplankton both as consumers of into a different GAK4 dimension GAK5 104 phytoplankton (Strom et al. 2007b) and GAK6 105 as prey for the dominant metazoan GAK7 106 zooplankters in this ecosystem (Liu et GAK8 GAK9 107 al. 2005, 2008). A fundamental GAK10 108 discovery has been the profound cross- GAK11 GAK12 109 shelf zonation that characterizes the GAK13 110 coastal Gulf of Alaska. The confluence MS2 PWS1 111 of open Gulf waters high in macro- HB2 112 nutrients with freshwater runoff rich in KIP2 113 iron gives rise to zonation in nutrient PWS2 114 availability that is closely tied to the 2D Stress: 0.18 115 physiological condition and species 116 composition of the phytoplankton Fig. 2. Non-parametric Multidimensional Scaling of Multinet 117 (Strom et al. 2007a; 2010). These zooplankton community similarity, springs 1998-2012, 118 distinct shelf regimes also host different indicating the general pattern of cross shelf separation from 119 zooplankton communities (Fig.2) likely the nearshore (green) to offshore ( dark blue), and the unique 120 related to prey fields (phyto- and trajectory for Prince William Sound stations (yellow). 121 microzooplankton) and the intertwined 122 dynamics of cross- and along-shelf flow (e.g. Mackas & Coyle 2006), the specifics of which are being 123 pursued by NPRB’s Gulf of Alaska project (within which Hopcroft and Strom are both PIs). Our ability 124 to model the physical and biological attributes of this system have also improved considerably over this 125 period (e.g. Coyle et al. 2012, 2013). Most recently, the Gulf of Alaska program has confirmed that the 126 Seward line is not atypical of the western coastal Gulf (Fig.3). 127 To date, we have observed both unusually warm and cold years (Fig.4), which influence the timing of 128 the planktonic communities, but not necessarily their ultimate abundance or biomass (Fig.5). The 129 challenge at this point is no longer simply documenting HOW the system varies from years to year, but 130 understanding WHY the system varies as it does, and particularly what the consequences are for species 131 such as juvenile salmon that use this habitat during various portions of their life history (Armstrong et 132 al.2005; Cross et al. 2005). The quantity and composition of both late spring and summer zooplankton,
May - average upper 100m (°C) 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5
Seward Line Seward Station 4 3 2 1 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 Fig. 3. Abundance of Neocalanus in May Fig. 4. Average temperature of the upper 100 m of 2011 suggests the Seward Line is repre- the Seward Line over the 16 years of observations. sentative of the western shelf region.
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300 N. plumchrus & N. flemingeri - Inner Shelf 6 20 09 )
-3 250
4 2 006 200 2 002 1998 2 004
2 2 007 150
1 999 20 00 100 0 2010 2 011 200 3 2 005 2 001 50 -2 2008 r2=0.42 Pink Survival anomaly (%) Survival Pink Mean Abundance(No m
0 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 Neocalanus anomaly (# m-3) Fig. 5. Abundance of Neocalanus from the Fig. 6. Abundance anomaly of Neocalanus from inner 4 Seward Line stations. Red bar is the the inner Seward Line verses the survival long term means with 95% CI. anomaly of PWS hatchery-release pink salmon 133 appear to be significantly correlated with PWS hatchery Pink Salmon survival in this region (Fig.6). 134 Thus, springtime abundance of zooplankton along the Seward Line appears to be an index of generally 135 favorable years for higher trophic levels throughout the Gulf of Alaska. The larger NPRB Gulf of Alaska 136 program, for which the Seward Line serves as an oceanographic foundation, is exploring broader regional 137 patterns as well as searching for relationships between oceanographic conditions and the recruitment of 138 various forage and commercial fish species (i.e. arrowtooth flounder, Pacific cod, Pacific ocean perch, 139 sablefish, and walleye pollock). 140 As highly visible apex predators, seabirds with their different diets and foraging behaviors, further 141 link ocean hydrography, chemistry, primary productivity, lower trophic levels, and fisheries (Piatt et al. 142 2008, Gonzales-Solis and Shaffer 2009). Thus, while the Seward Line program is unable to deploy gear 143 of sufficient size to monitor fisheries directly, its long-standing seabird observations are providing a rich 144 contemporary data set for species whose distribution reflects to some extent that of their prey. For 145 example, the piscivorous common murre (Uria aalge) is more common inshore, while and the plankti- 146 vorous fork-tailed storm petrel (Oceanodroma furcata) prefers more offshore waters (Fig.7). Interannual 147 variability in seabird distribution has not been closely examined for the Seward Line study area. This 148 proposal is the first to formally integrate upper trophics into sampling and analysis of Seward Line. 149 Project Design and Conceptual Approach. 150 Core program: The Seward Line Program consists of 13 primary and 9 secondary stations along the 151 Seward Line, and 12 stations Prince William Sound (eastern PWS stations were added in 2012) sampled 152 in May and early September from the USFWS vessel Tiglax. Inherent in the concept of an LTOP program 153 is the ability to assess effects of climate variation (hypothesis #1). Beyond this long-term aspect, the 154 sampling program is designed to capture the major gradients in lower tropic level production as estimated 155 from broad-scale analyses of satellite ocean color imagery (assumed to represent phytoplankton 156 production gradients). This design will allow us to investigate the mechanisms by which variations in 157 physical and chemical conditions translate into changes in the composition and abundance of organisms 158 in the planktonic food web (hypothesis #2), and how seabirds integrate and reflect these changes 159 (hypothesis #3). The first-order driver of production variability is the intense seasonality of the system 160 (Brickley & Thomas, 2004; Waite & Meuter, 2013). Our cruises capture the major spring-late summer 161 gradient in this seasonality, while retaining a focus on important periods for the life cycles of various 162 zooplankton species. The early May period was selected to capture the peak productivity associated with 163 the spring bloom. The consistent timing of the May cruise has allowed us to look at phenological shifts 164 (i.e. Mackas et al. 2012; hypothesis #1) in the large Neocalanus copepods that dominate the spring 165 (Hopcroft & Coyle, in prep). September cruise captures the end of the low productivity oceanographic 166 summer, when smaller phyto- and zooplankton dominate, and precedes the stormy fall overturn. Changes 167 in the microzooplankton community are likely to accompany this seasonal gradient, as hinted at in earlier
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168 work showing, e.g., increasing abundance of large dinoflagellates (including specialist diatom predators) 169 in summer relative to spring (Strom et al. 2007b). 170 Dominant spatial gradients in the coastal Gulf of Alaska are the east-west contrast (beyond the scope 171 of this sampling program to explore, but a central concern of the GOA-IERP program) and the cross-shelf 172 zonation (Brickley & Thomas, 2004; Waite & Meuter, 2013). Our station layout is explicitly designed to 173 capture the important cross-shelf divisions (described above), as well as incorporating Prince William 174 Sound as a largely enclosed, marine “end member” of this coastal continuum. Mating biological 175 observations (i.e. plankton community composition) directly to physical and chemical sampling is 176 allowing us to define these zones according to their oceanographic properties rather than fixed geographic 177 coordinates (Hopcroft & Coyle, in prep). This is crucial in a region where variations in cross-shelf 178 transport, down- or upwelling intensity, and mesoscale eddy activity can shift frontal boundaries rapidly 179 (Stabeno et al. 2004). This sampling design also enables several types of ‘higher order’ data analysis, 180 including application of the MDS approach shown in Fig. 2 to other elements of the ecosystem (phyto- 181 and microzooplankton, and even seabirds), and comparison of diversity indices and species assemblages 182 among zones. Analysis of May zooplankton communities (Fig. 2) shows strong correlations to distance- 183 from-shore and salinity, but little relationship to atmospheric or upwelling indices (Hopcroft & Coyle, in 184 prep). It is likely that still longer periods of observation are required for broad-scale atmospheric indices 185 to emerge, or that they simply have little impact on the GoA Shelf (Stabeno et al. 2004), although we are 186 still examining more local-scale forcing (e.g. winds beyond simple upwelling indices, shelf-break eddies). 187 Analyses such as those underway help us understand how environmental effects (i.e. oceanographic 188 conditions and their variability) relate to higher-order ecological properties such as spatial and temporal 189 coherence of communities, resilience and diversity (e.g. Beaugrand et al. 2010; Wiltshire et al. 2008). 190 Oceanographic sampling 191 methodology has remained 192 stable since sampling began in 193 the fall of 1997 (i.e. 194 Weingartner et al. 2002), 195 although the logistics of vessel 196 availability (Tiglax) has pushed 197 summer sampling from mid- 198 August to early/mid-September. 199 All hydrographic and bottle- 200 based work is conducted during 201 the day, as well as collection of 202 the smaller zooplankton species 203 that do not migrate vertically, 204 and do not avoid collection. 205 Seabird and mammal obser- 206 vations are made during station 207 transits. At night, sampling is 208 conducted for the larger and 209 more mobile zooplankton, many 210 of which can only be sampled 211 efficiently during their daily 212 migration toward the surface 213 under the cover of darkness. 214 Although this protocol results in 215 some backtracking along the 216 transect line, it ensures that all Fig. 7. From 2006-2012 the USFWS joined a total of 9 Seward Line 217 stations can be employed in cruises, with 1,577 km surveyed in spring and 2,801 km in fall. 218 analysis without biases arising Species-specific habitat usage is apparent within the dataset.
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219 from diel cycles. At present, there are no autonomous or remote sensing technologies that allow sufficient 220 sampling of the biological components of this program – they can only be adequately assessed by vessel- 221 based observations. Nonetheless, the Seward Line program provides the opportunity for testing and 222 validating any such technologies as they become available. 223 Hydrography and nutrients 224 Each station will include high-resolution vertical profiling of water properties (including temperature, 225 salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, PAR, O2) to within 4 m of the bottom using a Seabird 911Plus CTD 226 with dual temperature, conductivity and oxygen sensors. Dissolved inorganic nutrients (phosphate, silicic 227 acid, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium) and carbonate chemistry (a.k.a “Ocean Acidification”) will be collected 228 from rosette bottles that will sample at 10 m depths in the upper 50 m, and at irregularly spaced but 229 consistent depths to the bottom. Oxygen samples will be collected from rosette bottles for calibration of 230 high-resolution sensors. Nutrient samples will be collected, frozen, and transported to laboratories at 231 NOAA PMEL in Seattle for analysis. Nutrients and oxygen will be measured according to specifications 232 set forth in the World Ocean Circulation Experiment WOCE (Gordon et al. 1994; 233 http://chemoc.coas.oregonstate.edu: 16080/~lgordon/cfamanual/whpmanual.pdf). The autoanalyzers used 234 at PMEL are continuous flow analyzers with segmented flow and colorimetric detection, and have been 235 successfully used to collect high-precision nutrient data for WOCE, CLIVAR, GLOBEC, and FOCI. 236 The physical and chemical data will be used to quantify the seasonal, interannual, and along- and 237 cross-shelf distributions of water masses and their variability. Inter-decadal time scales will also be 238 addressed through the use of ship-based sea surface temperatures, upwelling indices, the Pacific Decadal 239 Oscillation (and other atmospheric indices), oceanographic buoy data, and the EVOS-supported 240 continuous measurements at GAK 1. Although limited to surface observations, satellite sensor data will 241 be used to place our shipboard data in broader spatial and temporal contexts. These data, combined with 242 atmospheric and oceanographic model reanalysis hindcasts, help characterize additional aspects of the 243 system that we do not directly measure. This holistic approach to interpreting the physical environment is 244 critical to a physics-to-birds understanding of the Gulf of Alaska ecosystem. 245 Chlorophyll 246 Chlorophyll a is the most widely used index of phytoplankton, and one of the few biological 247 parameters that can be sensed in situ or remotely by satellites. Chlorophyll a concentrations will be 248 measured at all stations as a measure of phytoplankton biomass and as a means to calibrate in vivo 249 fluorescence sensors on CTD packages. We will coordinate sampling depths with water column chemistry 250 measurements (i.e. at 10 m intervals in the upper 50 m). Samples will be collected with the rosette on up- 251 casts, filtered at low pressure onto GF/F filters. At selected stations chlorophyll will be size-fractionated 252 through 20 µm pore-size polycarbonate filters to estimate biomass partitioning into ≥20 and <20 µm size 253 classes. Previous work has shown that these two size classes respond to different sets of environmental 254 conditions and have different fates in the coastal Gulf of Alaska food web (Strom et al. 2007b, 2010). In 255 the past, chlorophyll samples have been stored frozen for post-cruise fluorometric analysis (Parsons et al. 256 1984). Recently concerns have been raised about degradation of pigments by this approach (Wasmund & 257 Topp, 2006). To address this concern, we will begin the extraction process immediately after filtration 258 and perform measurements at sea, while continuing to freeze and extract a subset of samples to ascertain 259 the possible extent of such biases. 260 Phytoplankton and Microzooplankton abundance, biomass and community composition 261 Determination of phyto- and microzooplankton composition and biomass provides information on the 262 functioning of the ecosystem, and responses to environmental forcing. Knowledge of phytoplankton 263 composition will allow us to relate physical processes (mixing, light availability) and nutrient supplies to 264 the nature of the production response. As described above, large chain diatoms may be particularly 265 important in connecting pelagic production with the benthos. Large heterotrophic dinoflagellates can 266 respond strongly to diatom blooms; their biomass will indicate potential grazing impact of 267 microzooplankton on diatom blooms, a major trophic transfer pathway in coastal GOA waters sampled so
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268 far (Strom et al. 2001; Strom et al. 2007a,b). Large microzooplankters are also important prey for the 269 crustacean zooplankton (Liu et al. 2005, 2008). In general, knowledge of phyto- and microzooplankton 270 composition and biomass is essential for evaluating the food web structure of the Seward Line. 271 To assess phytoplankton community composition, two types of samples will be collected on spring 272 and fall cruises (Table 1): formalin-fixed samples for inverted light microscopy (diatom and 273 dinoflagellate identification); and, when possible, glutaraldehyde-fixed samples for epifluorescence 274 microscopy (nano- and picophytoplankton identification and enumeration). Epifluorescence samples will 275 also yield the abundance, biomass, and composition of the <20 µm microzooplankton community (Sherr 276 & Sherr 1993; Strom & Fredrickson 2008). For microzooplankton, acid Lugol’s fixation and inverted 277 light microscopy will be used to identify, count and size all microzooplankton ≥20 µm in size using a 278 semi-automated digitizing system (Strom et al. 2007a,b). The data product will be abundance, biomass 279 and composition of the ≥20 µm microzooplankton, the crucial size class for direct consumption by 280 mesozooplankton. We propose to collect compositional samples at a subset of grid stations (e.g. ~20 281 stations per cruise for phytoplankton, focused on significant environmental gradients such as cross-shelf 282 transects, ~ 60 samples per cruise for microzooplankton). Highest priority for sampling will be surface 283 mixed layer samples; we will collect occasional vertical profiles from stations showing vertical structure 284 in hydrography and chlorophyll (fluorescence) distribution. 285 Meso/Macrozooplankton: 286 Metazoan zooplankton represent the key linkage between the production by single-celled organisms, and 287 larger organisms such as fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Although typically considered as a single 288 unit, the term encompassed a wide array and vast size range of species for which no one piece of 289 sampling equipment can suffice. To address this challenge, our sampling uses three different types of 290 plankton nets. During daytime, zooplankton samples will be collected with a Quad net consisting of 25 291 cm diameter nets of 1.6 m length equipped with GO flowmeters. A pair of these nets is constructed of 292 0.15 mm mesh and will sample small, primarily early copepodid stages of calanoids (e.g. Coyle & 293 Pinchuk, 2003, 2005), while nauplii and the smallest copepodid stages of neritic species will be sampled 294 with the pair constructed of 0.05 mm mesh. The tows will be made from 100 m to the surface at the 13 295 primary stations along the Seward Line, and all PWS stations. During night-time, a 0.25-m2 Hydrobios 296 Multinet system with 0.5 mm mesh nets will be fished to assess large zooplankton and micronekton, such 297 as euphausiids that are important components in the diet of many fish, sea-birds and marine mammals. 298 The Multinet is equipped with one drogue net plus five nets that can be programmed to open and close at 299 specific depths, or opened and closed electronically from the deck if a conducting cable is available. 300 Depth, flow meter counts, and volume filtered are recorded at 1 second intervals. The nets will be fished 301 at each of the 13 main Seward Line stations (Fig. 3), plus the 3 stations within Prince William Sound. At 302 each station, 5 samples will be collected at 20 m depth intervals from 100 m depth to the surface. 303 Additional Multinet collections will be made to 600m at Gak13 and PWS2 to assess over-wintering 304 populations of Neocalanus spp. All zooplankton samples will be preserved in 10% formalin and stained 305 with Rose Bengal for later analysis by LTOP methods to the lowest taxonomic category possible. 306 During traditional taxonomic processing, all larger organisms (primarily shrimp and jelly fish) will be 307 removed and enumerated, the sample will then be Folsom split until the smallest subsample contains 308 about 100 specimens of the most abundant taxa. The most abundant taxa will be identified, copepodites 309 staged, measured, enumerated and weighed with each larger subsample examined for the larger, less 310 abundant taxa. Blotted wet weights of all specimens of each taxa and stage will be taken on each sample 311 with ±1 µg a Cahn Electrobalance until weights stabilize, after which point the wet weight biomass will 312 be estimated using mean wet weight. Wet weights on euphausiids, shrimp and other larger taxa are always 313 measured and recorded individually for each sample. Typically at least 400-600 organisms are recorded 314 per net-sample. The data will be uploaded to a Microsoft Access database for sorting and analysis. 315 Analysis to date indicates the Multinet yields collections are consistent with those obtained using a 316 MOCNESS during the GLOBEC years.
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317 Rates of secondary production of prey available to higher trophic level organisms will be calculated 318 by applying growth and reproductive rates for copepods (Napp et al. 2005; Hopcroft et al. 2005; Liu et al. 319 2006a,b, 2007, 2008; Hopcroft unpublished) and euphausiids (Pinchuk & Hopcroft 2006, 2007) 320 determined during the GOA GLOBEC program. Such relationships generally account for the influence of 321 temperature, food availability and body size. Several such relationships are already incorporated into the 322 coupled bio-physical models for the GOA. Although rate measurements will continue to be conducted for 323 some key species using the techniques in these publications, after more than a decade of conducting these 324 rate measurements with several copepod species, further insight may be limited. Literature values will be 325 employed for other groups for which locally determined values are unavailable. Estimates of biomass and 326 production can then be used not only to quantify the prey fields for higher trophic levels, but to evaluate 327 the performance of the biophysical models developed for the Gulf of Alaska. 328 Seabirds & Mammals 329 The Seward Line design (spring and fall seasons, cross-shelf) provides an opportunity to examine 330 seabird responses to seasonal changes and the cross-shelf gradient of physical and biological parameters. 331 The spring survey occurs just prior to or at the beginning of the breeding period and the fall survey occurs 332 when birds must prepare for harsh winter conditions or long migrations. Seabird distribution patterns 333 vary among species. However, we might expect inshore shifts in distribution of ‘offshore’ seabirds during 334 storms or upwelling events, while years with strong stratification might drive ‘inshore’ seabird species 335 toward the shelf break, where upwelling is more consistent and prey may be more available. 336 Seabird observations are made following accepted protocol (USFWS 2008) by a single observer on 337 the flying bridge using strip-transect methodology and entering data into a laptop computer with a GPS 338 interface. A 300 m transect width is used to estimate densities (birds/km2) but additional observations 339 (rare birds, mammals, large aggregations) are entered as time allows. Raw and processed data will be 340 submitted to the North Pacific Pelagic Database and to NPRB, and will be accessible via Seabirds.net. 341 Communication and Outreach. Marine researchers and resource managers are already exposed to the 342 Seward Line through the Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS). Previous funding has already 343 established a website for the Seward Line https://www.sfos.uaf.edu/sewardline/, and purchased high- 344 quality cameras for E&O activities. Both EVOS Gulf Watch and AOOS consortium programs will be 345 preparing E&O activities that feature the Seward Line, and all efforts are made to ensure all members of 346 the Seward Line Consortium are recognized. Additionally, we are working with AOOS/Axiom through 347 their funding streams to develop interactive and exploratory tools to access and visualize the Seward Line 348 data through their portal and the Seward Line Website. While we expect some additional updating and 349 general enhancement of the website, including sections on phyto- and microzooplankton, we propose a 350 more hands on approach to be taken with NPRB funds. Education and outreach funds of $5000 are 351 proposed for community visits to the communities most strongly connected to the Seward Line domain: 352 Kodiak, Cordova, Homer, and Seward. We propose to undertake both public presentations and K-12 353 classroom experiences during each of these visits using the rich archive of images collected on cruise over 354 the past 15 years. If the project is funded, we will work with UAF Marine Advisory faculty in Kodiak, 355 Homer and Cordova, the Prince William Sound Science Center, the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife 356 Refuge, and Seward Marine Center or Sea Life Center staff to help organize and maximize opportunities. 357 Timeline and Milestones. 358 The project clearly revolves around the timing of the May and September cruises. Draft CTD plots and 359 data can be available within days of a cruise, but sample-based analysis typical takes months. We propose 360 to deliver finalized data to NPRB and other consortium members each year 6 months after the September 361 cruises. Current results will be presented annually at AMSS, and the website updated shortly thereafter. 362 Progress reports are due each January and July, with a re-evaluation report due in Jan 2019 and a final 363 report in July 2019. At least one peer-reviewed publication would be prepared simultaneously with the 364 final report. We anticipate having the public exploration/visualization tools for Seward Line data 365 available by the end of the first year.
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Project Year Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Calendar Year 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Cruise Sept May Sept May Sept May Sept May Sept May Draft CTD Sept May Sept May Sept May Sept May Sept May Processing Ongoing Submit Data April April April April April AMSS Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Web Update Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan E&O visit March March March March Prog. Report Jan July Jan July Jan July Jan July Final Report & Publication July 366 Project Management. 367 Hopcroft will oversee the sampling program, act as chief scientist on cruises, and be responsible for 368 synthesis and preparation of the interim and Final report to NPRB as with the prior funding periods. 369 Hopcroft has been working on planktonic communities for 30 years, and within Alaskan waters for nearly 370 half of those. He has worked on numerous large multidisciplinary projects, including NPRB’s Gulf of 371 Alaska program, often performing coordination roles in addition to his scientific duties. He has worked 372 closely with this proposal’s co-PIs for the past decade. He is broadly trained in most oceanographic 373 disciplines, and the operation, maintenance and trouble-shooting of most equipment to be used in this 374 project. Within the disciplines, Hopcroft will be responsible for daytime operations of CTD and 375 zooplankton sampling. His laboratory technicians have decades of experience with Alaskan zooplankton. 376 Danielson will process the CTD data streams and assist in data interpretation and cross-disciplinary 377 synthesis activities. Danielson is a physical oceanographer with over 20 years experience in Alaska 378 regional oceanography, focusing on causes and effects of shelf circulation and thermohaline variations. 379 Danielson has been involved with the Seward Line sampling since 1997, acting as chief scientist on 380 nearly a third of the monitoring cruises between 1998 and 2004. In addition, he is involved with the 381 moored time-series at GAK1 (the inner-most Seward Line station) and assists the National Park Service 382 with their Vital Signs Monitoring oceanographic surveys in Glacier Bay waters (1993-present). 383 Coyle will participate on cruises and manage the zooplankton night sampling. He also maintains the 384 software for management of zooplankton data, participates in analysis and interpretation of results, manu- 385 script preparation and publication. He has participated on all Seward Line cruises since 1997 and has been 386 involved in development of the GOA ROMS-NPZ model. He is supported by other consortium funds. 387 Strom will be responsible for chlorophyll analysis, as well as phyto- and microzooplankton 388 identification and related data analysis. She has been working on phyto- and microzooplankton in the 389 Gulf of Alaska for ~25 years, with recent projects focused on coastal waters. She has participated in 390 numerous cruises to the region, including several as chief scientist, all within the context of multi- 391 disciplinary projects. Her expertise includes lower trophic level productivity, environmental effects on 392 marine plankton, and trophic interactions among phyto- microzoo- and mesozooplankton. Strom’s 393 laboratory technicians have many years of experience with Gulf of Alaska phyto- and microzooplankton. 394 Kuletz will be responsible for bird and mammal observations and analysis of related data. She has 395 studied seabirds in Alaskan for over 30 years, and is currently the At-sea Coordinator for USFWS in 396 Alaska. She has been PI for numerous projects examining seabird distribution relative to environmental 397 variables, and has worked extensively in the marine waters of Lower Cook Inlet, southern Kenai 398 Peninsula and Prince William Sound. As Co-PI for the EVOS-funded LTM Pelagic Component/Seabirds, 399 she will be able to integrate results from both LTM efforts. She will be responsible collaboration with 400 other PIs to integrate the data and contribute to write up of results. 401 Macro-nutrient and carbonate chemistry (i.e. Ocean Acidification studies) are handled by Mathis 402 under a separate funding stream provided by AOOS & NOAA PMEL.
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403 The Seward Line is already operating as a consortium led by Hopcroft: currently it receives funding 404 through NPRB’s Gulf of Alaska program, it is now in its third year of a 5 year funding cycle through 405 EVOS Gulf Watch Program that is conceived as a 20 year program with renewals. Hopcroft is receiving 406 annual funding through AOOS envisioned to cover the same duration. NOAA PMEL provides direct 407 support through Mathis’s Ocean Acidification studies, while UAF provides in-kind logistical support for 408 cruises and a month of Hopcroft’s salary. USFWS provides some portion of salary support for Kuletz. 409 Hopcroft serves on the Science advisory team of the EVOS Gulf Watch program and through this 410 structure, coordinates with all other members of the Environmental Drivers component: Weingartner’s 411 GAK1 project, Batten’s CPR program, Campbell’s Prince William Sound and Doroff’s Kachemak Bay 412 oceanography. Kutlez is also a Gulf Watch PI working on seabirds within PWS & Cook Inlet. Hopcroft is 413 actively working with Agular-Islas at UAF to secure funds for return of the micro-nutrient iron to the 414 Seward Line program (it could not be accommodated within the current RFP funds). Several other 415 researchers are writing proposals for studies (i.e. microrobes, particle flux) via NSF funding. Source 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 TOTAL NPRB (core) $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 1,000,000 UAF $20,160 $20,745 $21,350 $21,970 $22,600 FWS $27,000 $27,810 $28,644 $29,504 $30,389 NOAA (Mathis) $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 AOOS $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 TBD TBD EVOS $100,497 $104,007 $107,703 TBD TBD 416 Added value contributions to the consortium. Mathis program provides important monitoring of the state 417 of ocean acidification at all our sampling locations. In 2014 he will be deploying a glider along the 418 Seward Line and a wave Rider at GAK1 and in northern PWS, with some possibility of redeployment in 419 future years. A funding decision on instrumentation from Murdock Foundation in late February 2014, 420 would provide high resolution information on the distribution of zooplankton during CTD casts. Hopcroft 421 intends to test the system on the Seward Line and deploy it regularly when not committed elsewhere. Source 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 TOTAL NOAA/NSF (Mathis) $135,000 $135,000 $135,000 $135,000 $150,000 Murdock Found. $300,000 422 References: 423 Armstrong JL, Boldt JL, Cross AD, Moss JH, Davis ND, Myers KW, Walker RV, Beauchamp DA, 424 Haldorson LJ (2005) Distribution, size, and interannual, seasonal and diel food habits of northern 425 Gulf of Alaska juvenile pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha. Deep-Sea Res.II. 52: 247-265 426 Batten SD, Freeland HJ (2007) Plankton populations at the bifurcation of the North Pacific Current. Fish. 427 Oceanogr. 16: 536-546 428 Beaugrand G (2004) The North Sea regime shift: evidence, causes, mechanisms and consequences. Prog. 429 Oceanogr. 60: 245-262 430 Beaugrand G, Edwards M, Legendre L (2010) Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and carbon 431 cycles. Proc Nat Acad Sci 107:10120-10124 432 Beaugrand G, Reid PC (2003) Long-term changes in phytoplankton, zooplankton and salmon related to 433 climate. Global Change Biol. 9: 801-817 434 Brickley PJ, Thomas AC (2004) Satellite-measured seasonal and interannual chlorophyll variability in the 435 northeast Pacific and coastal Gulf of Alaska. Deep-Sea Res 51:229-245 436 Brodeur RD, Ware DM (1992) Long-term variability in zooplankton biomass in the subarctic Pacific 437 Ocean. Fish. Oceanogr. 1: 32-38 438 Brodeur RD, Frost BW, Hare SR, Francis RC, Ingraham WJ, Jr. (1996) Interannual variations in 439 zooplankton biomass in the Gulf of Alaska, and covariation with the California Current zooplankton 440 biomass. CalCOFI Report 37: 80-99 441 Childers AR, Whitledge TE, Stockwell DA (2005) Seasonal and interannual variability in the distribution
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442 of nutrients and chlorophyll across the Gulf of Alaska shelf, 1998-2000. Deep-Sea Res II. 52:193-216 443 Coyle KO, Pinchuk AI (2003) Annual cycle of zooplankton abundance, biomass and production on the 444 northern Gulf of Alaska shelf, October 1997 through October 2000. Fish. Oceanogr. 12: 227-251 445 Coyle KO, Pinchuk AI (2005) Cross-shelf distribution of zooplankton relative to water masses on the 446 northern Gulf of Alaska shelf. Deep-Sea Res. II. 52: 217-245 447 Coyle KO, Cheng W, Hinckley S, Lessard EJ, Whitledge T, Hermann AJ, Hedstrom K (2012) Model and 448 field observations of effects of circulation on the timing and magnitude of nitrate utilization and 449 production on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf. Prog. Oceanogr. 103:16-41. 450 Coyle KO, Gibson GA, Hedstrom K, Hermann AJ, Hopcroft RR (2013) Zooplankton biomass, advection 451 and production on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf from simulations and field observations. J. Mar. 452 Sys. 128: 185-207 453 Cross AD, Beauchamp DA, Armstrong JL, Blikshteyn M, Boldt JL, Davis ND, Haldorson LJ, Moss JH, 454 Myers KW, Walker RV (2005) Consumption demand of juvenile pink salmon in Prince William 455 Sound and the coastal Gulf of Alaska in relation to prey biomass. Deep-Sea Res. II. 52: 347-370 456 Di Lorenzo E, Schneider N, Cobb KM, Chhak K, Franks PJS, Miller AJ, McWilliams JC, Bograd SJ, 457 Arango HEC, Powell TM, Rivere P (2008) North Pacific Gyre Oscillation links ocean climate and 458 ecosystem change Geophys. Res. Lett. 35: L08607, doi:08610.01029/02007GL032838 459 Doubleday AJ, Hopcroft RR (submitted) Seasonal and interannual patterns of larvaceans and pteropods in 460 the coastal Gulf of Alaska, and their relationship to pink salmon survival. J. Plankton Res. 461 Francis RC, Hare SR (1994) Decadal-scale regime shifts in the large marine ecosystems of the North-east 462 Pacific: a case for historical science. Fish. Oceanogr. 3: 279-291 463 Gonzales-Solis J, Shaffer SA (2009) Introduction and synthesis: spatial ecology of seabirds at sea. Mar. 464 Ecol. Prog. Ser. 391: 117-120 465 Gordon C, Jennings AA, Krest JM (1993) A suggested protocol for continuous flow automated analysis 466 of seawater nutrients (phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, and silicic acid) in the WOCE Hydrographic 467 Program and the Joint Global Ocean Fluxes Study. Oregon State University, 93, Corvalis 468 Hare SR, Mantua NJ, Francis RC (1999) Inverse production regimes: Alaska and West Coast Pacific 469 salmon. Fisheries 24: 6-14 470 Janout MA, Weingartner TJ, Royer TC, Danielson SL (2010) On the nature of winter cooling and the 471 recent temperature shift on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf. J. Geophys. Res. 115: C05023 472 Ladd C, Mordy CW, Kachel NB, Stabeno PJ (2007) Northern Gulf of Alaska eddies and associated 473 anomalies. Deep-sea Res. I. 54: 487-509 474 Liu H, Dagg MJ, Napp JM, Sato R (2008) Mesozooplankton grazing in the coastal Gulf of Alaska: 475 Neocalanus spp. vs. other mesozooplankton. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 65: 351-360 476 Liu H, Dagg MJ, Strom S (2005) Grazing by the calanoid copepod Neocalanus cristatus on the microbial 477 food web in the coastal Gulf of Alaska. J. Plankton Res. 27: 647 - 662 478 Liu H, Hopcroft RR (2006) Growth and development of Metridia pacifica (Copepoda: Calanoida) in the 479 northern Gulf of Alaska. J. Plankton Res. 28: 769-781 480 Liu H, Hopcroft RR (2006) Growth and development of Neocalanus flemingeri/plumchrus in the northern 481 Gulf of Alaska: validation of the artificial cohort method in cold waters. J. Plankton Res. 28: 87-101 482 Liu H, Hopcroft RR (2007) A comparison of seasonal growth and development of the copepods Calanus 483 marshallae and C. pacificus in the northern Gulf of Alaska. J. Plankton Res. 29: 569-581 484 Liu H, Hopcroft RR (2008) Growth and development of Pseudocalanus spp. in the northern Gulf of 485 Alaska. J. Plankton Res. 30: 923-935 486 Mackas DL, Coyle KO (2005) Shelf-offshore exchange processes, and their effects on mesozooplankton 487 biomass and community composition patterns in the northeast Pacific. Deep-Sea Res. II. 52: 707-725 488 Mackas DL, Goldblatt R, Lewis AG (1998) Interdecadal variation in developmental timing of Neocalanus 489 plumchrus populations at Ocean Station P in the subarctic North Pacific. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 55: 490 1878-1893 491 Mackas DL, Greve W, Edwards M, Chiba S, Tadokoro K, Eloire D, Mazzocchi MG, Batten S, Richard- 492 son AJ, Johnson C, Head E, Conversi A, Peluso T (2012) Changing zooplankton seasonality in a
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493 changing ocean: Comparing time series of zooplankton phenology. Prog. Oceanogr. 97-100: 31-62 494 Mantua N, Hare SR, Zhang Y, Wallace JM, Francis RC (1997) A Pacific Interdecadal Climate Oscillation 495 with Impacts on Salmon Production. Bul. Amer. Met. Soc. 78: 1069 - 1079 496 McGowan JA, Cayan DR, Dorman LM (1998) Climate-Ocean variability and ecosystem response in the 497 Northeast Pacific. Science 281: 210-217 498 Napp JM, Hopcroft RR, Baier CT, Clarke C (2005) Distribution and species-specific egg production of 499 Pseudocalanus in the Gulf of Alaska. J. Plankton Res. 27: 415-426 500 Okkonen SR, Weingartner TJ, Danielson SL, Musgrave DL, Schmidt GM (2003) Satellite and 501 hydrographic observations of eddy-induced shelf-slope exchange in the northwestern Gulf of Alaska. 502 J. Geophys. Res. C. 108 503 Parsons TR, Maita Y, Lalli CM (1984) A manual for chemical and biological methods in seawater. 504 Pergamon Press, Toronto 505 Piatt J, Sydeman W, Wiese. F (2008) Introduction: a modern role for seabirds as indicators. Mar. Ecol. 506 Prog. Ser. 353: 199-204 507 Pinchuk AI, Hopcroft RR (2006) Egg production and early development of Thysanoessa inermis and 508 Euphausia pacifica (Crustacea: Euphausiacea) in the northern Gulf of Alaska. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. 509 Ecol. 332: 206-215 510 Pinchuk AI, Hopcroft RR (2007) Seasonal variations in growth rate of euphausiids (Thysanoessa inermis, 511 T. spinifera, and Euphausia pacifica) from the northern Gulf of Alaska. Mar. Biol. 151: 257-269 512 Pinchuk AI, Coyle KO, Hopcroft RR (2008) Climate-related variability in abundance and reproduction of 513 euphausiids in the northern Gulf of Alaska in 1998-2003. Prog. Oceanogr. 77: 203-216 514 Sherr EB, Sherr BF (1993) Preservation and storage of samples for enumeration of heterotrophic protists 515 In: Kemp PF, Sherr BF, Sherr EB, Cole JJ (eds) Current Methods in Aquatic Microbial Ecolog. Lewis 516 Publishers, N.Y. pp 213-227 517 Stabeno PJ, Bond NA, Hermann AJ, Kachel NN, Mordy CW, Overland JE (2004) Meteorology and 518 oceanography of the northern Gulf of Alaska. Cont. Shelf Res. 24: 859-897 519 Strom SL, Brainard MA, Holmes JL, Olson MB (2001) Phytoplankton blooms are strongly impacted by 520 microzooplancton grazing in coastal North Pacific waters. Mar. Biol. 138: 355-368 521 Strom SL, Fredrickson KA (2008) Intense stratification leads to phytoplankton nutrient limitation and 522 reduced microzooplankton grazing in the southeastern Bering Sea. Deep-Sea Res. II. 55: 1761-1774 523 Strom SL, Macri EL, Olson MB (2007) Microzooplankton grazing in the coastal Gulf of Alaska: 524 Variations in top-down control of phytoplankton. Limnol. Oceanogr. 52: 1480-1494 525 Strom SL, Olson MB, Macri EL, Mordy CW (2007) Cross-shelf gradients in phytoplankton community 526 structure, nutrient utilization, and growth rate in the coastal Gulf of Alaska. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 328: 527 75-92 528 Strom SL, Macri EL, Fredrickson KA (2010) Light limitation of summer primary production in the 529 coastal Gulf of Alaska: physiological and environmental causes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 402:45-57 530 USFWS, 2008. North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Observer Program Observer’s Manual, U.S. Fish and 531 Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management, Anchorage, AK, 33pp. 532 Waite JN, Mueter FJ (2013) Spatial and temporal variability of chlorophyll-a concentrations in the coastal 533 Gulf of Alaska, 1998-2011, using cloud-free reconstructions of SeaWiFS and MODIS-Aqua data. 534 Prog Oceanogr 116:179-192 535 Wasmund N, Topp I (2006) Optimising the storage and extraction of chlorophyll samples. Oceanologica 536 48: 125-144 537 Weingartner TJ, Coyle KO, Finney B, Hopcroft RR, et al. (2002) The Northeast Pacific GLOBEC 538 program: coastal Gulf of Alaska. Oceanography 15: 48-63 539 Weingartner TJ, Danielson SL, Royer TC (2005) Freshwater variability and predictability in the Alaska 540 Coastal Current. Deep-Sea Res. II. 52: 169-191 541 Wiltshire KH, Malzahn AM, Wirtz K, Greve W, Janisch S, Mangelsdorf P, Manly BFJ, Boersma M 542 (2008) Resilience of North Sea pytoplankton spring bloom dynamics: An analysis of long-term data 543 at Helgoland Roads. Limnol Oceanogr 53:1294-1302
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1 Data Management and Dissemination Plan 2 3 Data delivery and archive plan: 4 The Seward Line’s commitment to the AOOS and Gulf Watch programs as well as NPRB’s Gulf 5 of Alaska Program already have the Seward Line contributing data and metadata to the AOOS workspace 6 at various level of processing as it becomes available. AOOS is working to automate the delivery of 7 processed and QCed data to national data-centers, as well as make it interactively accessible to the public. 8 Draft CTD profiles and underway data are delivered to the workspace shortly after each cruise. 9 We are now at the point where draft maps and section plot can be made available for public posting at the 10 conclusion of each cruise. Finalized data delivered must await post-season calibrations of sensors. Most 11 chemical and biological sample-based measurements require considerable post-cruise processing that may 12 delay data availability for 6-8 months from the time of collection. The Seward Line data sets have been 13 delivered to NPRB since 2006, and are compliant with their standards, policy and reporting requirements. 14 15 Standard Seward Line datasets are: 16 • Underway temperature and salinity (with GPS position & Time Stamp) 17 • CTD station profiles: temperature, salinity, depth, PAR, fluorescence, light transmission, 18 dissolved oxygen 19 • Macro-nutients (Bottle-casts, all depths): Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonium, Phosphate, Silicate 20 • Pigments (Bottle-casts, upper 50m): Chlorophyll a, phaeopigments; size-fraction on a subset 21 • Zooplankton (Calvet – 150 µm): abundance, biomass, composition 22 • Zooplankton (Multinet – 500 µm): abundance, biomass, composition, vertical distribution. 23 Each of these datasets for the entire 1997-2012 history of the Seward Line is currently in AOOS 24 workspaces.We will now be adding 25 • Microzooplankton & Phytoplankton: abundance, biomass, composition 26 • Seabirds & Marine Mammals 27 28 Most datasets reside within UAF data-systems prior to formatting for deliver to AOOS. The zooplankton 29 data set, which is the largest and most complex, consists of a series of linked MS-Access data-tables and 30 custom software for queries and extractions. 31 32 AO O S 33 The Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) functions as a regional Data Assembly Center (DAC) for 34 the Integrated Ocean Observing System. AOOS manages a large amount and variety of data including 35 numerical models, sensor archives, GIS data and gridded observational products utilizing national 36 standards for metadata and interoperability. AOOS is focused on developing tools to improve access to 37 its data holding and these can be accessed of the AOOS website at http://www.aoos.org/ 38 39 AOOS has developed a framework for managing and integrating a variety of data types (sensors, 40 multidimensional grids, GIS and other structured formats) that will be leveraged for this work. This 41 framework exposes data through a variety of interoperability systems and uses several user interface tools 42 that allow the data to be visualized, discovered and accessed by the broader community. Figure 1 details 43 the four logical tiers of this approach. Using this architecture will enable the project team to rapidly 44 integrate and connect to available data sources and develop advanced integration tools efficiently.
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45 46 Figure 1. Data access pyramid, from source file to user. 47 48 At the base (Tier 1) of the pyramid lie source data files produced by researchers, GIS analysts, 49 instruments, CSW catalogs, numerical models and remote sensing platforms. Many data sources can be 50 ingested autonomously into the back-end data system through a series of harvesting mechanisms written 51 in Java, Scala and Python that make use of lower-level interfaces (e.g., FTP, HTML and ad hoc service 52 APIs). Data files are processed during the assimilation process and loaded into a clustered file storage and 53 database systems. A suite of interoperable systems (Tier 2) connect to the data storage and expose data 54 feeds to the asset catalog (Tier 3) external data systems. Sensors, numerical model output and remotely 55 sensed observational grids are mapped to common characteristics (space, time, and climate forecast 56 parameter) for comparison across sources. GIS data sets are further mapped across keywords and, when 57 applicable, Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) records. The asset catalog also exposes web 58 services providing external access to metadata in the database and provides a method for indexing 59 metadata across multiple data sources using ElasticSearch, a scalable clustered search engine. The top 60 level (Tier 4) is composed of the cloud-based tools that provide users with access to data and products 61 (e.g., Figure 2). Users sit at the top of the pyramid with all underlying systems working together to create 62 a powerful and intuitive way to rapidly discover, access and use data. 63 64 65 The Research Workspace 66 The Research Workspace is a web-based data management application built specifically for storing and 67 sharing data among members of scientific communities. Twelve regional and national research groups 68 currently use the Workspace, which has over 200 active individuals sharing thousands of digital files. The 69 Workspace provides users with an intuitive, web-based interface that allows scientists to create projects, 70 which may represent scientific studies or particular focuses of research within a larger effort. Within each 71 project, users create topical groupings of data using folders and upload data and contextual resources 72 (e.g., documents, images and any other type of digital resource) to their project by simply dragging and
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73 dropping files from their desktop into their web-browser. Standard, ISO 19115-2 compliant metadata can 74 be generated for both projects and individual files. Users of the Workspace are organized into campaigns, 75 and everyone within a campaign can view the projects, folders and files accessible to that campaign. This 76 allows preliminary results and interpretations to be shared by geographically or scientifically diverse 77 individuals working together on a project or program before the data is shared with the public. It also 78 gives program managers, research coordinators, and other stakeholders a transparent and front-row view 79 of how users have structured and described projects and how their programs are progressing through time. 80
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KENNETH O . CO YLE Institute of Marine Science University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 907-474-7705, 907-474-7204 (fax) [email protected]
EDUCATIO N: University of Alaska Fairbanks, Ph.D. Oceanography, 1997 University of Alaska Fairbanks; M.S. Oceanography, 1974 University of Washington; B.S. Oceanography, 1972
THESIS: Coyle, K. O. 1974. The ecology of the phytoplankton of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and the surrounding waters.
DISSERTATIO N Coyle, K. O. 1997. Distribution of large calanoid copepods in relation to physical oceanographic conditions and foraging auklets in the western Aleutian Islands.
GRADUATE ADVISORS: Rita Horner, M.S., R. T. Cooney, Ph.D.
PO SITIO NS HELD: Research Assistant Professor: 2009-present Research Associate, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1988–2009 Oceanographic Technician, University of Alaska, 1974–1988 Graduate Research Assistant, IMS, University of Alaska, January 1972–June 1973 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Microbiology, University of Alaska, September 1971–December 1971
EXPERIENC E: Lower trophic modeling using ROMS with an embedded NPZ model Zooplankton and acoustic studies, Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska (GLOBEC), 1997 - 2006 Seabird studies with G. Hunt, U.C. Irvine: Zooplankton collections, hydroacoustic data collection and processing, northern Bering Sea and Pribilof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Bristol Bay, 1985–2005
CURRENT ACTIVITIES RELEVANT TO PROPOSAL: Working on lower trophic level model embedded in ROMS for the GOAIERP project.
RELEVANT PUBLICATIO NS: Coyle, K. O., Gibson, G. A., Hedstrom, K., Hermann, A. J., Hopcroft, R. R. 2013. Zooplankton biomass, advection and production on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf from simulations and field observations. Journal of Marine Systems, 128: 185-207. Coyle, K. O. Cheng, W., Hinckley, S. L., Lessard, E. J., Whitledge, T., Hermann, A. H, Hedstrom, K. 2012. Model and field observations of effects of circulation on the timing and magnitude of nitrate utilization and production on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf. Prog. Oceanogr. 103: 16-41. Hinckley, Coyle, K. O., Gibson, G., Hermann, A. J., Dobbins, E. L. 2009. A biophysical NPZ model for the Gulf of Alaska: reproducing the differences between an oceanic HNLC ecosystem and a classical northern temperate shelf ecosystem. Deep Sea Research II: 56: 2520-2536.
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Coyle, K. O. and P. I. Pinchuk. 2005 Seasonal cross-shelf distribution of major zooplankton taxa on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf relative to water mass properties, species depth preferences and vertical migration behavior. Deep Sea Res. II. 52: 217 – 245. Coyle, K. O. and P. I. Pinchuk. 2003. Annual cycle of zooplankton abundance, biomass and production on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf, October 1997 through October 2000. Fish. Oceanogr. 12: 327-338
RECENT PUBLICATIO NS: Coyle, K. O., Eisner, L. B., Mueter, F. J., Pinchuk, A. I., Janout, M. A., Cieciel, K. D., Farley, E. V., Andrews, A. G. 2011. Climate change in the southeastern Bering Sea: impacts on pollock stocks and implications for the Oscillating Control Hypothesis. Fisheries Oceanography, 20(2): 139-156. Coyle, K. O., Pinchuk, A. I., Eisner, L. B., Napp, J. M. 2008. Zooplankton species composition, abundance and biomass on the eastern Bering Sea shelf during summer: the potential role of water column stability and nutrients in structuring the zooplankton community. Deep Sea Res. II. 55: 1755 – 1791. Coyle, K. O., Konar, B., Blanchard, A., Highsmith, R. C., Carroll, J., Carroll, M., Denisenko, S. G., Sirenko, B. I. 2007. Potential effects of temperature on the benthic infuanal community on the southeastern Bering Sea shelf: Possible impacts of climate change. Deep-Sea Research II, 54: 2885–2905 Coyle, K. O. 2005. Zooplankton distribution, abundance and biomass relative to water masses in eastern and central Aleutian Island passes. Fish. Oceanogr. 14(Suppl. 1): 77 – 92. Coyle, K. O. and P. I. Pinchuk. 2002. Climate-related differences in zooplankton density and growth on the inner shelf of the southeastern Bering Sea. Prog. Oceanogr. 55: 177-194.
GRADUATE STUDENT ADVISOR: C. Adams (PhD 2007), L. DeSousa (PhD, 2011)
COLLABORATORS: Bodil Bluhm, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska Albert Hermann, Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, NOAA, Seattle Sarah Hinckley, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, Seattle George Hunt, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle Evelyn Lessard, Dept of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle Jeff Napp, National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle Alexei Pinchuk, University of Alaska, Juneau, Alaska Phyllis Stabeno, Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, NOAA, Seattle Suzanne Strom, Western Washington State University, Bellingham, Washington Tom Weingartner, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska
Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
SETH L. DANIELSON, PH.D.
Research Assistant Professor of Oceanography Room 112 O’Neill Building Institute of Marine Science 905 N. Koyukuk Dr., School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-7220 University of Alaska Fairbanks Tel: (907) 474-7834 Email: [email protected]
PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION University of Alaska Fairbanks, Ph.D. Oceanography, 2012 University of Alaska Fairbanks; M.S. Oceanography, 1996 Lehigh University; B.S. Electrical Engineering, 1990, with honors
APPO INTMENTS Research Assistant Professor of Oceanography, IMS-UAF, Fairbanks, AK, 2013-present Research Professional, Institute of Marine Science, UAF, Fairbanks, AK, 2002–2013 Research Analyst, Institute of Marine Science, UAF, Fairbanks, AK, 1997–2002 Technician, Institute of Marine Science, UAF, Fairbanks, AK, 1997 Driller, Polar Ice Coring Office, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NB, 1996-1997 Research Assistant, Institute of Marine Science, UAF, Fairbanks, AK, 1994-1996 Driller, Polar Ice Coring Office, Institute of Marine Science, UAF, Fairbanks, AK, 1993-1994 Junior Engineer, Allen Organ Company, Macungie, PA, 1990-1992
MEMBERSHIPS American Geophysical Union The Oceanography Society
THESIS TITLES Variability in the circulation, temperature, and salinity fields of the eastern Bering Sea shelf in response to atmospheric forcing, 2012 Ph.D. Thesis Chukchi Sea Tidal Currents: Model and Observations, 1996 Masters Thesis.
RELEVANT PEER-REVIEW ED PUBLICATIO NS Danielson, S., K. Hedstrom, K. Aagaard, T. Weingartner, and E. Curchitser (2012), Wind-induced reorganization of the Bering shelf circulation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L08601, doi:10.1029/2012GL051231. Janout, M.A., T.J. Weingartner, T. C. Royer, S. L. Danielson (2010), On the nature of winter cooling and the recent temperature shift on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf, JGR Oceans, 2009JC005774R, DOI: 10.1029/2009JC005774 Wu, J., A. Aguilar-Islas, R. Rember, T. Weingartner, S. Danielson, and T. Whitledge (2009), Size- fractionated iron distribution on the northern Gulf of Alaska, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L11606, doi:10.1029/2009GL038304. Weingartner, T. J., L. Eisner, G. L. Eckert, S. L. Danielson (2008), Southeast Alaska: oceanographic habitats and linkages (p 387-400), Journal of Biogeography, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365- 2699.2008.01994.x Aagaard, K., T. J. Weingartner, S. L. Danielson, R. A. Woodgate, G. C. Johnson, and T. E. Whitledge (2006), Some controls on flow and salinity in Bering Strait, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L19602, doi:10.1029/2006GL026612. Weingartner, T. J., S. L. Danielson, T. C. Royer (2005), Fresh Water Variability in the Gulf of Alaska: Seasonal, Interannual and Decadal Variability, Deep-Sea Res. II, 52 (1-2): 169-191
Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
O THER RELEVANT PUBLICATIO NS Danielson, S. L. 2012. Glacier Bay oceanographic monitoring program analysis of observations, 1993– 2009. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SEAN/NRTR—2012/527. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado Danielson, S.L., W. Johnson, L. Sharman, G. Eckert, and B. Moynahan (2010), Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve oceanographic monitoring protocol: Version OC–2010.1. Natural Resource Report NPS/SEAN/NRR—2010/265. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Synergistic Activities Participant and presenter at the April 2011 and 2012 Pribilof Island Bering Sea Days week of ocean exploration for St. Paul Island and St. George Island students and community members. Participant and presenter in the October 2010 BEST/BSIERP Professional Development Workshop in Anchorage, AK and the October 2009 Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) “Salmon in the Classroom” teacher workshops in Fairbanks AK. Reviewer on the November 2008 technical final design review (FDR) panel for the NSF-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and in 2010 for the OOI program’s awardee (WHOI) during the RFP phase in selecting manufacturers for the buoy power system. Reviewer for peer reviewed journal articles in: Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Geophysical Research, Continental Shelf Research, Deep-Sea Research, Climate Dynamics Reviewer for peer-reviewed proposals submitted for funding to EPSCOR, NOAA, NSF, NPRB Creator of numerous outreach-directed marine science web pages, including: - Retrospective analysis of Norton Sound benthic communities (www.ims.uaf.edu/NS/) - GAK1 long-term oceanographic monitoring timeseries (www.ims.uaf.edu/gak1/) - GLOBEC NEP monitoring program (www.ims.uaf.edu/GLOBEC/) - Real-time data and plot delivery webpage for community-based satellite-tracked drifter projects in the Bering and Chukchi Seas (www.ims.uaf.edu/drifters/)
CO MMITTEE APPO INTMENTS 2007 SFOS search committee for Marine Superintendant at the Seward Marine Center 2004 UAF search committee for SFOS Dean 2003 IARC search committee for Marine Technician 1999 SFOS-IMS search committee for Research Analyst
COLLABORATORS K. Aagaard, (UW); E. Curchitser (Rutgers University); G. Eckert (UAF); L. Eisner (NOAA); K. Hedstrom (UAF); M. Janout (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research), S. Jewett (UAF); Z. Kowalik (UAF); J. Mathis (NOAA); B. Moynahan (National Park Service); T. Royer (ret.); P. Stabeno (NOAA); T. Weingartner (UAF); W. Williams (Institute of Ocean Science, Fisheries and Oceans Canada); T. Whitledge (UAF); R. Woodgate (UW); J. Zhang (UW).
PARTICIPATION IN PROJECTS 1997-2004: Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) program in the Gulf of Alaska (NSF) 1997-present: Monitoring at oceanographic station GAK1 in the Gulf of Alaska (NSF/EVOS/NPRB) 2002-2004: Shelf-Basin Interaction (SBI) program in the Chukchi-Beaufort seas (NSF) 2002-2006: Monitoring under-ice currents in the nearshore Beaufort Sea (MMS) 2008-present: Bering Sea Ecosystem Study (BEST) moorings and larval transport modeling (NSF) 2009-present: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve oceanography monitoring (NPS) Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
RUSSELL ROSS HOPCROFT
Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks O’Neill Building Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 (907) 474-7842 Fax (907) 474-7204
PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION: University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada Marine Biology B.Sc. 1983 University of Guelph Marine Ecology M.Sc. 1988 University of Guelph Marine Biology Ph.D. 1997 Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) Zooplankton Ecology 1997-1999 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Zooplankton Ecology 1999-2000
APPO INTMENTS: Professor, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2010-present Associate Professor, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2005-2010 Assistant Professor, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2000-2005
MOST RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS: (out of 82) Coyle, K.O., G.A. Gibson, K. Hedstrom, A. Hermann, & R.R. Hopcroft. 2013. Zooplankton biomass, advection and production on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf from simulations and field observations. J. Mar. Sys. 128: 185-207. Mundy, P., D. Allen, J.L. Boldt, N.A. Bond, S. Dressel, E. Farley Jr., D. Hanselman, J. Heifetz, R.R. Hopcroft, M.A. Janout, C. Ladd, R. Lam, P. Livingston, C. Lunsford, J.T. Mathis, F. Mueter, C. Rooper, N. Sarkar, K. Shotwell, M. Sturdevant, A.C. Thomas, T.J. Weingartner & D. Woodby. 2010. Status and trends of the Gulf of Alaska Coastal region, 2003-2008. pp. 142-195. In: S.M. McKinnell & M. Dagg (ed.) Marine Ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean; 2003-2008. PICES Spec. Pub. 4. 393p. Pinchuk, A.I., K.O. Coyle & R.R. Hopcroft. 2008. Climate-related variability in abundance and reproduction of euphausiids in the northern Gulf of Alaska in 1998-2003. Prog. Oceanogr. 77: 203- 216. Liu, H. & R.R. Hopcroft. 2007. A comparison of seasonal growth and development of the copepods Calanus marshallae and C. pacificus in the northern Gulf of Alaska. J. Plankton Res. 29: 569-581. Pinchuk, A.I. & R.R. Hopcroft. 2007. Seasonal variations in the growth rate of euphausiids (Thysanoessa inermis, T. spinifera, and Euphausia pacifica) from the northern Gulf of Alaska. Mar. Biol. 151: 257- 269
O THER SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIO NS: Doubleday, A. & R.R. Hopcroft (in review) Seasonal and interannual patterns of larvaceans and pteropods in the coastal Gulf of Alaska, and their relationship to pink salmon survival. J. Plankton Res. Day, R.H., T.J. Weingartner, R.R. Hopcroft, L.A.M. Aerts, A.L. Blanchard, A.E. Gall, B.J. Gallaway, D.E. Hannay, B.A. Holladay, J.T. Mathis, B.L. Norcross, J.M. Questel, & S.S. Wisdom. 2013. The offshore northeastern Chukchi Sea: a complex high-latitude system. Cont. Shelf Res. 67: 147-165. Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
Hopcroft, R.R., B.A. Bluhm, & R.R. Gradinger. 2008. Arctic Ocean Synthesis: Analysis of Climate Change Impacts in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas with Strategies for Future Research (2nd edition). North Pacific Research Board, Anchorage, Alaska. 153 p Liu, H. & R.R. Hopcroft. 2008. Growth and development of Pseudocalanus spp. in the northern Gulf of Alaska. J. Plankton Res. 30: 923-935. Liu, H. & R.R. Hopcroft. 2006. Growth and development of Neocalanus flemingeri/plumchrus in the northern Gulf of Alaska: validation of the artificial cohort method in cold waters. J. Plankton Res. 28: 87-101.
SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES: Public outreach through contributions to magazines (National Geographic, Current: the Journal of Marine Education), radio, newspaper, and television on Arctic ecosystems Educational web-pages: http://www.arcodiv.org/index.html http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/sewardline/ http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05arctic/welcome.html, http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02arctic/welcome.html, http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09arctic/welcome.html Steering Group – Census of Marine Life’s (CoML) Arctic Ocean Biodiversity (ArcOD) & Census of Marine Zooplankton (CMarZ), Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) Marine Experts Group, Executive Committee member - Northeast Pacific GLOBEC Editorial Board – Marine Biodiversity (Springer) Reviewer: manuscripts reviewed for 15 primary journals, proposals for 8 funding agencies, NSF OPP panel (2004), NSF BO panel (2008).
RESEARCH CRUISE EXPERIENC E: ~850 days at sea on cruises of 1-35 days duration aboard vessels ranging in size from 15-120 m.
CO LLABO RATORS & O THER AFFILIATIO NS Collaborators: Ann Bucklin (UConn), Ken Coyle (UAF), Mike Dagg (LUMCON), Hans-Jurgen Hirche (AWI), Evelyn Lessard (UW), Ksenia Kosobokova (RAS), Jeff Napp (PMEL-NOAA), John Nelson (UVic), Torkel Nielsen (DMU), Kevin Raskoff (CSUMB), Suzanne Strom (WWU), Graduate advisor: John C. Roff (Acadia U) Postdoctoral advisors: Bruce H. Robison (MBARI), Francisco Chavez (MBARI), Brian Rothchild (UMass) Graduate Students: Imme Rutzen, Jennifer Questel, Heather Oleson, Elizaveta Ershova (all Ph.D. in progress); Pallavi Hariharan, Caitlin Smoot (both M.Sc. in progress); Ayla Doubleday (M.Sc.2013), Jenefer Bell (M.Sc.2009), Laura Slater (M.Sc. 2004), Hui Liu (Ph.D. 2006), Alexei Pinchuk (Ph.D. 2006) Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
KATHY J. KULETZ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Phone : 907-786-3453 1011 East Tudor Road Email: [email protected] Anchorage, Alaska 99503
PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION Ph.D. Biology Univ. of Victoria, B.C., Canada (2005) M. S. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of California, Irvine (1983) B. S. Wildlife Ecology California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, CA (1974) APPO INTMENTS 2005-current Wildlife Biologist/Seabird Specialist and Pelagic Observer Program Coordinator, Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska 2007-2012 Science & Statistical Committee of North Pacific Fisheries Management Council 2000–2006 NOAA/N. Pacific Fisheries Manage. Council Groundfish Fisheries Plan Team 1998-2005 Alaska Seabird Specialist, Migratory Bird Management, USFWS, Anchorage 2004-current Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Team (Endangered Species/ USFWS)
SELECTED PUBLICATIO NS
Supported by NPRB funds: Hunt, G.L., Renner, M., Kuletz, K. 2013. Seasonal Variation in the Cross-shelf Distribution of Seabirds in the Southeastern Bering Sea. Deep-Sea Res. II, In Press. Renner, M., J.K. Parrish, J.F. Piatt, K.J. Kuletz, A.E. Edwards, and G.L. Hunt, Jr. 2013. Modeled distribution and abundance of a pelagic seabird reveal trends in relation to fisheries. Mar.Ecol.Progr.Ser. 484:259-277. Benoit-Bird KJ, Battaile BC, Heppell SA, Hoover B, Irons D, Jones N, Kuletz KJ, Nordstrom CA, Paredes R, Suryan RM, Waluk CM, Trites AW. (2013) Prey Patch Patterns Predict Habitat Use by Top Marine Predators with Diverse Foraging Strategies. PLoS ONE 8(1): e53348. Benoit-Bird, K.J., K. Kuletz, S. Heppell, N. Jones, and B. Hoover. 2011. Active acoustic examination of the diving behavior of murres foraging on patchy prey. Mar.Ecol. Progr. Ser. 443:217-235 Sigler MF, Kuletz KJ, Ressler PH, Friday NA, Wilson CD, Zerbini AN. 2012. Marine predators and persistent prey in the southeast Bering Sea. Deep Sea Research II 65-70:292-303.
Other publications: Allyn, A.J., A. McKnight, K. McGarigal, C.R. Griffin, K.J. Kuletz, and D.B. Irons. 2012. Relationships among Kittlitz’s murrelet habitat use, temperature-depth profiles, and landscape features in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA . Mar.Ecol. Progr. Ser. 466:233-247. Kuletz, K.J., Speckman, S.G., Piatt, J.F. & Labunski, E.A. 2011. Distribution, population status and trends of Kittlitz’s Murrelet Brachyramphus brevirostris in Lower Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Marine Ornithology 39: 85–95. Moore, S.E., Logerwell E., Eisner, L., Farley E., Harwood, L., Kuletz, K., Lovvorn J., Murphy J., Quakenbush, L. Marine fishes, birds and mammals as sentinels of ecosystem variability and reorganization in the Pacific Arctic Region. Chapter 11 in: The Pacific Arctic Region: Ecosystem Status and Trends in a Rapidly Changing Environment. J.M. Grebmeier and W. Maslowski (eds). Springer-book. In press. Kuletz, K. J., S.W. Stephensen, D.B. Irons, E.A. Labunski, & K.M. Brenneman. 2003. Changes in distribution and abundance of Kittlitz’s murrelets Brachyramphus brevirostris relative to glacial recession in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Marine Ornithology 31:133-140.
SYNERNISTIC ACIVITIES RELEVANT TO THE PRO PO SED PRO JECT Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
• PI for ‘Seabird Distribution in the Offshore Environment’/Arctic surveys (BOEM grant) • Co-PI or collaborator on Arctic research programs (ArcticEIS, SOAR, PacMARS) • Expert member, Circumpolar Seabird Group (CAFF Arctic Council program) • PI for Seabirds, Bering Sea Integrated Research Program (BSIERP/BEST; NPRB grant) • Co-PI for GulfWatch /surveys, Prince William Sound (2012-on-going; EVOS grant) • Co-PI for ‘Seabirds as Predators on Juvenile Herring’ (2006-2013; EVOS grant) • PI for North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Observer Program (NPRB grant) • PI and Co-PI for multiple Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) projects, 1989 - 1999 • Co-PI for seabird projects in Lower Cook Inlet /Kachemak Bay (EVOS, ADFG, USFWS) • Assisted NOAA & NPFMC with Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements • Collaboration with NOAA and Univ. of Washington, studies of fisheries seabird bycatch • Detailed during Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill – assisted implementation of studies • North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database Management Team (USFWS & USGS) • Marine Important Bird Areas Committee (Audubon working group) • Co-author of Seabird Report for ‘Arctic Report Card’ Series: http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/seabirds.html • Reviewer for variety of peer-reviewed journals
RECENT COLLABORATORS C. Ashjian (Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.); Kelly Benoit-Bird (Oregon State U.); M.A. Bishop (Prince William Sound Science Center); R. Day (ABR, Inc., Fairbanks); E. Farley (NOAA); M. Ferguson (NMML/NOAA, Seattle); A. Gall (ABR, Inc., Fairbanks); J. Grebmeier (U. Maryland, Center for Environmental Science); R. Hopcroft (U. of Alaska, Fairbanks); G. L. Hunt, Jr. (U. Washington); D. Irons (USFWS); A. Kataysky (U. Alaska, Fairbanks); S. Moore (NOAA, Seattle); F. Mueter (U. of Alaska, Fairbanks); S. Parker-Stetter (U. Washington); J. Piatt (Alaska Science Center, USGS); H. Renner (USFWS); M. Renner (Tern Again Consulting); D. Roby (Oregon State U.); M. Sigler (Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA); R. Suryan (Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State U.); A. Trites (U. British Columbia).
Graduate Advisors MS degree: Dr. George Hunt, Jr. (University of California, Irvine, CA, USA) PhD degree: Dr. Alan Burger (University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada)
Graduate Students advised (on their committees and using data collected during my projects): Dan Cushing (PhD, current) – Oregon State University, OR Nathan Jones (MS, 2012) – Moss Landing Marine Lab, Moss Landing, CA Brian Hoover (MS, 2012) - Moss Landing Marine Lab, Moss Landing, CA Andrew Allyn (MS, 2011) - University of Massachusetts Amherst Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
SUZANNE L. STROM
Western Washington University Tel: (360) 293-2188 Shannon Point Marine Center Fax: (360) 293-1083 1900 Shannon Point Rd. E-mail: [email protected] Anacortes, WA 98221
PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION Middlebury College Biology B.A. 1981 (magna cum laude) Harvard University Organismal & Evol Biology M.A.1983 University of Washington Biological Oceanography Ph.D. 1990 University of Texas at Austin Plankton Ecology Post-doc 1991-92
APPO INTMENTS 2008-present Senior Marine Scientist, Western Washington University 1995-2008 Marine Scientist, Western Washington University 1992-1995 Research associate, Western Washington University 1991-92 Postdoctoral research associate, University of Texas at Austin 1985-90 Research assistant, University of Washington 1983 Research assistant , Harvard University 1981-82 Research technician, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
RESEARCH INTERESTS Planktonic food web interactions, including predator-prey relationships and chemical ecology Role of planktonic organisms in marine biogeochemistry Physiology, ecology and functional morphology of marine protozoa North Pacific, Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea oceanography
5 PUBLICATIO NS CLO SELY RELATED TO THIS PRO JECT: Strom, S.L., Macri, E.L., and K.A. Fredrickson. 2010. Light limitation of summer primary production in the coastal Gulf of Alaska: physiological and environmental causes. Marine Ecology Progress Series 402:45-57. Dagg, M., S. Strom, and H. Liu. 2009. High feeding rates on large particles by Neocalanus flemingeri and N. plumchrus, and consequences for phytoplankton community structure in the subarctic Pacific Ocean. Deep-Sea Research I 56: 716-726. Strom, S.L. and K.A. Fredrickson. 2008. Intense stratification leads to phytoplankton nutrient limitation and reduced microzooplankton grazing in the southeastern Bering Sea. Deep-Sea Research II 55: 1761-1774. Strom, S.L., E.L. Macri and M.B. Olson. 2007. Microzooplankton grazing in the coastal Gulf of Alaska: variations in top-down control of phytoplankton. Limnology and Oceanography 52: 1480-1494. Strom, S.L., M.B. Olson, E.L. Macri and C.W. Mordy. 2006. Cross-shelf gradients in phytoplankton community structure, nutrient utilization, and growth rate in the northern coastal Gulf of Alaska. Marine Ecology Progress Series 328: 75-92.
5 OTHER PUBLICATIONS: Kolb, A.* and S.L. Strom. 2013. An inducible anti-predatory defense in haploid cells of the marine microalga Emiliania huxleyi (Prymnesiophyceae). Limnology and Oceanography 58: 932-944.
Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
Strom, S.L., E.L. Harvey*, K.A. Fredrickson and S. Menden-Deuer. 2013. Broad halotolerance as a refuge from predation in the harmful raphidophyte alga Heterosigma akashiwo (Raphidophyceae). Featured Article, Journal of Phycology 49: 20-31. Strom, S.L., B. Brahamsha, K.A. Fredrickson, J.K. Apple and A. Gutiérrez Rodríguez. 2012. A giant cell surface protein in Synechococcus WH8102 inhibits feeding by a dinoflagellate predator. Environmental Microbiology 14: 807-816. Apple, J.K., S.L. Strom, B. Palenik and B. Brahamsha. 2011. Variability in protist grazing and growth on different marine Synechococcus isolates. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 77: 3074-3084. Fredrickson, K.A., S.L. Strom, R. Crim† and K. Coyne. 2011. Inter-strain variability in physiology and genetics of Heterosigma akashiwo (Raphidophyceae) from the west coast of North America. Journal of Phycology 47: 25-35.
*graduate student authors; †undergraduate authors
SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES Undergraduate and graduate teaching: teach graduate courses (Biological Oceanography, Coastal Ocean Processes), advise graduate and undergraduate research, including 1-2 students per yr in Shannon Point’s Minorities in Marine Science Undergraduate Program (MIMSUP). Total undergraduate projects advised: >40. PI and director, Research Experience for Undergraduates program, Shannon Point Marine Center. Frequent reviewer for numerous journals, NSF panels and programs. Editorial board member, Journal of Phycology. Give regular classes and workshops for education outreach efforts including COSEE Pacific (workshops for community college teachers) and Washington State University’s Beach Watchers program (workshops for community members).
CO LLABO RATORS AND O THER AFFILIATIO NS i) Collaborators: A. Aguilar-Islas (UAF), B. Brahamsha (Scripps), K. Coyle (UAF), R. Hopcroft (UAF), R. Kodner (WWU), B. Love (WWU), S. Menden-Deuer (URI/WWU), C. Mordy (UW/PMEL), J. Napp (AFSC/NOAA), M.B. Olson (WWU), B. Palenik (Scripps), P. Stabeno (PMEL/NOAA), A. Taylor (UNC Wilmington), G. Wolfe (CSU Chico). ii) Advisors: Ph.D. advisor: Bruce W. Frost Post-doctoral advisor: Edward J. Buskey iii) Post-doctoral advisor for: Hans Jakobsen, Jude Apple Thesis advisor (all M.S.) for 19 students to date. Last 5 years: Blair Paul, Virginia Selz, Amelia Kolb, Tristen Wuori, Katharine Brown, Elizabeth Cooney, Tyler Spillane.
Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
1 Results of Previous NPRB Projects. 2 3 4 Dr. Kenneth Coyle, Co-Principle Investigator 5 6 Project #: 614 - O ptimization of a nutrient – phytoplankton – zooplankton ecological model for 7 quantifying physical and biological interactions on the Gulf of Alaska shelf. 8 Dr. Kenneth Coyle, Principal Investigator 9 Funding Amount: $173,053 10 Period of support: May 1, 2006 to Sept 30, 2008 11 No-cost extension granted until May 1, 2010. 12 13 Summary: As the ecosystem approach to resource management has gained acceptance, the need for tools 14 to place quantitative bounds on the implications of our conceptual models of ecosystem form and function 15 has grown. These conceptual models can be expressed quantitatively by equations linking physical and 16 biological variables in coupled circulation-ecosystem models. However, for such models to be useful 17 quantitatively, they must be optimized to produce results which match as closely as possible to field 18 measurements. Optimization requires a suite of simultaneously collected field measurements of model 19 state variables and processes. The GLOBEC project, which collected physical, biological and process 20 data along the Seward Line from 1998 through 2004 provided an ideal data set for model optimization. 21 NPRB project 614 was tasked with applying the GLOBEC field data to optimization of the Gulf of 22 Alaska nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton (GOANPZ) ecosystem model, which is embedded in the 23 ROMS circulation model. Simulated primary production on the shelf near the Seward Line was about 24 100 g C m-2 y-1, with up to 200 g C m-2 y-1 in lower Cook Inlet, in shallow areas around Kodiak Island and 25 to the west of Kodiak Island. Simulated copepod production was around 20 g C m-2 y-1 on the shelf near 26 the Seward Line, about 8 g C m-2 y-1 off the shelf break and up to about 30 g C m-2 y-1 in areas near 27 Kodiak Island and to the west of Kodiak Island. Simulated production may be underestimated due to iron 28 limitation on the shelf caused by a lack of iron injection with freshwater discharge. 29 30 Publications and other products: This model is a fundamental component of the modeling effort for the 31 GOAIERP program, providing the circulation and ecosystem information for IBM models of larval 32 growth and transport for commercially important groundfish on the Gulf of Alaska shelf. 33 34 Coyle KO, Cheng W, Hinckley S, Lessard EJ, Whitledge T, Hermann AJ, Hedstrom K (2012) Model and 35 field observations of effects of circulation on the timing and magnitude of nitrate utilization and 36 production on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf. Prog. Oceanogr. 103: 16-41 37 Hinckley S, Coyle KO, Gibson G, Hermann AJ, Dobbins EL (2009) A biophysical NPZ model with iron 38 for the Gulf of Alaska: Reproducing the differences between an oceanic HNLC ecosystem and a 39 classical northern temperate shelf ecosystem. Deep-Sea Res. II. 56: 2520-2536 40 41 Outreach activities included oral and poster presentations at Alaska Marine Science Symposium, the 42 Ocean Sciences Meetings and PICES. 43 Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
44 Project #: 805: Modeling processes controlling the on-shelf transport of oceanic mesozooplankton 45 populations in the Gulf of Alaska and Eastern Bering Sea. 46 Dr. Kenneth Coyle, Principal Investigator 47 Funding Amount: $169,050 48 Period of support: Sept 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010, 49 no-cost extension granted until June 30, 2011 50 51 Summary: Oceanic copepods are large-bodied high-energy crustaceans that provide an important food 52 source for forage and commercial fish stocks in the Eastern Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. However, 53 they require deep water to successfully reproduce so tend to overwinter in oceanic and shelf-break 54 habitats geographically removed from the fish stocks centered on the continental shelves. Using a three- 55 dimensional oceanographic model coupled to an individual based float tracking model we explored the 56 climate-driven mechanistic processes influencing the timing and magnitude of transport onto the 57 continental shelves of the Eastern Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. We show that the processes 58 determining the strength of on-shelf transport is fundamentally different in the two regions. Cross-shelf 59 transport of oceanic zooplankton was far more prevalent in the Gulf of Alaska where the rough 60 topography and deep shelf prevent the development of persistent frontal structures; here wind is the 61 primary driver of on-shelf transport which was greatest with strong northward winds. In the Bering Sea, 62 with its broad shallow shelf, the shelf break front was very persistent and hindered on-shelf transport. In 63 addition to wind strength, cross-shelf transport was dependent not only on the seasonal heating in a given 64 year but on the water temperature of the shelf from the preceding winter. The largest cross-shelf transport 65 in the Bering Sea was also during periods of strong northwards wind. Increasing mixing promoted cross- 66 shelf transport of the zooplankton by shifting the location of the front further onto the shelf rather than 67 diminishing its strength. 68 69 Publications: 70 Coyle KO, Gibson GA, Hedstrom K, Hermann AJ, Hopcroft RR (2013) Zooplankton biomass, advection 71 and production on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf from simulations and field observations. J. 72 Mar. Sys. 128: 185-207 73 Gibson GA, Coyle KO, Hedstrom K, Curchitser EN (2013) A modeling study to explore on-shelf 74 transport of oceanic zooplankton in the Eastern Bering Sea. J. Mar. Sys. 121: 47-64 75 The results of this work are also being used to aid in development of individual based models of larval 76 transport and growth for the GOAIERP program. 77 78 O utreach consisted of oral and poster presentations at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium and 79 development of a web page to explain our project in laymen’s terms 80 (http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/mesozooplankton) . Posting results to the web site is pending approval of the 81 final project report by NPRB. Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
1 Results of Previous NPRB Projects. 2 3 4 Dr. Seth Danielson, Co-Principle Investigator 5 6 7 Danielson was not PI or co-I on any previously completed NPRB projects. 8 9 10 Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
1 Results of Previous NPRB Projects. 2 3 4 Dr. Russell Hopcroft, Principle Investigator 5 6 Project#520/603, 708, 804, 1002: Gulf of Alaska Long-term Observations: the Seward Line 7 Russell R Hopcroft, Principal Investigator; Kenneth O. Coyle, Thomas J. Weingartner, Terry E. 8 Whitledge, Co-investigators 9 Funding Amount: $835,925, $249,996, $225,000, $100,000 10 Period of support: May 1, 2005 – Oct 31, 2010, NCE granted until Dec 31, 2010 11 Summary: Long times-series are required for scientists to tease out pattern and cause from simple year- 12 to-year variability. From 2005-2009, we continued multi-disciplinary oceanographic observations begun 13 in 1998 in the northern coastal Gulf of Alaska. Cruises occurred each year, in early May and early 14 September, to capture the typical spring bloom and summer conditions, respectively, along a 150 mile 15 transect across shelf to the south of Seward, Alaska. We determined the physical-chemical structure, 16 primary (algal) production and the distribution and abundance of zooplankton, along with their seasonal 17 and inter-annual variations, to understand how different climatic conditions influenced the biological 18 condition in each year. Over the entire period, we observed both extremely warm years where spring 19 zooplankton biomass was low, and extremely cold years where spring biomass was high. Spring of both 20 2005 and 2006 were anomalously warm, and particularly during 2005, we observed seasonal invasion of 21 more southern species. Spring of 2007 marked the transition to a series of cold spring conditions, not 22 seen in the northern Gulf of Alaska since the 1970s. Springs of both 2008 & 2009 remained cool, similar 23 to observations in 2007, with somewhat later spring phytoplankton blooms. Spring of 2010 was at the 24 climatological mean. Cool springs slowed the development of the zooplankton community but not 25 necessarily their magnitude. Our observations revealed that spring zooplankton biomass, especially of the 26 Neocalanus species, was correlated with hatchery-released Pink Salmon survival in this region. 27 Publications: The GLOBEC period immediately preceding the NPRB funding published extensively on 28 the basic physical, chemical and biological oceanography of the Seward Line. The next breakthrough in 29 publications requires the insight derived from a long time-series; several such publications are now in 30 preparation for an NPRB-lead special issue focused on the Gulf of Alaska. At least one presentation or 31 poster has featured the Seward Line annually at AMSS, as well as at several ASLO meetings. Several 32 student theses are/were reliant on this project. 33 Doubleday, A.J., Hopcroft, R.R., submitted. Seasonal and interannual patterns of larvaceans and 34 pteropods in the coastal Gulf of Alaska, with relationships to pink salmon survival J. Plankton Res. 35 Coyle, K.O., Gibson, G.A., Hedstrom, K., Hermann, A.J., Hopcroft, R.R., 2013. Zooplankton biomass, 36 advection and production on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf from simulations and field 37 observations. J. Mar. Sys. 128, 185-207. 38 Coyle, K.O., Cheng, W., Hinckley, S., Lessard, E.J., Whitledge, T., Hermann, A.J., Hedstrom, K., 2012. 39 Model and field observations of effects of circulation on the timing and magnitude of nitrate 40 utilization and production on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf. Prog. Oceanogr. 103. 41 Janout, M.A., T.J. Weingartner, T. C. Royer, S. L. Danielson (2010), On the nature of winter cooling and 42 the recent temperature shift on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf, JGR Oceans, 2009JC005774R, 43 DOI: 10.1029/2009JC005774 44 Mundy, P., D. Allen, J.L. Boldt, N.A. Bond, S. Dressel, E. Farley Jr., D. Hanselman, J. Heifetz, R.R. 45 Hopcroft, M.A. Janout, C. Ladd, R. Lam, P. Livingston, C. Lunsford, J.T. Mathis, F. Mueter, C. 46 Rooper, N. Sarkar, K. Shotwell, M. Sturdevant, A.C. Thomas, T.J. Weingartner & D. Woodby. 2010. 47 Status and trends of the Gulf of Alaska Coastal region, 2003-2008. pp. 142-195. In: S.M. McKinnell, 48 M. Dagg (ed.) Marine Ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean; 2003-2008. PICES Spec. Pub. 4. 393p. 49 Wu, J., A. Aguilar-Islas, R. Rember, T. Weingartner, S. Danielson, and T. Whitledge (2009), Size- Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
50 fractionated iron distribution on the northern Gulf of Alaska, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L11606, 51 doi:10.1029/2009GL038304. 52 Outreach: Several K-12 lectures. 2011 Earth Teacher Workshops, Kasitsna Bay. The Seward Line 53 website https://www.sfos.uaf.edu/sewardline/ was overhauled in 2010, to provide more public 54 content, as well as visual summaries of the data. 55 56 Project#503: Arctic Ocean Synthesis: Analysis of Climate Change Impacts in the Chukchi and 57 Beaufort Seas with Strategies for Future Research 58 Russell R Hopcroft, Principal Investigator; Bodil Bluhm, Rolf Gradinger, Terry Whitledge, Tom 59 Weingartner, Brenda Norcross & Alan Springer, Co-investigators 60 Funding Amount: $195,493 61 Period of support: June 30, 2005 – May 30, 2008, NCE granted until Dec 31, 2008 62 63 Summary: The environmental conditions in the Arctic Ocean are changing, with the likelihood 64 of profound impacts on the organisms living there, and the peoples dependent on them. Our aim 65 was to integrate and synthesize the present state of knowledge of the biology and oceanography 66 of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas region. We held an interdisciplinary workshop in the winter of 67 2006 bringing together 30 experts from the United States, Russia, Canada, and Japan to identify: 68 (1) the most crucial information gaps, (2) ‘pulse points’ in the biological/physical environment 69 that require monitoring, and (3) how climate change might impact biota through its influence on: 70 sea ice extent/characteristics, shelf currents and transport through Bering Strait, coastal currents 71 along Alaska’s north coast and their relationship to various biological processes and life 72 histories. 73 74 The following recommendations were made that remain a roadmap for research in the region. 75 Data consolidation and analysis: Many data are either unpublished, scattered among gray literature, or 76 are in the form of traditional knowledge not used by Western scientists. We need to continue to 77 locate, digitize, and develop tools capable of analyzing and visualizing these data. 78 Interdisciplinary approach: Data are most valuable when integrated across disciplines. We recommend 79 multi-PI, integrated cruises and observational networks with joint goals. 80 Long-term time-series: We need continued sampling and data acquisition that are consistent across 81 locations and collection methods. 82 Collaboration with other agencies and programs: Because long-term programs are extremely 83 expensive, we recommend leveraging existing time-series (e.g. use of historical stations) and 84 partnering with existing and future programs. 85 Year-round observations: We need year-round observations; most are made in the summer and fall. 86 Early-spring observations are particularly needed in studies of sea-ice biota. 87 Geographic and taxonomic gaps: Sampling in the region has never been systematic and notable 88 geographic gaps need to be filled. 89 Support infrastructure: Barrow and Kotzebue are key staging locations, and continued financial support 90 needs to be ensured. A research-capable vessel, based in Barrow for the mostly ice-free season, is also 91 needed. 92 Biogeochemical and ecological modeling: We need to model the impacts of a changing environment on 93 the Arctic ecosystem. 94 Taxonomic training and expertise: Given the increasing lack of taxonomic expertise in many groups, 95 we consider investment in taxonomic training essential to detecting long-term change. 96 97 Publications: Hopcroft, R.R., R. Gradinger, and B. Bluhm. 2008. Arctic Ocean Synthesis: Analysis of 98 Climate Change Impacts in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas with Strategies for Future Research. North 99 pacific Research Board Final Report 503, 184 p. Information in the publication formed the foundation Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
100 of a number of subsequent reports and parts of the in press book by Grebmeier et al. The Pacific 101 Arctic Sector: status and trends. The 2011 USGS report An Evaluation of the Science Needs to 102 Inform Decisions on Outer Continental Shelf Energy Development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, 103 Alaska noted “Two broad syntheses have recently captured much of this information, some of which 104 is repeated here (Hopcroft and others, 2008a; Minerals Management Service, 2008). These summaries 105 are authoritative and should be consulted to develop a broader framework of the previous research in 106 the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.” 107 O utreach: This project was instrumental in the establishment of the Arctic Ocean Diversity (ArcOD) 108 project within the Census of Marine Life, and the associated E&O efforts.
109 Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
110 Project #929: WEBSEC-72: Rescue of historical Beaufort Sea zooplankton communities 111 Russell R Hopcroft, Principal Investigator 112 Funding Amount: $55,748 113 Period of support: original: June 1, 2009 – May 31, 2011, NCE granted until June 30, 2012 114 115 Summary: A major challenge in climate-related studies is lack of historical data against which to assess 116 biological response to changes in the physical environment. We obtained previously unanalyzed 117 zooplankton samples from Bruce Wing (NOAA, Auke bay) collected in the Beaufort Sea during August 118 1972 on the US Coast Guard’s Western Beaufort Sea Ecological Cruises (WEBSEC) using a 570 µm 119 mesh-net. The majority of these samples proved to be in a good state of preservation. Using data from 66 120 stations, we determined an average abundance of 42.4 individuals m-3 and 13.7 mg DW m-3 121 holozooplankters, plus 29.1 individuals m-3 and 0.2 mg DW m-3 for merozooplankters. The most 122 prominent holoplanktonic taxa were copepods (Calanus hyperboreus, Calanus glacialis, and the 123 Pseudocalanus species complex) and the larvacean Oikopleura vanhoeffeni, with notable contributions by 124 the copepods Jashnovia tolli and Metridia longa, the hydromedusae Aglantha digitale and the 125 chaetognath Parasagitta elegans. Meroplankton was represented largely by barnacle nauplii, barnacle 126 cyprids, and polychaete larvae. Multivariate analysis revealed both along-shelf and cross shelf patterns, 127 related to water temperature and sea ice concentration. This data helps lay the foundation against which 128 changes in the zooplankton communities of the Beaufort Sea could soon be assessed. 129 Conclusions 130 The zooplankton collected during WEBSEC-72 was consistent with composition and abundance 131 with other historical work in the region, and provide the first estimate of species and community biomass 132 for this region from this period. In the near future, as other datasets are completed, it should be possible 133 to provide a 60 year perspective on the zooplankton communities of this region. 134 Publications: 135 Report: Hopcroft, R.R., T.C. Stark and C. Clarke. 2011. WEBSEC-72: Rescue of historical Beaufort Sea 136 zooplankton communities. North pacific Research Board Final Report 929, 19 p. 137 The data from this was employed in a chapter in press by Springer on the Pacific Arctic: Nelson et 138 al. Biodiversity and Biogeography of the Lower Trophic fauna of the Pacific Arctic Region – Sensitivities 139 to Climate Change. It has also been employed in several evolving posters by Hopcroft and his student 140 doctoral Imme Rutzen “Predicting zooplankton abundance and distribution throughout the Arctic 141 Ocean” [i.e. AMSS 2009-2011; ASLO 2010 (Portland), 2012 (Salt Lake City); Arctic Frontiers 2009 & 142 2010. (Tromso, Norway), 5th International Zooplankton Production Symposium (Pucon, Chile)]. Hopcroft 143 also presented a poster at AMSS 2010 “Reconstructing the ocean’s past: Rescue of 1970s zooplankton 144 data from the Beaufort Sea WEBSEC cruises” 145 O utreach: 146 During this project, the ArcOD website underwent expansion for several groups common in the coarse- 147 meshed nets under study, in particular the jellyfish, euphausiids and chaetognaths. A general page on the 148 concept of data rescue was added to the ArcOD website under the education tab, along with a specific 149 page on WEBSEC. 150 151 Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
152 Project #1023: Burton Island – 1950s Historical Chukchi & Beaufort Sea zooplankton communities 153 Russell R Hopcroft, Principal Investigator 154 Funding Amount: $49,727 155 Period of support: original: June 1, 2010 – May 31, 2012, NCE granted until Dec 30, 2013 156 157 Summary: A major challenge in climate-related studies is lack of historical data against which to assess 158 biological response to changes in the physical environment. We examined zooplankton collected in the 159 Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea and adjoining Canada Basin during 1950-1953 cruises by the US Coast 160 Guard’s Burton Island and during 1949 in the Chukchi Sea in 1949 by the Cedarwood using a 363/156 161 µm mesh Nansen net and ~150 µm mesh net, respectively. Although the Burton Island samples total 135, 162 inadequate preservation rendered only 65 of these samples suitable for re-analysis; similarly only 24 of 163 the 35 Cedarwood samples were suitable for analysis. For the Burton Island, we determined an average 164 abundance of 452 individuals m-3 with biomass of 6.58 mg DW m-3 and 69 individuals m-3 of 0.8 mg DW 165 m-3 were captured for the holozooplankters and merozooplankters, respectively. For the Cedarwood, we 166 determined an average of 1214 individuals m-3 and 23.8 mg DW m-3 were captured for the holozoo- 167 plankters, plus 275 individuals m-3 and 4.4 mg DW m-3 captured for the merozooplankters. The most 168 prominent holoplanktonic taxa were copepods, and their composition varied between the Chukchi and 169 Beaufort domains, as confirmed by multivariate analysis. Some caution must be exercised in using these 170 data because specific taxa and/or life stages appear to have been removed from the collections over time 171 and not recorded. Nonetheless, this data establishes that Pacific-affinity zooplankton species have been 172 advected into the Chukchi and across the shelf break for at least the past 60 years. 173 Conclusions: The zooplankton collected by the Burton Island and Cedarwood are consistent with 174 composition and abundance with other historical work in the region, as well as with contemporary 175 samples collected with comparable gear. They confirm existence of a faunal divide between the Chukchi 176 Shelf and Beaufort/Canada basin. They also confirm the advection of Bering/Pacific planktonic fauna 177 through the Chukchi to the shelf break and beyond, as being routine during summers for at least the past 178 60 years. 179 Publications: 180 Citation: Hopcroft, R.R., and C. Clarke. 2013. Burton Island – 1950s Historical Chukchi & Beaufort Sea 181 zooplankton communities. North Pacific Research Board Final Report 1023, 43 p. 182 Portions of this data were employed in an in press chapter by Springer on the Pacific Arctic: Nelson et al. 183 Biodiversity and Biogeography of the Lower Trophic fauna of the Pacific Arctic Region – Sensitivities to 184 Climate Change. The Data generated from this project has been employed in several evolving posters by 185 Hopcroft and his doctoral student, Imme Rutzen “Predicting zooplankton abundance and distribution 186 throughout the Arctic Ocean” [i.e. AMSS 2009-2011; ASLO 2010 (Portland), 2012 (Salt Lake City); 187 Arctic Frontiers 2009 & 2010. (Tromso, Norway), 5th International Zooplankton Production Symposium 188 (Pucon, Chile)]. Graduate students Caitlin Smoot and Elizaveta Ershova are likely to use some of this 189 data in for their degrees as well. 190 O utreach: During this project, the ArcOD website has undergone expansion for several groups common 191 in the coarse-meshed nets under study, in particular the jellyfish, euphausiids and chaetognaths. A general 192 page on the concept of data rescue has been added to the ArcOD website under education the education 193 tab, along with a specific page on the Burton Island. Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
1 Results of Previous NPRB Projects. 2 3 4 Dr. Kathy Kuletz, Principle Investigator 5 6 Project #637 – North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Observer Program. 7 Role and Affiliation: Co-Investigator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage 8 Funding Amount: $164,334 (total project amount) 9 Period of support: May 2006-April 2008 10 11 (b) summary of the major results of the completed work and, if applicable, any direct contribution to 12 fisheries management efforts; 13 The goal of this project was to update the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD), to provide 14 ecosystem managers and investigators access to current data on seabird distribution. We placed observers 15 on selected vessels of opportunity, in collaboration with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric 16 Administration, projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 17 (USFWS), and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Between March 2006 and March 2008, we joined 25 18 cruises of 13 research projects. During this time we surveyed 46,373 km of transects, and covered pelagic 19 waters of Alaska from the Arctic Ocean to the northern Gulf of Alaska. Overall, on transect we recorded 20 239,068 marine birds of 74 species, and 2,608 marine mammals of 20 species. Ten seabird species 21 accounted for 94 % of all bird observations. Our surveys improved distributional data for a variety of 22 species, especially during spring and fall months. We updated and applied basic strip-transect 23 methodology used historically by the USFWS and produced a new observer protocol manual. The data 24 were submitted to the NPPSD. We provided distribution maps illustrating density (birds • km-2) of 25 selected species throughout our area of coverage. Data and products were provided to the North Pacific 26 Fisheries Management Council Plan Team on request, to improve information on temporal and spatial 27 overlap between seabird distribution and fisheries, particularly for albatrosses. Data and maps were also 28 provided to NOAA for use in their SAFE Ecosystem Chapter, several Environmental Assessments related 29 to Alaska’s Groundfish Fisheries, and the Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Team. 30 31 (c) publications and other products (models, software) resulting from the NPRB funded project; 32 Kathy J. Kuletz, Elizabeth A. Labunski, Martin Renner, and David B. Irons. 2008. The North Pacific 33 Pelagic Seabird Observer Program. North Pacific Research Board Final Report, Project No. 637. 34 USFWS, 2008. North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Observer Program Observer’s Manual, U.S. Fish and 35 Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management, Anchorage, AK, 33pp. 36 All data submitted to the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (www.absc.usgs.gov/research/NPP SD). 37 38 (d) outreach activities. 39 We worked with several “Teachers at Sea” Programs during the course of our surveys, which allowed us 40 to speak to educators from across the country. Our program was highlighted by the PolarTrec ‘Teachers at 41 Sea’ and PolarPalooza interviews during the BEST and SLIP cruises while onboard the USCGC Healy 42 (http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/healy/). One of these interviews was referenced in the national children’s 43 science magazine Scholastic. We gave presentations in Dutch Harbor Alaska, and the Sea Life Center in 44 Seward Alaska, and we participated in the 2006 Alaska Ocean Festival in Anchorage Alaska. At the 45 festival we presented a display highlighting our research in the Bering Sea, with an interactive seabird 46 game for adults and children, and handed out individual seabird fact sheets, and we were highlighted in 47 the USFWS News (Summer 2008). We also provided photographs of birds for a variety of applications in 48 Alaska and Canada. 49 50 Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
51 Project #:B64 – Broad-scale seabird distribution (BSIERP) 52 Role and Affiliation: Principal Investigator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage 53 Funding Amount: $550,448 (total project amount) 54 Period of support: original: February 1, 2008 – September 30, 2012 55 no-cost extension granted to September 30, 2013 56 57 (b) summary of the major results of the completed work and, if applicable, any direct contribution to 58 fisheries management efforts; Our goal was to examine the influence of oceanographic and prey 59 dynamics on the distribution and abundance of seabirds as top predators in the Bering Sea. We used 60 multiple years of data to examine seabird response to environmental variables, which will inform 61 modeling efforts to predict how changes in the Bering Sea ecosystem will alter the distribution of apex 62 predators. We examined spatial and temporal (seasonal, annual, decadal) changes in seabird species 63 composition at sea. We primarily focused on the BSIERP focal species studied at colonies, the black- 64 legged kittiwake and thick-billed murre. We covered the Bering Sea shelf via related BEST/BSIERP 65 cruises, which provided a broad temporal coverage from spring through fall (March to October). These 66 data have been and continue to be incorporated into a variety of publications, and they were provided to 67 the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council Plan Team on request, to improve information on 68 temporal and spatial overlap between seabird distribution and fisheries, particularly for albatrosses. Data 69 and maps were also provided to NOAA for use in their SAFE Ecosystem Chapter and several 70 Environmental Assessments related to Alaska’s Groundfish Fisheries. Pelagic distribution data for 71 Kittlitz’s murrelet, particularly during the non-breeding season, was contributed to the ESA Listing 72 Package during the USFWS assessment of its Candidate status. 73 74 (c) publications and other products (models, software) resulting from the NPRB funded project; 75 Hunt, G.L., Renner, M., Kuletz, K. 2013. Seasonal Variation in the Cross-shelf Distribution of Seabirds 76 in the Southeastern Bering Sea. Deep-Sea Res. II, In Press. 77 Moore, S.E., Logerwell E., Eisner, L., Farley E., Harwood, L., Kuletz, K., Lovvorn J., Murphy J., 78 Quakenbush, L. Marine fishes, birds and mammals as sentinels of ecosystem variability and 79 reorganization in the Pacific Arctic Region. Chapter 11 in: The Pacific Arctic Region: Ecosystem 80 Status and Trends in a Rapidly Changing Environment. J.M. Grebmeier and W. Maslowski (eds). 81 Springer-book. In press. 82 Renner, M., J.K. Parrish, J.F. Piatt, K.J. Kuletz, A.E. Edwards, and G.L. Hunt, Jr. 2013. Modeled 83 distribution and abundance of a pelagic seabird reveal trends in relation to fisheries. 84 Mar.Ecol.Progr.Ser. 484:259-277. 85 Sigler MF, Kuletz KJ, Ressler PH, Friday NA, Wilson CD, Zerbini AN. 2012. Marine predators and 86 persistent prey in the southeast Bering Sea. Deep Sea Research II 65-70:292-303. 87 Sigler, M.F., M. Renner, S.L. Danielson, L.B. Eisner, R.R. Lauth, K.J. Kuletz, E.A. Logerwell, and G.L. 88 Hunt Jr. 2011. Fluxes, fins, and feathers: Relationships among the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort 89 Seas in a time of climate change. Oceanography 24(3):250–265. 90 All data submitted to the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (www.absc.usgs.gov/research/NPP SD). 91 Two additional articles are currently in review. 92 93 (d) outreach activities. 94 We presented posters and oral presentations annually, at multiple venues, including (not limited to) the 95 Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Pacific Seabird Group, Ocean Sciences Meeting, American Fisheries 96 Society, and PICES. We gave presentations to the public in Anchorage, Homer, and Dutch Harbor. We 97 collaborated with and provided survey data to researchers and agencies outside of BEST/BSIERP, 98 including Dr. Logerwell (NOAA), Dr. Lovvorn (U. Wyoming), Dr. Hyrenbach (U. Washington), Dr. Ray 99 (U. Virginia), Dr. Eisner (NOAA), Dr. Gaston (Canadian Wildlife Service), and BOEM for assessment of 100 Chukchi and North Aleutian Basin lease sales. To date, one ‘Bering Sea Highlights’ product has been 101 published on-line, with two additional Highlights in review. 102 Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
103 Project #:B67 & B77 – Patch Dynamic Study – (BSIERP) 104 Role and Affiliation: Principal Investigator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage 105 Funding Amount: $73,482 (total project amount) 106 Period of support: original: October 2008 – September 2012 107 no-cost extension granted until September 30, 2013 108 109 (b) summary of the major results of the completed work and, if applicable, any direct contribution to 110 fisheries management efforts; This study was part of a coordinated fine-scale study of birds and 111 mammals, and their forage base, to determine the consequences of spatial patterns (patches) on predator- 112 prey dynamics. The goal was to determine what mechanisms control the abundance and distributions of 113 top predators in the Bering Sea, and ultimately facilitate predictions as to how and why these species 114 respond to changes in the physical and biological environment. This project addressed BSIERP 115 Hypothesis 3 and 4 that climate-ocean changes will displace predictably located, abundant prey (hot 116 spots) necessary for successful foraging by central place (seabirds and fur seals while nurturing young) 117 and hot spot (baleen whales, walrus) foragers. We tested the hypothesis that central place foragers will 118 shift their diet or foraging locations to increase foraging. For murres and kittiwakes, the stomach contents 119 and stable isotope analysis portion of this project elucidated important aspects of seabird foraging, such as 120 that regurgitated food items from colony-caught birds were not necessarily representative of their total 121 diet, and seasonal patterns in prey and predator relationships could be identified through spatial patterns 122 in isotopic signatures. Concurrent surveys of birds and their prey found novel ways to identify patch- 123 selection by diving birds, and highlighted the importance of night-time foraging on vertically migratory, 124 high-density prey for Bering Sea seabirds. 125 126 (c) publications and other products (models, software) resulting from the NPRB funded project; 127 128 Benoit-Bird KJ, Battaile BC, Heppell SA, Hoover B, Irons D, Jones N, Kuletz KJ, Nordstrom CA, 129 Paredes R, Suryan RM, Waluk CM, Trites AW. (2013) Prey Patch Patterns Predict Habitat Use by 130 Top Marine Predators with Diverse Foraging Strategies. PLoS ONE 8(1): e53348. 131 Benoit-Bird, K.J., K. Kuletz, S. Heppell, N. Jones, and B. Hoover. 2011. Active acoustic examination of 132 the diving behavior of murres foraging on patchy prey. Mar.Ecol. Progr. Ser. 443:217-235. 133 Hoover, B.A. 2012. Physical and biological factors affecting the pelagic distributions of Black-legged 134 Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) in the southeastern Bering 135 Sea, Alaska. MSc thesis, Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, California State University, Moss 136 Landing, California. (two manuscripts in preparation resulting from this thesis) 137 Jones, N. M. 2012. Spatiotemporal patterns in diet and habitat use of black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa 138 tridactyla) and thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) in the Bering Sea: an analysis of stomach 139 contents and stable isotopes. MSc thesis, Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, California State 140 University, Moss Landing, California. (Two manuscripts currently in review from this thesis) 141 142 (d) outreach activities. 143 • A brief write up and pictures of the at‐sea component of the Patch Dynamics study was posted 144 by Carolyn Rosner on the NPRB website in 2008. 145 • A variety of digital images from the 2008 and 2009 BSIERP Patch Dynamics cruise were 146 provided to NPRB for outreach and publicity purposes. 147 • N. Jones gave two lectures on this work to a general public forum at Moss Landing Marine Lab’s 148 (University of California) "Science Cafe" and “Open House”. These events were covered by a 149 local paper (circulation 35,000), and also referenced a blog that Mr. Jones has continued since 150 2008, which details his experiences as a researcher and graduate student studying Bering Sea 151 ecosystems with the support of NPRB. 152 • Presentations at AMSS, Pacific Seabird Group, Ocean Sciences Meeting. Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
1 Results of Previous NPRB Projects. 2 3 4 Dr. Suzanne Strom, Principle Investigator 5 6 7 Strom was not PI or co-I on any previously completed NPRB projects. 8 9 10 Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
Jeremy T. Mathis Director - OARC (907) 474-5926 [email protected] www.sfos.uaf.edu/oarc
Ocean Acidification Research Center 245 O’Neill Building, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 757220, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775‐7220
RE: Letter of Support for Hopcroft NPRB Proposal
July 15, 2013
Dear Dr. Hopcroft,
Thank you for asking me to be part of your consortium to make long-term observations at the Seward Line/Prince William Sound time-series stations. I have funding from the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to collect and synthesize ocean acidification data in this region for the next three years. The combined support from these two agencies is approximately $165,000 annually. However, without the base logistical support that you provide (i.e. ship time, CTD operations and support staff) I would not be able to conduct these environmentally critical measurements. Our collaborations over the past five years have already lead to four peer-reviewed manuscripts on the process that control ocean acidification in the region.
Given the rapid accumulation of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the ocean and the paucity of time-series data that exists, it is critical that long-term observation along the Seward Line continue. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with you in this project.
Sincerely
Jeremy T. Mathis Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427 Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427 Appendix 1 - NPRB Project 1427
1007 W. Third Av enue, Suite 100 Anchorage, AK 99501 907.644.6703 – phone 907.644.6780 – fax www.aoos.org February 14, 2014
North Pacific Research Board 1007 W. Third Ave., Suite 100 Anchorage, AK 99501
Dear Sir:
I am pleased to write this letter of support for Dr. Russell Hopcroft’s proposal: Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line.
I am director of the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS), the Alaska regional component of the national Integrated Ocean Observing System, as well as the lead PI for the Gulf Watch Alaska Program, funded by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. The mission of AOOS is to facilitate the development of physical, biological and chemical observations in Alaska’s oceans and coastal regions. A key priority of AOOS is continuation of long oceanographic time series such as the Seward Line. AOOS has contributed $100,000 a year to this project since 2010. It is our intent to continue long-term support at this level, contingent on the support of additional partners. In addition, we have supported Dr. Jeremy Mathis’ collection of ocean acidification samples along the Seward Line ($80,000 per year) for the past five years, taking advantage of the Seward Line cruises, and we intend to continue that effort as well. That sampling depends upon continued funding for the Seward Line.
The Gulf Watch Alaska Program, although funded in five-year increments, is planned for a 20- year duration. The oceanographic observations along the Seward Line provide a key long time- series for our program. Funding is guaranteed for an additional three years under this program ($100,000, $104,000, and $108,000) and is likely to continue beyond that. Dr. Hopcroft also plays a key role in overall guidance for Gulf Watch Alaska by serving as the lead for the Environmental Drivers component on the program’s Science Coordinating Committee.
We look forward to the success of this project. Sincerely,
Molly McCammon AOOS Director and Gulf Watch Alaska Program Lead