Project Information

Title: LTM Program - Oceanographic Monitoring in Cook Inlet/Kachemak Bay 14120114-G

Project Year and Number: 2014: 14120114-G

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: None

Principal Investigator (PI): Angela Doroff

Managing Agency: ADFG

Assisting Personnel: None

Project Website: https://gulfwatchalaska.org/monitoring/environmental-drivers/oceanographic-conditions-in-lower-cook-inlet-and-kachemak-bay/

Research Location: Lower Cook Inlet

Restoration Category: Monitoring

Injured Resources Addressed: Not Specified

Abstract:

This project is designed to assist in the evaluation of recovery and restoration of injured resources in the foot print of the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). It is important to know if oceanic conditions and changes in the Gulf of Alaska are synchronous with near-shore trends, and monitoring at multiple sites will help discern such relationships. Mapping currents and water mass movements of a region contributes to our understanding of patterns in the abundance and diversity of marine plankton, invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals in coastal Alaska. The complex structure of fronts where water masses meet and the patterns associated with the movement of water masses are still not understood for lower Cook Inlet. In this study, we will be mapping the waters in lower Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay to understand the intrusions of the Alaska Coastal Current and to identify spatial and temporal changes of various other currents in this region and relate these observations to injured resources. Developing an understanding of the structure of the physical oceanography will help us understand the connectivity of water movement and potential plankton transport between lower Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay. By determining the local species of phytoplankton and zooplankton and understanding their seasonal distribution we will begin to understand the biological patterns associated with upper trophic levels of the nearshore marine system. Information from this project will also be useful to local mariculture operations, subsistence harvesters of hard shell clams and other invertebrates, NOAA Regional Ocean Circulation Model development, and monitoring programs for harmful algal blooms.


Proposal: View (19,995 KB)

Reports:
Annual Report FY14: View (550 KB)
Final Report: See Project 16120114-G

Publications from this Project: None Available