Project Information

Title: LTM Program: Continuous Plankton Recorder monitoring of plankton populations on the Alaskan Shelf 21120114-D

Project Year and Number: 2021: 21120114-D

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2024: 24120114-D , 2023: 23120114-D , 2022: 22120114-D , 2020: 20120114-D, 2019: 19120114-D, 2018: 18120114-D, 2017: 17120114-D, 2016: 16120114-A, 2015: 15120114-A, 2014: 14120114-A, 2013: 13120114-A, 2012: 12120114-A

Principal Investigator (PI): Clare Ostle (Marine Biological Association), Sonia Batten (North Pacific Marine Science Organization)

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: None

Project Website: https://gulfwatchalaska.org/monitoring/environmental-drivers/continuous-plankton-recorder/

Research Location: Gulf of Alaska, Cook Inlet

Restoration Category: Monitoring

Injured Resources Addressed: Not Specified

Abstract:

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) transect samples the Alaskan shelf from lower Cook Inlet across the slope into the open Gulf of Alaska, providing a now 20-year record of taxonomically resolved, seasonal, near-surface zooplankton and large phytoplankton abundance over a wide spatial scale. Sampling takes place approximately monthly, six times per year, usually between April and September. Outputs from the project include indices of plankton abundance (e.g., large diatom abundances, estimated zooplankton biomass), seasonal cycles (phenology of key groups) and community composition (e.g., appearance of warm water species, change in dominance by some groups). Variability in any, or all, of these indices might be expected to flow-through to higher trophic levels such as herring, salmon, birds and mammals that forage across the region, some of which have been impacted by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Results show that interannual variability in plankton dynamics is high and plankton responded clearly and rapidly to the warm conditions of 2014-2016, with changes evident in abundance, composition and timing. We are not proposing any major changes to this project for FY21.

The 2020 CPR tows have not been impacted by COVID-19 but there will be some delay in finalizing the 2019 CPR data due to restrictions to lab access. We are not proposing any major changes to this project for FY21.


Proposal: View (1,884 KB)

Reports:
FY17-21 Final Report: View (1,768 KB)

Publications from this Project: None Available