Project Information

Title: Nearshore Ecosystems in the Gulf of Alaska 23120114-H

Project Year and Number: 2023: 23120114-H

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2022: 22120114-H , 2021: 21120114-H, 2020: 20120114-H, 2019: 19120114-H, 2018: 18120114-H, 2017: 17120114-H, 2016: 16120114-R, 2015: 15120114-R, 2014: 14120114-R, 2013: 13120114-R, 2012: 12120114-R

Principal Investigator (PI): Heather Coletti (National Park Service), Dan Esler (USGS), Katrin Iken (University of Alaska Fairbanks), Brenda Konar (University of Alaska Fairbanks), Brenda Ballachey (USGS), Jim Bodkin (USGS), George Esslinger (USGS), Kim Kloecker (USGS), Mandy Lindeberg (NOAA Fisheries), Daniel Monson (USGS), Brian Robinson (USGS), Sarah Traiger (USGS), Ben Weitzman (USFWS)

Managing Agency: USNPS

Assisting Personnel: None

Project Website: https://gulfwatchalaska.org/monitoring/nearshore-ecosystems/

Research Location: Kachemak Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: Monitoring

Injured Resources Addressed: Black Oystercatchers, Clams, Harlequin Ducks, Intertidal Organisms, Mussels, Sea Otters, Sediments, Subtidal Organisms

Abstract:

Long-term monitoring provides a foundation of knowledge capable of recognizing and responding to changes in marine ecosystems in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and across the globe. We propose to extend ongoing monitoring of a diverse suite of taxa throughout the nearshore food web and across the GOA to provide continued evaluation of the status and trends of more than 200 species, including most of those injured by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). The Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) Nearshore monitoring program connects ecosystem components by sampling ecologically important and human-valued species throughout the nearshore food web, from primary producers to mid-level consumers to top predators. The monitoring design includes spatial, temporal, and ecological features that support inference regarding drivers of change. Recent examples of the application of the monitoring data include assessment of change in sea otter populations related to EVOS recovery in Prince William Sound and density-dependent factors on the Katmai coast; assessment of the relative roles of static versus dynamic drivers in structuring benthic communities; mussel population dynamics across the northern GOA; timelines and mechanisms of recovery of nearshore EVOS injured resources; the response of rocky intertidal communities to the recent Pacific marine heatwave (PMH); documenting changes in sea star communities after onset of sea star wasting syndrome; and responses of mussel populations to loss of sea stars across the northern GOA. Nearshore data have also contributed to a larger GWA synthesis on responses of marine systems to the PMH, including contrasts of pelagic and nearshore biomes. History tells us to expect the unexpected and that change is inevitable. Continued monitoring will facilitate science, conservation, and management of nearshore marine resources by identifying ecological change at appropriate spatial and temporal scales across the GOA and allow ongoing evaluation of the status of spill injured resources.

This project was approved for the FY22-FY26 funding cycle.


Proposal: View (2,147 KB)

Reports:
FY23 Annual Report: View (2,680 KB)

Publications from this Project: None Available

Resolutions: