Nearshore Marine Ecosystem Research Program

A long-term monitoring and research program following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, that takes place across the Gulf of Alaska. The program involves continued estimation of sea otter demography, sampling and monitoring of marine invertebrates, kelps, sea grasses, birds, mammals, and physical parameters.

Abstract

Nearshore ecosystems include many resources that are of high ecological, recreational, subsistence, and economic value. They also are subject to influences from a wide variety of natural and human-caused perturbations, which can originate in terrestrial or oceanic environments. Our research is designed to evaluate sources of variation in the nearshore and how they influence resources of high conservation interest. Our studies address community members at every trophic level, ranging from intertidal macroalgae and kelps to benthic invertebrates to top-level predators such as sea otters, black oystercatchers, and sea ducks. Key issues addressed by our program includes ecosystem recovery from the Exxon Valdez oil spill; in particular, studies of sea otters and harlequin ducks have provided unprecedented insights into the processes and timelines of recovery of vulnerable species. We also have a long history, and ongoing efforts, evaluating population dynamics of sea otters and their effects on other components of nearshore ecosystems. We also study sea ducks, a group of waterfowl of high conservation concern, evaluating factors on marine habitats that influence their distribution, abundance, and demography. A large component of our program is participation in Gulf Watch Alaska, which is designed to monitor marine ecosystem structure and function in the northern Gulf of Alaska.

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Products

Title	Type
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Sea Otter Forage Data, 1993-2019	Data
North Pacific Wintering Barrow's Goldeneye Body Mass, Morphology, and Prey Sizes 1996-2015	Data
Rocky Intertidal Data from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park	Data
Sea Otter Spraint Data from Kachemak Bay, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park and Prince William Sound	Data
Intertidal and Subtidal Sea Otter Prey Sampling in Mixed Sediment Habitat in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, 1998 to 2011	Data
Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, 2017	Data
Bioenergetics and Morphology of Mussels (Mytilus trossulus) in Kenai Fjords National Park	Data
Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from the outer Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, 2019	Data
Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from Western Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2017	Data
Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from Northern and Eastern Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2014	Data
Data for Determining Age of Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) from External Characteristics, Alaska and Canada, 2007-2015	Data
Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from Southeast Alaska, 2002-2003	Data
Gulf Watch Alaska, Nearshore Component: Sea Otter Mortality Age Data from Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2006-2017	Data
Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, 1999-2012	Data
Variation in abundance of Pacific Blue Mussel (Mytilus trossulus) in the Northern Gulf of Alaska, 2006–2015	Publication
Intertidal Soft-Sediment Bivalves from Prince William Sound, Kachemak Bay, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park	Data
Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore Component: Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data Katmai National Park and Preserve, 2008 - 2018 (ver 2.0, March 2020)	Data
Attaching transmitters to waterbirds using one versus two subcutaneous anchors: retention and survival trade-offs	Publication
Data for Evaluating Efficacy of 1- versus 2-prong Radio Transmitter Attachment for Scoters in Alaska and Washington, 2008-2010	Data
Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore Component: Marine Bird and Mammal Survey Data from Katmai National Park and Preserve and Kenai Fjords National Park, 2012-2016	Data
Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore Component: Marine Water Quality, Water Temperature from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park, 2014-2016	Data
Gulf Watch Alaska, Benthic Monitoring Component: Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data Kenai Fjords National Park, 2002-2016	Data
Sea Otter Gene Transcription Data from Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula, and Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2005-2012	Data
Black Oystercatcher Nest and Diet Data from Kachemak Bay, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Prince William Sound	Data
Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore Component: Monitoring Site Locations from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park	Data
Gulf Watch Alaska, Nearshore Monitoring Component: Sea otter foraging observations from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park, 2012-2016	Data
Harlequin duck capture and EROD activity data from Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2011, 2013, 2014	Data
Intertidal Temperature Data from Kachemak Bay, Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park	Data
Intertidal Mussel (Mytilus) Data from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park	Data
Nearshore Marine Ecology Research	Project Website

Contacts

Esler, Daniel , 907-786-7068

Status: onGoing
Start Year: 2005
End Year: 2024

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Project Sites

Collaborators

FWS - Alaska Region
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Park Service
University of Alaska Fairbanks

USGS Mission Area and Program

Ecosystems → Status and Trends
Ecosystems → Wildlife Program

Major Initiatives

EVOS - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council
USGS - Marine and Freshwater Ecology

Keywords

Biological Classification > Animals/Invertebrates > Mollusks
Biological Classification > Animals/Vertebrates > Birds > Ducks/Geese/Swans
Biological Classification > Animals/Vertebrates > Birds > Waders/Gulls/Auks And Allies
Biological Classification > Animals/Vertebrates > Mammals > Carnivores > Otters
Biological Classification > Plants > Macroalgae (Seaweeds)
Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Species/Population Interactions > Population Dynamics