Archives of Dean Reports

Message from the Dean

As we wind up 2024, it is a pleasure to extend my sincere appreciation to our students, staff and faculty, and to our captain and crew in ensuring the safe and successful operation of R/V Sikuliaq.

Happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Hannah Mark’s (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) “Resolving the Origin of the Jurassic Quiet Zone” cruise in the tropical Pacific Ocean, near the Marshall Islands. This project examines a poorly understood period of geomagnetic field history, the Jurassic Quiet Zone, during which geomagnetic field strength appears to be much less than normal and the reversal rate much higher than normal.

CFOS in the News

Courtney Carothers was quoted in a KMXT news story about the outmigration of commercial fishing permits from Alaska communities. 

The Alaska Beacon and other outlets covered new research linking the shrinking size of Chinook salmon with poor runs on the Yukon River. Megan Feddern led the study as a CFOS postdoctoral researcher. 

Publications

 

Reister, I.R., S.L. Danielson, and A.M. Aguilar-Islas. 2024. Perspectives on Northern Gulf of Alaska salinity field structure, freshwater pathways, and controlling mechanisms. Progress in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2024.103373

 

Kruse, G.H., B.J. Daly, E.J. Fedewa, D.L. Stram, and C.S. Szuwalski. 2025. Ecosystem-based fisheries management of crab fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. Fisheries Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2024.107236

 

Grants and Awards for November 2024

 

New awards for CFOS researchers

• Grant G-16517 "Measuring borealization to improve short-term forecasts of fisheries responses to climate warming in the Bering Sea" - Franz Mueter - NPRB - $320,929.00 (Start date April 1, 2025)
• Grant G-16518 "AOOS: Alaska BOL IRA" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $79,000.00 (August 1, 2024)

Awards receiving incremental funding

• Grant G-15074 "AMBON - linking biodiversity observations in the Arctic" - Katrin Iken - ONR - Mod 1 - $93,000.00 (September 1, 2022)

Award set up on assumption

• Grant G-16492 "Developing machine learning tools to estimate the abundance of Pacific Steller's eider from photographic aerial surveys of Nelson Lagoon, Alaska" - Tuula Hollmen - Alaska Department of Fish and Game (July 31, 2024)

Award controlled by another department

• Grant G-16490 "Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem studies (CICOES)" - Franz Mueter - University of Washington - IARC - $5,767.00 (February 1, 2024)

Message from the Dean

Next week, there will be a number of researchers from CFOS presenting their research at the oral and poster sessions during the Fall AGU meeting in Washington DC. CFOS will have a booth (1059 in the Exhibit Hall) to showcase our academic programs, research activities, and operation of R/V Sikuliaq. If you plan to attend this meeting, please stop by and say hello.

This Thursday, CFOS will host the end-of-year holiday gathering from noon to 2 pm in Murie 301. Thanks to Christina Sutton for organizing this event, and to those helping to make this an enjoyable occasion to catch up as we close out the semester. 

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Caitlin Whalen’s (University of Washington) MOTIVE cruise in the Tropical Pacific Ocean. Sikuliaq is scheduled to arrive at Honolulu, Hawaii, at the end of the week to mobilize for the next cruise, Hannah Mark’s (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) project, Resolving the Origin of the Jurassic Quiet Zone project, funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences. This project examines a poorly understood period of geomagnetic field history, the Jurassic Quiet Zone, during which geomagnetic field strength appeared to be much less than normal and the reversal rate much higher than normal.

CFOS in the News

Alaska Native News highlighted a new paper linking climate change and lower body size to declining king salmon populations. Megan Feddern led the study as a post-doctoral researcher at CFOS.

Publications

 

Batta-Lona, P.G., K. Gardner, J.M. Questel, S.R. Thorrold, J.K. Llopiz, P.H. Wiebe, and A. Bucklin. 2024. Salps in the NW Atlantic Slope Water: metabarcoding and compound-specific stable isotope analysis of diet diversity and trophic interactions. Marine Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-024-04535-x

 

Friedlingstein, P., M. O’Sullivan, M.W. Jones, […], N. Monacci, et al. 2024. Global Carbon Budget 2024. Earth System Science Data. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-519

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that the 2024 CFOS Annual Report is complete and available online. A big thank you to Jeff Richardson for leading this effort, Carol Kaynor for expert editing, and Emily Moretz at University Relations for production. This report wonderfully captures a number of exciting aspects of our diverse college, including a few particularly notable points that merit attention. 

First, the growth in our core MS and PhD graduate enrollment (p. 5), from a low in 2018 up to present, can be attributed mainly to the rebuilding of our faculty through multiple hires in all departments; that process commenced after restructuring the former school to form CFOS in 2016. We currently have 44 PhD students enrolled, which is more than one PhD candidate per active tenure-track faculty, thereby contributing meaningfully to the institution's goal to attain R1 status. In addition, the expansion of our academic programs to include the Master of Marine Policy and Master of Marine Science is increasingly contributing to growth in graduate student enrollment. 

Second, the recent growth in undergraduate enrollment (p. 6) can be attributed in part to the adoption of asynchronous instruction modality, which is evidenced by the increase in our distance learning and out-of-state students over the past few years. This has required significant effort by CFOS faculty to offer both synchronous and asynchronous courses.

Third, despite a roughly three-fold decrease in state funding since 2016, CFOS has grown revenues across the board in research, academic programs and major facility operations (p. 19–20), resulting in the second-largest academic or research institute total revenues at the university. 

Taken together, and considering the university’s financial headwinds since 2016 and the global pandemic, our faculty, staff and students can rightly be proud of the remarkable growth and increased recognition of the college. Thank you, CFOS!

Next week is Thanksgiving, and as we look forward to enjoying time with friends and family, please take a moment to reflect on the positive aspects of our daily lives. It is my pleasure to thank the faculty, staff and students for all their good work, which provides significant benefits to Alaska and our nation. Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of Caitlin Whalen’s (University of Washington) MOTIVE project in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The Mixing belOw Tropical Instability waVEs project, funded by NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences, is focused on understanding mechanisms that modulate the near-equator internal wave field and mixing, and the potential effect on the equatorial ocean heat budget.

Accomplishments

Peter Westley was an invited speaker last week at Whalefest in Sitka, presenting “Alaska salmon in a warming world: From far too hot to just warm enough.” 

CFOS in the News

The Distributed Biological Observatory project aboard R/V Sikuliaq, which is led by Seth Danielson, was highlighted on the NOAA Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing website.

Alaska Native News published an article about Sikuliaqextended winter trip to Hawaii. 

Seth Danielson was interviewed by WABI TV during a visit by UAF climate researchers to the University of Maine.

Publications

Hauri, C., B. Irving, D. Hayes, E. Abdi, J. Kemme, N. Kinski, and A.M.P. McDonnell. 2024. Expanding seawater carbon dioxide and methane measuring capabilities with a seaglider. Ocean Science. https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1403-2024

Feddern, M.L., R. Shaftel, E.R. Schoen, C.J. Cunningham, B.M. Connors, B.A. Staton, A. von Finster, Z. Liller, V.R. von Biela, and K.G. Howard. 2024. Body size and early marine conditions drive changes in Chinook salmon productivity across northern latitude ecosystems. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17508

Message from the Dean

CFOS Advisory Council member and long-standing executive director of the At-Sea Processors Association Stephanie Madsen has announced her retirement from APA at the end of this year. Stephanie has been a stalwart supporter of CFOS fisheries research and education activities, in particular through the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center. I personally have benefited greatly from Stephanie’s experience and advice regarding Alaska’s commercial fishing industry. We are fortunate that Stephanie has generously offered to stay on the Advisory Council, and I am grateful for her time, energy and experience in helping to advance the mission of our college.

Stephanie’s pending retirement also serves as a reminder that next year PCCRC will celebrate 25 years supporting fisheries research and education programs. Stay tuned for more information about this event, which will take place in Anchorage during the Alaska Marine Science Symposium in January.

It is a pleasure to announce that Elizabeth “Putt” Clark will join CFOS on November 18 as our new website manager. Putt will be located in the Dean’s Office suite and can be reached at ecclark@alaska.edu. Please join me in welcoming Putt to CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Honolulu, Hawaii, awaiting Caitlin Whalen’s (University of Washington) field project in the tropical Pacific Ocean. This NSF Division of Ocean Sciences–funded Mixing belOw Tropical Instability waVEs (MOTIVE) study is focused on processes that govern the observed modulation of internal waves and possible turbulent mixing in the equatorial Pacific.

Accomplishments

CFOS graduate student Connie Melovidov has been awarded a Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. She will focus on marine policy and conservation during her fellowship in Washington D.C. next year. Congratulations, Connie!

CFOS in the News

Your Alaska Link included a science presentation by Brian Crandall at Haines High School in a roundup of Alaska news stories. 

Graduate student Emily Mailman was profiled on the UAF Graduate School website.

Publications

Husson, B., B.A. Bluhm, F. Cyr, S.L. Danielson, E. Eriksen, M. Fossheim, M. Geoffroy, R.R. Hopcroft, R.B. Ingvaldsen, L.L. Jørgensen, C. Lovejoy, L. Meire, F. Mueter, R. Primicerio, and M. Winding. 2024. Borealization impacts shelf ecosystems across the Arctic. Frontiers in Environmental Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1481420

Polyakov, I., T.J. Ballinger, J.E. Overland, S.J. Vavrus, S.L. Danielson, R. Lader, U.S. Bhatt, A.S. Hendricks, and F.J. Mueter. 2024. Atmospheric pressure rivalry between the Arctic and northern Pacific: Implications for Alaskan climate variability. International Journal of Climatology. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.8638

Slater, L.M., W. Gaeuman, W. Cheng, G.H. Kruse, C. Habicht, and D. Pengilly. 2024. Molecular evaluation of the mating dynamics of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the eastern Bering Sea. Ecology and Evolution. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70416

Grants and Awards for October 2024

New awards for CFOS researchers

• Grant G-16425 "Ice Impacts on the Resonance, Convergence and Friction of Tidal Transport (Tide-Ice ReCon)" - Steve Dykstra - BOEM - $151,834.00 (September 18, 2024)

Award set up on assumption

• Grant G-16407 "UAF FY25 Support for Marine Scientist Hollmen" - Tuula Hollmen - Alaska SeaLife Center - $20,000.00 (October 1, 2024)

Awards that received incremental funding

• Grant G-13543 "NASA IPA August 2020-July 2022" - Geoff Wheat - NASA - Mod 3 - $268,421.00 (August 1, 2020)
• Grant G-14399 "AccelNet-Implementation: Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator (COBRA)" - Geoff Wheat - Bigelow Labs - Mod 4 - $20,000.00 (October 1, 2021)
• Grant G-16417 "FY25 UAF Technical Support at Amchitka Island Underground Nuclear Test Sites" - Doug Dasher - Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation - Mod 1 - $33,120.00 (July 1, 2024)

Awards controlled by other departments

• Grant G-16442 "Research Advising and Mentoring Professionals for Underrepresented Peoples (RAMP UP)" - Ellen Chenoweth - NIH - Center for One Health - $61,362.00 (September 15, 2024)
• Grant G-16459 "Juneau Whale HEALTH" - Shannon DeMaster - City of Juneau - UAS - $48,227.00 (July 1, 2024)

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to welcome Lydia Sgouros in her new role as marine technician in Seth Danielson's lab. Having relocated from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences to the Seward Marine Center, Lydia will apply her skills to mooring, glider and high frequency radar operations. Welcome to CFOS, Lydia!

Jeff Richardson is putting the finishing touches on the 2024 CFOS Annual Report, which will highlight some of our exciting research, teaching, and service activities, along with some very nice pictures of CFOS at work in our great state.

Fairbanks is off to a wintry start today, with plenty of snow falling to lay the base for another great season of skiing and other outdoor activities.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Newport, Oregon, preparing to support Caitlin Whalen’s (University of Washington) NSF-funded Mixing belOw Tropical Instability waVEs (MOTIVE) project, scheduled next month and based out of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Accomplishments

Mike Stekoll was honored with the 2023–2024 Impact Award for the best social impact disclosure as part of the Innovation Disclosures and Entrepreneurial Activities award. His work, “Floating and hanging kelp for advanced yield in kelp mariculture,” was selected from among the top disclosures for commercial readiness, capacity to make an impact, strength of intellectual property, and potential to scale. Congratulations, Mike!

CFOS in the News

Kay McMonigal was quoted in a Science article about a study that explains the scientific cause of windless ocean doldrums.

Alaska Native News and other outlets published an article about work by Hank Statscewich and the CFOS glider program to locate tagged crabs in the Bering Sea. 

Fishermen’s News published a forecast for the 2025 Bristol Bay salmon run that was compiled by a research team that included Curry Cunningham. 

Publications

Hasan, M., S.M. Larson, K. McMonigal, W.A. Robinson, and A. Aiyyer. 2024. Hemisphere-dependent impacts of ENSO and atmospheric eddies on Hadley circulation. Journal of Climate. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-24-0112.1

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that Dr. Rowenna Gryba has accepted the offer for the tenure-track assistant professor position in the Department of Fisheries. Following extensive work as a quantitative ecologist in the private sector and academia, Rowenna recently completed her PhD at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests combine statistical techniques and Indigenous knowledge to better understand marine mammal behavior in the Arctic. I want to thank Peter Westley for chairing this faculty search and committee members Courtney Carothers, Kristen Gorman, Andrés López, Lindsey McCulloch and Megan McPhee. Rowenna will be based at the Fairbanks campus and her start date is August 2025. Please join me in welcoming Rowenna to CFOS. 

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Ed Dever’s (Oregon State University) Ocean Observatories Initiative Fall 2024 Endurance Array operations and maintenance cruise, which is funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences.

Accomplishments

Last week Sikuliaq and CFOS hosted an annual IT Summit meeting with several information technology departments from the UA system to discuss collaboration, knowledge sharing and future plans. Participants included OIT, NTS and Statewide IT, with sessions focusing on cybersecurity, hardware support and knowledge sharing.

CFOS in the News

Jeff Muehlbauer was featured in a UAF Aurora article about the Cripple Creek stream restoration in Fairbanks.

Peter Westley was quoted in an article in The Lever about the environmental consequences of Alaska’s Bering Sea pollock fishery.

Steve Dykstra’s research on convergent estuaries with dams, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, was highlighted in a roundup of news in The Hill about the expansion of risky coastal development in the face of climate change. 

Peter Westley discussed Alaska’s “state of salmon” on the Rising Tide podcast.

Publications

Gentilhomme, A., C. Sweet, G.M.M. Hennon, and R.E. Collins. 2024. Genomic signatures of cold adaptation in the family Colwelliaceae. Extremophiles. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-024-01356-0

Bucklin, A., P.G. Batta Lona, J.M. Questel, H. McMonagle, et al. Metabarcoding and morphological analysis of diets of mesopelagic fishes in the NW Atlantic slope water. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1411996

Grants and Awards for September 2024

New awards for CFOS researchers

• Grant G-16333 "CRISES: Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Stewardship (CIKS)" - Courtney Carothers - NSF - $100,000.00 (September 1, 2024)
• Grant G-16338 "4-H pH" - Natalie Monacci - NOAA/CMDL - $50,000.00 (September 1, 2024)
• Grant G-16417 "FY25 UAF Technical Support at Amchitka Island Underground Nuclear Test Sites" - Doug Dasher - Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation - $121,471.81 (July 1, 2024)

Awards receiving incremental funding

• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 16 - $1,058,900.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-14969 "Mariculture - Benthic Ecosystem" - Brenda Konar - Prince William Sound Science Center - Mod 4 - $153,532.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14970 "Assessment of seeding density, pre-harvest trimming, and environmental conditions on the performance of farmed kelp" - Schery Umanzor - Prince William Sound Science Center - Mod 3 - $94,284.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14996 "Pelagic Interactions" - Amanda Kelley - Prince William Sound Science Center - Mod 3 - $213,290.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15161 "AMBON - linking biodiversity observations in the Arctic" - Katrin Iken - NASA - Mod 2 - $60,000.00 (September 1, 2022)

Awards controlled by other department

• Grant G-15974 "FY24 Alaska Hatch Regular Research" - Amanda Kelley - USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture NIFA - AFES Federal Land Grant Programs (SBO) - $270,997.00 (October 1, 2023)
• Grant G-16344 "Enhancing Alaska Native Capacity to Respond to a Changing Ocean Climate" - Courtney Carothers - Sasakawa Peace Foundation - IARC - $88,817.00 (September 1, 2024)
• Grant G-16413 "Development of the Arctic MOM6-COBALT configuration: Incorporating Indigenous perspectives for a holistic and equitable approach towards prediction and projection of Arctic Ocean ecosystem change" - Kate Hedstrom - NOAA/CMDL - IARC - $108,269.00 (September 1, 2024)

Message from the Dean

Next week two CFOS stakeholder organizations will hold board meetings that bear on our research and education programs. The North Pacific Research Board will hold its annual fall board meeting in Anchorage, with discussions to include core research programs, the new Northern Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program, and partnerships. Later in the week, the Alaska SeaLife Center will hold its annual fall retreat and board meeting in Seward, with a full slate of topics that includes strategic planning, governance, finance, development and community outreach. I look forward to engaging with the NPRB and ASLC boards and staff to help advance their respective missions.

I hope everyone is taking time to enjoy the spectacular fall colors in our great state.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway to recover two wave gliders south of Unimak Pass for Mark Zumberge (University of California San Diego). The glider research is funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE). After recovering the wave gliders, Sikuliaq will transit to Newport, Oregon, to prepare for the next research cruise: Ed Dever’s (Oregon State University) OOI Endurance Array Operations & Maintenance, which is also funded by NSF OCE.

Accomplishments

Courtney Carothers was awarded the Emmeline Moore Award by the American Fisheries Society, which recognizes the efforts of an individual member in the promotion of demographic diversity in the society.

CFOS in the News

ECO Magazine and other publications covered research by Steve Dykstra that details how dams that are built to address coastal flooding can sometimes worsen it.

Publications

Dykstra, S.L., S.A. Talke, A.E. Yankovsky, R. Torres, and E. Viparelli. 2024. Reflection of storm surge and tides in convergent estuaries with dams, the case of Charleston, USA. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020498

Lobo, M., D.A. Jay, S. Innocenti, S.A. Talke, S.L. Dykstra, and P. Matte. 2024. Implementing super-resolution of non-stationary tides with wavelets: An introduction to CWT_Multi. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology. https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-23-0144.1

Wild, L.A., F.J. Mueter, J.M. Straley, and R.D. Andrews. 2024. Movement and diving behavior of satellite-tagged male sperm whales in the Gulf of Alaska. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1394687

Message from the Dean

As we continue through this fall semester, it is worth reflecting on the progress the college is making. This includes expanding our academic programs, attracting new students and faculty, increasing the scope of our research, strengthening our major facilities, and bringing value to the state of Alaska in the management of aquatic ecosystems and resources. Some of this progress will be featured in the upcoming CFOS annual report, which Jeff Richardson is now actively developing. For a broader view of how CFOS contributes positively to UAF, please join me this Thursday at UAF Convocation, when Chancellor White will provide his annual welcome-back address along with his vision for the university.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Beaufort Sea in support of Craig Lee’s (University of Washington) Arctic Mobile Observing System project, which is funded by the Office of Naval Research.

Accomplishments

A passive eDNA sampler project by Jessica Glass and graduate student Maris Goodwin won the 2022–2023 Innovation Disclosures and Entrepreneurial Activities (IDEAs) Alaska Impact Award for the best disclosure for social impact.

CFOS in the News

A Fishermen’s News story looked at projections for the 2025 Bristol Bay salmon fisheries using analysis from a research team that included Curry Cunningham.

Seth Danielson discussed the newly completed Arctic Collaborative Ecosystem Cruise aboard R/V Sikuliaq during a Strait Science lecture at UAF’s Northwest Campus in Nome.

Quentin Fong was quoted in a widely distributed New York Times article about the troubled economics of the Alaska fishing industry.

Publications

El-Tohamy, W.S., and R.R. Hopcroft. 2024. Planktonic ciliate communities along an environmental gradient in the Nile Delta (Damietta region, Egypt). Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69551-9

El-Tohamy, W.S., M.E. Taher, A.M. Ghoneim, and R.R. Hopcroft. 2024. Protozoan communities serve as a strong indicator of water quality in the Nile River. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-66583-z

Hirche, H.-J., E.A. Ershova, K.N. Kosobokova, and R.R. Hopcroft. 2024. From fringe to basin: Unraveling the survival strategies of Calanus hyperboreus and C. glacialis in the Arctic Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14665

Grants and Awards for August 2024

New awards for CFOS researchers

• Grant G-16286 "A Sea-Scale Effort to Assess Sensitivity to Change in Nutrients and Ecosystems within the Arctic (SEAS the Change)" - Thomas Kelly - Increment 2 - NPRB - $225,828.00 (October 1, 2023)
• Grant G-16290 "OH STEM! Co-Creating a One Health STEM Ecosystem for Rural and Indigenous Alaska" - Ellen Chenoweth - NIH - $270,320.00 (August 1, 2024)
• Grant G-16293 "Southeast Alaska Trolling Vessel Ocean Management Program" - Tyler Hennon - AOOS - $261,167.00 (August 1, 2024)
  

Awards receiving incremental funding

• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 22 - $3,744,777.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-14761 "AK Sea Grant Omnibus--2024 Community Partnership Funding" - Jessica Glass - AK Sea Grant - $11,189.00 (February 1, 2024)
• Grant G-15696 "LTER: NGA Phase II: Resilience and Connectivity Across Transitions in the Northern Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem" - Russ Hopcroft - NSF - Mod 1 - $1,275,000.00 (October 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15696 "LTER: NGA Phase II: Resilience and Connectivity Across Transitions in the Northern Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem" - Russ Hopcroft - NSF - Mod 2 - $54,402.00 (October 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15892 "CY2023-CY2028 R/V Sikuliaq ONR Ship Days" - Doug Baird, Jr. - ONR - $1,196,033.00 (December 1, 2023)
  

Award controlled by another department

• Grant G-16094 "FY25 State Support for UAF R1 Status" - Several CFOS principal investigators - AK State Legislature Senate Finance Committee - CFOS Funding $292,312.00 (July 1, 2024)

Message from the Dean

As we transition into the fall semester, we also have two important staff transitions. As some of you are aware, Michelle Warrenchuk is moving on from her position as CFOS procurement technician; however we are fortunate that Michelle will stay on to ensure a smooth transition for procurement services over the coming months. And, Tatiana Krupina has tendered her resignation as CFOS financial manager, effective September 18. Please join me in wishing Michelle and Tatiana the best going forward. 

To ensure continuity of business operations, the UAF Signers’ Business Office will provide future procurement and financial management services for the college. Further, Barbara Wadlinger will assume full responsibility for CFOS recharge centers, including Sikuliaq ship operations, as well as CMI program management.

Please join me in congratulating our summer 2024 graduates:

Aaron Lambert, M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Curry Cunningham
Jasmine Nyce, M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Andy Seitz
Marina Alcantar, Ph.D. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Amanda Kelley
James Crimp, M.S. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Schery Umanzor
Mackenzie Hughes, M.S. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Brenda Konar
Emily Reynolds, M.S. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Brenda Konar
Dana Bloch, M.S. Oceanography, Major Advisor: Tyler Hennon
Addie Norgaard, M.S. Oceanography, Major Advisors: Seth Danielson and Claudine Hauri
Stephanie O’Daly, Ph.D. Oceanography, Major Advisor: Gwenn Hennon
Derek Petty, Master of Marine Policy, Major Advisor: Keith Criddle
Ivy Schultz, Master of Marine Policy, Major Advisor: Keith Criddle
Skye Marie Williamsz, Master of Marine Policy, Major Advisor: Keith Criddle
Hannah Miller, B.S. Fisheries and Marine Sciences
Lillian Nelson, B.S. Fisheries and Marine Sciences

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the southern Chukchi Sea in support of the Arctic Marine Ecosystems cruise with Chief Scientists Seth Danielson (UAF/CFOS) and Jackie Grebmeier (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science). The cruise, funded by NOAA, UAF and ONR, ends this week. Craig Lee’s AMOS (Arctic Mobile Observing System) project starts at the end of the week, funded by ONR.

Accomplishments

Graduate student Emily Mailman has been awarded the Robert and Judy Belous Global Change Research Endowment scholarship.

Publications

Lissenberg, C.J., A.M. McCaig, S.Q. Lang, P. Blum, […], C.G. Wheat, et al. 2024. A long section of serpentinized depleted mantle peridotite. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adp1058

Message from the Dean

Today we kick off the fall semester—welcome back, everyone! Our outstanding faculty, staff and students are advancing many exciting research, academic and outreach activities. In that regard, I am happy to provide an important update on our marine policy and oceanography faculty searches.

It is a pleasure to convey that Dr. Hannah Myers has accepted the offer for the tenure-track assistant professor position in marine policy in the Department of Fisheries. Hannah is well-known to CFOS, having completed her PhD in 2023; she is currently working as a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University. In addition to her marine policy interests, she has an active research program on killer whale behavior. I want to thank Franz Mueter for chairing this faculty search and committee members Jessica Glass, Russ Hopcroft, Lara Horstmann and Katarzyna Polanska (UAS). Hannah will be based at the Fairbanks campus and her start date is January 2025. 

We have also concluded a successful oceanography faculty search, resulting in two faculty hires. Dr. Emily Seelen has accepted the offer for a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Oceanography. Emily received her PhD at the University of Connecticut in 2018 and recently completed her postdoctoral research at the University of Southern California. Emily's research focus is on mercury cycling in marine and terrestrial environments. Emily will be based in Fairbanks and her start date is October 2024. 

I am also delighted to convey that Dr. Shannon Doherty has accepted the offer of tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Oceanography. Many of you know Shannon, who joined CFOS last year as research assistant professor and was hired for the new position after participating in an international search. Shannon’s research focus is on particle export dynamics, the application of stable isotopes to ecological studies, and paleoceanography. I want to thank Seth Danielson for chairing this search, and committee members Steve Dykstra, Gwenn Hennon, Franz Mueter and Stephanie O’Daly. 

Please join me in welcoming Hannah, Emily and Shannon to CFOS. And once again, welcome back and thank you for all your good work, CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the southern Chukchi Sea for the Arctic Marine Ecosystems cruise with Chief Scientists Seth Danielson (UAF/CFOS) and Jackie Grebmeier (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science). In addition to the planned research, Sikuliaq has an Imaging FlowCytoBot aboard to collect near real-time observations of oceanic microalgae. These observations will be used to detect harmful algal blooms and alert local communities in western Alaska.

CFOS in the News

Kay McMonigal was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article about new research on the effects of thawing permafrost on carbon-dioxide absorption in the Arctic Ocean.

Nature interviewed Peter Westley and former CFOS postdoc Samuel May about the downside of booming hatchery salmon populations in Alaska.

The 25th anniversary of the CFOS Scientific Diving Program was highlighted in the American Academy of Underwater Sciences newsletter. 

A story about a new museum exhibit that focuses on research aboard R/V Sikuliaq on Aleutian storms was published in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 

BBC quoted Peter Westley in an article about declining salmon populations amid climate change. 

Publications

Sullaway, G.H., C.J. Cunningham, D. Kimmel, D.J. Pilcher, and J.T. Thorson. 2024. Evaluating the performance of a system model in predicting zooplankton dynamics: Insights from the Bering Sea ecosystem. Fisheries Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1111/fog.12691

Grants and Awards for July 2024

New awards for CFOS researchers

• Grant G-16165 "Second Generation consequences of hatchery enhancement of sockeye salmon in Auke Creek, Alaska Year 4" - Megan McPhee - Pacific Salmon Commission - $29,638.00 (July 1, 2024)
• Grant G-16193 "Data Analyses of Pink and Chum Salmon Samples, and manuscript writing services" - Kristen Gorman - North Slope Borough - $72,000.00 (May 30, 2024)
• Grant G-16229 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation 2024" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $183,709.00 (June 1, 2024)
• Grant G-16258 "Characterization of water column habitats to understand potential impacts from deepwater energy and mineral development in the Pacific Ocean" - Russ Hopcroft - BOEM - $474,000.00 (July 29, 2024)
• Grant G-16223 "Methodologies for Farming Green Sea Urchins in Alaska" - Brenda Konar - Southeast Conference - $136,861.00 (May 29, 2024)
  

Awards receiving incremental funding

• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 15 - $503,792.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018- 2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 20 and Mod 21 - $500,000.00 and $3,000,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-14420 "Integrating oceanographic research and monitoring efforts in the NE Gulf of Alaska" - Seth Danielson - NPS - Mod 3 - $205,757.00
• Grant G-15743 "Coho Salmon Growth in Glacial and Non-glacial Watersheds" - Megan McPhee - USDA Forest Service - Mod 1 - $66,500.00 (June 12, 2023)
  

Awards controlled by another department

• Grant G-16043 "Galena Alaska Microgrid Riverine Hydrokinetics" - Andy Seitz - Department of Energy - ACEP - $104,393.00 (January 12, 2024)
• Grant G-16180 "BII: Evolving Meta-Ecosystems in the Arctic" - Peter Westley - Woodwell Climate Research Center - IARC - $13,073.00 (April 1, 2024)
  

Awards set up on assumption

• Grant G-16230 "Acoustic Tracking of King and Tanner Crab Using AUV Glider in the Bering Sea FY25" - Seth Danielson - ADFG - $12,192.00 (July 1, 2024)
• Grant G-16242 "FY25 Zebra and Quagga Mussel Risk Assessment - Evaluating Habitat Suitability Year 2" - Deanna Strohm - ADFG - $10,000.00 (July 1, 2024)

Message from the Dean

Last week, UA President Pitney organized a meeting with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to discuss ongoing fisheries research collaborations between the agency and CFOS. The meeting, which included ADFG Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang; ADFG fisheries staff Rachel Baker, Dani Evenson, Katherine Howard and Bill Templin; CFOS fisheries faculty Keith Criddle, Curry Cunningham, Franz Mueter, Andy Seitz and Peter Westley; and me, spurred some vigorous discussion regarding important issues related to Alaska salmon, including the recent Alaska Salmon Research Task Force report. We concluded with an agreement to have biannual meetings to stay abreast of work of shared interest.

This past weekend, a team from NSF and JMS Naval Architects conducted the biennial inspection of R/V Sikuliaq. The inspectors were highly complimentary of the crew in maintaining Sikuliaq in very good operating condition. The inspection team is recommending to NSF leadership that Sikuliaq is ready and approved to continue to support at-sea research. Bravo Zulu Sikuliaq crew and SMC staff!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored at Seward and mobilizing for the Arctic Marine Ecosystems cruise with Chief Scientists Seth Danielson (UAF/CFOS) and Jackie Grebmeier (University of Maryland). The cruise is funded by NOAA, ONR and UAF. Sikuliaq will transit from Seward to Nome this week to begin the 2024 Arctic projects.

CFOS in the News

KCAW public radio interviewed Peter Westley and Samuel May about interactions between hatchery and wild salmon.

NOAA Fisheries news featured CFOS grad student Emily Mailman, who works as a marine habitat resource specialist for the NOAA Restoration Center in Anchorage.

Accomplishments

Jessica Glass received a Stephenson Exploration Advancement Award from the Explorers Club for her project, “Visions from the deep Arctic: Unknown behavior and habitat use of the Pacific sleeper shark.”

R/V Nanuq operated in Cook Inlet for the first time last week, supporting a research project led by Tyler Hennon and Thilo Klenz to better understand how tidal rip currents impact the dispersal and aggregation of pollutants.

Publications

Somov, A., E.V. Farley, E.M. Yasumiishi, and M.V. McPhee. 2024. Comparison of juvenile Pacific salmon abundance, distribution, and body condition between western and eastern Bering Sea using spatiotemporal models. Fisheries Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2024.107086

Marchenko, A., M. Johnson, and D. Brazhnikov. 2024. Leaky wave modes and edge waves in land-fast ice split by parallel cracks. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081247

Stephens, T., Y. Li, C. Yarish, M.C. Rogers, and S. Umanzor. 2024. Does seawater nitrogen better predict the baseline farmed yield for sugar kelp (Saccharina latissimi) rather than the final yield? Phycology. https://doi.org/10.3390/phycology4030020

Conte, L., J. Fiechter, S. Strom, R.R. Hopcroft, S.L. Danielson, and A. Aguilar-Islas. 2024. Modeling planktonic food web interannual variability in the Northern Gulf of Alaska shelf. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JC021116

Message from the Dean

In response to the marked increase in enrollment in our academic programs, the CFOS Dean’s Office is investing in a new initiative to support student graders for our more heavily subscribed courses. In addition to assisting with faculty teaching, this is an opportunity for students in need of financial support. Please contact the CFOS Academics Office or Associate Dean for Academic Programs Ana Aguilar-Islas for further details. A big thank-you to Ana for leading this initiative, as well as to Sarah Mincks, Jessica Glass, Laura Frisone and Christina Sutton for their efforts.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Gulf of Alaska and southeast Alaska in support of Drew Steen’s (University of Tennessee) enzyme stability project and Allyson Tessin’s (Kent State) Gulf of Alaska benthic iron coring project, which are funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences.

CFOS in the News

Alaska Native News and other outlets covered new research by Peter Westley and former postdoc Samuel May about the effects of hatchery fish on the genetic diversity of wild pink salmon.

Courtney Carothers was interviewed for KMXT public media’s Talk of the Rock about her work examining the decline of limited-entry permits for fishers on Kodiak Island and elsewhere in Alaska.

Publications

May, S.A., K.R. Shedd, K.M. Gruenthal, [...], M.D. Atkison, [...], and P.A.H. Westley. 2024. Salmon hatchery strays can demographically boost wild populations at the cost of diversity: quantitative genetic modelling of Alaska pink salmon. Royal Society Open Science. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240455
 
Larson, S.M., K. McMonigal, Y. Okumura, D. Amaya, et al. 2024. Ocean complexity shapes sea surface temperature variability in a CESM2 coupled model hierarchy. Journal of Climate. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-23-0621.1
 
Corliss, K., V. von Biela, H. Coletti, J. Bodkin, D. Esler, and K. Iken. 2024. Relative importance of macroalgae and phytoplankton to nearshore consumers and growth across climatic conditions in the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-024-01371-6
 
Dykstra, S.L., G. Ricche, G. Marmorino, and A.E. Yankovsky. 2024. Forcing conditions of cross-shelf plumes on a wide continental shelf, Winyah Bay, South Atlantic Bight. Remote Sensing of Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114279
 
Fachon, E., R.S. Pickart, G. Sheffield, E. Pate, [...], D.A. Stockwell, et al. 2024. Tracking a large-scale and highly toxic Arctic algal bloom: Rapid detection and risk communication. Limnology and Oceanography Letters. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10421

Grants and Awards for June 2024

New awards for CFOS researchers

• Grant G-16116 "Acoustic Tracking of King Crab and Tanner crab Using AUV Glider in the Bering Sea" - Seth Danielson - Alaska Department of Fish and Game - $9,999.00 (May 1, 2024)
• Grant G-16163 "Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council" - Michael Stekoll - Alaska Conservation Foundation - $125,000.00 (February 1, 2022)

Awards receiving incremental funding

• Grant G-16058 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska (2)" - Andy Seitz - Department of the Navy - Mod 1 - $408,677.00 (April 21, 2024)

Message from the Dean

We have now closed out the first half of 2024, and it is worth reflecting on some of our accomplishments to date. Since January, we held our fourth all-hands faculty retreat, continued to see broad student interest and hence growing enrollment in all of our academic degree programs, and are in the final stages of faculty searches in marine policy, fisheries and oceanography. Our world-class research programs and major facilities, including Sikuliaq ship operations, continue to grow and garner broad recognition. Taken together, and despite continued state funding challenges, we can be proud of our diverse capabilities, expertise and resilience in delivering excellence in research, instruction and outreach. Thank you for all your good work.

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the western Gulf of Alaska in support of Mark Zumberge’s (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) Near-Trench Community Geodetic Experiment, which is funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences. Sikuliaq is scheduled to arrive at Seward on July 3 and will spend the Independence Day holiday at homeport.

CFOS in the News

Alaska Public Media highlighted research by Curry Cunningham and former CFOS postdoc Joe Langan in a story about changing salmon migration patterns.

Accomplishments

Sikuliaq Science Operations Manager Ethan Roth has been appointed to the UNOLS Arctic Marine Research Capabilities Committee, which provides perspectives on current and emerging needs for polar research.

Kay McMonigal has been granted an Arctic Fellows Award through the Office of Naval Research, which will support a project to build low-cost temperature-monitoring sensors for remote Arctic deployments.

Publications

Aguilar-Islas, A., H. Planquette, M.C. Lohan, W. Geibert, and G. Cutter. 2024. Intercalibration: A cornerstone of the success of the GEOTRACES program. Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.404

Dallimore, S.R., L.L. Lapham, M.M. Côté, R. Bowen, R. MacLeod, H.A. McIntosh Marcek, C.G. Wheat, and T.S. Collett. 2024. Source, migration pathways, and atmospheric release of geologic methane associated with the complex permafrost regimes of the outer Mackenzie River delta, Northwest Territories, Canada. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JF007515

Message from the Dean

This Wednesday is Juneteenth, the federal holiday that commemorates the freeing of enslaved African Americans. Please take a moment to reflect on the collective progress made in advancing human rights in our nation, and the remaining work needed to fully realize an equitable society.

This Thursday marks summer solstice—I hope everyone takes time to get out and enjoy the great Alaskan outdoors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Seward undergoing the International Safety Management Code recertification and safety system audit. Later this week Sikuliaq will get underway for Mark Zumberge’s Alaska GNSS-A project, which is funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences.

CFOS in the News

A story about the 25th anniversary of the CFOS scientific diving program was covered by Alaska Native News.

KUAC and other outlets covered new research by Curry Cunningham and former CFOS postdoc Joe Langan about salmon migration to the Canadian Arctic.

The Cool Down highlighted research by CFOS student Tony Blade that determined walruses on St. Lawrence Island are consuming significant amounts of microplastics.

Jessica Glass was featured by the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation for her research on the genomic connectivity of giant and bluefin trevallies in the Western Indian Ocean. She gave a public talk about the subject to the Seychelles Sport Fishing Club on May 21.

An article by Julian Race about maritime cybersecurity [PDF] was published in Marine Technology Reporter.

Accomplishments

Shackleton, an autonomous underwater vehicle operated by the CFOS glider lab, has set a new record for consecutive days at sea for an Alaska-based AUV. Also known as Glider 191, it has operated for more than 100 straight days since being launched on March 8.

Publications

Alcantar, M.W., J. Hetrick, J. Ramsay, and A.L. Kelley. 2024. Embryonic and early larval development of the Pacific razor clam (Siliqua patula). The Biological Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1086/730784

Dunmall, K.M., J.A. Langan, C.J. Cunningham, J.D. Reist, H. Melling, et al. 2024. Pacific salmon in the Canadian Arctic highlight a range expansion pathway for sub-Arctic fishes. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17353

Grants and Awards for May 2024

New awards for CFOS researchers

• Grant G-16098 "Advancing Pinto Abalone Farming in Alaska: Developing Protocols for an Efficient Transition from Laboratory Nurseries to Ocean-Farmed Growth Systems" - Alexei Pinchuk - Southeast Conference - $149,982.00 (May 20, 2024)
• Grant G-16101 "A Framework for the Cultivation of Dulse (Devaleraea mollis) in Alaska: development of a manual and economic analysis" - Schery Umanzor - Southeast Conference - $87,487.00 (May 20, 2024)
• Grant G-16105 "Beluga Whispers: Filtering Beluga Dietary Patterns through eDNA and Passive Acoustics" - Sonia Kumar - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - $30,000.00 (May 1, 2024)

Awards controlled by another department

• Grant G-13850 "Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES)" - Franz Mueter - IARC - University of Washington - $173,000.00 (July 1, 2023)

Awards receiving incremental funding

• Grant G-15721 "Understanding Trophic Interactions between zooplankton and fish in the coastal Gulf of Alaska and southeastern Bering Sea" - Alexei Pinchuk - ADFG - Mod 1 - $181,437.00 (May 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15886 "Assessments of geochemistry, concentration, and scalability of REEs recovery from seaweeds" - Schery Umanzor (Michael Stekoll co-PI) - Department of Energy - $964,724.00 (April 1, 2024)

Message from the Dean

Over the past few months we have experienced an unusual number of faculty search meetings. As a brief update, on-campus interviews of candidates for the tenure-track assistant professor in marine policy have concluded. That search committee has solicited input from faculty, staff and students as it prepares a final recommendation regarding next steps. Searches for fisheries and oceanography faculty hires are ongoing, and we expect to conclude these on-campus interviews in the coming weeks. I would like to again thank all members of these search committees for their time and effort, and the faculty, staff and students who are engaging in this important process to help advance our mission.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of the Ocean Observing Initiative Papa and Waves at Papa projects at Ocean Station Papa. Both projects are funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences.

CFOS in the News

Graduate student Keith Herron was featured in a KTVF news segment about possible factors that could be leading to a decline of Yukon River chinook salmon, including disease and warm water.

A new Arctic climate initiative that includes grayling research by Peter Westley was highlighted in Alaska Native News.

Schery Umanzor’s “seaweed mining” project to extract minerals from Southeast Alaska kelp was featured in a roundup in The Week.

Sport Fishing Magazine quoted Peter Westley in a story about the decline of chinook salmon in Alaska rivers.

Fish Focus covered research by Curry Cunningham and former CFOS postdoc Joe Langan about a newly created database that gives insights into salmon movements in the ocean.

Accomplishments

CFOS Ph.D. student Chloe Kotik won first place in the graduate student lightning talks at the Annual Meeting of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

CFOS graduate student Emily Mailman was awarded the Brandon C. Reiley Scholarship from the Alaska Community Foundation.

Publications

Lowin, B., S. Strom, W. Burt, T. Kelly, and S. Rivero-Calle. 2024. Temporal variability in the relationship between line height absorption and chlorophyll concentration: a case study from the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Optics Express. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.521758

Keenan, M., N. Misarti, L. Horstmann, S.G. Crawford, T. O'Hara, L.D. Rea, and J.P. Avery. 2024. Total mercury concentrations in Steller sea lion bone: Variability among locations and elements. Marine Pollution Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116471

Stadler, L., K. Gorman, V. von Biela, A. Seitz, and K. Iken. 2024. Does the extent of glacial cover across watersheds and discharge periods affect dietary resource use of nearshore fishes in the Northern Gulf of Alaska? Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2024.152022

Ringer, D., R. Donkersloot, and C. Carothers. 2024. Charting a new course: Ungraying the fleet and comprehensively supporting fishing livelihoods and communities. Frontiers in Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2024.1394083

Message from the Dean

This Thursday UAF will host the annual Arctic Research Open House[BROKEN LINK], and CFOS will showcase some of our research programs and field equipment. A big thank-you to Jeff Richardson and the faculty, staff and students who help make this a successful event.

Please join me in congratulating the following faculty who successfully advanced through promotion, tenure and emeritus review:

Curry Cunningham - Associate Professor of Fisheries with tenure
Seth Danielson - Professor of Oceanography
Megan McPhee - Professor of Fisheries
Mark Johnson - Professor of Oceanography Emeritus

With the 2024 spring semester now complete, I hope you find time to enjoy Alaska’s leafing-out season and spectacular scenery.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for the second leg of Russ Hopcroft’s Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research spring cruise, which is funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences, NOAA and UAF.

CFOS in the News

Jessica Glass was interviewed in an episode of the America’s Test Kitchen podcast Proof, discussing her DNA analysis of a portion of the infamous Explorers Club mammoth.

An ongoing CFOS oceanography project to monitor the spring phytoplankton bloom was highlighted in the Alaska Ocean Observing System newsletter.

KSTK public media highlighted work by Rural Alaska Students in One-Health Research confirming the presence of microplastics in Wrangell’s harbors. RASOR is a CFOS program for Southeast Alaska high school students led by Ellen Chenoweth.

A Q&A about Natalie Monacci’s work at the Ocean Acidification Research Center was featured in the Alaska Ocean Observing System newsletter. 

Accomplishments

Gordon Kruse chaired an international snow crab workshop in St. John's, Newfoundland. The workshop compared ecosystems, crab population dynamics, fishery management and future outlooks as the climate changes across the North Pacific and North Atlantic. 

Researchers aboard Sikuliaq for the ongoing Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER cruise identified harmful algal species in net tow samples in Prince William Sound. The discovery allowed the Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom Network to update local stakeholders.

Publications

O’Brien, T.D., L. Blanco-Bercial, J.M. Questel, P.G. Batta-Lona, and A. Bucklin. 2024. MetaZooGene Atlas and Database: Reference sequences for marine ecosystems. Methods in Molecular Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3581-0_28

Kim, M.A., and K. Iken. 2024. Effects of glacial discharge on thallus condition of northern rockweed (Fucus distichus) in the Gulf of Alaska. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2024.152019

Grants and Awards for April 2024

New awards for CFOS researchers

• Grant G-15982 "Developing a pipeline for automating the analysis of nesting bird video data" - Tuula Hollmen - US Fish & Wildlife Service - $73,297.00 (February 16, 2024)
• Grant G-16042 "Pinto Abalone Mariculture Potential (PAMP Part B)" - Schery Umanzor - NPRB - $112,473.00 (January 1, 2024)
• Grant G-16049 "Collaborative Research: Constraining Planktic Foraminiferal Ecology Using Compound Specific Isotope Analysis of Amino Acids" - Shannon Doherty - NC State University - $102,114.00 (August 1, 2023)
• Grant G-16052 "Geochemical Studies of Borehole Waters from IODP Exp. 399 C.G. Wheat PEA" - Geoff Wheat - Columbia University - $19,970.00 (November 1, 2023)  
• Grant G-16058 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska (2)" - Andy Seitz - Department of the Navy - $390,816.00 (April 12, 2024)

Awards receiving incremental funding

• Grant G-13959 "ECOHAB19: Trophic Transfer & Effects of HAB Toxins in Alaskan Marine Food Webs" - Dean Stockwell - Sitka Tribe of Alaska (IRA) - Years 3, 4 and 5 - $195,000.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-15438 "Examine health metrics of Copper River sockeye salmon stocks to inform management decision making" - Kristen Gorman - NPS - Mod 3 - $155,774.00 (April 13, 2023)

Awards controlled by another department

• Grant G-13379 "NMREC Infrastructure Upgrades" - Andy Seitz - ACEP - University of Washington - PLUS UP funding (April 11, 2024)
• Grant G-16054 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2024-2027" - Curry Cunningham - ASG/MAP - $81,466.00 (February 1, 2024)
• Grant G-16054 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2024-2027" - Jessica Glass - ASG/MAP - $83,017.00 (February 1, 2024)

UA Foundation PCCRC endowment awards

• 273125 "Microplastic in Northern Fur Seals" - Lara Horstmann - $78,986.00 (April 1, 2024)
• 273126 "Marine Drivers in Western Alaska Salmon" - Peter Westley and Morag Clinton - $68,833.00 (April 1, 2024)
• 273128 "Reducing Killer Whale Bycatch Risk" - Hannah Myers - $45,438.00 (April 1, 2024)

UA Foundation accounts that received incremental funding

• FDN20022 "National Ocean Sciences Bowl" - Bradley Moran - $28,162.00 (July 1, 2022)
• FDN60999 "Dieter Family Tsunami Bowl Endowment" - Bradley Moran - $16,723.00 (July 1, 2022)
• FDN21263 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Support" - Trent Sutton - $125,000.00 (July 1, 2022)
• FDN20378 "CFOS Graduate Student Support" - Bradley Moran (Katrin Iken) - $10,000.00 (July 1, 2022)
• FDN20979 "Kasitsna Bay" - Jennifer Reynolds - $1,000.00 (July 1, 2022)
• FDN60694 "Howard Feder and David Shaw Graduate Student Support" - Jennifer Reynolds - $7,096.00 (July 1, 2022)

Message from the Dean

As we conclude the spring 2024 semester, I would like to convey my appreciation to our dedicated students, staff and faculty for helping advance the mission of CFOS. On that note, this Saturday will be the 2024 UAF Commencement—congratulations to our graduates!

Spring 2024 Graduates

Jared Weems. PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Ginny Eckert
Anastasia Maliguine. MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Tuula Hollmen
Kevin McNeel. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Gordon Kruse
Benjamin Rich. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Peter Westley
Emily Stidham. MS Oceanography, Advisor: Russ Hopcroft
Samantha Allen. BS Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Concentration: Marine Science
Rachel Heimke. BS Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Concentration: Marine Science
Lauren Hynes. BS Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of Russ Hopcroft’s Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research spring cruise. The NGA LTER project is funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences.

CFOS in the News

Ellen Chenoweth was featured in a KCAQ public media story about the possible sighting of a bowhead whale in Sitka Sound.

Alaska Native News and other outlets covered work by Curry Cunningham and former CFOS postdoc Joe Langan to create a huge new database of salmon ocean ecology.

Schery Umanzor was featured in a Hakai Magazine article about the potential of using “seaweed mining” to collect rare-earth elements from seawater.

Peter Westley was quoted in an article in The Guardian about a controversial plan to boost the Yukon River salmon population.

Accomplishments

Proposals by Ph.D. students Megan Brauner and Chloe Kotik were selected for North Pacific Research Board Graduate Student Research Awards. Brauner, who also received the funding as a master’s student, is the first two-time NPRB award recipient.

Message from the Dean

As we near the end of the spring 2024 semester, I would like to convey my appreciation to our dedicated students, staff and faculty for advancing the mission of CFOS. In this regard, please join me in congratulating the recipients of this year’s Dean’s Recognition Awards, as well as our hard-working CFOS community.

2024 CFOS Dean’s Recognition Awards

Outstanding Advisor: Gwenn Hennon
Outstanding Instructor: Peter Westley
Outstanding Researcher: Schery Umanzor and Brenda Konar
Outstanding Staff: Laura Frisone
Outstanding Research Staff: Rachel Potter
Outstanding R/V Sikuliaq Crew Member: Timothy Morrow
Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Samantha Allen
Outstanding Graduate Student: Kyle Dilliplaine

It is my pleasure to recognize CFOS staff members who were honored at the recent annual UAF Staff Recognition and Development Day. These individuals and all of our hard-working staff help to ensure that CFOS operates efficiently and effectively. Please join me in congratulating the following employees for their dedicated service to CFOS and to the university:

• 1 year: Jonathon Baugher, Sean Gardiner, Eli Gould, Willa Johnson, Sarah McManus, Alexandra Poje, Charles Reynolds, Ian Sherwood, Kyle Worcester-Moore, David Young
• 5 Year: Claudia Paul, Sarah Walters
• 10 Year: John Hamill, Bernard McKiernan, Steven Roberts, Peter Shipton

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently transiting north from Newport, Oregon, to Seward. In Seward, Sikuliaq's crew will begin preparing for Russ Hopcroft’s Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) spring cruise. The project is funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences.

CFOS in the News

A "State of the Salmon" article in Fish Alaska Magazine highlighted research and comments by Peter Westley.

Professor emeritus Jim Reynolds was quoted in an article in the Montana Standard and other publications about the potential drawbacks of electrofishing for fish populations.

Accomplishments

Tony Blade received the CFOS Dean’s Choice Award at the URSA Research and Creative Activity Day for his presentation on microplastics in Pacific walrus tissues. Isabelle Nicolier received an honorable mention for her work identifying genetic variations of herring in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.

Interface of Change, an EPSCoR project led by Brenda Konar, received a 5-year, $20 million award from the National Science Foundation to investigate climate change effects on marine species in the Gulf of Alaska. Other CFOS researchers on the project include Jessica Glass, Katrin Iken, Brian Ulaski and Schery Umanzor. Congratulations Team EPSCoR!

Publications

Mills, K.K., K.P.B. Hildebrandt, K.M. Everson, L. Horstmann, N. Misarti, and L.E. Olson. 2024. Ancient DNA indicates a century of overhunting did not reduce genetic diversity in Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57414-2

O’Daly, S., G. Hennon, T.B. Kelly, S. Strom, and A. McDonnell. 2024. Strong and efficient summertime carbon export driven by aggregation processes in a subarctic coastal ecosystem. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12561

Phelps, J., K. Dunton, B. Konar, S. Umanzor, A. Muth, and K. Iken. 2024. The effect of sedimentation on spore settlement and recruitment of the endemic Arctic kelp, Laminaria solidungula (Phaeophyceae). Journal of Phycology. http://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13453

Stukel, M. R., M. Décima, T.B. Kelly, M.R. Landry, et al. 2024. Relationships between plankton size spectra, net primary production, and the biological carbon pump. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GB007994

Grants and Awards for February 2024

Awards controlled by another department

• Grant G-15990 "Enhancing the Integrated System for Operations in Polar Seas (ISOPS) 2" - Steve Dykstra, Mark Johnson and Dmitry Brazhnikov - GI - Department of Defense - $1,538,220.00 (February 20, 2024)
• Grant G-16007 "Interdisciplinary Research for Arctic Coastal Environments (InteRFACE) - Year 5" - Megan Feddern (CFOS Post Doc) - IARC - Los Alamos National Laboratory - $26,448.00 (March 14, 2024)

Message from the Dean

For the past 27 years, CFOS has hosted the Alaska Tsunami Bowl. This year, the annual high school ocean sciences competition was held March 21–24 in Seward. It is a pleasure to congratulate Juneau-Douglas High School as the winner of the 2024 Tsunami Bowl. Teams from Ketchikan and Seward took second and third place, respectively, and Dimond was recognized with the Sportsmanship Award.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway off the Oregon and Washington coasts for Ed Dever’s OOI Endurance Array operations and maintenance project, funded by the NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative. The goal of this cruise is to recover and redeploy oceanographic moorings over the continental shelf.

Accomplishments

CFOS Ph.D. student Austin Flanigan has been awarded the Dean’s Research Assistantship for 2025.

The CFOS Scientific Diving Program hosted its 25th class of students during spring break at the Kasitsna Bay Lab. The program, launched by Brenda Konar in 2000, has trained more than 500 students.

Publications

Gonski, S. F., G.W. Luther III, A.L. Kelley, T.R. Martz, E.G. Roberts, X. Li, [...], and W-J. Cai. 2024. A half-cell reaction approach for pH calculation using a solid-state chloride ion-selective electrode with a hydrogen ion-selective ion-sensitive field effect transistor. Marine Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2024.104373

Langan, J.A., C.J. Cunningham, J.T. Watson, and S. McKinnell. 2024. Opening the black box: New insights into the role of temperature in the marine distributions of Pacific salmon. Fish and Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12825

Stephens, T. and S. Umanzor. 2024. Comparative nutrient drawdown capacities of farmed kelps and implications of metabolic strategy and nutrient source. Journal of Phycology. http://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13442

Veatch, J.M, J. Kohut, M.J. Oliver, H. Statscewich, and E. Fredj. 2024. Quantifying the role of submesoscale Lagrangian transport features in the concentration of phytoplankton in a coastal system. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsae036

Voet, G., A.F. Waterhouse, A. Savage, E. Kunze, J.A. MacKinnon, M.H. Alford, J.A. Colosi, H.L. Simmons, T. Klenz, S.M. Kelly, J.N. Moum, C.B. Whalen, R.C. Lien, and J.B. Girton. 2024. Near-inertial energy variability in a strong mesoscale eddy field in the Iceland Basin. Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.302

Whippo, R., K. Iken, C.D. Amsler, A.T. Lowe, J.B. Schram, A.G. Klein, S. Heiser, M.O. Amsler, J.B. McClintock, and A.W.E. Galloway. 2024. Fatty acid profiles and stable isotope composition of Antarctic macroalgae: a baseline for a combined biomarker approach in food web studies. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-024-03234-z

Message from the Dean

The annual call for nominations for the CFOS Dean’s Recognition Awards is out, and I encourage everyone to submit thoughtful nominations that recognize our faculty, staff and students. As in prior years, we will announce those recognized at the annual CFOS State of the College, to be held next month.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaqis underway off the coast of Washington state for Andrea Ogston’s Cascadia Canyons project, funded by the National Science Foundation Division of Ocean Sciences, Marine Geology and Geophysics. This cruise is to recover moorings and tripods deployed in 2023 to measure the transfer of sediments in submarine canyons off the West Coast.

Accomplishments

Nearly 20 CFOS students gave research presentations at the 27th annual American Fisheries Society Student Symposium on March 8. Winners of the event included Lindsey McCulloch (Best Short Talk), Austin Flanigan (Best Long Talk) and Dakota Keller (People’s Choice Award).

Sikuliaq completed its sea acceptance trials for the new EM304 MKII multibeam echosounder, with Ethan Roth as the chief scientist. The EM304 MKII is considered one of the most advanced ocean-mapping systems, and this is its first installation on an ice-class vessel.

Publications

Hasan, E.L., K.B. Gorman, H.A. Coletti, and B. Konar. 2024. Species distribution modeling of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in a data-limited ecosystem. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11118

Hetherington, E.D., H.G. Close, S.H.D. Haddock, A. Damian‐Serrano, C.W. Dunn, N.J. Wallsgrove, S.C. Doherty, and C.A. Choy. 2024. Vertical trophic structure and niche partitioning of gelatinous predators in a pelagic food web: Insights from stable isotopes of siphonophores. Limnology and Oceanography. http://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12536

McPhee, M.V., P.D. Barry, C. Habicht, S.C. Vulstek, J.R. Russell, W.W. Smoker, J.E. Joyce, and A.J. Gharrett. 2024. Hatchery supplementation provides a demographic boost but alters age composition of sockeye salmon in Auke Lake, Southeast Alaska. Evolutionary Applications. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13640

Mullins, L., J. Cartwright, S.L. Dykstra, K. Evans, J. Mareska, P. Matich, J.D. Plumlee, E. Sparks, and J.M. Drymon. 2024. Warming waters lead to increased habitat suitability for juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas). Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54573-0

Rosenbaum, S.W., S.A. May, K.R. Shedd, C.J. Cunningham, R.L. Peterson, B.W. Elliot, and M.V. McPhee. 2024. Reliability of trans-generational genetic mark-recapture (tGMR) for enumerating Pacific salmon. Evolutionary Applications. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13647

Westgaard, J-I., K. Præbel, P. Arneberg, B.P. Ulaski, R. Ingvaldsen, O. Wangensteen, and T. Johansen. 2024. Towards eDNA informed biodiversity studies – Comparing water derived molecular taxa with traditional survey methods. Progress in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2024.103230

Grants and Awards for February 2024

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15951 "Bristol Bay Inseason Salmon Assessment and Forecasting" - Curry Cunningham - Alaska Pacific University - $94,142.00 (January 1, 2024)
• Grant G-15952 "Second Generation consequences of sockeye salmon enhancement in Auke Creek, Alaska Year 3" - Megan McPhee - Pacific Salmon Commission - $24,619.00 (July 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15959 "2024 Beaufort Sea Fish Monitoring Project" - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC - $64,463.00 (January 1, 2024)
• Grant G-15973 "FY24 - UAF Noatak Dolly Varden Support" - Andy Sietz - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $7,942.00 (July 1, 2023)

Awards received incremental funding:

• Grant G-13129 "Impacts of Sedimentation and Drivers of Variability in the Boulder Patch Community, Beaufort Sea" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - Mod 4 - $29,702.00 (September 18, 2019)
• FFEA 271118 "Reducing Chinook Salmon Bycatch" - Andy Seitz - PCCRC - $14,174.00
• FFEA 271119 "Bering Sea Pacific herring genetic structure" - Andres Lopez and Jessica Glass - PCCRC - $1,751.00
• FFEA 271220 "Yukon Chum Early Life History" - Megan McPhee - PCCRC - $72,966.00
• FFEA 271221 "Snow Crab Environmental Ratchet" - Franz Mueter - PCCRC - $70,579.00

Awards controlled by another department:

• Grant G-13295 "Alaska Space Grant Program FY20-24" - Maris Goodwin (Jessica Glass) - GI Space Physics - $21,630.00 (February 10, 2024)
• Grant G-15689 "Alaska Coastal Mapping Center for Excellence, Phase 2" - Steve Dykstra - INE - $10,827.00 (August 1, 2023)

Award set up on assumption:

• Grant G-13850 "Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES)" - Katrin Iken (IARC) - Project R46 - $57,656.00 (July 1, 2023)

Message from the Dean

Since 2015 the state of Alaska has provided $500,000 annually to support research and education programs conducted by UAF-based researchers and collaborators aboard R/V Sikuliaq. As operator of Sikuliaq, CFOS facilitates the allocation of these state funds through the Alaska Sikuliaq Program. The deadline for the CY2025 online proposal submission is March 25.

As noted in the prior C-Notes, faculty interested in the Associate Dean for Research Administration position are encouraged to submit their application to Debby Queen by April 1.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is conducting calibration of the two multibeam echosounders (MBES). Following patch tests of the shallow-water and midwater MBES, Sikuliaq will collect backscatter data with the shallow-water MBES for bottom surface calibration.

CFOS in the News

A Fishermen’s News article highlighted presentations at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium by Peter Westley and Russ Hopcroft.

Publications

Fu, S., S. Hu, X. Zheng, K. McMonigal, S. Larson, and Y. Tian. 2024. Historical changes in wind-driven ocean circulation drive pattern of Pacific warming. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45677-2

Waterbury, C.R., T.M. Sutton, A.L. Kelley, and J.A. López. 2024. Effects of temperature acclimation on the upper thermal tolerance of two Arctic fishes. Conservation Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coae001

Message from the Dean

Jennifer Reynolds will complete her appointment as Associate Dean for Research Administration, effective June 30, 2024. I am grateful for Jennifer’s expertise, dedication, time and effort in this leadership role, and for her continued support of our research mission. I invite faculty interested in this important leadership position to send their application to Debby Queen by April 1.

The ASLO/AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting takes place this week in New Orleans, Louisiana. CFOS has a strong presence, with numerous oral and poster presentations by our students, researchers and faculty. A special thank-you to Jeff Richardson for organizing the CFOS booth (#536) and Barbara Wadlinger for logistical support—stop by to help showcase our programs and current faculty searches in oceanography and fisheries.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is transiting from Seward to Seattle after completing a challenging shipyard period. In Seattle, Sikuliaq’s crew will complete some maintenance activities and prepare for the first cruise of CY2024, the Sea Acceptance Test of the newly installed, upgraded multibeam echosounders, the Kongsberg EM304 and EM712.

Accomplishments

Peter Westley was nominated by the UAF Honors College for the 2024 Robert Piacenza Teaching in Excellence Award.

CFOS in the News

A KBBI news segment highlighted research by Ph.D. student Marina Alcantar and Amanda Kelley on the effects of ocean acidification on razor clam development.

The Alaska Beacon published an article about recently graduated M.S. student Alexandria Sletten and undergraduate student Tony Blade’s research on microplastics found in body tissues of walruses.

Publications

Atkinson, S. 2024. Reproductive physiology of dolphins. In: A. Fahlman and S.K. Hooker (eds), The Physiology of Dolphins. Elsevier, pp. 227–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90516-9.00012-9

Alcantar, M.W., J. Hetrick, J. Ramsay, and A.L. Kelley. 2024. Examining the impacts of elevated, variable pCO₂ on larval Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) in Alaska. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1253702

Amsler, C.D., M.O. Amsler, S. Heiser, J.B. McClintock, K. Iken, A.W. Galloway, and A.G. Klein. 2023. Vertical distribution of brown and red macroalgae along the central Western Antarctic Peninsula. Botanica Marina. https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2023-0085

Fullerton, H., L. Smith, A. Enriquez, D. Butterfield, C.G. Wheat, and C.L. Moyer. 2024. Seafloor incubation experiments at deep-sea hydrothermal vents reveal distinct biogeographic signatures of autotrophic communities. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiae001

Message from the Dean

February marks Black History Month. Established in 1926, Black History Month recognizes and celebrates the achievements of the African American population in the nation’s history. Please take a moment to reflect on the important contributions from our Black community.

On Sunday, January 28, we held our fourth all-hands CFOS faculty retreat in Anchorage. This retreat provided an opportunity for faculty to engage in setting near-term goals and priorities to continue to advance our academic programs, support student success, and bolster research. With a strong turnout, engaging discussions, and an enjoyable reception, the retreat was by many accounts successful and an important part of our continued implementation of the CFOS Decadal Plan. It is a pleasure to thank Debby Queen for logistic support.

Following the faculty retreat, the Alaska Marine Science Symposium kicked off with a morning presentation of Coastal Marine Institute–funded projects. This was the first CMI symposium held with in-person/hybrid presentations in several years, and included our BOEM partners. My thanks to Jennifer Reynolds and Barbara Wadlinger for ensuring this meeting was a success. And, AMSS featured numerous presentations by CFOS students, staff and faculty. The CFOS booth organized by Jeff Richardson showcased our programs, facilities and activities, as did the booth organized by Ashleigh Lipsey and Brian Mullaly in support of the 2024 Tsunami Bowl and R/V Nanuq operations. Congratulations to all CFOS students, staff and faculty for their excellent work.

It is a pleasure to convey that Tom Kelly has been appointed as research assistant professor in CFOS. A graduate of Florida State University, Tom has held a postdoctoral position in CFOS since 2021, working on several funded research projects. A biogeochemical oceanographer, his research focuses on the marine biological pump and related ecosystem processes. Please join me in congratulating Tom on his research faculty appointment.

Fisheries. Concentration: Fisheries Business and Social Sciences
Logan Niemann. B.A. Fisheries. Concentration: Fisheries Business and Social Sciences

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq continues to be moored in Seward where the ship’s crew is conducting maintenance and repairs in preparation for upcoming regulatory inspections.

Accomplishments

Russ Hopcroft gave one of the keynote addresses at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium, discussing zooplankton research in the Gulf of Alaska.

Tom Kelly highlighted the educational potential of virtual reality at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium’s Communicating Ocean Sciences Workshop.

Graduate student Chloe Kotik won best poster in the PhD category at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium.

Katrin Iken was invited to present at an inaugural workshop on the Arctic Coastal Biodiversity Observation Network as part of an international collaboration between Denmark/Greenland, Norway, Poland, Lithuania, Iceland, Canada and the United States. The workshop was held January 23–25 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

CFOS in the News

The Cordova Times previewed Russ Hopcroft’s Alaska Marine Science Symposium keynote address about Gulf of Alaska zooplankton.

Publications

McMonigal, K.. 2024. Aerosols hold the key to recent and future Pacific warming patterns. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2322594121

Monacci, N.M., J.N. Cross, W. Evans, J.T. Mathis, and H. Wang. 2024. A decade of marine inorganic carbon chemistry observations in the northern Gulf of Alaska – insights into an environment in transition. Earth System Science Data. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-647-2024

Parsons, P.K.F., C.G. Wheat, A.T. Fisher, E.A. Silver, and M. Hutnak. 2024. Hydrothermal seepage of altered crustal formation water seaward of the Middle America Trench, offshore Costa Rica. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GC011246

Thomas, L.N., S.M. Kelly, T. Klenz, W.R. Young, L. Rainville, H. Simmons, V. Hormann, and I. Stokes. 2024. Why near-inertial waves are less affected by vorticity in the Northeast Pacific than in the North Atlantic. Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.301

Grants and Awards for January 2024

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15905 "UAF FY24 Support for Marine Scientist Hollmen" - Tuula Hollmen - Alaska SeaLife Center - $157,828.00 (January 1, 2024)
• Grant G-15911 "AOOS: Glacier Bay OA Data Rescue" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $22,038.00 (July 1, 2023)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• Grant G-12044 "Development of Scalable Coastal and Offshore Macroalgal Farming" - Michael Stekoll - Dept. of Energy - Mod 10 - $155,676.00 (April 11, 2018)
• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks / Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support Year 1 of 5 - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 13 - $398,272.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks / Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 18 - $3,600,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-14485 "National Ocean Acidification Observing Network (NOA-ON) Stations: Gulf of Alaska (GAKOA) and Bering Sea (M2) Moorings (M2 & GAK Moorings)" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - Mod 2 - $161,905.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-15157 "Arctic High-Frequency Radar FCC Compliance (HFR Operations)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $15,293.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15195 "A Sea-scale Effort to Assess Sensitivity to Change in Nutrients and Ecosystem within the Pacific Arctic" - Tom Kelly - NPRB - Mo 2 - $225,828.00 (October 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15369 "Alaska Ocean Observing Infrastructure Funding" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $478,095.00 (December 1, 2022)

Awards controlled by another department:

• Grant G-15190 "Assessment of Humpback Whale Health and Residency Patterns with Respect to Varied Tourism Levels in Juneau, AK" - Shannon DeMaster - UAS - $26,135.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15859 "RII Track-4: NSF: Extracting Pan Genomic Information from Metagenomic Data: Distinguished Algorithms and Scalable Software" - Jessica Glass - INE - $26,804.00 (January 1, 2024)

Message from the Dean

With the start of the spring 2024 semester last week, it is a pleasure to welcome our returning and new CFOS students. Our faculty and staff are here to support you, and we wish you great success.

As part of the continued implementation of the CFOS Decadal Plan, we will host our fourth all-hands faculty retreat at the Hotel Captain Cook on Sunday afternoon, January 28. As with prior faculty retreats, a key goal is to establish specific actions to help advance our academic programs and research activities over the next 1–2 years. Following the retreat, we will host a reception that will include some of our stakeholders.

On the Monday following the faculty retreat, we look forward to presentations by our students, staff and faculty at the 2024 Alaska Marine Science Symposium. Please note that Russ Hopcroft will deliver a keynote presentation on Monday afternoon. CFOS will have a booth during the poster sessions, so please stop by and check it out.

Congratulations to our fall 2023 graduates:

Lia Domke. Ph.D. Fisheries. Major Advisor: Ginny Eckert
Courtney Hart. Ph.D. Fisheries. Major Advisor: Ginny Eckert
Lillian Hart. M.S. Fisheries. Major Advisor: Curry Cunningham
Madeleine McArthur. M.S. Marine Biology. Major Advisor: Brenda Konar
Hannah Myers. Ph.D. Marine Biology. Major Advisor: Brenda Konar
William Samuel. M.S. Fisheries. Major Advisor: Jeff Falke
Tristan Sebens. M.S. Fisheries. Major Advisor: Curry Cunningham
Alexandria Sletten. M.S. Marine Biology. Major Advisor: Lara Horstmann
Matthew Smukall. Ph.D. Fisheries. Major Advisor: Andy Seitz
Kathryn Langlois. B.A. Fisheries. Concentration: Fisheries Business and Social Sciences
Logan Niemann. B.A. Fisheries. Concentration: Fisheries Business and Social Sciences

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seward. The ship’s crew is conducting maintenance and repairs and preparing for the upcoming regulatory shipyard work.

CFOS in the News

Numerous outlets covered new research led by Ph.D. student Audrey Rowe and Matthew Wooller on the intersection between woolly mammoths and the earliest inhabitants of Alaska. Publications included the New York Times, Discover Magazine and Newsweek.

Publications

Esquible, J., [...], J. Black, R. Donkersloot,l; C. Stevens, B. Woods, D. Chya, and C. Carothers. 2024. Aulukluki neqkat: Centering care of salmon and relational research in Indigenous fisheries in the Kuskokwim River, Alaska. Arctic Science. https://doi.org/10.1139/AS-2023-0039

Hauri, C., R. Pagès, K. Hedstrom, S.C. Doney, S. Dupont, B. Ferriss, and M.F. Stuecker. 2024. More than marine heatwaves: A new regime of heat, acidity, and low oxygen compound extreme events in the Gulf of Alaska. AGU Advances. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023AV001039

Liedtke, T.L., J.E. Harris, C.J. Wang, and T.M. Sutton. 2024. Bringing partners together: A symposium on native lampreys and the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10970

Seewald, J.S., C.G. Wheat, E.P. Reeves, M.K. Tivey, S.M. Sievert, D. Stakes, S.P. Sylva, M.D. Lilley, and V. Heuer. 2024. Spatial evolution and temporal stability of hydrothermal processes at sediment-covered spreading centers: Constraints from Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California. Geochimica et Cosmochima Acta. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2023.12.006

Spanos, M.C., C.J. Cunningham, K.A. Drew, and T.M. Sutton. 2023. Evaluating the viability of the use of T-bar and radiotelemetry on prespawn Arctic lamprey. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10939

Stokes, I.A., S.M. Kelly, A.J. Lucas, A.F. Waterhouse, C.B. Whalen, T. Klenz, V. Hormann, and L. Centurioni. 2024. A generalized slab model. Journal of Physical Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-23-0167.1

Message from the Dean

Happy New Year! It is a pleasure to wish everyone a warm welcome after what was hopefully a relaxing winter break spent with friends and family—and here is to a safe and productive 2024.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seward. The ship’s crew is conducting maintenance and repairs and preparing for the upcoming regulatory shipyard work.

Activities and Accomplishments

Steve Dykstra and coauthors were invited to present their new publication on sea level rise, Baranes et al. (2023), to California Senator John Laird and his staff.

R/V Sikuliaq Science Operations Manager Ethan Roth presented a poster about GNSS precise point positioning of ships at the AGU23 annual meeting held in San Francisco in December.

Tony Gharrett, Professor Emeritus of Fisheries, was recently inducted into the American Fisheries Society Genetics Section Hall of Excellence.

CFOS in the News

The 2023 CICOES Magazine’s “Postcard from the Field” featured Natalie Monacci’s Gulf of Alaska Ocean Acidification buoy project in the Gulf of Mexico.

CFOS grad student Chloe Kotik was quoted in a KTOO story about the rescue of trapped orcas from a lake near Coffman Cove.

UAF News highlighted work led by Jessica Glass to use new techniques to map a vast “tree of life” for a large group of tropical fishes.

Publications

Baranes, H., S.L. Dykstra, D.A. Jay, and S.A. Talke. 2023. Sea level rise and the drivers of daily water levels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Nature: Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49204-z

Dilliplaine, K.D., and G. Hennon. 2023. Impacts of crude oil on Arctic sea-ice diatoms modified by irradiance. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2023.00074

Grants and Awards for December 2023

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15846 "Southeast Alaska Trolling Vessel Ocean Measurement Program" - Tyler Hennon - AOOS - $22,800.00 (July 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15870 "LTER: Seasonal Controls and emergent effects of changing land-ice-ocean interactions on Arctic coastal ecosystems (BLE II)" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - $139,832.00 (September 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15882 "Feasibility study for a novel instrumental technique to characterize subsurface currents and hydrography within the Alaska OCS" - Kay McMonigal - BOEM - $30,354.00 (September 21, 2023)
• Grant G-15892 "CY2023-CY2028 R/V Sikuliaq ONR Ship Days" - Doug Baird - ONR - $1,650,000.00 (December 1, 2023)

Award set up on assumption:

• Grant G-15886 "Assessments of geochemistry, concentration, and scalability of REEs recovery from seaweeds" - Schery Umanzor - Department of Energy - $20,000.00 (December 2, 2023)

Message from the Dean

As we wind up 2023, it is a pleasure to express my sincere appreciation to our students, staff and faculty, and to our Captain and crew in ensuring the safe and successful operation of R/V Sikuliaq—well done, CFOS!

Happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seward. The ship’s crew is conducting maintenance and repairs and preparing for the upcoming regulatory shipyard work.

Activities and Accomplishments

Steven Dykstra presented at the 22nd JALBTCX Airborne Coastal Mapping and Charting Technical Workshop held November 28–30, 2023, in Kiln, Mississippi. His topic was “Interpreting Tidal and Storm Surge Hydrodynamics from Topobathy Data.”

Lara Horstmann and undergraduate student Tony Blade presented their preliminary findings on microplastics in walrus tissues to the Eskimo Walrus Commission on December 8 in Anchorage.

At the American Geophysical Union 2023 in San Francisco, Gwenn Hennon and graduate student Megan Brauner presented a poster on the co-occurrence networks of marine microbes in the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

CFOS in the News

The Juneau Empire ran a story on Schery Umanzor’s federally funded project that investigates mining rare earth elements from seaweeds. Umanzor was also interviewed by NPR reporter Jack Darrell regarding this project. Part of the interview was aired on December 8 on KTOO.

Research by graduate student Alex Sletten on microplastics found in spotted seals was featured in a Strait Science lecture and covered by the Nome Nugget.

Peter Westley, who was among the authors of the 18th Arctic Report Card, was mentioned in a UAF News summary of the report.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner highlighted research by Kay McMonigal on the North Atlantic warming hole in a roundup of UAF research presentations at the American Geophysical Union meeting.

UA News reported that Reid Brewer, a CFOS alumnus, will take on a new role as the Kasitsna Bay Lab Director and Supervisory Environmental Scientist for NOAA.

Publications

Amsler, C.D., M.O. Amsler, S. Heiser, J.B. McClintock, K. Iken, A.W.E. Galloway, and A.G. Klein. 2023. Vertical distribution of brown and red macroalgae along the central Western Antarctic Peninsula. Botanica Marina. https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2023-0085

Message from the Dean

As an update on our faculty searches, the marine policy faculty search is moving through the screening stage and soon we can expect to invite finalists for campus visits. The oceanography faculty search is now advertised and receiving applications. The search for two tenure-track fisheries faculty has been approved and will soon be advertised. Many thanks to the search chairs and committees engaged in this important work.

It is a pleasure to convey that the 2023 CFOS annual report is now complete and available online. A big thank you to Jeff Richardson for leading this effort, Carol Kaynor for expert editing and attention to detail, and to Molly Putman for final layout and production. Well done, team!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seward after completing a successful 2023 field season. The ship’s crew is conducting maintenance and repairs and preparing for upcoming regulatory shipyard work.

Activities and Accomplishments

Natalie Monacci was featured in the 100 Women in Polar Science.

Graduate student Alex Sletten gave a talk about her microplastics research at the Strait Science Series lectures presented by UAF Northwest Campus and Alaska Sea Grant.

CFOS in the News

UAF News and several other outlets highlighted a newly funded project led by Schery Umanzor that will explore whether seaweeds are absorbing rare-earth elements in Southeast Alaska.

Kristen Gorman was interviewed by the Sun and Soil Podcast, a project with KUAC on Alaskan food systems, for her work on Copper River sockeye salmon. The podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Publications

Ross, A.C., C.A. Stock, A. Adcroft, E. Curchitser, R. Hallberg, M.J. Harrison, K. Hedstrom, et al. 2023. A high-resolution physical–biogeochemical model for marine resource applications in the northwest Atlantic (MOM6-COBALT-NWA12 v1.0). Geoscientific Model Development. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-6943-2023

Grants and Awards for November 2023

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15845 "Cooperative Seaweed Aquaculture Research" - Michael Stekoll - BLU3, Inc. - $184,366.00 (September 1, 2023)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• FDN21063 "Identifying Fish Assemblages in the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers Compared with Cook Inlet Beluga Acoustic Presence" - Sonia Kumar - UA Foundation NGOA Award - FFEA 273018 - $5,000.00 (July 1, 2023)
• Grant G12804 "Coastal Marine Institute Program Administration 2019-2024" - Jennifer Reynolds - BOEM - Mod 7 - $65,894.00 (May 1, 2019)
• Grant G-15381 "Rural Alaska Students in One-Health Research (RASOR)" - Ellen Chenoweth - Mod 6 - $262,082.00 (December 4, 2022)

Message from the Dean

As we look forward to enjoying Thanksgiving Day with friends and family this week, please take a moment to reflect on the many positive aspects of our daily lives. It is my pleasure to thank the faculty, staff and students for all their good work, which provides significant benefits to Alaska and our nation. Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is transiting from Nome to Seward at the end of the 2023 field season. After arriving in Seward, the Sikuliaq crew will demobilize the science gear from the last cruise and begin preparations for the upcoming regulatory shipyard maintenance and repairs.

Activities and Accomplishments

Brenda Konar attended the Bridging Arctic Gateways workshop at UAF November 15–16 and talked about mariculture research being done in association with the Mariculture Research and Restoration Consortium (Mariculture ReCon) and Alaska EPSCoR.

Natalie Monacci gave a presentation titled, “Ocean Acidification Research Center: Monitoring Alaska's Ocean Chemistry” at the Prince William Sound Science Center Tuesday Night Talk.

CFOS in the News

Kenai Conversation, a program on KDLL public radio, featured an interview with graduate student Sonia Kumar, who studies the Cook Inlet beluga population in the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers.

A presentation by Peter Westley at the Mat-Su Basin Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium was highlighted in a column in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Publications

Brauner, M., and B.R. Briggs. 2023. Microbial iron acquisition is influenced by spatial and temporal conditions in a glacial influenced river and estuary system. Environmental Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16541

Message from the Dean

Plans are underway to hold our all-hands faculty retreat at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage on the afternoon of Sunday, January 28, 2024, immediately preceding the Alaska Marine Science Symposium. Since the last CFOS faculty retreat in January 2022, we have continued to successfully implement our shared vision as outlined in the CFOS Decadal Plan[BROKEN LINK]. The purpose of the 2024 faculty retreat is to provide an opportunity for our faculty to engage in setting near-term priorities to help advance our academic programs, ensure student success, and bolster research. Details of our first in-person faculty retreat since 2018 will be forthcoming, including dinner and reception following our afternoon discussions.

This Saturday is Veteran’s Day. Please take a moment to reflect on and honor the military veterans who served our country.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq remains in the Beaufort Sea in support of Craig Lee’s (University of Washington) Arctic Mobile Observing System project, led by chief scientist Lee Freitag of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The project is funded by the Office of Naval Research.

Activities and Accomplishments

Professor Emeritus Gordon Kruse gave a keynote address titled "Ecosystem-based fisheries management of crab fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands" at the 12th International Conference and Workshop on Lobster (and Crab) Biology and Management held in Fremantle, Australia, October 22–27.

Graduate student Sonia Kumar Cook presented her research on passive acoustic monitoring of Cook Inlet beluga whales to the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council at its Environmental Monitoring Committee meeting October 13 at the Captain Cook Hotel.

Natalie Monacci, Megan Feddern and graduate student Hannah Kepner presented at the PICES (North Pacific Marine Science Organization) annual meeting in Seattle, September 23–October 2. Several other CFOS faculty, students, and staff were in attendance.

Seth Danielson co-presented a Strait Science seminar at the UAF Northwest Campus in Nome on Sikuliaq and the Distributed Biological Observatory cruise. The presentation is available as a YouTube recording.

CFOS in the News

KCAW public media covered an effort by Sitka high school students to rearticulate a humpback whale skeleton. Shannon Atkinson is assisting with the project.

The Cordova Times published a story about the Alaska Federation of Natives honoring Courtney Carothers with the 2023 Denali Award.

Publications

Glass, J.R., R.C. Harrington, P.F. Cowman, B.C. Faircloth, and T.J. Near. 2023. Widespread sympatry in a species-rich clade of marine fishes (Carangoidea). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.0657

Kruse, G.H. 2023. Are crabs in hot water? Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk7565

Grants and Awards for October 2023

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15696 "LTER: NGA Phase II - Resilience and Connectivity Across Transitions in the Northern Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem" - Russ Hopcroft - NSF - $1,275,000.00 (October 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15743 "Coho Salmon Growth in Glacial and Non-glacial Watersheds" - Megan McPhee - USDA Forest Service - $ 54,992.00 (June 12, 2023)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• Grant G-13469 "Zooplankton Monitoring Along Coastal Regions and Tidewater Glacier Fjords of Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserves" - Jennifer Questel - NPS - Mod 2 - $52,060.00 (June 30, 2020)
• Grant G-14207 "Collaborative Research: Taking the Pulse of the Arctic Ocean - A US Contribution to the International Synoptic Arctic Survey" - Seth Danielson - NSF - Mod 1 - $96,587.00 (July 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14399 "AccelNet-Implementation: Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator (COBRA)" - Geoff Wheat - Bigelow Labs - Mod 3 - $20,000.00 (October 1, 2021)

Awards controlled by another department:

• Grant G-13079 "Landfast Ice Climatology within the Arctic OCS" - Seth Danielson - GI - BOEM - $103,991.00 (September 24, 2019)
• Grant G-15802 "NNA Collaboratory: ACTION - Alaska Coastal Cooperative for Co-producing Transformative Ideas and Opportunities in the North" - Kay McMonigal - GI - NSF - $18,056.00 (October 1, 2023)

Message from the Dean

Expanding the breadth of our research expertise and the diversity of our academic programs through new faculty hires is critical to the future of the college. In this regard, and in addition to hiring two tenure-track and one research faculty in oceanography over the past year, we are moving forward with active searches to hire two tenure-track faculty in fisheries, one tenure-track faculty in marine policy, and one tenure-track faculty in oceanography. Stay tuned as these searches progress in the coming months.

Snow is on the ground, and with that comes another magical Alaska ski season..

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Beaufort Sea in support of Craig Lee’s (University of Washington) Arctic Mobile Observing System project, led by chief scientist Lee Freitag of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The project is funded by the Office of Naval Research.

Activities and Accomplishments

Courtney Carothers was honored by the Alaska Federation of Natives with the 2023 Denali Award, which “recognizes the contributions of a non-Native person who has demonstrated strong commitment, dedication and service to the Alaska Native community and to rural Alaska.”

Thomas Kelly was invited to UAF Educator's Night at the Museum of the North to demonstrate his program, Alaska Science Stories, and its virtual reality headsets to local educators.

Amanda Kelley and graduate student Shelby Bacus will oversee the carbon chemistry monitoring component of a sustainable mariculture development project that is part of a $25M effort funded by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council to support restoration, habitat enhancement and economic development through research and partnerships between scientists and seaweed and shellfish farmers.

Graduate student Mack Hughes was awarded best poster for his research presentation at the 2023 Student Conference on Conservation Science in New York, hosted by the American Museum of Natural History and the Yale School of the Environment.

The CFOS Mariculture Lab, led by Schery Umanzor, collaborated with the White Abalone Captive Program to successfully spawn pinto abalone as the first production effort of an abalone program for the state of Alaska.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has awarded a permit for a seaweed hatchery at Lena Point in Juneau. The hatchery is part of an applied research project funded by the Alaska Blue Economy Center through its Mariculture Innovation Research Fund.

CFOS in the News

A Chinook salmon tagging program led by ADFG biologist and CFOS Ph.D. student Sabrina Garcia was highlighted in a story by KYUK public media.

Alaska Native News published a story about research by postdoc Samuel May on pink salmon genetics. The study included a finding that pinks generally spawn within 100 meters of the spot where their parents spawned.

Coastal News Today covered a $13.9 million NSF grant to aid coastal climate resilience that includes funding for two Sikuliaq cruises.

Professor Emeritus Gordon Kruse was featured in an Alaska Beacon story about the struggling Bering Sea king crab fishery.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute published a press release about a study identifying nutrients as a driver of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt. Thomas Kelly was a coauthor on the study.

Peter Westley and graduate student Elizabeth Mik’aq Lindley were featured in a Wired article about chum salmon spawning in Arctic waters.

KBBI public radio published an interview with Amanda Kelley and graduate student Shelby Bacus about their research on limpets in Kachemak Bay.

Publications

Charrier, B.R., J. Ingels, S.L. Danielson, and S.L. Mincks. 2023. Infaunal community structure, diversity, and function in Pacific-Arctic shelf sediments: a comparison of meiofaunal- and macrofaunal-sized nematodes. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14397

George, J.C.C., G.H. Givens, L. Horstmann, et al. 2023. Reproductive parameters of Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas bowhead whales. Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13079

May, S.A., K.R. Shedd, P.S. Rand, and P.A.H. Westley. 2023. Tidal gradients, fine-scale homing and a potential cryptic ecotype of wild spawning pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha). Molecular Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17154

McGillicuddy, D.J., P.L. Morton, R.A. Brewton, C. Hu, T.B. Kelly, A.R. Solow, and B.E. Lapointe. 2023. Nutrient and arsenic biogeochemistry of Sargassum in the western Atlantic. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41904-4

Samuel, W.T., L.E. Yancy, E.G. Hinkle, and J.A. Falke. 2023. Validating morphometrics as a non-lethal tool to determine Arctic Grayling sex. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10956

Message from the Dean

Today we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the many contributions from Indigenous voices in fisheries and ocean sciences. The traditional knowledge of Alaska Native communities and their deep connection to rivers, coasts and oceans enriches our understanding and stewardship of these vital aquatic ecosystems. Please take a moment to reflect on the importance of our Native partners and how we can work together to build a more sustainable future for Alaska and beyond.

Many of you have received notice of our plan to invest in our dedicated staff by providing resources to support professional development activities. This initiative builds on other strategic investments in the college, including celebrating student, staff and faculty success through Dean’s Recognition Awards, supporting student gatherings and related activities, and returning a portion of ICR to our faculty and researchers. These investments follow the CFOS 2023 goals memo to ensure an effective and efficient administration and to meet the needs of our growing faculty and student body.

Jeff Richardson is putting the finishing touches on the 2023 CFOS Annual Report—stay tuned as this report will highlight some of our exciting and innovative research, teaching and service activities.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Dutch Harbor in preparation for Craig Lee’s (University of Washington) Arctic Mobile Observing System project in the Beaufort Sea, led by chief scientist Lee Freitag of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The project is funded by the Office of Naval Research.

Activities and Accomplishments

The Tamamta program has been honored with the Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in University Research Award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

Jeff Muehlbauer was an invited member of an AquaSYNC working group, "Mapping biologically mediated movements of chemical contaminants from freshwaters to land," held September 26–28 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Graduate student Emily Reynolds was a panelist in a discussion hosted by Point Reyes National Seashore Association about sea otters and aquaculture during Sea Otter Awareness Week held September 24–30.

Graduate student Chloe Kotik, along with a team of scientists from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Orca Conservancy and NOAA, participated in successfully freeing two naturally trapped killer whales from Barnes Lake on Prince of Wales Island.

CFOS in the News

The Fishing Daily highlighted a new study about the dangers invasive pink salmon pose to native species that included contributions from Alan Springer.

Research by doctoral student Hannah Myers was cited in an Anchorage Daily News article about killer whales being incidentally caught by Bering Sea trawl vessels.

Numerous outlets published stories about the confirmation of spawning salmon in an Arctic watershed. Peter Westley, Andy Seitz, Julia McMahon, and grad students Elizabeth Mik’aq Lindley and Joe Spencer contributed to the finding.

Publications

Rotjan, R.D., K.L. Bell, J.A. Huber, C.G. Wheat, et al. 2023. COBRA Master Class: Providing deep-sea expedition leadership training to accelerate early career advancement. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1223197

Schloemer, J., L. Munk, and K. Iken. 2023. Marine and not terrestrial resources support nearshore food webs across a gradient of glacial watersheds in the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-023-01277-9

Grants and Awards for September 2023

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15681 "Stock-specific modeling of Bering Sea chum salmon" - Joseph Langan - Bering Sea Fishermen's Association - $200,408.00 (September 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15721 "Understanding Trophic Interactions between zooplankton and fish in the coastal Gulf of Alaska and southeastern Bering Sea" - Alexei Pinchuk - AK Department of Fish & Game - $83,768.00 (May 1, 2023)

Awards receiving incrmental funding:

• Grant G-15020 "FY23 State Economic Development Mariculture R&D" - Michael Stekoll - MIRF - AK State Legislature Senate Finance Committee - $164,603.00 (July 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15020 "FY23 State Economic Development Mariculture R&D" - Schery Umanzor - MIRF - AK State Legislature Senate Finance Committee - $54,706.00 (July 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15104 "Investigating impacts of Alaskan shellfish and finfish mariculture on soft sediment benthic ecosystems" - Sarah Mincks (Jonah Jossart) - NOAA - Mod 1 - $59,966.00 (August 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15161 "AMBON - linking biodiversity observations in the Arctic" - Katrin Iken - NASA - Mod 1 - $60,000.00 (September 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15223 "Planning: Connecting Inupiaq and Veterinary Knowledge about Wildlife Diseases and Food Safety" - Tuula Hollmen - NSF - Mod 1 - $99,363.00 (December 1, 2022)

Awards controlled by another department:

• Grant G-15263 "RISE-UP: Resilient Innovative Sustainable Economies via University Partnerships" - Natalie Monacci - VCR Office - ONR - $10,000.00 (September 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15689 "Alaska Coastal Mapping Center of Excellence, Phase 2" - Steve Dykstra - CEM INE Water Research Center - Woolpert, Inc. - $21,074.00 (August 1, 2023)

Message from the Dean

One of the priorities listed in the 2023 CFOS goals memorandum is to ensure an effective and efficient administration to meet the needs of our faculty and growing student body. In that regard, over the past several months we have made new staff hires in support of our science programs and ship operation. Barbara Wadlinger (bjwadlinger@alaska.edu) has accepted the position of Coastal Marine Institute Project Manager and Recharge Manager. Barbara brings a wealth of experience in grant-funded program management and university administration. Regarding ship operations, Julian Race-Moore (jwracemoore@alaska.edu) is our new Sikuliaq IT Manager and Kyle Gronewold (kpgronewold@alaska.edu) has been hired as the ship’s IT Systems Analyst. Julian has worked extensively on IT support for U.S. research vessels, including E/V Nautilus, and has worked with the U.S. Antarctic Program. Kyle brings over a decade of IT experience supporting the University of Alaska Office of Information Technology. Please join me in welcoming Barbara, Julian, and Kyle to CFOS.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in the Bering Sea in support of chief scientist Jackie Grebmeier (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science) and co-chief scientist Seth Danielson’s (UAF/CFOS) projects on the Distributed Biological Observatory, Ecological Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations/Chukchi Ecosystem Observatory, and the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, funded by NOAA and the UAF/CFOS Alaska Sikuliaq Program.

Activities and Accomplishments

The Seward Marine Center hosted the inaugural Seward Marine Science Symposium, which included Alaska marine science presentations, Indigenous-led research, and activities for local middle and high school students. The symposium coincided with a visit from the NOAA vessel Okeanos Explorer, which docked at SMC last week.

CFOS in the News

The Peninsula Clarion highlighted the inaugural Seward Marine Science Symposium, which was held September 17–19 at the Seward Marine Center.

Ellen Chenoweth, along with a University of Alaska Southeast student, appeared in the first episode of the PBS documentary Evolution Earth, which aired on September 6, and discussed humpback whale feeding at hatchery sites.

KINY news covered new research about the effects of ocean acidification on Kachemak Bay limpets by graduate student Shelby Bacus and Amanda Kelley.

Graduate student Hannah Myers discussed her research on killer whale behavior near trawl vessels in the Bering Sea in an Anchorage Daily News story on killer whales caught by trawlers this year.

Publications

Bucklin, A., J.M. Questel, P.G. Batta-Lona, M. Reid, A. Frenzel, C. Gelfman, P.H. Wiebe, R.G. Campbell, and C.J. Ashjian. 2023. Population genetic diversity and structure of the euphausiids Thysanoessa inermis and T. raschii in the Arctic Ocean: inferences from COI barcodes. Marine Biodiversity. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-023-01371-y

Timm, L.E., N. Tucker, A. Rix, S. LaBua, J.A. López, K. Boswell, and J.R. Glass. 2023. The untapped potential of seascape genomics in the North Pacific. Frontiers in Conservation Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1249551

Message from the Dean

Over the past several years, a priority of the college has been to strengthen and grow our academic programs, both in terms of degrees offered and in student enrollment. In addition to our long-standing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in fisheries, marine biology and oceanography, we now offer non-thesis master’s degrees in marine policy (jointly with UAS), marine studies, and a Blue MBA with the College of Business and Security Management. And, our undergraduate degree that originally focused on fisheries has been expanded to include fisheries and marine science, and is now offered both in person and as a fully online program.

With regard to enrollment, over the past year undergraduate enrollment has increased by roughly 50 percent and total graduate enrollment this fall is close to our highest enrollment over the past decade. These enrollment trends underscore that students are increasingly choosing CFOS to advance their careers in fisheries, marine biology and oceanography. We can take pride in our collective efforts to grow these high-quality undergraduate and graduate degree programs. I want to thank all of CFOS for a job well done—let’s keep up the good work!

I hope you take time to enjoy the beautiful fall season colors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Bering Sea in support of chief scientist Jackie Grebmeier (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science) and co-chief scientists Seth Danielson (UAF/CFOS) and Katrin Iken (UAF/CFOS), funded by NOAA and UAF’s Alaska Sikuliaq Program. This voyage will support the Distributed Biological Observatory–Ecological Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations/Chukchi Ecosystem Observatory–Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observation Network.

Activities and Accomplishments

Schery Umanzor was a guest speaker at a Sealaska Heritage Institute lecture and a panelist at the 2023 Seagriculture USA conference.

CFOS in the News

Curry Cunningham was featured in a KDLG segment about next year’s Bristol Bay salmon forecast.

A story on KYUK public media highlighted appointees to the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force and Yukon/Kuskokwim working group, including CFOS faculty Megan McPhee and Curry Cunningham.

UAF News covered research by Trent Sutton and CFOS alumni Kevin Fraley and Carolyn Hammon on the levels of PFAS contamination in Arctic fish species.

Research by graduate student Shelby Bacus was included in an Associated Press story about the future of crab fisheries in the Bering Sea.

Publications

Atkinson, S., V.M. Melica, S. Teerlink, K.L. Mashburn, J.R. Moran, and H. Pearson. 2023. Use of hormones in assessing reproductive physiology of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Juneau, Alaska. Theriogenology Wild. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.therwi.2023.100050

Brandhuber, M., S. Atkinson, C. Cunningham, T. Roth, and E. Curry. 2023. Assessing Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEAS) as a novel biomarker for monitoring reproduction in polar bears. General and Comparative Endocrinology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114276

Iken, K., C.D. Amsler, K.B. Gorman, A.G. Klein, A.W.E. Galloway, M.O. Amsler, S. Heiser, R. Whippo, A.T. Lowe, J.B. Schram, Z.X. Schneider, and J.B. McClintock. 2023. Macroalgal input into the coastal food web along a gradient of seasonal sea ice cover along the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14388

Grants and Awards for August 2023

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• G-15650 "Baseline Fishery Surveys Using Autonomous Underwater Gliders" - Seth Danielson - NOAA - $1,750,000.00 (July 1, 2023)
• 271634 "Improving the Stock Assessments of Sleeper Shark (Somniosus pacificus) and Pacific Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi)" - Garrett Dunne - Foundation Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGOA) Applied Research - $5,000.00 (March 1, 2023)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY 2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 17 - $2,500,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• G-13041 "Collaborative Research: Monitoring in Southeast Alaska Parks" - Seth Danielson - NPS - Mod 2 - $265,176.00 (September 25, 2019)
• G-14380 "Arctic High-Frequency Radar Operations and Maintenance (Arctic HFR)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 2 - $156,000.00 (july 1, 2021)
• G-14395 "Enhancing ocean color remote sensing tools to better constrain fisheries forecasting models in a critical subarctic system" - Tom Kelly - NASA - Mod 2 - $247,936.00 (August 23, 2021)
• G-14420 "Integrating oceanographic research and monitoring efforts in the NE Gulf of Alaska" - Seth Danielson - NPS - Mod 1 - $19,938.00 (September 17, 2021)
• G-14451 "Seward Line Monitoring (Seward Line)" - Russ Hopcroft - AOOS - Mod 2 - $116,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• G-14471 "Alaska Ecosystem Observatory Network Build Out, Operations and Maintenance (Eco-Moorings)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 2 - $85,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• G-14472 "Measuring Ocean Currents in Bering Strait with High Frequency Radars (Bering Strait HFR)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 2 - $115,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• G-14473 "Alaska Region Glider Missions Supporting an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM Gliders)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 2 - $240,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• G-14482 "An Arctic Marine Mammal Observing System (Chukchi Glider)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 2 - $65,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• G-14484 "Time-Series Monitoring of Ocean Acidification in Alaska (OA Timeseries)" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - Mod 2 - $29,000.00 (July 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

Last week a number of invited university leaders, faculty, staff and students joined Tamamta program leadership, students and honored guests at the Howard Luke Gaalee’ya Spirit Camp near Fairbanks to share reflections on this important NSF–funded research traineeship program, now in its third year. The fall retreat was special in many ways, particularly given the growth of the program and its increasing visibility. This was a delightful opportunity to share stories and perspectives, while enjoying a wonderful home-cooked meal prepared by Indigenous chefs. It is a pleasure to recognize Tamamta program leaders Courtney Carothers, Jessica Black, Charlene Stern, Peter Westley and their team for organizing this retreat—thank you very much for your time, energy and dedication to broadening the scope of our fisheries programs to include traditional knowledge and experiences.

Speaking of joining together, please be sure to mark your calendars for the CFOS Welcome Back event this Thursday, starting at 3 pm in O’Neill 201. Many thanks to Christina Sutton for organizing this event. We also plan to resume the Coffee with the Dean gatherings as part of our continued effort to ensure a welcoming environment for our students, staff and faculty.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq remains in the Bering Sea in support of Sarah Fowell’s (UAF/CNSM) Bering Sea coring cruise, funded by NSF Office of Polar Programs.

Activities and Accomplishments

The Subarctic Oceanography Field Course 425/625 was held for the first time in Seward. Students spent 10 days learning oceanographic sampling techniques, including 5 days aboard R/V Nanuq in Resurrection Bay and Aialik Fjord. A big thanks to the National Parks Service for providing support so that we could offer this course at no cost to students.

CFOS in the News

Research by UAF graduate student Dana Bloch was highlighted in a Discover story about the role whale poop plays in fertilizing the ocean.

A UAF News article explored research by Geoff Wheat on deep-sea thermal springs that enhance octopus breeding grounds.

Hank Statscewich was interviewed by the Teledyne Marine Tech Talk podcast about how CFOS uses underwater gliders to support Alaska fisheries management.

Publications

Barry, J.P., S.Y. Litvin, A. DeVogelaere, D.W. Caress, C.F. Lovera, A.S. Kahn, E.J. Burton, C. King, J.B. Paduan, C.G. Wheat, F. Girard, et al. 2023. Abyssal hydrothermal springs—cryptic incubators for brooding octopus. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg3247

Message from the Dean

With the fall semester now officially underway, it is a pleasure to welcome everyone back—thank you for all your good work CFOS! We look forward to a number of exciting events this semester. To kick things off, this week we will host a board meeting of the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center and the CFOS Advisory Council, which will both meet in Juneau. Looking further ahead, a priority for this semester will be to launch searches for new faculty hires in fisheries, oceanography and marine policy to help advance our diverse research and academic programs. These are just a few highlights that underpin the mission of our college to support our students. In that regard, congratulations to our summer 2023 graduates:

Claire Delbecq. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Jeff Falke
Oliva Edwards. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Jeff Falke
Kevin Fitzgerald. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Jeff Falke
Madeline Lee. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Peter Westley
Samuel Rosenbaum. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Megan McPhee
Katie Corliss. M.S. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Katrin Iken
Mary Keenan. M.S. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Lara Horstmann
Jaide Phelps, M.S. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Katrin Iken
Madelyn Hoefer. B.A. Fisheries, Concentration in Fisheries Business and Social Sciences
Bethany Matala. B.S. Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration in Ocean Sciences

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of Sarah Fowell’s (UAF/CNSM) Bering Sea coring cruise, funded by NSF Office of Polar Programs. Fowell and her team will collect sediment cores from the Bering Sea shelf to better understand how the most recent glacial/interglacial transition affected the ecology and climate of the Bering Land Bridge.

Activities and Accomplishments

Shannon Atkinson, along with graduate students Courney Pegus and Emily Mailman, helped lead and support a 10-day camp hosted by Orutsararmiut Native Council at the UAF Kuskokwim Campus, July 12-20. The camp focused on science and culture while allowing students to earn two college credits.

Franz Mueter accompanied the Arctic Leadership Initiative advisory group on a tour of R/V Sikuliaq in Nome on August 3. Along with the mayor, city manager and Kawerak staff, the group also met with faculty and staff at UAF's Northwest Campus.

CFOS in the News

An article in the Nome Nugget highlighted R/V Sikuliaq’s detection of a harmful algal bloom in the Bering Strait region.

KTVF aired a news segment about the ongoing Bering Sea Land Bridge research cruise aboard R/V Sikuliaq.

Publications

Fraley, K.M., C.R. Hamman, T.M. Sutton, M.D. Robards, T. Jones, and A. Whiting. 2023. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and mercury in Arctic Alaska coastal fishes of subsistence importance. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5717

Haag, J., H. Dulai, and W. Burt. 2023. The role of submarine groundwater discharge to the input of macronutrients within a macrotidal subpolar estuary. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-023-01231-9

Grants and Awards for July 2023

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• G-15511 "Pinto Abalone Mariculture Potential (PAMP): Developing Prognostic Tools for Intensive Polyculture Farming Based on Organismal Growth and Feeding Demand" - Schery Umanzor - Murdock Charitable Trust - $19,000.00 (May 1, 2023)
• G-15525 "Oceanography of Cook Inlet Tide Rips" - Tyler Hennon - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - $98,900.00 (April 1, 2023)
• G-15576 "BRC-BIO: Evolutionary Patterns of Ice-Binding Proteins in North Pacific Intertidal Invertebrates" - Jessica Glass - NSF - $498,522.00 (July 1, 2023)
• G-15580 "CR: US GO-SHIP 2021-2026 Repeat Hydrography, Carbon and Tracers" - Kay McMonigal - University of California, San Diego - $96,539.00 (July 1, 2023)
• G-15598 "Southeast Alaska Trolling Vessel Ocean Measurement Program" - Tyler Hennon - Pacific Salmon Commission - $74,645.00 (February 1, 2023)
• 271220 "Linking Climate and Early Life History to Recruitment of Yukon River Chum Salmon" - Megan McPhee - PCCRC Endowment - $53,597.00 (July 1, 2023)
• 271221 "The environmental ratchet, revisited: the role of temperature and predation in controlling abundances of snow crab in the Bering Sea" - Franz Mueter - PCCRC Endowment - $70,620.00 (July 1, 2023)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 15 and Mod 16 - $126,166.00 and $2,500,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" - Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA - Mod 8 - $188,000.00 (July 1, 2019)
• G-14241 "Bio-physical drivers of bowhead whale distribution on the Alaskan Beaufort Shelf During a Period of Rapid Environmental Change" - Seth Danielson - BOEM - Mod 2 - $1,037,326.00 (July 1, 2021)

Award set up on assumption:

• G-15546 "Academic and research support for satellite tagging Pacific cod" - Andy Seitz - Aleutians East Borough (August 1, 2022)

Message from the Dean

The start of the new academic year is now just two weeks away, when we will welcome back current and new students. We are also delighted to welcome several new staff and faculty to CFOS. Thank you all for your dedication to our mission to deliver excellence in fisheries and ocean sciences research, education and outreach for the benefit of Alaska and the nation.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in port at Nome, Alaska, after completing Kevin Arrigo’s (Stanford University) Fate of Primary Production in the Chukchi Sea cruise, funded by the NSF Office of Polar Programs. Sikuliaq is being prepared for Sarah Fowell’s (UAF/CNSM) Bering Sea coring cruise, also funded by NSF Office of Polar Programs.

Activities and Accomplishments

A workshop on harmful algal bloom biotoxins held at the Seward Marine Center was hosted by Shannon Atkinson, Jennifer Elhard, and in collaboration with the Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute.

CFOS in the News

Peter Westley was featured in a New York Times article about Alaska’s declining Chinook salmon population.

UAF News published an article about eDNA research being conducted in Jessica Glass’ lab.

Alaska Public Media highlighted research by graduate student Dana Bloch about the ecological benefits of humpback whale poop.

Publications

Cotea Islas, H.M., and R.R. Hopcroft. 2023. Abundance, composition and distribution of predatory gelatinous zooplankton in the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Journal of Plankton Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbad032

King, E.L., M.V. McPhee, S.C. Vulstek, C.J. Cunningham, J.R. Russell, and D.A. Tallmon. 2023. Alternative life-history strategy contributions to effective population size in a naturally spawning salmon population. Evolutionary Applications. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13580

McMonigal, K., N. Evans, D. Jones, J. Brett, R.C. James, M.C. Arroyo, et al. 2023. Navigating gender at sea. AGU Advances. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023AV000927

Message from the Dean

Last week, UAF/CFOS faculty and staff engaged with the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission in Fairbanks to discuss future research cruises aboard Sikuliaq. In this regard, 2023 marks the seventh year implementing the Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedures (CECSOP) for Sikuliaq research operations. Established in 2017, these best practices for Sikuliaq operations have proven valuable in avoiding conflicts between Alaska Native subsistence hunting communities and seagoing scientific researchers. This is the only such community operating procedure in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, and one that we can take pride in developing with NSF and helping to advance together with Alaska Native organizations. I would like to thank Sikuliaq Science Liaison Jeff Richardson for his good work leading this important aspect of our ship operations.

It is a pleasure to announce that Ana Aguilar-Islas has accepted the appointment as CFOS associate dean for academic programs. Ana is well known to the UAF community for her research, teaching and service activities, and as an active seagoing scientist focused on understanding trace element cycles in the ocean. Ana’s appointment is effective immediately, and will continue for a three-year term. I am delighted that Ana has accepted this important administrative role, and I look forward to working with her as part of the CFOS leadership team. Please join me in congratulating and supporting Ana in her effort to help advance the academic mission of our college.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq remains in the Chukchi Sea in support of Kevin Arrigo’s (Stanford University) Fate of Primary Production in the Chukchi Sea cruise, funded by NSF Office of Polar Programs.

CFOS in the News

Sikuliaq-based research on harmful algal blooms was highlighted in the Nome Nugget.

Postdoc Brian Ulaski and Brenda Konar were interviewed by KBBI, a Homer public media station, for a piece on the importance of beach wrack, which was the focus of Ulaski's Ph.D. dissertation.

Publications

Amsler, C.D., M.O. Amsler, A.G. Klein, A.W.E. Galloway, K. Iken, J.B. McClintock, S. Heiser, A.T. Lowe, J.B. Schram, and R.Whippo. 2023. Strong correlations of sea ice cover with macroalgal cover along the Antarctic Peninsula: Ramifications for present and future benthic communities. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2023.00020

Drakard, V.F., J.A. Hollarsmith, and M.S. Stekoll. 2023. High-latitude kelps and future oceans: A review of multiple stressor impacts in a changing world. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10277

Weitzman, B.P., B. Konar, M.S. Edwards, D.B. Rasher, M.C. Kenner, M.T. Tinker, and J.A. Estes. 2023. Changes in abiotic drivers of green sea urchin demographics following the loss of a keystone predator. Journal of Marine Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/1198953

Message from the Dean

As we close out the first half of this year, it is worth reflecting on some of our accomplishments as a college. Since January, we held a CFOS Advisory Council meeting, continued to advance our new Master of Marine Policy degree jointly with UAS, are in the final stage of the marine policy faculty search, and welcomed new faculty, staff and students. Looking ahead, a key goal over the coming months is to begin searches for new tenure-track faculty hires in fisheries, oceanography and marine policy.

It is a pleasure to convey that Brian Crandall has been hired as CFOS Undergraduate Advisor and Recruitment Coordinator. Brian has a B.A. in Biology and Anthropology from Binghamton University, was a small-business owner of a STEAM franchise, and recently taught at Ben Eielson Jr. High School. Brian will begin work on Wednesday, July 5. Please join me in welcoming Brian to CFOS.

After three years serving as chair of the Department of Fisheries, Andy Seitz will step down to focus on his research, instruction and service work. I am thankful for Andy's dedicated service, and grateful to Franz Mueter for his willingness to serve as the new chair.

I hope that everyone enjoys a safe and relaxing Fourth of July extended holiday weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq remains in the Chukchi Sea in support of Kevin Arrigo’s (Stanford University) Fate of Primary Production in the Chukchi Sea cruise, funded by NSF Office of Polar Programs.

Activities and Accomplishments

Courtney Carothers was invited to participate in the international symposium New Frameworks for Troubled Times: A Focus on the Global Fisheries Commons, hosted June 15–16 by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh.

Ethan Roth represented R/V Sikuliaq and presented a talk, “Technical Challenges and Solutions for Operating in Polar Regions,” at the INMARTECH 2023 symposium at the World Trade Center in Barcelona, Spain, June 20–22.

Natalie Monacci is now director of the Ocean Acidification Research Center.

CFOS in the News

Alaska Native News and other outlets covered a research paper by postdoc Brian Ulaski and Brenda Konar about the complex ecosystem that exists in Alaska beach wrack.

An Alaska Beacon story about a new federal fish labeling proposal cited research being conducted at the Ocean Acidification Research Center.

Tyler Hennon was quoted in a KTOO public media story about the changing ocean ecosystem in Southeast Alaska.

A video about the Alaska Blue Economy Center, featuring Schery Umanzor and ABEC director Justin Sternberg, was published on the UA Empower Alaska website.

Brenda Konar contributed to a Times Standard article about the possible reintroduction of sea otters to California.

Research by Seth Danielson was cited in an Alaska Beacon article about gradual erosion occurring in the Bering Strait.

Publications

Kruse, G.H. 2023. Remembering Vera Alexander. PICES Press, Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 72-73. https://www.uaf.edu/cfos/files/news/PICES-Press-2023-Vol31No2pp72-73.pdf

Message from the Dean

Today is Juneteenth, when our nation observes the youngest federal holiday that commemorates the freeing of enslaved African Americans. I encourage everyone to take a moment to reflect on the collective progress made in advancing human rights in our nation, and the remaining work needed to fully realize an equitable society.

I would like to highlight the appointment of Megan McPhee to the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force (below). Not only is this a highly deserved recognition of Megan’s expertise, and that of our alumni, it is one more example of how CFOS is sought after to help guide policy decisions relating to sustaining Alaska fisheries and aquatic resources.

This Wednesday marks summer solstice—time to get out and enjoy the great Alaskan outdoors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Chukchi Sea for Kevin Arrigo’s (Stanford University) Fate of Primary Production in the Chukchi Sea cruise, funded by the NSF Office of Polar Programs.

Activities and Accomplishments

Gwenn Hennon was an invited plenary speaker at the Ocean Carbon Biogeochemistry summer workshop in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on June 12–15. Her talk in the Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience session was entitled, "Find the helpers: prioritizing multiple-driver studies of key taxa."

Megan McPhee has been appointed to the newly formed Alaska Salmon Research Task Force, which will focus on sustainable fisheries management and population crashes in the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. Other appointees include CFOS alumni Ed Farley, Justin Leon, Michelle Stratton and Bill Templin.

Graduate student Stephanie O’Daly, along with Gwenn Hennon, former CFOS associate professor Andrew McDonnell, post-doctoral fellow Thomas Kelley, and others, presented a poster at the Aquatic Sciences meeting in Palma Mallorca, Spain, titled “Impact of fronts on Southern Ocean particle distribution in the mesopelagic.”

Graduate student Emily Mailman was awarded the 2023 Kathryn E. and John P. Doyle Scholarship from The Alaska Community Foundation.

Jennifer Questel, Seth Danielson, Tyler Hennon, Nicole Webster and Peter Shipton completed the second year of oceanographic sampling in Southeast Alaska for the National Park Service Outer Coast program. Activities included the turnaround of an overwintering mooring at the head of Disenchantment Bay near Hubbard Glacier and physical, chemical and biological oceanography measurements in Disenchantment, Yakutat, and Icy Bays and Taan Fjord.

The National Sea Grant program awarded graduate student Lindsey Stadler the prestigious Knauss Fellowship. She is spending her fellowship year with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office of Protected Resources.

CFOS in the News

UAF News published an article about work by Seth Danielson and Hank Statscewich in the northern Gulf of Alaska to better understand the spring phytoplankton bloom.

KINY and other outlets covered new research that showed early Alaskans relied on freshwater fishing for subsistence. Andrés López contributed to the study.

Publications

LaBarre, A., B. Konar, and K. Iken. 2023. Influence of environmental conditions on Mytilus trossulus size frequency distributions in two glacially influenced estuaries. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-023-01175-0

Grants and Awards for May 2023

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• G-15444 "Yukon River and Norton Sound Chum Salmon marine ecology" - Alexei Pinchuk - NPRB - $33,125.00 (January 1, 2023)
• G-15470 "Genetic analysis of summer and winter distribution of GOA Pacific cod otolith analysis of thermal adaptation" - Jessica Glass - Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission - $332,553.00 (November 1, 2022)
• G-15484 "US Science Support Program Office associated with the International Ocean Discovery Program (USSSP-IODP)" - C. Geoff Wheat - Columbia University - $76,545.00 (April 1, 2023)
• G-15492 "Sea otter use of oyster farms in Kachemak Bay, Alaska" - Brenda Konar - Sea Otter Fundation & Trust - $6,936.00 (January 1, 2023)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 12 - $962,148.00 (June 15, 2018
• G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" - Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA - Mod 6 - $185,000.00 (July 1, 2019)
• G-13469 "Zooplankton Monitoring Along Coastal Regions and Tidewater Glacier Fjords of Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks & Preserves" - Jennifer Questel - NPS - Mod 1 - $72,316.00 (June 30, 2020)

Message from the Dean

As recently announced, CFOS associate dean for academic programs Trent Sutton has accepted an appointment as UAF Vice Provost, Accreditation Liaison Officer and Dean of General Studies. I am grateful for Trent’s time and effort in helping to lead our academic programs through unprecedented state budget decrements and health-related challenges with the pandemic, and thank him for his support of our academic mission. The search for a new associate dean for academic programs is underway.

On-campus interviews of the candidates for the tenure-track assistant professor in marine policy have concluded. The search committee is now soliciting input from faculty, staff and students as they prepare the final recommendation regarding next steps.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Seward preparing for Emily Eidam’s (Oregon State University) Arctic Chief Scientist Training cruise and Kevin Arrigo’s (Stanford University) Fate of Primary Production in the Chukchi Sea cruise, both funded by NSF Office of Polar Programs. Arrigo and Matthew Mills will study microalgae and phytoplankton in sea ice and open water to assess how sea ice loss affects the Arctic Ocean food web.

Activities and Accomplishments

Bradley Moran has been appointed to serve as a member of the National Academies' 2025-2035 Decadal Survey of Ocean Sciences for the National Science Foundation committee.

Last week the Korean Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) hosted a joint workshop with the UAF International Arctic Research Center (IARC) to discuss plans for an international Siberian Distributed Biological Observatory network. Russ Hopcroft (virtual) and Tom Kelly (in person) participated at this meeting, helping to shape future research priorities.

Michael Martins, a student in the spring Nearshore Ecology Field Course, won a 2023 Chessable Research Award for studying the effects of diving on cognitive ability. Brenda Konar was Martins’ mentor for the project.

CFOS in the News

Undercurrent News quoted Curry Cunningham in an article about an effort to use citizen science to better track Chinook salmon in the Nushagak Commercial Salmon District near Dillingham.

Publications

Cheng, M. L., J. T. Thorson, J. N. Ianelli, and C. J. Cunningham. 2023. Unlocking the triad of age, year, and cohort effects for stock assessment: Demonstration of a computationally efficient and reproducible framework using weight-at-age. Fisheries Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2023.106755

Despins, M. C., R. P. Mason, A. M. Aguilar-Islas, C. H. Lamborg, C. R. Hammerschmidt, and S. E. Newell. 2023. Linked mercury methylation and nitrification across oxic subpolar regions. Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvc.2023.1109537

Gonzalez, S., J. K. Horne, S.L. Danielson, G. Lopez, and A. M. Segura. 2023. Temporal dynamics and environmental drivers of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) densities in the northeast Chukchi Sea. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-023-03150-8

Message from the Dean

Last week marked a milestone for the National Academies’ Ocean Studies Board, which held its 100th meeting in Washington, DC. Notably, the meeting kicked off with several open-session presentations led by the OSB Fisheries Subcommittee, which focused on the intersection of fisheries management, climate change, policy and fishing communities. These discussions and other interesting presentations held throughout the week relate directly to the important research and teaching activities at CFOS, and serve as a reminder of the relevance of the work conducted by many of our faculty, researchers and students. My thanks and congratulations to OSB director Susan Roberts and her team for hosting an interesting and successful meeting.

Beginning this week, candidates interviewing for the assistant professor tenure-track position in marine policy will be visiting our Juneau and Fairbanks locations. I encourage everyone to engage in this process by attending the candidate presentations and meetings, and to provide input to the search committee. My thanks to search chair Andy Seitz and committee members Jessica Glass, Russ Hopcroft, Lara Horstmann, and Kasia Polanska from UAS for their effort on this important faculty search.

The UAF Arctic Research Open House[BROKEN LINK] held last Thursday was a great success. CFOS did a great job showcasing a variety of our research programs and field equipment, including displays by Hank Statscewich, Gwenn Hennon, Kyle Dilliplaine and Hannah Kepner. A big thank-you to Jeff Richardson and the many faculty, staff and students who helped make this a successful event.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Kris Newhall’s (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Ocean Observatories Initiative Papa cruise and the collaborative project from Jim Thomson’s (University of Washington) Waves at Papa, funded by NSF/OCE Physical Oceanography.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Chloe Kotik gave a presentation on her killer whale ecotoxicology research at the Society for Marine Mammalogy Northwest Student Chapter annual meeting.

CFOS Grants Manager Pat Church received a 2023 Alaska NSF EPSCoR Travel Award to attend the 65th Annual National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) Meeting in Washington, DC, in August 2023.

CFOS in the News

Peter Westley was quoted in an Alaska Public Media story about some of the factors causing a decline in Alaska salmon populations.

Publications

Kehinde, O., M. Bourassa, S. Kranz, M.R. Landry, T. Kelly, and M.R. Stukel. 2023. Lateral advection of particulate organic matter in the eastern Indian Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC019723

Skyllingstad, E.D., R.M. Samelson, H. Simmons, L.S. Laurent, S. Merrifield, T. Klenz, and L. Centuroni. 2023. Boundary layer energetics of rapid wind and wave forced mixing events. Journal of Physical Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-22-0150.1

Message from the Dean

As we conclude the spring 2023 semester, I would like to convey my appreciation to our dedicated students, staff and faculty for helping advance the mission of CFOS. On that note, last Saturday was the 2023 UAF Commencement—congratulations to our graduates!

It is my pleasure to announce that Amanda Kelley has been awarded tenure and promotion to associate professor of marine biology.

2023 Dean’s Recognition Awards

Outstanding Advisor: Lara Horstmann
Outstanding Instructor: Mark Johnson
Outstanding Researcher: Jeff Falke and Russ Hopcroft
Outstanding Service: Rachel Potter
Outstanding Staff: Hans Pedersen
Outstanding Research Staff: Caitlin Smoot
Outstanding R/V Sikuliaq Crew Member: Artie Levine
Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Rachel Heimke
Outstanding Graduate Student: Hannah Myers
Special Dean’s Recognition Award for development of the joint CFOS–UAS Master of Marine Policy degree: Keith Criddle (CFOS) and Ljubomir Medenica (UAS)

Spring 2023 Graduates

Luke Henslee. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Andy Seitz
Alexandra Reich. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Megan McPhee
Lindsey Stadler. MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Katrin Iken
Monica Brandhuber. Ph.D. Fisheries, Advisor: Shannon Atkinson
Thilo Klenz. Ph.D. Oceanography, Advisor: Harper Simmons
Kathryn Langlois. BA Fisheries, Concentration: Fisheries Business and Social Science
Bethany Matala. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Ocean Science
Kyleigh McArthur. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science

2023 Student Awards

Outstanding Senior: Rachel Heimke
Outstanding Junior: Samantha Allen
Outstanding Sophomore: Shelby Thompson
Outstanding Freshman: Lucy White

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is expected to arrive in Seward today after completing Russ Hopcroft’s spring cruise for the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research project, funded by NSF Ocean Sciences Biological Oceanography. Later this week, mobilization will begin for Kris Newhall’s (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Ocean Observatories Initiative Papa cruise and the collaborative project from Jim Thomson’s (University of Washington) Waves at Papa.

Activities and Accomplishments

Two projects have been approved for 2024 funding through the Alaska Sikuliaq Program: the NOAA OER Gulf of Alaska seamounts project led by Russ Hopcroft and Jennifer Questel, and an Arctic marine ecosystem monitoring cruise led by Seth Danielson and Katrin Iken. Each project will receive funding for four ship days aboard Sikuliaq.

Graduate students Shelby Bacus, Carter Johnson and Chelsea Kovalcsik were awarded Graduate Student Research Awards by the North Pacific Research Board.

Graduate student Alex Sletten discussed her research on microplastics as part of Earth Day at the Rasmuson Library

Graduate student Shelby Bacus received the AY2023–24 CFOS Dean's Graduate Student Research Assistantship Award.

Brenda Konar cohosted a workshop on zero-visibility scuba diving at the American Academy of Underwater Sciences annual conference in Pensacola, Florida.

CFOS in the News

Peter Westley was quoted in an Alaska Public Media story about some of the factors causing a decline in Alaska salmon populations.

Publications

Bacus, S.C., and A.L. Kelley. 2023. Effects of ocean acidification and ocean warming on the behavior and physiology of a subarctic, intertidal grazer. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14308

King, E.M., D.A. Tallmon, S.C. Vulstek, J.R. Russell, and M.V. McPhee. 2023. Reproductive success of jack and full-size males in a wild coho salmon population. Royal Society Open Science. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221271

Rabault, J., M. Müller, J. Voermans, D. Brazhnikov, I. Turnbull, A. Marchenko, M. Biuw, T. Nose, T. Waseda, M. Johansson, Ø. Breivik, G. Sutherland, L. R. Hole, M. Johnson, et al. 2023. A dataset of direct observations of sea ice drift and waves in ice. Scientific Data. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02160-9

Grants and awards for April 2023

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15390 "Yukon River and Norton Sound Chum Ecology" - Alexei Pinchuk - UA Foundation PCCRC - $50,000.00 (January 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15396 "The Role of Arctic Lagoons as Winter Refuge for Arctic Fish" - Alexei Pinchuk - North Slope Borough - $15,095.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15397 "Monitoring Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Concentrations in Sediments of Port Valdez, Alaska" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $71,406.00 (January 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15405 "2023 Beaufort Sea Fish Monitoring Project'' - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC. - $45,593.00 (January 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15438 "Examine health metrics of Copper River sockeye salmon stocks to inform management decision making" - Kristen Gorman - National Park Service - $111,148.00 (April 13, 2023)

Awards controlled by another department:

• Grant G-15439 "Alaska Mariculture Cluster Workforce Development" - Schery Umanzor - AK Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program - Southeast Conference - $175,461.00 (October 1, 2022)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• Grant G-8633 "Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center - Fellowships" - Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $80,000.00 (April 1, 2013)

Message from the Dean

Last Friday the CFOS Advisory Council met virtually to discuss priorities and action items in support of our research and teaching efforts. Discussion focused on advancing diversity, equity and inclusivity in the college; the importance of the Alaska Education Tax Credit to our fisheries researchers and students; and the revitalization of Seward Marine Center to support shoreside operations of R/V Sikuliaq. A big thank-you to Hannah Myers for her presentation on passive acoustic research of killer whales, and to Seth Danielson for his presentation on the CFOS underwater gilder program led by Seth and his ocean glider team. The next Advisory Council meeting is tentatively scheduled for June.

As we wind up the spring semester, CFOS will host a BBQ celebration on May 3, 2023, at 3 pm in 201 O'Neill, and Juneau’s BBQ will be announced soon. Stay tuned for final details regarding this popular event.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Russ Hopcroft’s Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research project, funded by NSF Ocean Sciences Biological Oceanography. The chief scientist for this spring’s NGA LTER cruise is Ana Aguilar-Islas.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Chelsea Kovalcsik won the Dan Glass Memorial Award at the Midnight Sun Symposium for her talk “Paralytic shellfish toxins and domoic acid exposure risks to northern fur seals on St. Paul Island, Alaska.”

Graduate students Tamsen Peeples and Muriel Dittrich were named grand champions of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Algae Prize. The competition challenged competitors to develop innovative solutions for algae production, processing and product development.

Graduate student Hannah Myers gave a presentation about killer whales to the Hutchison High School marine biology class and led an acoustics project as part of the class’s Whale Week.

CFOS in the News

The Peninsula Clarion previewed a presentation by Peter Westley at a “State of the Salmon” event hosted by Kenai Peninsula College.

An article by Alaska Native News highlighted ongoing research by Brenda Konar and graduate student Emily Reynolds about interactions between sea otters and oyster farms.

Publications

Dammann, D. O., M.A. Johnson, A. R. Mahoney, and E. R. Fedders. 2023. First observations of sea ice flexural–gravity waves with ground-based radar interferometry in Utqiaġvik, Alaska. The Cryosphere. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1609-2023

Stukel, M. R., J. P. Irving, T. B. Kelly, M. D. Ohman, C. K. Fender, and N. Yingling. 2023. Carbon sequestration by multiple biological pump pathways in a coastal upwelling biome. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37771-8

Ulaski, B. P., D. S. Sikes, and B. Konar. 2023. Beach-cast and drifting seaweed wrack is an important resource for marine and terrestrial macroinvertebrates in high latitudes. Marine Environmental Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105970

Message from the Dean

Last week the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) convened members of the board in Anchorage. The discussion focused on AOOS and Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) budgets, research activities, ocean policy updates and priorities for future funding. The meeting featured discussions with representatives from federal, state, industry and research entities, as well as a number of PI science presentations. Thanks to AOOS director Sheyna Wisdom and her team for hosting a productive and engaging meeting.

It is my pleasure to recognize the CFOS staff members who were honored last week at the annual UAF Staff Recognition event. These individuals and all of our hardworking staff help to ensure that CFOS operates efficiently and effectively. Please join me in congratulating the following employees for their dedicated service to CFOS and to the University:

• 1 Year: Jake Anderson, Thomas Buzzeck, Sam Elliot, Laura Frisone, Carman Greto, Kendall Mashburn
• 5 Years: Christoph Gabaldo, Heather McLeod, Danielle Ringer
• 10 Years: Michelle Warrenchuk
• 20 Years: Jennifer Elhard, Rachel Potter, Elizabeth Stockmar

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for acoustic calibrations in Puget Sound and the North Pacific Ocean (funded by NSF OCE Integrative Programs Section), and then will transit to Seward to mobilize for Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project, funded by NSF OCE Biological Oceanography. The chief scientist for this spring’s NGA LTER cruise is Ana Aguilar-Islas (UAF/CFOS).

Activities and Accomplishments

Several CFOS students won awards at the Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society meeting, which was held in Fairbanks from May 27-31. Kristen Reece (best BS student poster), Sydney Almgren (best MS student poster), Lilian Hart (best MS oral presentation) and Matt Cheng (best PhD oral presentation) were honored.

Maggie Harings (Fisheries) and Nicole Webster (Oceanography) have been awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.

NOAA’s 2022 Science Report listed graduate student Courtney Hart’s PhD research on algal bloom monitoring to explain geoduck clam toxicity in southeast Alaska. Her research received funding from NOAA’s ECOHAB division.

Sarah Walters has been named the new assistant port captain at the Seward Marine Center. Congratulations to Sarah on her recent appointment!

Last week, Isabelle Nicolier received the CFOS Dean’s Choice award at UAF Research and Creative Activity Day, and Kristen Reece was recognized with the CFOS Dean’s Honorable Mention.

CFOS in the News

Sierra magazine quoted CFOS graduate student Chelsea Kovalcsik in a story about proposed conservation measures in the waters around St. Paul Island.

New sea ice research by a team that included Mark Johnson was highlighted by UAF News. The study examined new methods for monitoring shorefast ice to improve public safety.

A story in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner focused on the Spring Virtual Fishermen’s EXPO, which included a session by Tyler Hennon.

Publications

Dammann, D.O., M.A. Johnson, A.R. Mahoney, E.R. Fedders, M. Ito, J.K. Hutchings, C.M. Polashenski, and M. Fahnstock. 2023. Ground-based radar interferometry for monitoring of landfast sea ice dynamics. Cold Regions Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2023.103779

Mc Cartney, A.M., M.A. Head, K.S. Tsosie, B. Sterner, J.R. Glass, S. Paez, J. Geary, and M. Hudson. 2023. Indigenous peoples and local communities as partners in the sequencing of global eukaryotic biodiversity. npj Biodiversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-023-00013-7

Grants and Awards for March 2023

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15362 "Pinto Abalone Mariculture Potential (PAMP)" - Schery Umanzor - NPRB - $229,930.00 (January 1, 2023)
• Grant G-15369 "Alaska Ocean Observing Infrastructure Funding" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $473,333.00 (December 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15372 "Ecosystem monitoring and detection of wind and ice-mediated changes through a year-round physical and biogeochemical mooring in the Northwest Chukchi Sea Yrs 4 and 5" - Seth Danielson - NPRB - $176,166.00 (December 1, 2022)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• Grant G-8633 "Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center Fellowships" - Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2013)
• Grant G-14750 "Reducing Chinook Salmon Bycatch" - Andy Seitz - UA Foundation PCCRC - $19,253.00 (April 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14751 "Potential of Pollock Roe Peptides" - Quentin Fong - UA Foundation PCCRC - $60,322.00 (April 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15041 "Genetic composition of Bering Sea Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) aggregations" - Andres Lopez and Jessica Glass - UA Foundation PCCRC - $51,266.00 (August 1, 2022)

Awards receiving incremental funding controlled by another department:

• Grant G-15190 "Assessment of Humpback Whale Health and Residency Patterns with Respect to Varied Tourism Levels in Juneau, Alaska" - Shannon DeMaster - UAS - Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission - $50,597.00 (July 1, 2022)

Award set up on assumption:

• Grant G-15381 "Rural Alaska Students in One-Health Research (RASOR)" - Ellen Chenoweth - NIH - (December 4, 2022)

Message from the Dean

With just over a month remaining in this spring semester, it is a pleasure to extend my appreciation to all faculty and staff who support our students' success. In this regard, please mark your calendars for the 2023 CFOS State of the College, which will be held virtually at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 20. In addition to highlighting our research, academic and outreach activities over the past year, we will present the annual Dean’s Recognition Awards to our faculty, staff and students.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for a combined research voyage first led by John Mickett (University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory) and then by Andrea Ogston (UW) off the coast of Washington and northern Oregon. Mickett’s physical oceanography project (Washington Shelf Acoustics Mooring Recovery) is funded by the Office of Naval Research, and Ogston’s geological oceanography project (Cascadia Canyons Deploy1) is funded by NSF Marine Geology and Geophysics.

Activities and Accomplishments

Kyle Dilliplaine won best student poster presentation at the Polar Marine Science Gordon Research Conference held March 5–10, 2023.

Schery Umanzor received a Murdock Trust grant to support further education of science teachers.

The Scientific Diving program’s Nearshore Ecology Field Course just completed its field trip to the Kasitsna Bay lab over spring break, where 20 divers completed 276 dives. Another successful year!

CFOS in the News

The Alaska Ocean Observing System website posted an article about the 10-year anniversary of the GAKOA (Gulf of Alaska Ocean Acidification) mooring in Resurrection Bay. A CFOS team led by Natalie Monacci maintains GAKOA.

Publications

Alabia, I.D., J.G. Molinos, T. Hirata, F.J. Mueter, and C.L. David. 2023. Pan-Arctic marine biodiversity and species co-occurrence patterns under recent climate. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30943-y

Castro de la Guardia, L., K. Filbee-Dexter, J. Reimer, K.A. MacGregor, I. Garrido, R.K. Singh, S. Bélanger, B. Konar, K. Iken, L.E. Johnson, P. Archambault, M.K. Sejr, J.E. Søreide, and C.J. Mundy. 2023. Increasing depth distribution of Arctic kelp with increasing number of open water days with light. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2022.00051

Message from the Dean

Last week the CFOS Advisory Council held a virtual meeting to discuss needs and priorities of the college, including updates on our academic and research programs and major facility operations. Discussion also focused on agenda items for the next meeting, which will take place in person in Fairbanks for a full day. Stay tuned for details.

Since 2015 the state of Alaska has provided $500,000 annually to support research and education programs conducted by UAF-based researchers and collaborators aboard R/V Sikuliaq. As operator of Sikuliaq, CFOS facilitates the allocation of these state funds through the Alaska Sikuliaq Program. The deadline for the CY2024 proposal submission is Friday, March 31.

I hope everyone enjoys a relaxing and safe spring break this week.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for the OOI Coastal Endurance Array project, led by Ed Dever and Jon Fram from Oregon State University. The project, funded by NSF Ocean Observatory Initiative, will recover and deploy oceanographic surface moorings, profilers, and gliders off the coast of Oregon and Washington.

Activities and Accomplishments

Jaide Phelps won third place for student poster presentation at the International Seaweed Symposium in Hobart, Tasmania.

CFOS hosted the 26th annual Alaska Tsunami Bowl on March 3–5 in Seward. The Free Radicals from Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé took first place among a dozen teams in the statewide ocean sciences competition. A big thank-you to our donors, volunteers and all those who helped to ensure a successful competition.

Graduate student Alex Sletten was invited to present her work on microplastics in spotted seals on March 1 at the Ice Seal Committee annual meeting in Anchorage.

CFOS in the News

UAF News published a story about research on using drones to survey tidewater glacier habitat, quoting graduate student Court Pegus and Shannon Atkinson. The story was also picked up by KINY radio.

Anchorage Daily News published an opinion piece coauthored by graduate student Katja Berghaus about the UAF graduate students’ unionization efforts.

Alaska Native News highlighted a research partnership led by Tyler Hennon that will provide fishermen with instruments to collect sea water samples in Southeast Alaska.

Seth Danielson was quoted in an Arctic Sounder article about federal funding through AOOS that will pay for ocean monitoring equipment in the Arctic Ocean.

Publications

Cheng, M.L.H., C.J. Rodgeveller, J.A. Langan, and C.J. Cunningham. 2023. Standardizing fishery-dependent catch-rate information across gears and data collection programs for Alaska sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria). ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad037

Marchenko, A., and Z. Kowalik. 2023. Tidal wave–elliptic island interaction above the critical latitude. Journal of Physical Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-22-0018.1

Grants and Awards for February 2023

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• Grant G-12804 "Coastal Marine Institute Program Administration 2019-2024" - Jennifer Reynolds - BOEM - Mod 6 - $20,627.00 (May 1, 2019)
• Grant G-14395 "Enhancing ocean color remote sensing tools to better constrain fisheries forecasting models in a critical subarctic system" - Thomas Kelly - NASA - Mod 2 - $344,941.00 (August 23, 2021)

Message from the Dean

With the election of CFOS department chairs now concluded, it is a pleasure to convey that Lara Horstmann will continue to serve as chair of the Department of Marine Biology, Russ Hopcroft will continue as chair of the Department of Oceanography, and Franz Mueter will start a two-year term as chair of the Department of Fisheries. I am grateful to Lara, Russ and Franz for their willingness to lead their respective academic departments, and to outgoing fisheries chair Andy Seitz for three years of outstanding departmental service.

It is a pleasure to announce that Demian Schane has accepted UAF Chancellor Dan White’s invitation to serve on the CFOS Advisory Council for a three-year term, effective March 1, 2023. Demian is Chief of the Alaska Section of the NOAA General Counsel Office in Juneau, and already has a connection to CFOS by co-developing and co-teaching with Keith Criddle our Law and Fisheries course (Fish 672). He brings tremendous experience in fisheries law and policy, which is timely given the new CFOS-UAS Master of Marine Policy degree.

CFOS recruitment coordinator Kyle Rivera has tendered his resignation effective June 2. It is a pleasure to thank Kyle for his dedicated service over the past three years, helping with our student recruitment and advising during a challenging period due to the pandemic. Please join me in wishing Kyle all the best in his future endeavors.

Last, I am pleased to convey that Jennifer Reynolds has agreed to serve as our associate dean for research. I want to express my gratitude to Jennifer for having served in this capacity on an interim basis for the past year and half, and for her willingness to continue to help support our research enterprise.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Robert Cowen’s (Oregon State University) plankton size spectra project, which is funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences.

Activities and Accomplishments

Tamamta fellow Kimberly Kivvaq Pikok was honored by the Explorers Club as one of “50 People Changing the World that the World Needs to Know About” for her research on seasonal changes in Utqiagvik’s spring whaling season.

CFOS graduate student Jaide Phelps received the Robert and Judy Belous Global Change Research award from the UAF graduate school.

The Alaska Blue Economy Center has formed a partnership with Erlingur Gudleifsson, a seafood processing innovator from Iceland. The collaboration includes a memorandum of understanding to promote the transfer of scientific and technical knowledge in fisheries, energy and innovation between Iceland and Alaska.

The 26th annual CFOS Student Symposium was held on Friday, February 24, with 24 undergraduate, master and Ph.D. students presenting their research. Notable presentations included Austin Flanigan (best long talk), Carter Johnson (best short talk), Will Samuel (runner-up for best long talk) and Matt Cheng (best short talk).

CFOS in the News

An AOOS press release noted significant funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law awarded to CFOS for gliders, HF radars and ecosystem moorings.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner published an article coauthored by Alexei Pinchuk about the future of the Bering Sea ecosystem.

Brenda Konar was quoted in an Alaska Beacon article about the decline of sunflower sea stars, which could lead to their protection under the Endangered Species Act.

A photograph of R/V Sikuliaq was selected for the cover of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission’s Goals and Objectives for Arctic Research report for 2023–2024.

Alaska Beacon coverage of University of Alaska President Pat Pitney’s State of the University address included recognition of CFOS for boosting the mariculture industry. Pitney said the state’s $100 million goal for the industry “is within reach.”

The Times of London cited Professor Emeritus Gordon Kruse in an interview about the plight of snow crabs in the eastern Bering Sea.

UAF News announced the 2023 UAF honorary degree and service award recipients, which included former CFOS interim dean Joan Braddock as recipient of a Meritorious Service Award.

Publications

Huang, M., K.R. Robbins, Y. Li, S. Umanzor, M. Marty-Rivera, D. Bailey, M. Aydlett, J. Schmutz, J. Grimwood, C. Yarish, S. Lindell, and J.-L. Jannink. 2023. Genomic selection in algae with biphasic lifecycles: A Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp) case study. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1040979

Yang, B. T.L. Hawthorne, L. Aoki, D.S. Beatty, T. Copeland, L.K. Domke, G.L. Eckert, C.P. Gomes, O.J. Graham, C.D. Harvell, K.A. Hovel, M. Hessing-Lewis, L. Harper, R.S. Mueller, B. Rappazzo, L. Reshitnyk, J.J. Stachowicz, F. Tomas, and J.E. Duffy. 2022. Low-altitude UAV imaging accurately quantifies eelgrass wasting disease from Alaska to California. Geophysical Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL101985

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that Steven Dykstra has accepted the position of tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Oceanography. Steve completed his Ph.D. in Marine Science at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of South Carolina. His research focuses on understanding the interconnection of the coastal ocean and rivers, combining oceanography with hydrologic and geologic sciences to address climate effects and direct human impacts on local to global scales. Steve will be based at the Fairbanks campus, and his start date is August 13, 2023. Steve can be reached by email at sdykstra@alaska.edu. Please join me in welcoming Steve to CFOS!

This will conclude the oceanography faculty search. I would like to thank search chair Mark Johnson and committee members Ana Agular-Islas, Seth Danielson, Gwenn Hennon, Brenda Konar and Franz Mueter for their time and effort on this successful search.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Newport, Oregon, preparing for the first research project of 2023: Robert Cowen’s (Oregon State University) Plankton Size Spectra project, funded by the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences.

Activities and Accomplishments

Brenda Konar, Justin Sternberg and other UAF speakers were part of a panel at the Alaska Forum on the Environment held February 6–10, 2023.

On February 8–9, several CFOS faculty and students attended an NSF EPSCoR meeting at the Alyeska Resort to discuss research highlights and opportunities to increase collaboration, and to meet with EPSCoR section head Sandra Richardson.

Seth Danielson and Lara Horstmann led science presentations at the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission's annual convention in Utqiagvik on February 1–2, 2023.

CFOS in the News

Schery Umanzor was mentioned in an Anthropocene article about kelp farms doubling as pollution clean-up sites.

Tyler Hennon was quoted in a National Fishermen article about the benefits of using commercial fishing vessels to collect research data.

Research by CFOS graduate student Sonia Kumar was cited in an Alaska Beacon article about the declining Cook Inlet beluga whale population.

Fishermen’s News covered a presentation from Gordon Kruse at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium. Kruse and fellow researcher Scott Goodman highlighted efforts to better understand the recent Bering Sea crab collapse.

The Alaska Beacon also quoted Kruse in an article about the collapse of the eastern Bering Sea snow crab stock and the potential role that high temperatures and high crab densities may have played in the decline.

Publications

Kimmel, D.G., L.B. Eisner, and A.I. Pinchuk. 2023. The northern Bering Sea zooplankton community response to variability in sea ice: evidence from a series of warm and cold periods. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14237

Amiraux, R., C.J. Mundy, M. Pierrejean, A. Niemi, [...], K. Iken, et al. 2023. Tracing carbon flow and trophic structure of a coastal Arctic marine food web using highly branched isoprenoids and carbon, nitrogen and sulfur stable isotopes. Ecological Indicators. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.109938

Décima, M., M.R. Stukel, S.D. Nodder, A. Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, [...], T.B. Kelly, et al. 2023. Salp blooms drive strong increases in passive carbon export in the Southern Ocean. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35204-6

Orrell, D.L., J.M. Questel, C.A. Smoot, T. Simpson, and N.E. Hussey. 2023. Alebion carchariae (Copepod: Caligidae) host plasticity and distribution: a new host and locality record from Ascension Island. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315422001060

Message from the Dean

The annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium held last week featured numerous presentations by CFOS students, staff and faculty. The CFOS booth organized by Jeff Richardson showcased our programs, facilities and activities, as did the booth organized by Jennifer Elhard and Brian Mullaly in support of the 2023 Tsunami Bowl. There was a strong appearance by our students, who presented numerous talks and posters (see also Accomplishments). Congratulations to all CFOS students, staff and faculty for their excellent work.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq remains moored in Seattle for winter repairs. In the second week of February, the ship is scheduled to transit to Newport, Oregon, to support the first research project of 2023.

Activities and Accomplishments

Professor Emeritus Gordon Kruse gave a keynote address, titled "Eastern Bering Sea crab fishery disasters—a tale of two crabs," and was interviewed by Fox Alaska News, at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium held in Anchorage, Alaska.

Several CFOS students were recognized last week at AMSS. Each received a $250 prize for their presentations.

• Emily Stidham (MS), "Two decades of observations on pelagic tunicates and pelagic snails in the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA)"
• Tristan Sebens (MS), "Estimating abundance trends by integrating data from multiple fishery-independent surveys"
• Megan Brauner (PhD), "Co-occurrence networks of marine microbes in the Northern Gulf of Alaska"

CFOS in the News

The Food & Environment Reporting Network quoted postdoctoral fellow Krista Oke in an article about ongoing changes in salmon size and biodiversity.

Numerous outlets published articles about research by Schery Umanzor on the potential for kelp farms to clean marine pollution in coastal areas.

Alaska Beacon published an interview with CFOS graduate student Alex Sletten about her project tracking microplastics found in Bering Strait–area spotted seals.

Publications

Atkinson, S., T. A. Branch, A. A. Pack, J. M. Straley, J. R. Moran, C. Gabriele, K. L. Mashburn, K. Cates, and S. Yin. 2023. Pregnancy rate and reproductive hormones in humpback whale blubber: Dominant form of progesterone differs during pregnancy. General and Comparative Endocrinology. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364965660_Pregnancy_Rate_and_Reproductive_Hormones_in_Humpback_Whale_Blubber_Dominant_Form_of_Progesterone_Differs_During_Pregnancy

Atkinson, S., K. L. Mashburn, D. Vos, T. A. Romano, and B. Mahoney. 2022. Hormone profiles from Cook Inlet, Bristol Bay and aquarium beluga whales. Polar Research. https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v41.5525

Cypher, A. D., H. Statscewich, R. Campbell, , J. Eiler, and S.L. Danielson, M. A. Bishop. 2023. Detection efficiency of an autonomous underwater glider carrying an integrated acoustic receiver for acoustically tagged Pacific herring. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsac241

Dokai, W. K., P. D. Barry, D. T. Zanatta, K. M. Gruenthal, M. V. McPhee, P. B. McIntyre, and W. A. Larson. 2023. Two for the price of one: eDNA metabarcoding reveals temporal and spatial variability of mussel and fish co-distributions in Michigan riverine systems. Environmental DNA. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.390

Hudson, K., M. J. Oliver, J. Kohut, M. S. Dinniman, J. M. Klinck, M. A. Cimino, K. S. Bernard, H. Statscewich, and W. Fraser. 2022. A subsurface eddy associated with a submarine canyon increases availability and delivery of simulated Antarctic krill to penguin foraging regions. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14211

Montenegro, J., A. G. Collings, R. R. Hopcroft, J. M. Questel, E. V. Thuesen, T. S. Bachtel, L. A. Bergman, M. N. Sangekar, J. C. Drazen, and D. J. Lindsay. 2023. Heterogeneity in diagnostic characters across ecoregions: A case study with Botrynema (Hydrozoa: Trachylina: Halicreatidae). Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.1101699

Pegus, C., S. Atkinson, T. Quinn, and S. Pyare. 2022. Evaluating the accuracy of unmanned aerial systems to quantify glacial ice habitats of harbor seals in Alaska. Ecosphere. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4287

Planas, J. V., C. N. Rooper, and G. H. Kruse. 2023. Integrating biological research, fisheries science and management of Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) across the North Pacific Ocean. Fisheries Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2022.106559

Message from the Dean

With the start of the spring 2023 semester this week, we welcome back our current and new CFOS students. As always, our faculty and staff are here to support you, and we wish you great success.

It is a pleasure to convey that Dr. Kay McMonigal has accepted our offer of a tenure-track assistant professor position in the Department of Oceanography. Kay completed his Ph.D. in meteorology and physical oceanography at the University of Miami and is currently a postdoctoral scholar at North Carolina State University. His primary research interest is the impact of ocean circulation on climate variability, using observations and models to improve understanding of ocean circulation variability and dynamics. Kay will be based at the Fairbanks campus, and his start date is August 13, 2023. Kay can be reached by email at ktmcmonigal@alaska.edu. Please join me in welcoming Kay to CFOS.

Next week, we look forward to many interesting presentations by our students and faculty at the 2023 Alaska Marine Science Symposium in Anchorage, and please note that Professor Emeritus Gordon Kruse will deliver a keynote presentation on Monday afternoon. During the poster sessions, CFOS will have a booth with plenty of swag and another booth in support of this year’s Tsunami Bowl, so please stop by and check them out.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored at the University of Washington pier in Seattle for winter repairs through the second week of February, when the ship is scheduled to transit to Newport, Oregon, for the first research project of 2023.

CFOS in the News

Peter Westley and graduate student Elizabeth Mik’aq Lindley were quoted in an Arctic Sounder article about the expansion of Pacific salmon into Arctic waters.

Publications

Charrier, B.R., S.L. Danielson, and S.L. Mincks. 2023. Trait-based assessment of polychaete assemblages distinguishes macrofaunal community structure among four distinct benthic eco-regions on a shallow Arctic shelf. Deep-Sea Research II. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105240

Kowalik, Z. 2022. Arctic Ocean tidal constituents. Arctic Data Center. https://doi.org/10.18739/A2F47GV7M

Kowalik, Z., and A. Marchenko. 2023. Tidal motion enhancement on Spitsbergen Bank, Barents Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JC018539

Umanzor, S., and T. Stephens. 2023. Nitrogen and carbon removal capacity by farmed kelp Alaria marginata and Saccharina latissima varies by species. Aquaculture Journal. https://doi.org/10.3390/aquacj3010001

Grants and Awards for December 2022

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15223 "Planning: Connecting Inupiaq and Veterinary Knowledge about Wildlife Diseases and Food Safety" - Tuula Hollmen - NSF - $99,767.00 (December 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15261 "University of Alaska-Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation 2023" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $1,397,646.00 (December 15, 2022)

Awards controlled by another department:

• Grant G-14571 "CICOES Postdoc Fellowships at the University of Alaska Fairbanks" - University of Washington - IARC - Michael Stekoll - $96,294.00 (December 1, 2021)
• Grant G-13850 "Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES)" - University of Washington - IARC (July 1, 2020)
  • YR3-R19-I11 - Jessica Glass - $109,414.00
  • YR3-R24-II - Jessica Glass - $99,759.00
  • YR3-R25-II - Jessica Glass - $99,759.00
  • YR3-R26-II - Jessica Glass - $50,204.00
  • YR3-R31-II - Schery Umanzor - $127,654.00

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• Grant G-2865 "Meek Lecturers" - Andy Seitz - UA Foundation - $100,000.00 (October 1, 2005)

Message from the Dean

Happy New Year! It is a pleasure to wish everyone a warm welcome after winter break—and here is to a safe and productive 2023.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle for winter maintenance and repairs.

Activities and Accomplishments

On December 12–14, the First Alaskans Institute hosted an in-person racial equity dialogue in Fairbanks for the Tamamta program and the CFOS Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee. Participants included CFOS faculty, researchers and students and Alaska Native and related organizations. The Tamamta program will publish a report on the event.

CFOS in the News

Ed deCastro, port captain at the Seward Marine Center, was profiled in the UAF December Rural Staff Spotlight.

CFOS alum Mandy Keogh (Ph.D. Marine Biology, 2011) was featured in a NOAA news article about the Alaska region’s NOAA stranding response team.

Heidi Pearson was interviewed about new research on how whales can serve as carbon sinks in the ocean ecosystem. Her overview of the study was featured on The Naked Scientists website.

CFOS Ph.D. student Hannah Myers was quoted in a Mother Jones story about the declining North Atlantic right whale population. The article analyzed a controversial connection between whale entanglements and the Maine lobster fishery.

Publications

Chapman, Z.M., F.J. Mueter, B.L. Norcross, and D.S. Oxman. 2023. Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) hatching season and growth rates in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Deep Sea Research II. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105226

Message from the Dean

As we wind up 2022, it is a pleasure to express my sincere appreciation to our students, staff and faculty, and to our captain and crew in ensuring the safe and successful operation of R/V Sikuliaq. Thank you for all your good work, CFOS!

Happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year!

Fall 2022 graduates

Kari Fenski. Ph.D. Fisheries, Advisor: Curry Cunningham
Christopher Sergeant. Ph.D. Fisheries, Advisor: Jeffrey Falke
Lauren Sutton. Ph.D. Marine Biology, Advisor: Katrin Iken
Brian Ulaski. Ph.D. Marine Biology, Advisor: Brenda Konar
Alexis Walker. Ph.D. Marine Biology, Advisors: Sarah Mincks and Mary Beth Leigh (IAB)
Jacob Cohen. MS Oceanography, Advisor: Gwenn Hennon
Elizabeth Hasan. MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Brenda Konar
Drew Porter. MS Marine Biology, Advisors: Matthew Wooller and Benjamin Barst (INE)
Michelle Trifari. MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Matthew Wooller and Benjamin Barst (INE)
Kortney Birch. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Ocean Sciences

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle for winter maintenance and repairs.

Activities and Accomplishments

Tamamta Fellows Elizabeth Mik'aq Lindley and Kimberly Pikok, along with Peter Westley, facilitated the first Alaska Arctic Salmon Workshop in Anchorage on December 1–2, funded by Alaska Sea Grant and SalmonNet. Twenty-two Western scientists and community members from Kotzebue to Kaktovik came together to co-create questions surrounding the increasing occurrences of Pacific salmon in the Arctic.

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner highlighted work by Natalie Monacci as part of a roundup of UAF research at the American Geophysical Union fall 2022 conference. Natalie’s presentation focused on the need for better monitoring as oceans are increasingly used to store atmospheric carbon.

Publications

Dahle, G., B. Sainte-Marie, S.L. Mincks, E. Farestveit, K.E. Jørstad, A.M. Hjelset, and A.-L. Agnalt. 2022. Genetic analysis of the exploited snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the Barents Sea—possibilities of origin. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsac172

Walker, A.M., M.B. Leigh, and S.L. Mincks. 2023. Benthic bacteria and archaea in the North American Arctic reflect food supply regimes and impacts of coastal and riverine inputs. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105224

Grants and Awards for November 2022

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15185 "Cook Inlet Physical Oceanography Data Curation, Visualization and Analyses" - Tyler Hennon - BOEM - $500,000.00 (September 12, 2022)
• Grant G-15186 "Collaborative Fisheries Education Across the Bering Sea" - Megan McPhee - US Russia Foundation - $66,618.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15195 "A Sea-scale Effort to Assess Sensitivity to Change in Nutrients and Ecosystems within the Pacific Arctic" - Thomas Kelly - NPRB - $281,855.00 (October 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15221 "Exploring pelagic biodiversity of the Gulf of Alaska and the impact of its seamounts" - Russ Hocroft - NOAA/CMDL - $749,771.00 (July 1, 2022)

Awards controlled by another department:

• Grant G-15211 "Satellite ocean color remote sensing of water mass dynamics in Cook Inlet" - Mark Johnson - BOEM - IARC - $48,478.00 (September 22, 2022)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• G-11616 "LTER: Beaufort Sea Lagoons: An Arctic Coastal Ecosystem in Transition" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - Mod 5 - $112,957.00 (August 1, 2017)
• G-14399 "AccelNet-Implementation: Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator (COBRA)" - Geoff Wheat - Bigelow Labs - Mod 2 - $20,000.00 (October 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

Next week, I will join ocean science leaders from across the country at the Fall AGU meeting to discuss future advocacy efforts in support of national priorities in ocean science research and education. This will be an important discussion following the recent dissolution of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership and transfer of its long-standing programs, including the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, to the new Center for Ocean Leadership within the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Now more than ever, we need strong and united leadership to address the most pressing ocean challenges facing Alaska, the nation and the world.

Along these lines, CFOS has committed to host this year's regional Alaska Tsunami Bowl (part of NOSB, which is on hiatus during this transition year). As in prior years, high school students and teachers from across the state will meet in Seward to engage in a spirited competition; the theme of this year’s competition is mariculture. CFOS has been successful in garnering additional funding for this event from several generous supporters—thank you!

The search for a new assistant professor in marine policy has advanced through the internal UA process and will soon be advertised broadly. Please help spread the word for this important new position, and contact search committee chair Keith Criddle if you require any further information.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seward after a successful CY2022 field season. Following crew rotation, fueling and securing gear, Sikuliaq will depart for Seattle for maintenance and repairs.

Activities and Accomplishments

Ginny Eckert’s lab members won accolades for presentations at recent scientific conferences. Graduate student Courtney Hart won best student oral presentation at the U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae in Albany, New York. Ginny Eckert and graduate student Johnson Domke coauthored a poster on kelp with UAS undergraduate student Jessica Whitney that won the award for best undergraduate poster at the https://www.wsn-online.org/ annual conference in Oxnard, California.

CFOS in the News

UAF News mentioned that CFOS partner Alaska Blue Economy Center has hired Tommy Sheridan as its associate director. Sheridan has a background in fisheries and has worked with nonprofit groups, public service organizations and seafood processors.

CFOS research staff member Hank Statscewich was a featured guest on The Ocean News and Technology Magazine's SeaState podcast, where he spoke on the use of UAF's underwater gliders for fishery research.

Trent Sutton gave an interview to KYUK Public Media on the Arctic lamprey subsistence fishery in the Kuskokwim River.

Publications

Fang, Y.C., M. Janout, Y. Kawaguchi, and H. Statscewich. 2022. Semidiurnal internal tides observed on the eastern flank of Hanna Shoal in the northeastern Chukchi Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC018232

Kite-Powell, H.L., E. Ask, S. Augyte, D. Bailey, J. Decker, C.A. Goudey, G. Grebe, Y. Li, S. Lindell, D. Manganelli, M. Marty-Rivera, C. Ng, L. Roberson, M. Stekoll, S. Umanzor and C. Yarish. 2022. Estimating production cost for large-scale seaweed farms. Applied Phycology. https://doi.org/10.1080/26388081.2022.2111271

Wheat, C.G., M.J. Mottl, A.T. Fisher, and S. Hulme. 2022. Formation waters delineate diverse hydrogeologic conditions at a plate scale: eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca ridge. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GC010665

Ulaski, B.P., E.O. Otis, and B. Konar. 2022. How landscape variables influence the relative abundance, composition, and reproductive viability of macroalgal wrack in a high latitude glacial estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2022.108169

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that the 2022 CFOS annual report is now complete and available online. A big thank-you to Alice Bailey for leading this effort, to Jeff Richardson, Sam Bishop and Carol Kaynor for expert editing and attention to detail, and to Molly Putman for final layout and production. Well done, team!

Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday season.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in the Beaufort Sea in support of Bob Pickart’s (WHOI) Monitoring Mooring project, which is part of the NSF-funded Arctic Observing Network. Sikuliaq is scheduled to return to Seward on Saturday, December 3.

Activities and Accomplishments

Several CFOS faculty, including Brenda Konar, Gwenn Hennon, and Jessica Glass, as well as students and staff, attended the 27th NSF EPSCOR National Conference last week, hosted by the University of Maine.

CFOS in the News

AP News mentioned Peter Westley among the 10 finalists for the 2022 edX Prize for Exceptional Contributions in Online Teaching and Learning. His free online edX course, Salmon, People and Place, explores the relationships between salmon and people, with an emphasis on the special ties between salmon and Indigenous peoples.

Seth Danielson was interviewed on KNOM’s Ocean Knowledge program to discuss findings of the Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Research Program, which studied changes in the northern Bering and Chukchi seas from 2016 to 2021.

Fortune magazine quoted Schery Umanzor in a story about the “seaweed superfood revolution,” which looks at seaweed’s potential as a food source and climate change mitigator.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror quoted Brenda Konar in a story about ochre sea stars migrating to Kodiak waters.

Publications

Friedlingstein, P., [...], N.M. Monacci, et al. 2022. Global carbon budget 2022. Earth System Science Data. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4811-2022

Mottl, M.J., T.M. McCollom, C.G. Wheat, and P. Fryer. 2022. Chemistry of springs across the Mariana forearc: Carbon flux from the subducting plate triggered by the lawsonite-to-epidote transition? Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2022.10.029

Rabault, J., [...], M. Johnson, et al. 2022. OpenMetBuoy-v2021: An easy-to-build, affordable, customizable, open-source instrument for oceanographic measurements of drift and waves in sea ice and the open ocean. Geosciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12030110

Walsh, J.E., H. Eicken, K. Redilla, and M. Johnson. 2022. Sea ice breakup and freeze-up indicators for users of the Arctic coastal environment. The Cryosphere. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4617-2022

Message from the Dean

The position description for the new assistant professor of marine policy has been drafted. We anticipate that this faculty search will be advertised in the coming weeks. This new search and the ongoing oceanography faculty search are important steps in advancing the mission of the college. A big thank you to those faculty stepping up to serve on these search committees.

This Friday is Veteran’s Day. Please take a moment to reflect on and honor the military veterans who served our country.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Beaufort Sea for Bob Pickart’s (WHOI) Monitoring Mooring project, which is part of the NSF funded Arctic Observing Network. The project aims to quantify upwelling along the Beaufort slope, which appears to be increasing with warming climate.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS graduate student Emily Stidham took second place in the UAF second annual Three Minute Thesis finals held on November 3, 2022.

At the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC) 115th meeting held at UAF October 25–26, Bradley Moran gave a talk on the Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedures for R/V Sikuliaq and Peter Westley talked about Yukon river salmon.

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the UAF alumni magazine, Aurora, published “Diving into Alaska’s DNA,” which mentioned CFOS faculty and students working in genomics.

UAF News wrote about a new seamounts exhibit at the University of Alaska Museum of the North with support from the North Pacific Research Board. The exhibit showcases artist Nicholas Bezio's work done in collaboration with Jennifer Questel and other researchers on a 2019 research cruise aboard R/V Sikuliaq, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Brenda Konar was interviewed by the Kodiak Daily Mirror for a story on ochre sea star wasting disease.

The Juneau Empire covered the ninth annual underwater pumpkin-carving event in Juneau, where graduate student Carter Johnson and several other CFOS students participated in the dive to carve jack-o-lanterns underwater.

UAF eCampus released a new video showcasing the CFOS online Fisheries and Marine Sciences undergraduate program.

Local Juneau broadcasting station KTOO aired a piece on the radio about Heidi Pearson’s study on whale stressors.

Publications

Sandy, S.J., S.L. Danielson, and A.R. Mahoney. Automating the acoustic detection and characterization of sea ice and surface waves. 2022. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10111577

Grants and Awards for October 2022

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15115 "Collaborative Research: Zooplankton restarts in a high-latitude marine ecosystem: species-specific recruitment and development in early spring" - Russ Hopcroft - NSF - $335,949.00 (October 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15143 "Oceanographic influences on spotted seal foraging in the Bering and Chukchi seas" - Steve Okkonen - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $10,739.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15157 "Arctic High-Frequency Radar FCC Compliance (HFR Operators)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $19,170.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15161 "AMBON - linking biodiversity observations in the Arctic" - Katrin Iken - NASA - $410,000.00 (September 1, 2022)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 11 - $232,667.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12511 "RCN-UBE: The Research of STEM Education Network: Improving Research Inclusivity through a Grassroots Culture of Scientific Teaching" - Trent Sutton - University of Alabama Birmingham - Mod 4 - $14,393.00 (August 1, 2018)
• Grant G-14468 "Demonstrating operational readiness of AUV-based ecosystem monitoring through a field program supporting the International Year of the Salmon (OMAO Glider)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 2 - $45,877.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14485 "National Ocean Acidification Observing Network (NOA-ON) Stations: Gulf of Alaska (GAKOA) and Bering Sea (M2) moorings (M2 & GAK Moorings)" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $161,905.00 (July 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

In support of the new Master of Marine Policy degree offered jointly by CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast, it is a pleasure to convey that CFOS will begin a search for a new tenure-track faculty in fisheries and marine policy. Keith Criddle has kindly agreed to serve as search chair, along with CFOS committee members Jessica Glass, Russ Hopcroft, Lara Horstmann, and Andy Seitz, as well as Kasia Polanska from UAS. The committee is currently drafting the position description for approval by the Provost. We anticipate the search to be advertised later this semester, with a projected hire in spring and a start date next academic year.

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, the US Arctic Research Commission will hold its 115th meeting at the UAF campus. This in-person meeting will include a number of high-level government officials, senior university leaders, scientists, and speakers from across the university. Peter Westley will discuss the declining population of Yukon River salmon, Justin Sternberg will provide an update on the Alaska Blue Economy Center, and I will present the Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedures (CESCOP) for Sikuliaq operations. It is a pleasure to thank USARC Chair Mike Sfraga and Executive Director John Farrell (who is former chair of the CFOS Visiting Expert Committee) for the invitation to participate in this meeting.

With snow now on the ground, the ski season is just around the corner.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq remains in the Beaufort Sea for Luc Rainville’s (UW/APL) Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS) project, funded by the Office of Naval Research Arctic Program, which has thus far serviced four ice stations over 22 days.

CFOS in the News

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) released a short documentary film about Sonia Ibarra and the co-developed sea otter research she and Tribes led in Southeast Alaska from 2012 to 2020, which led to her receipt of the 2022 AISES Indigenous Excellence Award.

Publications

Bellmore, J.R., C.J. Sergeant, R.A. Bellmore, J.A. Falke, and J.B. Fellman. 2022. Modeling coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) population response to streamflow and water temperature extremes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2022-0129

Cheng, M.L.H., S.G. Hinch, F. Juanes, S.J. Healy, A.G. Lotto, S.J. Mapley, and N.B. Furey. 2022. Acoustic imaging observes predator–prey interactions between bull trout and migrating sockeye salmon smolts. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10833

McKinney, G.J., P.D. Barry, C. Pascal, J.E. Seeb, L.W. Seeb, and M.V. McPhee. 2022. A new genotyping-in-thousands-by-sequencing single nucleotide polymorphism panel for mixed-stock analysis of chum salmon from coastal western Alaska. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10805

Singh, R.K., A. Vader, C.J. Mundy, J.E. Søreide, K. Iken, K.H. Dunton, L. Castro de la Guardia, M.K. Sejr, and S. Bélanger. Satellite-derived photosynthetically available radiation at the coastal Arctic seafloor. 2022. Remote Sensing. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14205180

Message from the Dean

Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day, when we honor Alaska Native people, culture, and knowledge. Please note that the University of Alaska Fairbanks will celebrate this important day by hosting a number of celebrations and activities.

One of the goals identified at the January 2022 all-hands faculty retreat was to recruit research faculty in our college. In this regard, Ellen Chenoweth has accepted an appointment as research assistant professor in the Department of Marine Biology. A CFOS alum (Ph.D., 2018), Ellen’s research expertise is in marine foraging ecology with a focus on marine mammals. Ellen will begin her appointment at CFOS in the coming weeks, and will be physically located at the UAS Sitka campus where she will continue her funded research while strengthening our connection to rural Alaska. She can be reached by email at emchenoweth@alaska.edu. Please join me in welcoming Ellen to CFOS!

Next Tuesday, we will host a virtual meeting with the CFOS Advisory Council to discuss priorities and needs of the college. The meeting agenda includes an update on our academic and research programs, diversity and inclusivity efforts, and the Seward Marine Center. I look forward to an engaging meeting with our Council members.

The 2022 CFOS Annual Report has been drafted and edited and is moving on to layout. Kudos to Alice Bailey for producing what promises to be another very nice showcase of some of our instruction, research, and service activities.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in the Beaufort Sea ice in support of Luc Rainville’s (UW/APL) Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS) project, which is expected to run for 45 days.

Activities and Accomplishments

Seth Danielson, graduate student Savannah Sandy, and Peter Shipton reached the North Pole aboard USCGC Healy on September 30, 2022, as part of the NSF Synoptic Arctic Survey research expedition and in support of the AOOS/NPRB–funded turnaround of the Chukchi Ecosystem Observatory mooring. Also aboard were UAF alumni Jackie Grebmeier and Lee Cooper.

Sonia Ibarra received the prestigious 2022 Indigenous Excellence Award from the American Indian Science and Engineering Society for her effort in advancing programs and opportunities for Indigenous students and professionals.

Brenda Konar was an invited speaker, and the Alaskan representative, at the Eastern Pacific Kelp Forest Restoration Workshop organized by The Nature Conservancy on September 3–4, 2022.

CFOS in the News

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) published an article about a recent Q&A session with Courtney Carothers and Jessica Black that discussed supporting Alaska’s next generation of Indigenous scientists.

Too Big To Ignore published an article by graduate student Isaac Nyameke on his reflections on attending the recent UN-FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) 35 meeting held last month in Italy.

The Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) project led by Katrin Iken was mentioned in an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) article as one of five projects funded by NOAA and partner agencies.

Graduate student Hannah Meyers spoke with Atlas Obscura about killer whale cultural behaviors.

Publications

Jellison, B. M., S. C. Bacus, and B. Gaylord. 2022. Variation in the behavioral tolerance of congeneric marine snails to low-pH exposure. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14144

Kiko, R., M. Picheral, D. Antoine, [...], R. M. Lekanoff, [...], A. McDonnell, D. Niemeyer, M. Noyon, S. O'Daly, M. Ohman, J.L. Pretty, et al. 2022. A global marine particle size distribution dataset obtained with the Underwater Vision Profiler 5. Earth System Science Data. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4315-2022

Rode, K. D., B. D. Taras, C. A. Stricker, T.C. Atwood, N. P. Boucher, G. M. Durner, A. E. Derocher, E. S. Richardson, S. G. Cherry, L. Quakenbush, L. Horstmann, and J.F. Bromaghin. 2022. Diet energy density estimated from isotopes in predator hair associated with survival, habitat, and population dynamics. Ecological Applications. https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eap.2751

Umanzor, S., M. Good, T. Bobrycki, J. K. Kim, and C. Yarish. 2022. Building community capacity in the determination of nutrient removal through kelp farming. World Aquaculture Magazine.

Grants and Awards for September 2022

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15034 "To Provide Personnel to Assist With Oceanographic Data Processing and Analysis-Elson Lagoon Moorings" - Steve Okkonen - North Slope Borough - $24,298.00 (June 14, 2022)
• Grant G-15037 "Distribution, Habitat Use, and Life History of Pacific Lamprey in the Susitna River Drainage, Alaska" - Trent Sutton - US Fish & Wildlife Service - $25,000.00 (August 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15041 "Genetic composition of Bering Sea Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) aggregations" - Andres Lopez - UA Foundation PCCRC - $69,935.00 (August 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15047 "Tamamta (All of Us): Transforming Western and Indigenous Fisheries and Marine Sciences Together" - Courtney Carothers - UA Foundation - $9,500.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15056 "Steller's eider (Polysticta stelleri) foraging habitat in Izembek Lagoon, Alaska" - Anastasia Maliguine (Tuula Holmen) - $14,965.00 (April 22, 2022)
• Grant G-15074 "AMBON - linking biodiversity observation in the Arctic" - Katrin Iken - ONR - $500,000.00 (September 1, 2022) Grant G-15078 "Influence of an environmental cascade on high-latitude intertidal communities'' - Madeline McArthur (Brenda Konar) - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - $15,892.00 (April 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15087 "Port Valdez PAH Sediment Research Paper" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $12,000.00 (September 15, 2022) Grant G-15110 "Pelagic-benthic decoupling? Ecosystem restructuring in the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas" - Katrin Iken - NPRB - $92,615.00 (July 1, 2022)

Awards set up on assumption:

• Grant G-15079 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line: 2019-2024" - Russ Hopcroft - NPRB - $256,572.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15104 "Investigating impacts of Alaskan shellfish and finfish mariculture on soft sediment benthic ecosystems" - Sarah Mincks - NOAA - $119,962.00 (August 1, 2022)

Awards controlled by other departments:

• Grant G-15015 "Shifting patterns in phytoplankton blooms" - Seth Danielson - IARC - NPRB - $16,407.00 (September 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15020 "FY23 State Economic Development Mariculture R&D" - Schery Umanzor - Alaska State Legislature Senate Finance Committee - $500,000.00 (July 1, 2022)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• Grant G-3163 "Ted Stevens Distinguished Professor of Marine Policy" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation - $216,000.00 (April 1, 2006)
• Grant G-9796 "Ladd Macaulay Fisheries Research Fellowship" - Andy Sietz - UA Foundation - $62,000.00 (September 1, 2014)
• Grant G-11709 "LTER: Resilience in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem" - Russ Hopcorft - NSF - Mod 6 - $1,126,927.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-13041 "Collaborative Oceanographic Monitoring in Southeast Alaska Parks" - Seth Danielson - National Park Service - $110,000.00 (September 25, 2019)
• Grant G-13193 "CY2019 Navy-funded cruises on R/V Sikuliaq" - Doug Baird - ONR - Mod 4 and Mod 5 - $1,400,000.00 and $1,299,339.00 (August 5, 2019)
• Grant G-13543 "NASA IPA August 2020 - July 2022" - Geoff Wheat - NASA - MOd 2 - $77,281.60 (August 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13683 "NRT: NNA: Tamamta (All of Us): Transforming Western and Indigenous Fisheries and Marine Sciences" - Courtney Carothers - NSF - $300,000.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13911 "Advancing Remote Sensing Insight into Coastal Sea Ice Ecosystems" Steve Okkonen - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - Mod 1 - $52,321.00 (July 20, 2020)
• Grant G-14378 "Collaborative Research: Elucidating Brine-Dominated, Segment-Scale Hydrothermal Discharge Along The Cleft Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge" - Geoff Wheat - NSF - Mod 2 - $153,741.00 (September 15, 2021)

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that Jeff Richardson has accepted the position of CFOS Public Information Office/Sikuliaq Science Liaison. Jeff brings a wealth of experience from his prior work as a news reporter and currently as PIO at UAF University Relations, as well as his work with Alaska communities. Jeff’s first day at CFOS will be October 26, 2022. He will be based at the Dean’s Office in Fairbanks. Jeff can be reached by email at jarichardson6@alaska.edu. Please join me in welcoming Jeff to CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Beaufort Sea for Luc Rainville’s (UW/APL) Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS) project to service the autonomous, moored, and ice-based sensors. The AMOS project is looking to develop a year-round observing system for better forecasting in the Arctic environment.

Earlier this month, Sikuliaq wrapped up a unique staffing experiment: CFOS/SMC signed a secondment agreement with Oregon State University to have crew from the recently retired R/V Oceanus work aboard Sikuliaq as relief crew. This effort has benefited both parties—Sikuliaq benefited from an experienced relief crew, and the Oceanus crew had the opportunity to upgrade their Merchant Marine Credentials (MMC) by sailing aboard an unlimited horsepower and unlimited tonnage vessel.

Activities and Accomplishments

Keith Criddle co-convened a theme session titled Operationalizing Resilience For Climate Change Impacts at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) 2022 Annual Science Conference in Dublin, Ireland.

CFOS in the News

A UAF News press release mentioned the contributions made by Russell Hopcroft and R/V Sikuliaq in a recently released report about the effects of climate change at dozens of long-term research sites around the world.

Franz Mueter appeared on Ocean Knowledge, a new series on KNOM Mission Radio hosted by Megan Onders from the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) that seeks to promote ocean stewardship.

Matthew Wooller was among the researchers mentioned in an Alaska Native News article about the storm that hit St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea last week.

Publications

Copeman, L.A., C.D. Salant, M.A. Stowell, M.L. Spencer, D.G. Kimmel, A.I. Pinchuk, and B.J. Laurel. 2022. Annual and spatial variation in the condition and lipid storage of juvenile Chukchi Sea gadids during a recent period of environmental warming (2012 to 2019). Deep Sea Research II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105180

Pickett, B.D., J.R. Glass, T. P. Johnson, P.G. Ridge, and J.S.K. Kauwe. 2022. The genome of a giant (trevally): Caranx ignobilis. Gigabyte. https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.67

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that active searches for the Sikuliaq Science Liaison/Public Information Officer position and new tenure-track oceanography faculty are progressing well. My thanks to both search committees for their time and effort in helping to advance the mission of the college.

I hope you take some time to enjoy the wonderful fall colors—winter is now just around the corner.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored at the Port of Nome preparing for Luc Rainville’s (UW/APL) Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS) project to service autonomous, moored, and ice-based sensors. As part of AMOS, a year-round observing system will be deployed to improve forecasting of the Arctic environment. Sikuliaq is scheduled to get underway on September 14 for the 45-day cruise.

Activities and Accomplishments

Over a two-week period in August, R/V Nanuq hosted Golder, a consulting firm investigating mine tailings from the Beatson Mine on Latouche Island in Prince William Sound.

CFOS graduate student Genoa Sullaway was selected for the 2022 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship.

CFOS graduate students James Currie, Karen Grosskreutz, Drew Porter, and Michelle Trifari were selected as 2022–2023 Alaska Sea Grant Fellows—congratulations!

CFOS graduate student Taylor Cubbage was awarded the John E. Skinner Memorial Fund Award and Best Student Paper Award at the annual 2022 meeting of the American Fisheries Society.

Schery Umanzor received the 2021–2022 Inspiration Award for her “Mariculture Site Assessment Toolkit” as part of the UAF Innovative Disclosures and Entrepreneurial Activities (IDEAs) awards.

CFOS in the News

CFOS graduate student Drew Porter was featured in an Alaska Native News article on copper toxicity in the Bristol Bay watershed and its effects on Alaska salmon.

A new project led by CFOS faculty Matthew Wooller was covered by UAF news.

Publications

Horst, A.M., A.P. Hill, and K.B. Gorman. 2022. Palmer Archipelago penguins data in the palmerpenguins R Package - an alternative to Anderson’s Irises. The R Journal. https://doi.org/10.32614/RJ-2022-020

Schaefer, A.L., K.B. Gorman, and M.A. Bishop. 2022. Light-level geolocation reveals the short-distance non-breeding movements and distribution of tufted puffins throughout the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.999461

Message from the Dean

Today marks the first day of classes; wishing our students a warm welcome back and a successful semester. In that regard, please mark your calendars for CFOS meet and greet events in Fairbanks and Juneau to welcome back students, faculty and staff. The Fairbanks Meet & Greet BBQ will take place on Wednesday, September 7, from 3 to 5 pm, and the Juneau Meet & Greet BBQ will be held on Thursday, September 8, starting at 5:30 pm at the Auke Recreation Raven Shelter. Additional details will follow.

Last week, Katrin Iken, Courtney Carothers, Keith Criddle and Seth Danielson were invited to present some highlights of CFOS research and education activities in marine biology, fisheries, marine policy and oceanography to NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad; and ABEC director Justin Sternberg provided an overview of current and future activities related to Alaska’s Blue Economy. That evening, I had the pleasure of hosting Rick for dinner to discuss regional and national ocean priorities. What a treat to have been invited to meet with such a thoughtful ocean leader—a big thank you to Rick and his team!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the western Gulf of Alaska to support Glenn Sasagawa’s (UCSD/SIO) Aleutian project to recover transponders near the Shumagin Islands. The transponders were deployed two years ago to measure the motion of the seafloor near the Aleutian Trench and help assess the risk of seismic events leading to tsunamis.

Activities and Accomplishments

Brenda Konar gave an invited talk, entitled "Glacial influence on nearshore communities in high latitude estuaries,” at the Ecological Society of America meeting in Montreal, Canada.

Last week, the Tamamta program held a retreat for faculty, students and invited guests at the Howard Luke Gaalee’ya Spirit Camp on the Tanana River.

CFOS in the News

Alaska Business magazine and the American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter summer 2022 newsletter mentioned the Master of Marine Policy degree offered jointly by CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast.

Anchorage Daily News published an op-ed by CFOS undergraduate student Rachel Heimke on how kelp farming contributes to Alaska’s economic independence and food security.

CFOS professor Shannon Atkinson was quoted in a New York Times article titled “Revelry and unease in Alaska as cruises return.”

Publications

Hugh D., M. Cimino, K.H. Dunton, W.R. Fraser, R.R. Hopcroft, R. Ji, A.J. Miller, M.D. Ohman, and H.M. Sosik. 2022. Marine pelagic ecosystem responses to climate variability and change. BioScience. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac050

Holleman, W., G. Gouws, J.R. Glass, and B.Q. Mann. 2022. Resurrection of Lethrinus scoparius Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908 (Perciformes: Lethrinidae), from South African waters. Zootaxa. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5174.5.4

Godfrey, G.L., L. Horstmann, J. Snyder, and S.J. Trumble. 2022. Toxic and essential trace element concentrations in Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) skeletal muscle varies by location and reproductive status. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-022-03069-6

Danielson, S.L., T.D. Hennon, D.H. Monson, R.M. Suryan, R.W. Campbell, S.J. Baird, K. Holderied, and T.J. Weingartner. 2022. Temperature variations in the northern Gulf of Alaska across synoptic to century-long time scales. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105155

Hennon, T.D., S.L. Danielson, R.A. Woodgate, B. Irving, D.A. Stockwell, and C.W. Mordy. Mooring measurements of Anadyr Current nitrate, phosphate, and silicate enable updated Bering Strait nutrient flux estimates. Geophysical Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098908

Li, Y., S. Umanzor, C. Ng, M. Huang, M. Marty-Rivera, D. Bailey, M. Aydlett, J. Jannink, S. Lindell, and C. Yarish. 2022. Skinny kelp (Saccharina angustissima) provides valuable genetics for the biomass improvement of farmed sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima). Journal of Applied Phycology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-022-02811-1

Message from the Dean

Today marks the beginning of the new academic year—welcome back everyone! As we kick-off the fall semester, there are many exciting research, academic and outreach activities that are actively being advanced by our outstanding faculty, staff and students.

On that note, and to highlight just a few items, this semester marks the official start of the new Masters of Marine Policy degree program which, as noted previously, is being offered jointly by CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast. We are moving forward with our search to hire several oceanography faculty, with on-campus interviews expected to take place in September and October. We look forward to hosting the next CFOS Advisory Council meeting in the coming weeks. And, on August 22 and 23, CFOS will be part of a larger UAF group hosting Dr. Rick Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator (and, as many will recall, a former CFOS keynote speaker). Once again, welcome back and thank you for all your good work CFOS!

Congratulations to our summer 2022 graduates:
Taylor Cubbage. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Jeffrey Falke
Carolyn Hamman. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Trent Sutton
Molly Payne. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Peter Westley
Mary Spanos. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Trent Sutton
Amy Kirkham. Ph.D. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Shannon Atkinson DeMaster
James Currie. M.S. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Amanda Kelley
James Schloemer. M.S. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Katrin Iken
Josianne Haag. M.S. Oceanography, Major Advisor: Amanda Kelley
Anthony Jaster. B.A. Fisheries, Concentration in Fisheries Business and Social Sciences
Roger Maldonado. B.S. Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration in Fisheries Science
McKenna Slivensky. B.A. Fisheries, Concentration in Fisheries Business and Social Sciences

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of Jeff Donnelly’s (WHOI) Bering Sea Storms project, collecting data near the central Aleutian Islands.

Activities and Accomplishments

Jennifer Tusten, an undergraduate student in fisheries, was awarded an URSA Student Research Grant for the Fall 2022 semester.

CFOS in the News

Jessica Glass’ research article on the feasibility of seafood labeling programs in Small Island Developing States, originally published in Frontiers of Marine Science, was picked up by the Seychelles News Agency.

The new Master of Marine Policy degree program was featured by the Juneau Empire and Pacific Fishing.

CFOS’s fully online asynchronous Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Marine Sciences degree program was featured in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Alaska Native News and Phys.org picked up the Geophysical Institute story about R/V Sikuliaq underway in the Bering Sea.

CFOS researcher Hank Statscewich was a guest speaker in Teledyne Marine’s podcast Marine Tech Talk.

Publications

Beatty, D.S., L.R. Aoki, B. Rappazzo, C. Bergman, L.K. Domke, J.E. Duffy, K. Dubois, G.L. Eckert, et al. 2022. Predictable changes in eelgrass microbiomes with increasing wasting disease prevalence across 23° Latitude in the Northeastern Pacific. Systems. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msystems.00224-22

Grants and Awards

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14833 "Second-generation consequences of hatchery enhancement of sockeye salmon in Auke Creek, Alaska, Year 2" - Megan McPhee - Pacific Salmon Commission - $10,910.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14854 "Adaptive Behaviors of Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in Rapidly Changing Estuarine Rearing" - Andrew Rothenberger (Andy Seitz) - UA Foundation NGOA Award - $5,000.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14862 "Comparison of Beluga Acoustic Presence in Critical River Foraging Habitat Between Years of Diminished Commercial Fishing Zones" - Sonia Kumar (Lara Horstmann) - UA Foundation NGOA Award - $5,000.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14950 "The Early Spring Zooplankton Communities in the Northwestern Alaska Gyre Project" - Alexei Pinchuk - North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission - $7,719.00 (July 5, 2022)
• Grant G-14930 "The Seward Line: Marine Ecosystem monitoring in the Northern Gulf of Alaska" - Russ Hopcroft - Prince William Sound Science Center - $216,613.00 (June 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14947 "Oceanographic Station GAK1 Long Term Monitoring of the Alaska Coastal Current" - Seth Danielson - Prince William Sound Science Center - $125,080.00 (June 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14948 "Pacific herring and pink salmon trophic interactions in Prince William Sound, Alaska" - Kristen Gorman - $30,360.00 (June 1, 2022)

Grant that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-14378 "Collaborative Research: Elucidating Brine-Dominated, Segment-Scale Hydrothermal Discharge Along The Cleft Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge" - Geoff Wheat - NSF - $153,991.00 (September 15, 2021)

Message from the Dean

With the start of fall semester just weeks away, we will soon welcome back many new and current students to our college. We can take pride that enrollment has been strong over the past few years, and we anticipate another solid enrollment for the coming academic year. We also welcome our most recent tenure-track faculty, Kristen Gorman, who will start her first academic year in the Department of Marine Biology.

Thank you all for your continued dedication to our mission to deliver excellence in fisheries and ocean sciences research, education and outreach for the benefit of Alaska and the nation.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Bering Sea for Dr. Jeff Donnelly’s (WHOI) Bering Sea Storms project.

Activities and Accomplishments

MS Marine Biology student, Lindsey Stadler (advisor Katrin Iken), was selected for the 2023 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program.

CFOS in the News

The University of Alaska’s new Masters of Marine Policy program was featured by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

CFOS’s fully online Bachelors of Science in Fisheries and Marine Sciences was announced by UAF News.

R/V Sikuliaq was featured in the UNOLS July 2022 newsletter.

R/V Sikuliaq was mentioned in a UAF News press release about an upcoming cruise with UAF researchers studying Bering Sea storms.

Alaska Public Media featured the study coauthored by Chris Sergeant and Megan McPhee about the impacts of mining on salmonid species.

Publications

Ghezelayagh, A., R. C. Harrington, E. D. Burress, M. A. Campbell, J. C. Buckner, P. Chakrabarty, J. R. Glass, W. T. McCraney, C. E. Thacker, M. E. Alfaro, S. T. Friedman, W. B. Ludt, P. F. Cowman, M. Friedman, S. A. Price, A. Dornburg, B. C. Faircloth, P. C. Wainwright, and T. J. Near. 2022. Prolonged morphological expansion of spiny-rayed fishes following the end-Cretaceous. Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01801-3

Glass, J. R., K. Belle, G. Berke, N. Bodin, A. J. Burt, M. I. Duncan, S. K. Morgan, P. Pillay, and S. Talma. 2022. Evaluating the feasibility of sustainable seafood labeling programmes in Small Island Developing States: A pilot study of artisanal fisheries in Seychelles. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.931407

Gerard, T., J. T. Lamkin, T. B. Kelly, A. N. Knapp, R. Laiz-Carrión, E. Malca, K. E. Selph, A. Shiroza, T. A. Shropshire, M. R. Stukel, R. Swalethorp, N. Yingling, M. R. Landry. 2022. Bluefin Larvae in Oligotrophic Ocean Foodwebs, investigations of nutrients to zooplankton: overview of the BLOOFINZ-Gulf of Mexico program. Journal of Plankton Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbac038

Message from the Dean

In November 2020, the CFOS Diversity Committee was established to promote a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible community for our students, faculty and staff. Building on that committee's work, this fall we will kick-off a new strategic planning process focused on inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) for the college. This is an important opportunity for our community to set the direction for IDEA efforts. Further details will soon follow.

Alice Bailey has tendered her resignation as the Sikuliaq Science Liaison and CFOS Public Information Officer, effective November 4, 2022. Over the past three years, Alice contributed many wonderful news articles on our research, education and outreach activities, produced the CFOS Annual Reports, and worked closely with the National Science Foundation and partners to revise the Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedures (CECSOP) for Sikuliaq science operations. Please join me in thanking Alice for all her good work in support of CFOS, and wishing her the very best in her new role at the Alaska Ocean Observing System.

Please note the email address to submit information to C-Notes is now cnotes@cfos.uaf.edu.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Gulf of Alaska for the second leg of the 2022 Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research project, with Seth Danielson (UAF/CFOS) as chief scientist.

Activities and Accomplishments

Reed Mariculture recently licensed the Site Assessment Toolkit for kelp farming, which was developed by Schery Umanzor and funded by UAF’s Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship.

CFOS in the News

A study coauthored by Chris Sergeant and Megan McPhee about the impacts of mining on salmonid species gained international attention from media outlets including The Globe and Mail, Canadian Mining Journal, Sciencemag.com, Science Daily, yahoo!news, phys.org the Environmental News Network, earth.com, and Nature World News. Alaskan coverage included the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, KTOO, Peninsula Clarion, and SIT News.

The University of Alaska’s new Master of Marine Policy program was featured by UAF News, KINY radio and Tom Gemmell’s Alaska Fish Notes.

Publications

Han, S., J.S. Park, S. Umanzor, et al. 2022. Effects of extraction methods for a new source of biostimulant from Sargassum horneri on the growth of economically important red algae, Neopyropia yezoensis. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16197-0

Traiger, S.B., J.L. Bodkin, H.A. Coletti, B. Ballachey, T. Dean, D. Esler, K. Iken, B. Konar, M.R. Lindeberg, D. Monson, B. Robinson, R.M. Suryan and B.P. Weitzman. 2022. Evidence of increased mussel abundance related to the Pacific marine heatwave and sea star wasting. Marine Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.12715

Message from the Dean

As we have now closed out the first half of the year, it is worth reflecting on some of our key accomplishments to date. Since January, we held the third all-hands faculty retreat, supported the first CFOS student mentorship retreat, hosted the Consul General of Portugal in the Alaska Blue Economy Roundtable, continued to expand our asynchronous course delivery, received approval from the UA Board of Regents and Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities to offer a new Master of Marine Policy degree jointly with our colleagues at the University of Alaska Southeast, and welcomed new faculty, staff and students to the college. Thank you for all your good work.

It is a great pleasure to convey that Kristen Gorman has accepted an appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Marine Biology. Kristen’s research and teaching interests focus on the intersection of the evolution, ecology and physiology of marine vertebrates, primarily seabirds and fishes. Please join me in congratulating Kristen on her tenure-track faculty appointment!

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Today Sikuliaq arrived in Seward and will remain there over the holiday weekend. Next week, the ship will embark on the second leg of the 2022 Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research project, with Seth Danielson as chief scientist and participants from several collaborating institutions. The NGA LTER project is a multi-disciplinary study of the physical and biogeochemical variability of the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Activities and Accomplishments

At the global UseR 2022 conference, Kristen Gorman presented a manuscript about palmerpenguins, R programming that uses Antarctic penguin data to teach data wrangling, exploration, and visualization in data science courses. 

Peter Westley and Matt Wooller were involved in producing a new management plan for invasive Northern pike recently published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

A study about sea otter population collapse in southwest Alaska coauthored by Brenda Konar and CFOS alum Ben Weitzman won first place in the monograph category of the Wildlife Society’s publication awards.

CFOS in the News

Megan V. McPhee and graduate student Chris Sergeant were featured in UAF News and University of Montana News press releases about a new study that links the impacts of metal and coal mines on salmon to mining policy.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror featured Shackleton, an autonomous underwater vehicle operated by CFOS, in a story about using the glider to track Tanner crabs.

Publications

Arthur, D. E., J. A. Falke, B. J. Blain-Roth, and T. M. Sutton. 2022. Alaskan Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) fecundity revealed through an automated egg count and digital imagery method. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10768.

Deemer, B. R., C. B. Yackulic, R. O. Hall Jr., M. J. Dodrill, T. A. Kennedy, J. D. Muehlbauer, D. J. Topping, N. Voichick, and M. D. Yard. 2022. Experimental reductions in sub-daily flow fluctuations increased gross primary productivity for 425 river kilometers downstream. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac094.

Dunker, K. J., P. Bradley, C. Brandt, T. Cubbage, T. Davis, J. Erickson, J. Jablonski, C. Jacobson, D. Kornblut, A. Martin, M. Massengill, T. McKinley, S. Oslund, O. Russ, D. Rutz, A. Sepulveda, N. Swenson, P. Westley, B. Wishnek, A. Wizik, and M. Wooller. 2022. Technical Guidance and Management Plan for Invasive Northern Pike in Southcentral Alaska: 2022-2030. Alaska Invasive Species Partnership.

Gordon J. Y., A. H. Beaudreau, E. M. Saas, and C. Carothers. 2022. Engaging formal and informal institutions for stewardship of rockfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska. Marine Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105170.

Klenz, T., H. L. Simmons, L. Centurioni, J. M. Lilly, J. J. Early, and V. Hormann. 2022. Estimates of Near-Inertial Wind Power Input Using Novel in situ Wind Measurements from Minimet Surface Drifters in the Iceland Basin. Journal of Physical Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-21-0283.1.

Lynch, A. J., B. E. J. Myers, J. P. Wong, C. Chu, R. W. Tingley, and J. A. Falke, et al. 2022. Reducing uncertainty in climate change responses for inland fisheries management: a decision-path approach. Conservation Science and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12724.

Sergeant, C. J., E. K. Sexton, J. W. Moore, A. R. Westwood, S. A. Nagorski, J. L. Ebersole, D. M. Chambers, S. L. O’Neal, R. L. Malison, F. R. Hauer, D. C. Whited, J. Weitz, M. Capito, M. Connor, C. A. Frissell, G. Knox, E. D. Lowery, R. Macnair, V. Marlatt, J. K. McIntyre, M. V. McPhee, and N. Skuce. 2022. Risks of mining to salmonid-bearing watersheds. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abn0929.

Grants and Awards for June 2022

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 10 - $412,294.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-13543 "NASA IPA August 2020-July 2022" - Geoff Wheat - NASA - Mod 1 - $194,554.00 (August 1, 2020)
• Grant G-14380 "Arctic High-Frequency Radar Operations and Maintenance (Arctic HRF)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $156,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14451 "Seward Line Monitoring (Seward Line)" - Russ Hopcroft - AOOS - Mod 1 - $116,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14471 "Alaska Ecosystem Observatory Network Build-Out, Operations and Maintenance (Eco-Moorings)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $85,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14472 "Measuring Ocean Currents in Bering Strait with High Frequency Radars (Bering Strait HFR)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $115,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14473 "Alaska Region Glider Missions Supporting an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM Gliders)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $240,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14482 "An Arctic Marine Mammal Observing System (Chukchi Glider)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $65,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14484 "Time-Series Monitoring of Ocean Acidification in Alaska (OA Timeseries)" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - Mod 1 - $29,000.00 (July 1, 2021)

CFOS graduate students that received funding through the Coastal Marine Institute's Student Awards for FY22/FY23:

• Hannah Myers "Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the northern Gulf of Alaska" - $25,000.00 (April 15, 2022)
• Sonia Kumar "Comparison of Cook Inlet Beluga Acoustic Presence in Critical Foraging Habitat Between Years of Reduced Commercial Salmon Fishing Zones" - $25,000.00 (June 1, 2022)
• Sydney Wilkinson "Resource Use of Arctic fishes along Beaufort Sea coastal Lagoons" - $12,126.00 (April 15, 2022)

Message from the Dean

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities has approved the addition of the Master of Marine Policy (MMP) degree program, effective June 12, 2022. This is the final level of approval for the MMP, which may now be officially advertised and recruited for. Congratulations to all involved in crossing the finish line with this new degree offered jointly by CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast.

Summer solstice is tomorrow—time to get out and enjoy Alaska’s warm weather.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the North Pacific Ocean for the OA-Fe Availability cruise with chief scientist Mark Wells (University of Maine). The ship is scheduled to arrive in Seward on July 1, after which the crew will mobilize for the second leg of the 2022 NGA LTER project.

CFOS in the News

Bering Science featured CFOS graduate students Connie Melovidov (cover), Luke Henslee and Austin Flanigan.

Research supported by R/V Nanuq was featured on the Greek television station Alpha News.

Shannon Atkinson and Kendall Mashburn appeared in the “Humpback Health” episode of the Changing Seas television series, with videography by graduate student Courtney Pegus.

The journal Arctic published a multiauthor tribute to CFOS professor emeritus John Joseph Kelley, which includes anecdotes from David Norton and professors and deans emeriti Vera Alexander and Michael Castellini.

Publications

Beaudreau, A.H., C.A. Bergstrom, E.J. Whitney, D.H. Duncan, and N.C. Lundstrom. 2022. Seasonal and interannual variation in high-latitude estuarine fish community structure along a glacial to non-glacial watershed gradient in Southeast Alaska. Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01241-9

Gordon, J.Y., A.H. Beaudreau, B.C. Williams, and S.C. Meyer. 2022. Bridging expert knowledge and fishery data to examine changes in nearshore rockfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska over fifty years. Fisheries Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2022.106333

Muth, A.F., A.L. Kelley, and K.H. Dunton. 2022. High-frequency pH time series reveals pronounced seasonality in Arctic coastal waters. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12080

Message from the Dean

The UA Board of Regents recently approved the Master of Marine Policy (MMP) degree program, which will be offered jointly by CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast. Set to commence in fall 2022, the MMP continues to generate considerable interest from state and federal agencies and industry. As expressed by the UA Regents, this joint effort will help meet a growing demand for fisheries and marine policy experts to manage Alaska’s vast marine resources. It is a pleasure to acknowledge Keith Criddle for leading this effort, as well as UAS Professor LJ Medenica, UAS Dean Carin Silkaitis, and many others for their important contributions. I would like to personally thank UA President Pitney and UAS Chancellor Karen Carey for their strong support in developing this new graduate degree.

As noted in last week’s UAF Friday Focus, the Alaska Blue Economy Center (ABEC) has been moved from its founding location in CFOS to the office of the UAF Vice Chancellor for Research. This strategic central location of ABEC within UAF will best serve the broader university community in driving innovation and industry engagement in support of Alaska’s growing blue economy enterprise. It is a pleasure to welcome and support Justin Sternberg’s continued close collaboration with CFOS in his role as ABEC director.

Lastly, after a decade of service at UAF, Andrew McDonnell has tendered his resignation as associate professor of oceanography, effective the end of this month. Andrew’s expertise in marine particle dynamics is widely acknowledged, and he will now focus on the deployment of renewable energy and supporting technologies in the private sector. Please join me in thanking Andrew for his good work at CFOS and wishing him the very best in his future endeavors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the North Pacific Ocean conducting the OA-Fe Availability cruise with chief scientist Mark Wells (University of Maine). The science team is investigating the role of ocean acidification on iron chemistry.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Shelby Bacus was awarded the 2022 Kathryn E. and John P. Doyle Scholarship from the Alaska Community Foundation.

The following CFOS students were elected as officers of the American Fisheries Society student subunit for 2022-2023:

• Garrett Dunne, President
• Lilian Hart, Vice President
• Linnaea Doerner, Treasurer
• Sam Rosenbaum, Communications/li>
• Madeline Lee, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Liaison

CFOS in the News

In UAF News, Vice Chancellor Nettie La Belle-Hamer described how the Alaska Blue Economy Center contributes to UAF’s goal of driving innovation in Alaska’s economy.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner mentioned CFOS in a short story about UAF’s Arctic Research Open House in May.

A wide array of media outlets, including MSN, The Washington Post, AP News, Phys.org and UAF News, mentioned Andrew McDonnell and Nanuq after McDonnell and his colleagues used the research vessel to measure carbon dioxide with an unoccupied underwater vehicle last month.

Publications

Aoki, L.R., B. Rappazzo, D.S. Beatty, L.K. Domke, G.L. Eckert, et al. 2022. Disease surveillance by artificial intelligence links eelgrass wasting disease to ocean warming across latitudes. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12152

Guo, C., B.H. Konar, K.B. Gorman, and C.M. Walker. 2022. Environmental factors important to high-latitude nearshore estuarine fish community structure. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105109

Shelamoff, V., S. Umanzor, C. Layton, M. Tatsumi, M.J. Cameron, J.T. Wright, and C.R. Johnson. 2022. Ecosystem engineering kelp limits recruitment of mussels and microphytobenthic algae. Marine Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-022-04072-5

Grants and Awards for May 2022

New awards:

• Grant G-14796 "Implications AK Snow Crab Industry" - Shelby Bacus (Amanda Kelley) - UA Foundation NGOA - $5,000.00 (May 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14810 "Improving the Stock Assessments of Pacific Sleeper Shark (Somniosus pacificus) and Pacific Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi) in Alaska" - Garrett Dunne (Andrew Seitz) - UA Foundation NGOA - $5,000.00 (May 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14811 "Lowell Wakefield Chair in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences" - Peter Westley - UA Foundation - $80,000.00 (November 3, 2021)

Awards that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11709 "LTER: Resilience in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem" - Russ Hopcroft - NSF - Mod 5 - $134,906.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 12 - $1,896,777.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-13024 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NOAA - Mod 6 - $73,000.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-14680 "Life history variability and mixed-stock analysis of Dolly Varden in the Noatak River" - Andrew Seitz - AK Department of Fish & Game - $7,786.73 (July 1, 2021)

Awards set up for assumption:

• Grant G-14786 "Gulf Watch Alaska Long-Term Research and Monitoring Program: Nearshore Component" - Katrin Iken - Prince William Sound Science Center (February 1, 2022)

Message from the Dean

By all accounts the UAF Arctic Research Open House last Thursday was a great success. CFOS did a fantastic job showcasing a variety of our research programs and field equipment; the survival suit competition and inflatable life raft were a big hit with the many budding young scientists. A big thank you to Alice Bailey and the many faculty, staff and students who helped prepare such a wonderful public display of CFOS research.

It is a pleasure to welcome Jonathon Baugher as CFOS IT Lead. Jonathan will oversee desktop support, video conference, and other IT services. His office is located at O’Neill 209C and he can be reached by email at jbbaugher@alaska.edu.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for the OOI Papa and Waves at Papa projects in the Gulf of Alaska. Led by chief scientist Kris Newhall (WHOI), the science team will be deploying a dual profiler mooring, two flanking subsurface moorings, three gliders, a waverider surface mooring and some expendable drifters during the cruise.

Activities and Accomplishments

Franz Mueter and CFOS alumna Sherri Dressel were elected to co-chair the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

As announced by the UA News Center, graduate student Annie Maliguine was awarded the Angus Gavin Migratory Bird Research Grant for her research on Steller's eiders.

CFOS in the News

UAF News and the Seward Journal highlighted Andrew McDonnell and his wife, Claudine Hauri (IARC), in a story about how research is integrated into their family life.

An aquatic insect citizen science project in the Grand Canyon coordinated by Jeff Muehlbauer and colleagues, was featured in a White House Office of Science & Technology Policy press release.

R/V Sikuliaq was featured on the cover of the National Science Foundation’s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide.

Publications

Abernethy, E.F., J.D. Muehlbauer, T.A. Kennedy, K.E. Dziedzic, H. Elder, M.K. Burke, and D.A. Lytle. 2022. Population connectivity of aquatic insects in a dam-regulated, desert river. River Research and Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3972

Hudson, K., M.J. Oliver, J. Kohut, J.H. Cohen, M.S. Dinniman, J.M. Klinck, C.S. Reiss, G.R. Cutter, H. Statscewich, K.S. Bernard, and W. Fraser. 2022. Subsurface eddy facilitates retention of simulated diel vertical migrators in a biological hotspot. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021jc017482

Metcalfe, A.N., T.A. Kennedy, G.A. Mendez, and J.D. Muehlbauer. 2022. Applied citizen science in freshwater research. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1578

Oke, K.B., F.J. Mueter, and M.A. Litzow. 2022. Warming leads to opposite patterns in weight-at-age for young versus old age classes of Bering Sea walleye pollock. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2021-0315

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to recognize CFOS staff who were honored last week during the UAF Staff Recognition and Development Day. These individuals and all our hardworking staff help to ensure that CFOS operates efficiently and effectively. Please join me in congratulating the following employees for their dedicated service to CFOS and to the university: Anthony Mello, Richard Null, and Mark Teckenbrock (5 years); Pat Church (10 years), Hans Pedersen (15 years); Katherine Hedstrom and Christina Sutton (20 years); Gabrielle Hazelton (30 years).

Spring is finally here with warmer temps and trees budding—I hope everyone is able to enjoy some time in our spectacular outdoors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seward preparing for the Waves at Papa and OOI Papa projects with chief scientist Kris Newhall (WHOI). At Ocean Station Papa, the science team will deploy a dual profiler mooring, subsurface moorings, gliders, a waverider surface mooring and drifters.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Kyle Dilliplaine received the "Two Petes" award from the Oil Spill Recovery Unit and a tuition award to attend the Biogeochemical Exchange Processes at the Sea-Ice Interfaces (BEPSII) Sea Ice School this May.

At the National Science Board meeting, the Office of Integrated Activities highlighted UAF Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) researchers.

CFOS in the News

Andrew McDonnell and his wife Claudine Hauri (IARC) were featured in a UAF News story about how their research is integrated into family life, including their recent ocean acidification work using R/V Nanuq.

Alaska Native News highlighted Amanda Kelley and graduate student James Currie in a story about monitoring ocean acidification in Kachemak Bay.

In their newsletter, the Alaska Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence featured Shannon Atkinson and her research using drones to collect blow samples from humpback, blue and killer whales.

The Bureau of Reclamation featured Jeff Muehlbauer in a press release about a “Bug Flow” experiment that will be conducted this summer at Glen Canyon Dam. The experiment is designed to improve egg-laying conditions for aquatic insects that are the primary food source for fish in the Colorado River.

Publications

Danielson, S.L., J.M. Grebmeier, K. Iken, et al. 2022. Monitoring Alaskan Arctic shelf ecosystems through collaborative observation networks. Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2022.119.

Lu, K., S. Danielson and T. Weingartner. 2022. Impacts of short-term wind events on Chukchi hydrography and sea-ice retreat. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105078.

Stricker, C.A., K.D. Rode, B.D. Taras, J.F. Bromaghin, L. Horstmann and L. Quakenbush. 2022. Summer/fall diet and macronutrient assimilation in an Arctic predator. Oecologia. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-022-05155-2.

Whitmore, L.M., A.M. Shiller, T.J. Horner, Y. Xiang, et al. 2022. Strong margin influence on the Arctic Ocean Barium cycle revealed by pan-Arctic synthesis. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017417.

Grants and Awards for April 2022

New awards for CFOS researchers during the month of April are as follows:

• Grant G-14728 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation 2022" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $70,062.00 (April 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14766 "FY22 Acoustic Tracking of Tanner Crab Using an AUV Glider Near Kodiak, Alaska" - Seth Danielson - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14750 "Reducing Chinook Salmon Bycatch" - Andrew Seitz - UA Foundation PCCRC - $69,099.00 (April 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14751 "Potential of Pollock Roe Peptides" - Quentin Fong - UA Foundation PCCRC - $55,058.00 (April 1, 2022)

Grants that received incremental funding during the month of April:

• Grant G-11291 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study (UA Foundation)" - Trent Sutton - UA Foundation - $101,550.00 (January 1, 2017)
• Grant G-13303 "Collaborative Research: A High Resolution Multi-Tracer Biogeochemical Study of the Pacific Arctic" - Dean Stockwell - NSF - Mod 2 - $109,862.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13354 "Nutritional Consequences of Changes in Phytoplankton Community Structure" - Sarah Mincks - UA Foundation PCCRC - $3,624.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13545 "Evaluation of Spatio-temporal Methods for Standardizing Data from Multiple Fishery-Independent Surveys in the GOA and BSAI" - Curry Cunningham - UA Foundation PCCRC - $50,572.00 (August 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

As we conclude the spring 2022 semester, I would like to convey my appreciation to our dedicated students, staff and faculty for your perseverance and energy in advancing the mission of CFOS.

As many of you may know, Milo Adkison has tendered his resignation as Professor of Fisheries, effective May 9, 2022. For the past 25 years, Milo has been an integral part of the CFOS fisheries program, having served on 20 MS and PhD committees and published over 60 peer-reviewed papers. A member of the Curyung Tribe of Dillingham, Milo has served as Chair of the Department of Fisheries, on numerous university committees, and on many state and national fisheries science councils and committees. In 2018, Milo testified before the US Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard on The State of our Salmon. Chancellor White recently awarded Milo the rank of UAF Emeritus Professor of Fisheries. Please join me in congratulating Milo on a productive career at UAF and wishing him the very best in his future endeavors.

2022 Dean’s Recognition Awards

Outstanding Advisor: Brenda Konar
Outstanding Instructor: Curry Cunningham
Outstanding Researcher: Gwenn Hennon
Outstanding Public Service: Alice Bailey
Outstanding Staff: Michelle Warrenchuck
Outstanding R/V Sikuliaq Crew: Sean Gardiner
Outstanding Graduate Student: Lauren Sutton
Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Sadie Oswald

Spring 2022 graduates

Rebecca Cates. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Ginny Eckert
Delaney Coleman. MS Oceanography, Advisor: Russ Hopcroft
William Dokai. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Megan McPhee
Erika King. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Megan McPhee
Savannah Sandy. MS Oceanography, Advisor: Seth Danielson
Brittany Charrier. PhD Marine Biology, Advisor: Sarah Mincks
Veronica Padula. PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Anne Beaudreau and Doug Causey (UAA)
Sadie Oswald. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science
Emily Williamson. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Ocean Science
Brian Zhang. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science

2022 Student Awards

Outstanding graduate student/Dean's Recognition Award: Lauren Sutton
Outstanding overall undergraduate student/Dean's Recognition Award: Sadie Oswald
Outstanding Senior: Brian Zhang
Outstanding Junior: Rachel Heimke
Outstanding Sophomore: Linnaea Doerner
Outstanding Freshman: Kilie Jacques

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Lindsey Call has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, for her research on the effects of glacial coverage on the ecology of stream-rearing juvenile salmon. The NSF GRFP is one of the top graduate student fellowship awards in the nation. Congratulations Lindsey!

CFOS had a strong presence at the University of Alaska Mariculture Conference in Juneau. With CFOS as a sponsor, Bradley Moran helped organize the event. Justin Sternberg, Ginny Eckert and Schery Umanzor gave oral presentations and/or facilitated panel discussions. Natalie Monacci and graduate students Becca Cates, Courtney Hart, Tamsen Peeples and Muriel Dittrich presented posters.

Undergraduates Bryce Bateman, Feyne Elmore, Amy Whitney and Kimberly Williams presented their research at URSA’s Research and Creative Activities Days. Williams won the Dean’s Choice Award and Elmore received an Honorable Mention.

At the Alaska Space Grant Symposium, Sonia Kumar was recognized for giving the best graduate student oral presentation. The honor included a travel award.

CFOS in the News

UAF News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner recognized Susan Henrichs as a recipient of UAF’s Meritorious Service Award. Henrichs began her career as a faculty member in marine science and retired as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Alice Bailey and Franz Mueter were mentioned in a UAF News article about the Arctic Encounter Symposium.

Publications

Bucklin, A., P. Batta-Lona, J.M. Questel, et al. 2022. COI metabarcoding of zooplankton species diversity for time-series monitoring of the NW Atlantic Continental Shelf. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.867893

Mayer, L.A., M.R. Abbott, [...], S.B Moran, et al. 2022. Cross-Cutting Themes for U.S. Contributions to the UN Ocean Decade. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26363

Message from the Dean

Please mark your calendars for Friday, May 13, when CFOS will host Pedro Pinto, Consul General of Portugal, and his delegation to participate in the Alaska Blue Economy Roundtable: A Dive into the UN Decade for Ocean Science and Sustainable Development. Ocean issues are a strategic foreign policy priority for Portugal, where the 2022 UN Ocean Conference will take place in Lisbon. The roundtable is part of a larger effort by the Government of Portugal to raise awareness of the UN Ocean Decade with key entities involved in fisheries and ocean sciences research and education, including UAF. The roundtable will take place on the UAF campus and will be accessible in person and virtually; details will be forthcoming.

Speaking of the blue economy, the University of Alaska Mariculture Conference takes place this week in Juneau. With over 100 participants registered, this 3-day conference will focus on the continued development of mariculture in Alaska through consideration of opportunities in industry, policy, research, and education.

Today marks the beginning of Student Employee Appreciation Week. CFOS employs over 40 students who play an important role in support of the college's education, research, and operational excellence. It is a pleasure to acknowledge our student employees’ dedication and commitment to the CFOS mission.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway transiting from Newport, Oregon, to Seward. During this transit, Sikuliaq will host a STEMSEAS group and conduct an equipment test for Russ Hopcroft’s Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research project.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS presence at the Arctic Encounter Symposium last week in Anchorage included Franz Mueter, who participated in a panel discussion about the future of fisheries management in the Arctic, and Alice Bailey, who represented CFOS and R/V Sikuliaq at the UA research table.

Tuula Hollmen received the Alaska SeaLife Center’s 2022 Alaska Ocean Leadership Award for Marine Research.

Graduate student Matthew Cheng was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program Fellowship, which will provide support for his research on fisheries catch rates. The NSF GRFP is one of the top graduate student fellowship awards in the nation. Congratulations Matthew!

The Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit hosted their annual Research Review and Cooperators Business Meeting, where fourteen CFOS graduate students presented their research to an audience of students, research faculty and staff, and state and federal agency personnel.

Seventeen graduate students presented their research at the 25th Alaska Fisheries Society Student Symposium, with awards going to:

• Matthew Cheng: winner, best long talk
• Kevin Fitzgerald: runner-up, best long talk
• Carter Johnson: winner, best short talk
• Aaron Lambert and Joseph Spencer: tied for the runner-up, best short talk

Graduate students Shelby Bacus, Garrett Dunne, Andrew Rothenberger, and Sonia Kumar received Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research awards through UA Advancement.

CFOS in the News

Alexei Pinchuk was featured in a Washington Post story about the mystery of where salmon travel in the Pacific Ocean during the winter. The story also appeared in Reporter Wings.

The 'Can We Connect?' podcast on Spotify featured the research of graduate students Shelby Bacus and Marina Washburn.

National Fisherman magazine mentioned CFOS in an article about how environmental DNA metabarcoding can be used to characterize nearshore fish communities in Southeast Alaska.

Publications

Leppi, J.C., J.A. Falke, D.J. Rinella, M.S. Wipfli, A.C. Seitz, and M.S. Whitman. 2022. Landscape geomorphology and local-riverine features influence Broad Whitefish (Coregonus nasus) spawning habitat suitability in Arctic Alaska. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. https://doi.org/10.1111/eff.12657.

Clawson, C.M., J.A. Falke, J. Rose, A. Prakash, A.E. Martin, and L.L. Bailey. 2022. High-resolution remote sensing and multistate occupancy estimation identify drivers of spawning site selection in fall chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) across a sub-Arctic riverscape. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2021-0013.

Smith, M., L. Horstmann, and R. Stimmelmayr. 2022. Stable isotope differences of polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea. Journal of Wildlife Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22225.

Umanzor, S., S. Han, H.I. Song, J.S. Park, A.T. Critchley, C. Yarish, and J.K. Kim. 2022. Ascertaining the interactions of brown seaweed-derived biostimulants and seawater temperature on spore release, germination, conchocelis, and newly formed blades of the commercially important red alga Neopyropia yezoensis? Algal Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2022.102692.

Zinkann A.C., M.J. Wooller, M.B. Leigh, S.L. Danielson, G. Gibson, and K. Iken. 2022. Depth distribution of organic carbon sources in Arctic Chukchi Sea sediments. Deep Sea Research II. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105076.

Grants and Awards for March 2022

New awards:

• Grant G-14701 "Cook Inlet HF Radar Data Recovery" - Seth Danielson - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - $19,552.00 (January 31, 2022)
• Grant G-14702 "Alaska Mariculture Cluster - Developing a viable and sustainable mariculture industry for the long-term benefit of Alaska's economy, environment, and communities Phase 1" - Justin Sternberg - Southeast Conference - $25,000.00 (December 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14727 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Shipboard Scientific Equipment (SSSE)- 2022" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $130,356.00 (March 15, 2022)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11744 "Synthesizing Optically - and Carbon Export-Relevant Particle Size Distribution for the EXPORTS Field Campaign" - Andrew McDonnell - University of California Santa Barbara NCEAS - Mod 5 - $36,635.00 (September 15, 2017)
• Grant G-13129 "Impacts of Sedimentation and Drivers of Variability in the Boulder Patch Community, Beaufort Sea" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - Mod 2 - $46,158.00 (September 18, 2019)
• Grant G-13303 "Collaborative Research: A High Resolution Multi-Tracer Biogeochemical Study of the Pacific Arctic" - Dean Stockwell - NSF - Mod 2 - $109,862.00 (April 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

Last week the UAF Graduate Academic and Advisory Committee voted to approve the Master of Marine Policy (MMP) degree proposal. The next step is for the UAS Graduate Committee, UAS Faculty Senate and UAF Faculty Senate to review and vote on the proposal. We have received strong external support for this new program from the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Board of Fisheries, North Pacific Fishery Management Council and Pacific Seafood Processors Association. There have also been constructive discussions with the U.S. Coast Guard to address domestic and international resource management, policy, and security issues as part of this graduate degree. Kudos to Keith Criddle and his UAS colleagues for all their good work on what promises to be a nationally recognized marine policy graduate program.

We have officially launched the search for two tenure-track assistant professor positions in oceanography. Thank you to Mark Johnson for leading this search and to the search committee for their time and effort; please spread the word to potential candidates.

We are in the final stages of organizing the University of Alaska Mariculture Conference, which will take place April 12–14 at the Centennial Hall Convention and Civic Center in Juneau. The conference will highlight industry, policy and research opportunities and challenges related to the burgeoning mariculture industry in Alaska. This conference has benefited from considerable time and effort of many organizations and individuals, including the Juneau Economic Development Council, Southeast Conference, Alaska Fisheries Development Fund, Alaska Sea Grant, UAS and CFOS, and importantly, strong support from UA President Pitney.

Please mark your calendars for the 2022 CFOS State of the College, which will be held virtually at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 21. In addition to highlighting our research, academic and outreach activities over the past year, we will present the annual Dean’s Recognition Awards to our faculty, staff and students.

Finally, since 2015 the state of Alaska has provided $500,000 annually to support research and education programs conducted by UAF-based researchers and collaborators aboard R/V Sikuliaq. As operator of Sikuliaq, CFOS facilitates the allocation of these state funds through the Alaska Sikuliaq Program. The deadline for the CY2023 proposal submission is this Wednesday, March 31.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Ed Dever’s (OSU) Ocean Observatories Initiative Endurance Array maintenance voyage. Photos and cruise updates are posted on the OOI Expedition Blog.

Activities and Accomplishments

The Tamamta program hosted a dialogue about racial equity in fisheries education, research and governance at the American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter annual meeting. Courtney Carothers, Peter Westley and Sonia Ibarra participated in the discussion.

Including the eleven students that completed the 2022 Scientific Diving class over spring break, CFOS has now trained more than 500 divers since Brenda Konar first taught the course in 2000.

CFOS in the News

A photograph of Sikuliaq was used in an Anchorage Daily News opinion editorial by UAF Vice Chancellor for Research Nettie La Belle-Hamer about embracing research as an important part of U.S. national security in the changing Arctic.

Seth Danielson was mentioned in a National Park Service news release about humpback whale declines caused by the Northeast Pacific marine heatwave.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror featured a CFOS glider named Gretel that is collecting data on salmon in the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Alaska Sea Grant featured ocean acidification research by Amanda Kelley and graduate student James Currie on their website and in the Fishlines newsletter.

Tamsen Peeples and Michael Stekoll discussed seaweed mariculture on KMXT radio as part of the Alaska Fisheries Report.

Publications

Gabriele, C.M., C.L. Amundson, J.L. Neilson, J.M. Straley, C.S. Baker, and S.L. Danielson. 2022. Sharp decline in humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) survival and reproductive success in southeastern Alaska during and after the 2014–2016 Northeast Pacific marine heatwave. Mammalian Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-021-00187-2

Hossain, A.I., B.S. Baghirzade, [...], S. Umanzor, et al. 2022. Symbiotic engineering: A novel approach for environmental remediation. ACS ES&T Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.1c00333

Pickett, B.D., S. Talma, J.R. Glass, D. Ence, T.P. Johnson, P.D. Cowley, P.G. Ridge, and J.S.K. Kauwe. 2022. Genome assembly of the roundjaw bonefish (Albula glossodonta), a vulnerable circumtropical sportfish. Gigabyte. https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.44

Message from the Dean

I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing and safe spring break last week—welcome back!

On Thursday, March 17, we will welcome President Pitney to our monthly faculty meeting. She will discuss her vision for a greater presence of fisheries and ocean science research and education in Southeast Alaska. Please mark your calendars for this important discussion.

Last week, the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL) held its spring trustees and members meetings in Washington, DC. Discussions centered on plans already underway to strengthen COL’s mission, including the need to advocate for sound national ocean policy, plans, programs and budgets, to sustain existing COL programs, and to foster growth of new programmatic opportunities. In addition, Nicole LeBoeuf, Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, gave an update on the recent and rather sobering 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report, and NOAA’s vision to promote the New Blue Economy. Roberta Marinelli, Director of NSF’s Office of Polar Programs, presented an exciting overview of the new Antarctic Research Vessel, including envisioned vessel capabilities and construction timeline. As COL Board Chair, I am heartened that the mission and vision of CFOS aligns with these national priorities.

Yesterday marked daylight savings time, and one can feel that spring is now just around the corner.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is scheduled to arrive in Newport, Oregon, this week to demobilize Bob Cowen’s (OSU) Plankton Size Spectra cruise and then mobilize Ed Dever’s (OSU) OOI Endurance Array voyage.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS alum Terril Efird, who is now the Operations Officer of NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada, discussed NOAA Corps opportunities with students in UA’s Scientific Diving Program.

CFOS in the News

UAF News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner featured a CFOS glider named Gretel that is currently looking for salmon in the Gulf of Alaska. Data collected by the autonomous instrument can be viewed in near real-time at a web portal managed by the Alaska Ocean Observing System.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner published an article by Andrés Lopez about a project at the University of Alaska Museum of the North that is investigating how changes to fish species in the northern Pacific ocean affect parasites.

Shannon Atkinson was mentioned in a SIT News story about a humpback whale named Flame.

Publications

Bluhm, B.A., K. Brown, L. Rotermund, W. Williams, S.L. Danielson, and E.C. Carmack. 2022. New distribution records of kelp in the Kitikmeot Region, Northwest Passage, Canada, fill a pan-Arctic gap. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-022-03007-6

Britton, K., B. Crowley, C.P Bataille, J.H. Miller, and M.J. Wooller. 2022. Editorial: A Golden Age for Strontium Isotope Research? Current Advances in Paleoecological and Archaeological Research. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.820295

Lundstrom, N.C., A.H. Beaudreau, F.J. Mueter, and B. Konar. 2022. Environmental Drivers of Nearshore Fish Community Composition and Size Structure in Glacially Influenced Gulf of Alaska Estuaries. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-022-01057-x

Mueter, F.J. 2022. Chapter 14: Arctic Fisheries in a Changing Climate. In: M. Finger and G. Rekvig (eds.), Global Arctic. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81253-9_14

Rabault, J., M. Johnson, et al. 2022. OpenMetBuoy-v2021: An Easy-to-Build, Affordable, Customizable, Open-Source Instrument for Oceanographic Measurements of Drift and Waves in Sea Ice and the Open Ocean. Geosciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12030110

Siegert, D., B. Konar, M.R. Lindeberg, S. Saupe, and K. Iken. 2022. Trophic structure of rocky intertidal communities in two contrasting high-latitude environments. Deep-Sea Research II. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105050

Grants and Awards for February 2022

New awards:

• Grant G-14669 "2022 Beaufort Sea Fish Monitoring Project" - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC - $40,485.00 (January 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14680 "Life history variability and mixed-stock analysis of Dolly Varden in the Noatak River FY22" - Andrew Seitz - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $3,854.76 (July 1, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-13745 "Dynamics of Contemporary Genomic Evolution in Replicate Threespine Stickleback Populations" - Krista Oke - Stony Brook University - Mod 1 - $77,655.00 (September 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

The UA Board of Regents meeting last week presented goals and measures to advance the university’s mission, and two points are particularly notable for CFOS: Chancellor White recognized the recent development of our fully asynchronous BS degree, and President Pitney identified an opportunity to increase fisheries and ocean sciences research and teaching in Southeast Alaska. It is heartening to have our senior leaders highlight programs and opportunities that are relevant to the future success of CFOS. In that regard, President Pitney has agreed to attend the next CFOS faculty meeting to discuss her vision and how CFOS can assist with implementation.

And, on behalf of CFOS, it is a great pleasure to congratulate President Pitney on her official appointment as President of the University of Alaska System—the first-ever woman to hold this prestigious position!

It is a pleasure to welcome Tendai Shambare as our new student worker in support of CFOS IT capabilities. Welcome aboard!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for the first science voyage of 2022. Bob Cowen’s (Oregon State University) Plankton Size Spectra project will use a towed imaging system, plankton nets, and CTD casts to investigate plankton size distributions along the Oregon and Washington coasts.

Activities and Accomplishments

Gwenn Hennon and Jessica Glass recently gave presentations as part of the Geophysical Institute’s Science for Alaska lecture series.

Lindsey Stadler was awarded third place in UAF’s inaugural Three Minute Thesis competition. Josianne Haag was another finalist, and Jonah Bacon, Emily Stidham, Stephanie O’Daly, Liza Hasan, and Madeline Lee represented CFOS in the preliminary rounds.

CFOS in the News

The upcoming University of Alaska Mariculture Conference was featured by UAF News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

R/V Sikuliaq was mentioned by UAF News, KTVF, and Alaska’s News Source regarding a project in which UAF researchers aim to reconstruct the Bering Land Bridge during the last ice age.

Shannon Atkinson was mentioned in an Alaska Native News story about a humpback whale named Flame.

Chemistry World mentioned Geoff Wheat’s geochemical research as part of the Deep Sea Drilling Program.

Publications

Boothman, W.S., L. Coiro, and S.B. Moran. 2022. Molybdenum accumulation in sediments: A quantitative indicator of hypoxic water conditions in Narragansett Bay, RI. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107778.

Priest, J.T., F.J. Mueter, S.W. Raborn, and T.M. Sutton. 2022. Effects of environmental variables on a nearshore Arctic fish community, 2001–2018. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-022-03013-8.

von Biela, V.R., C.J. Sergeant, M.P. Carey, Z. Liller, C. Russell, S. Quinn-Davidson, P.S. Rand, P.A. Westley, and C.E. Zimmerman. 2022. Premature mortality observations among Alaska’s pacific salmon during record heat and drought in 2019. Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10705.

Message from the Dean

With this being the first C-Notes edition in February, it is opportune to acknowledge Black History Month. Established in 1926, Black History Month recognizes and celebrates the achievements of the African American population in the nation’s history. Please take a moment to reflect on the many important contributions from our Black community.

The following key priorities emerged from our all-hands faculty retreat held last month: continue development of asynchronous instruction modality, support student success and well-being, and reinvest in our research enterprise. It is a pleasure to convey that we are making progress on each of these priorities.

Specifically, CFOS has completed the design of a fully asynchronous BS degree concentration. While we continue to fully support our place-based instruction and research training activities, offering an asynchronous instruction modality addresses evolving workforce and education needs in Alaska and beyond. This effort has involved many faculty and staff, and I would like to acknowledge Associate Dean Trent Sutton for his determination in helping to grow our academic programs. Further, we are actively addressing graduate student pay equity at CFOS, and expect to roll out a plan in the near future. And, we will also soon transmit guidance to increase our research faculty through the postdoctoral investigator pipeline and via external hires.

It is a pleasure to welcome Samara (Sam) Mashal as the new CFOS web manager. Sam has more than two decades of web marketing experience working in the technology industry. Leaving behind a career in Silicon Valley, she now calls Alaska home and looks forward to living the Alaskan experience while working her way into academia and research. Sam can be reached at smashal@alaska.edu. (Note: please continue to email our web group at web@cfos.uaf.edu to request changes to the CFOS website.) Please join me in welcoming Sam to CFOS!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Valentine’s Day!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is scheduled to depart Portland this week for a post-shipyard shakedown cruise, then will transit to Newport to stage the first science voyage of 2022.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS and the Seward Marine Center hosted the 25th annual Tsunami Ocean Sciences Bowl in Seward, where thirteen teams from across the state competed for the chance to represent Alaska in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl finals competition in May. Thank you to Amanda Kelley and her team of graduate students who contributed to the research component of the competition, CFOS staff who volunteered their time, and to SMC staff for ensuring the success of the event! This year’s winners are:

1st place: Locolithophores team, Juneau-Douglas High School
2nd place: Geo Schmucks team, Cordova Jr/Sr High School
3rd place: Tectonic Plates team, Mat-Su Career & Tech High School

Alice Bailey and Seth Danielson presented R/V Sikuliaq research activities to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission at the Annual Whaling Captains' Association Mini-Convention in Anchorage.

Kristen Gorman presented an online talk on her Copper River sockeye research to the Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment.

R/V Sikuliaq was featured in a Science for Alaska lecture by Bernard Coakley that can be viewed on the UAF Geophysical Institute’s Facebook videos page.

CFOS in the News

The upcoming University of Alaska Mariculture Conference was featured by UA News, Alaska Native News and UA Southeast. The conference, titled “Mariculture for Alaska’s Future: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities,” will be held in Juneau this April.

Publications

Chambers, C., T. Henke. B. Barr, D. Cook, B Costa Pierce, N. Einatsson, B. Kaisar, O. Knutsson, M. Kokorsch, N. Nazarova, and T. Sutton. 2022. Marine fisheries and aquaculture in the Arctic. In: Renewable Economies in the Arctic, pp. 224–248. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003172406

Ulaski, M.E., H. Finkle, A.H. Beaudreau, and P.A.H. Westley. 2022. Climate and conspecific density inform phenotypic forecasting of juvenile Pacific salmon body size. Freshwater Biology (cover story). https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13850

Grants and Awards for January 2022

Awards that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-1085 "NOSB Support" - Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $51,500.00 (July 1, 2002)
• Grant G-11133 "Chukchi Sea Ecosystem Mooring" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 9 - $25,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 11 - $4,522,860.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-14468 "Demonstrating operational readiness of AUV-based ecosystem monitoring through a field program supporting the International Year of the Salmon (OMAO Glider)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $7,500.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14548 "Ecosystem monitoring and detection of wind and ice-mediated changes through a year-round physical and biochemical mooring in the Northeast Chukchi Sea" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $8,800.00 (December 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that Tyler Hennon has been appointed as Research Assistant Professor in CFOS. A graduate of the University of Washington and University of Oregon, Tyler most recently held a postdoctoral position working primarily with Seth Danielson’s research group. An observational physical oceanographer, his research focuses on ocean microstructure turbulence, internal gravity waves, spatiotemporal variability of sea surface temperature, as well as topics relating to biogeochemistry. Please join me in congratulating Tyler on his faculty appointment.

Harper Simmons has tendered his resignation to take a position at the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory. I would like to personally thank Harper for his research, teaching and service contributions to the university. We will greatly miss Harper, and wish him all the best going forward.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently in Portland, Oregon, for scheduled regulatory routine maintenance. The ship is scheduled to depart Portland in mid-February for a post-shipyard shakedown cruise and then transit to Newport to stage for the first science voyage of 2022.

Activities and Accomplishments

Numerous CFOS faculty, staff and students participated in the Alaska Marine Science Symposium held in Anchorage last week. Graduate students Marina Alcantar and Shelby Bacus gave Alaska Ocean Acidification Network's lightning talks, and we are proud to say that half of the AMSS Student Awards went to CFOS! Congratulations to the following students:

Brian Ulaski- Best Oral Presentation, Doctorate level

Addie Norgaard- Best Poster Presentation, Doctorate level

Alex Sletten- Best Poster Presentation, Masters level

 

Publications

Etnoyer, P.J., C.G. Messing, K.A. Stanley, T.K. Baumiller, L. Kate and T.C. Shirley. 2022. Diversity and time-series analyses of Caribbean deep-sea coral and sponge assemblages on the tropical island slope of Isla de Roatán, Honduras. Marine Biodiversity. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-021-01255-z

Hennon, G.M.M., J. Sefbom, E. Schaum, S.T. Dyhrman and A. Godhe. 2021. Guidelines for the study of climate change effects on HABs, Chapter 4: Studying the acclimation and adaptation of HAB species to changing environmental conditions. UNESCO-IOC/SCOR. https://doi.org/10.25607/OBP-1692

Huang, M., K.R. Robbins, Y.L., S. Umanzor, M. Marty-Rivera, D. Bailey, C. Yarish, S. Lindell and J.L. Jannink. 2022. Simulation of sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) breeding guided by practices to accelerate genetic gains. G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetic. https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkac003

Menzies, C., R.E. Price, J. Ryan, O. Sissmann, K. Takai, C.G. Wheat. 2022. Spatial variation of subduction zone fluids during progressive subduction: Insights from Mariana Serpentinite Mud Volcanoes. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2021.10.030

Message from the Dean

With the start of the spring 2022 semester last week, it is a pleasure to welcome back our current and new CFOS students. As always, our faculty and staff are here to support you, and we wish you great success. 

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new graduate students:

Muriel Dittrich. M.S. Marine Biology, Advisor: Schery Umanzor

Margaret Harings. M.S. Fisheries, Advisors: Andres Lopez and Erik Schoen

Brendan Higgins. M.S. Marine Biology, Advisor: Tuula Hollmen

Hannah Kepner. M.S. Oceanography, Advisor: Russ Hopcroft

Megan Brauner. Ph.D. Oceanography, Advisors: Gwenn Hennon and Brandon Briggs (UAA)

Sabrina Garcia. Ph.D. Fisheries, Advisor: Andrew Seitz

Andrew Rothenberger. Ph.D. Fisheries, Advisor: Andrew Seitz 

 

Finally, last Friday was Will Burt’s final work day as a CFOS faculty member; we wish him well in his future endeavors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently in Portland, Oregon, for scheduled regulatory routine maintenance. The ship is scheduled to depart Portland in mid-February for a post-shipyard shakedown cruise and then transit to Newport to stage for the first science voyage of 2022.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student James Currie was awarded a Scientists in the Schools fellowship from the Sitka Sound Science Center. 

Justin Sternberg and Bradley Moran coauthored an invited article on climate adaptation in the Arctic Ocean published by the Wilson Center. 

CFOS in the News

KTOO featured Seth Danielson in an article about results from the November 2021 Sikuliaq cruise in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.

Publications

Umanzor S., S. Han, H.I. Song, J.S. Park, A.T. Critchley, C. Yarish, J.K. Kim. 2022. Enhancements provided by the use of an Ascophyllum nodosum extract can be transferred through archeospores in the red alga Neopyropia yezoensis (Ueda) L.-E. Yang & J. Brodie. Aquatic Botany. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2021.103481

Message from the Dean

Happy New Year! It is a pleasure to wish everyone a warm welcome after what was hopefully a relaxing winter break spent with friends and family—and here is to a safe and productive 2022.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently docked in Seward preparing for the scheduled regulatory shipyard work this winter. The location of the shipyard has not yet been confirmed. 

CFOS in the News

The cover of Molecular Ecology featured a publication co-authored by Megan McPhee, postdoctoral fellow Yue Shi and graduate student William Dokai about the role of gene flow on fish. 

Seth Danielson appeared in KNOM radio and Nome Nugget stories describing findings from the November 2021 Sikuliaq cruise in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.

The Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES) magazine mentioned Natalie Monacci in an article about the Ocean Acidification Research Center’s (OARC) projects monitoring marine carbonate chemistry around Alaska. The Newsletter of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) included a summary of seawater carbon dioxide observations in the eastern Bering Sea collected by a long-term monitoring site led by OARC. 

A Fairbanks Daily News-Miner article about Alaska seaweed mariculture featured Schery Umanzor and Justin Sternberg.

Marine Link mentioned Steve Roberts in a story about satellite imagery produced by the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) on R/V Sikuliaq.

Publications

Berkman, S.A., T.M. Sutton, F.J. Mueter, and B.W. Elliott. 2021. Effects of early life-stage and environmental factors on the marine survival of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in rivers of Southeast Alaska. Fishery Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.7755/FB.119.4.1

Shi, Y., K.L. Bouska, G.J. McKinney, W. Dokai, A. Bartels, M.V. McPhee, and W.A. Larson. 2021. Gene flow influences the genomic architecture of local adaptation in six riverine fish species. Molecular Ecology.  https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16317

Grants and Awards for December 2021

New awards for CFOS:

• Grant G-14548 "Ecosystem monitoring and detection of wind and ice-mediated changes through a year-round physical and biogeochemical mooring in the Northeast Chukchi Sea" - Seth Danielson - NPRB - $88,002.00 (December 1, 2021)
• Faculty Initiative Fund Award "Seabird Biologging at St. Paul Island, Alaska" - Kristen Gorman - UA Statewide - $29,700.00 (December 1, 2021)

Awards that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-13328 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska" - Andrew Seitz - Department of the Navy - Mod 6 - $221,812.00 (April 15, 2020)
• Grant G-14309 "Dynamical downscaling of the submesoscale cascade of turbulence" - Harper Simmons - ONR - Mod 1 - $85,322.00 (August 23, 2021)

New award controlled by another department:

• Grant G-14571 "CICOES Postdoc Fellowships at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks" - Peter Westley - IARC - $94,488.00 (December 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

As we wind up another challenging but rewarding year, it is a pleasure to express my sincere appreciation to our students, staff and faculty, and to our Captain and crew in ensuring the safe and successful operation of R/V Sikuliaq—we can be proud of our collective hard work and many accomplishments this past year—well done CFOS! 

Happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently docked in Seward preparing for its scheduled regulatory shipyard period this winter. The location of the shipyard has not yet been determined. 

Activities and Accomplishments

Last week, R/V Nanuq successfully completed GAK-1 sampling and glider testing in wind, waves, freezing spray, and white out snow conditions.

Megan McPhee and faculty from Kamchatka State Technical University, Far Eastern Federal University, and Sakhalin State University recently formed the “Russian Far East-Alaska Salmon Exchange,” a consortium dedicated to sharing research and education on Pacific salmon. As part of this effort, CFOS graduate student Molly Payne presented her thesis research on stream attractiveness to stray hatchery chum salmon at the first “Salmon Mini-Conference.”

Graduate student Hannah Myers was awarded “Best Talk: Observational Ecology” at the 2021 Western Society of Naturalists Conference for her presentation on the distribution and acoustic residency patterns of Gulf of Alaska killer whales. 

CFOS in the News

The Fish Site featured Schery Umanzor and Justin Sternberg in a story about Alaska mariculture. 

Hannah Myers was featured in a KTOO story about listening to the voices of killer whales.

Publications

Horrillo, J., W. Knight and Z. Kowalik. 2022. Numerical Modeling of Tsunami Waves. Advanced Series on Ocean Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1142/12421

Message from the Dean

Plans are well underway for our all-hands faculty retreat on January 7, 2022. Since the last CFOS faculty retreat in January 2019, we have continued to successfully implement our shared vision as outlined in the CFOS Decadal Plan[BROKEN LINK]. Specifically, over the past three years we have increased student enrollment, broadened our academic programs and course modality to meet evolving education and workforce needs, hired new and diverse faculty, reinvested in our research enterprise and major facilities, and continued to strengthen communications. The purpose of the 2022 faculty retreat is to provide an opportunity for our faculty to engage in setting near-term priorities to help advance our academic programs, ensure student success, and bolster research. Details of our virtual retreat will be forthcoming.

It is a pleasure to convey that the 2021 CFOS Annual Report is now complete and available online. Every year I wonder—how will we top this with the next report? I believe you will agree that this year’s annual report has achieved that goal. Tip of the hat to Alice Bailey for leading this effort, to Carol Kaynor for expert editing and attention to detail, and to Molly Putnam for final layout and production. Well done, team!

Fall 2021 graduates:

Zane Chapman. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Franz Mueter

Betsy McCracken. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Trent Sutton

Jamie Musbach. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Sherry Tamone

Amy Dowling. MS Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Brenda Konar

Feyne Elmore. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Ocean Science

Thomas House. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science

Elizabeth Kiely. BA Fisheries, Concentration: Fisheries Business and Social Science

Ronald Sheldon. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently docked in Seward preparing for its scheduled regulatory shipyard period this winter. The location of the shipyard has not yet been determined. 

Activities and Accomplishments

Ana Aguilar-Islas was featured in a story about women in oceanography on the NSF Long Term Ecological Research website. 

CFOS professor emeritus Zygmunt Kowalik published a book about numerical modeling of tsunami waves in collaboration with alum Juan Horrillo and former student William Knight. 

CFOS in the News

Schery Umanzor and Justin Sternberg were featured in a UAF News story about Alaska mariculture. 

Jessica Glass appeared in a Scientific American article about mass sardine migrations in South Africa. 

Marine Technology News named Seth Danielson’s photograph of a zooplankton net tow from R/V Sikuliaq as “Photo of the Day.”

Steve Roberts was mentioned in a Marine Technology Reporter story about satellite imagery produced by the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) on R/V Sikuliaq.

Hannah Myers was featured in a SIT News story about listening to the voices of killer whales.

Publications

Westley, P.A.H., J.C. Black, C. Carothers, and D. Ringer. 2021. State of Alaska's salmon and people: Introduction to a special feature. Ecology and Society. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12910-260433

Vershinina, A.O., […], M.J. Wooller, et al. 2021. Ancient horse genomes reveal the timing and extent of dispersals across the Bering Land Bridge. Molecular Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15977

Grants and Awards for November 2021

Grant that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-14172 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line 2019-2024" - Russ Hopcroft - NPRB - Mod 1 - $12,076.00 (July 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

As we look forward to enjoying Thanksgiving Day with friends and family this week, please take a moment to reflect on the many positive aspects of our daily lives. While each of us copes with the very real and often exhausting challenge of living in a pandemic, we are indeed fortunate and blessed in many ways. In that regard, it is my pleasure to thank the faculty, staff and students for all your good work, which provides significant benefits to Alaska and our nation. Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway transiting from Nome to Seward, having completed all scheduled at-sea research projects for calendar year 2021. Once in Seward, Sikuliaq will begin preparations for her scheduled regulatory shipyard period this winter.  

Activities and Accomplishments

Jeff Muehlbauer received an EPSCoR faculty seed grant and travel award to conduct research on woody debris transported to rivers and to present at the 2022 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting.

Graduate student Courtney Hart and postdoctoral researcher Scott Gabara were awarded 2022 Scientist in Residency Fellowships at the Sitka Sound Science Center.

Graduate student Erika King gave a talk about Coho salmon at the American Fisheries Society annual meeting.

Brian Mullaly, Ethan Roth and Natalie Monacci facilitated a research instruction cruise aboard R/V Nanuq, where Seward high school students gained hands-on experience conducting measurements and collecting samples in Resurrection Bay. 

CFOS in the News

Graduate student Hannah Myers’ killer whale research was featured by UAF News.

Hakai magazine and High Country News featured undergraduate student Brooke Woods in a story about subsistence fishing for salmon on the Yukon River. 

Steve Roberts, R/V Sikuliaq’s science systems engineer, was mentioned in a Seward Journal story about satellite imagery produced by the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA).

Publications

Sutton, L., F.J. Mueter, B.A. Bluhm, and K. Iken. 2021. Environmental Filtering Influences Functional Community Assembly of Epibenthic Communities. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.736917

Message from the Dean

The second UA System-wide “Giving Day” is set to begin at noon on Tuesday, November 10. On the CFOS Giving Day website, there will be a 49-hour (consistent with the 49th state) time period to make a donation to two funding areas important to student success: the CFOS Support Fund and the CFOS Graduate Student Support Fund. To help inspire participation in this effort, I have pledged a gift challenge that will be “unlocked” after the first ten donations have been made. I encourage all alumni, friends and supporters to contribute. 

It is a pleasure to announce that Peter Westley has been appointed as the university’s first Lowell A. Wakefield Chair in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. The Wakefield Chair endowment supports the mission of CFOS by expanding the rehabilitation, development and improvement of fishery resources of the State of Alaska. Please join me in congratulating Peter on this prestigious appointment!

Arny Blanchard has announced his retirement at the end of this year. A three-time UAF alum, Arny began his employment at the university in 1986 as a student, and subsequently rose to the rank of CFOS Research Professor. His research focus is on taxonomic studies in Alaska's coastal waters, and he was particularly involved with the Chukchi Sea Environmental Studies Program and the Port Valdez Environmental Studies Program. He also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, and contributed to the success of numerous graduate students. We will miss Arny's thoughtful and collegial manner. Please join me in wishing Arny the very best in his next chapter. 

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of Seth Danielson’s (UAF/CFOS) Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) cruise to the Chukchi and Bering Seas. Originally scheduled in late August aboard another vessel, this voyage will collect water column, zooplankton and sediments samples, as well as conduct mooring retrievals and deployments.

Activities and Accomplishments

Bradley Moran was selected to chair the national Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL) Board of Trustees. Based in Washington, D.C., COL is a national nonprofit organization representing the leading public and private ocean research education institutions, aquaria and industry.

Curry Cunningham has been invited to participate in the development of the National Marine Fisheries Service Fisheries Integrated Modeling System (FIMS), as a member of its inaugural Council. FIMS aims to provide a next-generation framework of stock assessment models and related tools, designed to assist fishery managers with the goal of achieving sustainable fisheries.

Pat Church received an EPSCoR Travel Award to attend the 2022 National Council of University Research Administrators in Washington, DC. 

Graduate students Erika King, Lia Domke, and Monica Brandhuber contributed to the creation of the Fisheries for Kids newsletter that was sent to teachers in Juneau schools last week. 

Graduate student Tamsen Peeples won “Best in Show” at the annual Juneau underwater pumpkin carving contest. 

The results are in for this year's CFOS pumpkin carving contest, which was organized by the Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Student Organization. Congratulations to all participants! Winner: Erika King; Runners up: Lindsey Stadler, Feyne Elmore, Emily Ortega, Elizabeth Hinkle.

A newsletter called "Fisheries for Kids" has been created by CFOS graduate students and will be distributed to Juneau schools. If you are interested in receiving future issues, please contact Monica at mebrandhuber@alaska.edu.

CFOS in the News

KTVF news featured the recent seven-week R/V Sikuliaq cruise led by PI Bernard Coakley (UAF/GI). 

CFOS’s Juneau campus was mentioned in an Alaska Native News story about student interns contributing to local climate change studies. 

Publications

Hudson, K., M.J. Oliver, J. Kohut, M.S. Dinniman,  J. Klinck, C. Moffat, H. Statscewich, K. Bernard, and W. Fraser. 2021. A Recirculating Eddy Promotes Subsurface Particle Retention in an Antarctic Biological Hotspot. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021jc017304

Britton, K., B.E. Crowley, C.P. Bataille, J.H. Miller and M.J. Wooller. 2021. Silver Linings at the Dawn of a “Golden Age” Front. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.748938

Becker. K., R.E. Thomas. E.E. Davis, H. Villinger, and C.G. Wheat. 2021. Geothermal heating and episodic cold-seawater intrusions into an isolated ridge-flank basin near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Communications Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00297-2.

Grants and Awards for October 2021

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14451 "Seward Line Monitoring" - Russ Hopcroft - AOOS - $116,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14468 "Demonstrating operational readiness of AUV-based ecosystem monitoring through a field program supporting the International Year of the Salmon (OMAO GLIDER)" Seth Danielson - AOOS - $52,136.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14469 "Chukchi Sea beam trawl survey data rescue (Chukchi Data Rescue)" - Franz Mueter - AOOS - $25,270.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14471 "Alaska Ecosystem Observatory Network Build-Out, Operations and Maintenance (ECO-Moorings)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $105,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14472 "Measuring Ocean Currents in Bering Strait with High Frequency Radars (Bering Strait HFR)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $115,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14473 "Alaska Region Glider Missions Supporting an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM Gliders)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $243,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14482 "An Arctic Marine Mammal Observing System (Chukchi Glider)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $65,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14483 "Cook Inlet Radar (Cook Inlet HFR)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $114,286.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14484 "Time-Series Monitoring of Ocean Acidification in Alaska (OA Timeseries)" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $29,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14485 "National Ocean Acidification Observing Network (NOA-ON) Stations: Gulf of Alaska (GAKOA) and Bering Sea (M2) moorings (M2 & GAK Moorings)" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $161,904.00 (July 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

The 2021 CFOS Annual Report is in the final stages of layout and proofreading. We can look forward to a visually appealing and interesting report on some of our academic, research and service highlights over the past year. My thanks to Alice Bailey for developing the content and assembling the final report, and to Carol Kaynor for expert editing. We expect to distribute the report in December.

As part of our ongoing effort to implement the CFOS Decadal Plan[BROKEN LINK], we are preparing to hold the third CFOS all-hands faculty retreat in January. As with prior retreats, a key objective is to develop actionable priorities for the college over the next two years. In this regard, I encourage faculty to work together to develop a set of goals in support of the CFOS mission to deliver outstanding education, research and service programs focused on Alaska’s aquatic ecosystems. Details regarding this virtual event will be forthcoming.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently underway in the Beaufort Sea supporting Craig Lee’s (UW/APL) AMOS project, which aims to develop a year-round observing system that will be used to better forecast the Arctic environment.

Activities and Accomplishments

Thomas Kelly presented at the prestigious Dissertations in Chemical Oceanography (DISCO) symposium in Kauai. 

CFOS in the News

Seth Danielson and Katrin Iken were featured in the AOOS newsletter for a benthic camera system that they developed, which will provide year-round photos of seafloor organisms. 

UAF News announced the premiere of a documentary film co-produced by CFOS graduate student Jamie Currie, entitled “Olympic Sleepers of the Arctic”, about the physiological adaptations of hibernating Arctic ground squirrels.

The Juneau Empire featured a study by undergraduate student Emily Williamson and graduate student Chris Sergeant that compares climate models to observations made by Southeast Alaska homesteader Allen Hasselborg on Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska.

The Seattle Times mentioned the recent R/V Sikuliaq cruise led by Bernard Coakley (UAF/GI) in a story about the journey of USCGC Healy through the Northwest Passage, and a UNOLS newsletter highlighted Sikuliaq’s voyage to nearly 500 nautical miles north of Alaska. 

Publications

Myers, H.J., D.W. Olsen, C.O. Matkin, L.A. Horstmann, and B. Konar. 2021. Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the Gulf of Alaska. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99668-0

Drinkwater, K.F., N. Harada, S. Nishino, M. Cherici, S.L. Danielson, R.B. Invaldsen, T. Kristiansen, G.L. Hunt Jr., F.J. Mueter, and J.E. Stiansen. 2021. Possible future scenarios in the Gateways to the Arctic for Subarctic and Arctic marine systems: I. Climate and physical–chemical oceanography. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab182

Mueter, F.J., B. Planque, G.L. Hunt Jr., I.D. Alabia, T. Hirawake, L. Eisner, P. Dalpadado, K.F. Drinkwater, N. Harada, P. Arneberg, and S.I. Saitoh. 2021. Possible future scenarios in the Gateways to the Arctic for Subarctic and Arctic marine systems: II. Prey resources, food webs, fish, and fisheries. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab122

Mueter, F.J., K. Iken, L.W. Cooper,  J.M. Grebmeier, K.J. Kuletz, R.R. Hopcroft,  S.L. Danielson, R.E. Collins, and D.A. Cushing. 2021. Changes in diversity and species composition across multiple assemblages in the northeast Chukchi Sea during two contrasting years are consistent with borealization. Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.213

Lawley, J.W., E. Gamero-Mora, M.M. Maronna, L.M. Chiaverano, S.N. Stampar,  R.R. Hopcroft, A.G. Collins, and A.C. Morandini. 2021. The importance of molecular characters when morphological variability hinders diagnosability: systematics of the moon jellyfish genus Aurelia (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa). PeerJ. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11954

 

Message from the Dean

Today, UAF celebrates Indigenous Peoples' Day, a day to honor Alaska Native and Indigenous knowledge, culture and wisdom. The past year has brought greater awareness of the challenges that Indigenous communities have faced, which calls upon each of us to renew our focus on supporting social justice. On this Indigenous Peoples' Day, please take a moment to reflect on how working together can help bring an end to the discrimination, exclusion and marginalization of Indigenous people and communities.

UAF will be hosting an event today at noon with keynote speaker Pearl Brower. This year's theme is "Raising Indigenous Voices” to honor and celebrate the many contributions of Alaska Native peoples to UAF and Alaska. I encourage everyone to join on the UAF Facebook page.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq’s crew recently installed a rebuilt diesel engine in less than 5 days while in Nome; Bravo Zulu to the engineering department and Port Engineer Bob Cruise for a job well done! The ship is currently underway to support Craig Lee’s (UW/APL) AMOS project, and will deploy moorings, gliders, floats and UUVs as part of a year-round effort to better understand changing conditions in the Beaufort Sea.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Marina Washburn received an award for her presentation at the 2021 Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association Annual Shellfish Conference.

Graduate student Zane Chapman gave a presentation to science students at Thunder Mountain High School. 

Sonia Kumar led a Beluga Whale Alliance Instagram Takeover to educate viewers about Cook Inlet beluga whales and fieldwork conducted in the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers. 

CFOS in the News

Chris Seargent and undergraduate student Emily Williamson were featured by UAF News regarding research that compares modern climate modeling software to historic observations of conditions in Southeast Alaska. 

National Public Radio posted an interview with Courtney Carothers about the Tamamta program on the homepage of their website. 

KUAC and KTOO aired an interview with Bernard Coakley while he was underway on R/V Sikuliaq for the Chukchi Edges II cruise. News stories about the cruise appeared in UAF News, Alaska Native News and The Nome Nugget. 

Peter Westley and Krista Oke were mentioned in a WION story about how Alaska’s salmon are getting smaller. 

Seth Danielson and R/V Sikuliaq appeared in a WHOI press release about the growing potential of toxic algal blooms in the Arctic. 

Publications

Adkison M.D. 2021. A review of salmon spawner-recruitment analysis: the central role of the data and its impact on management strategy. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture. https://doi.org/10.1080/23308249.2021.1972086

Bucklin, A., J.M. Questel, L. Blanco-Bercial, A. Frenzel, S.B. Smolenack, P.H. Wiebe. 2021. Population connectivity of the euphausiid, Stylocheiron elongatum, in the Gulf Stream (NW Atlantic Ocean) in relation to COI barcode diversity of Stylocheiron species. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab158

O’Toole, Ciar, K. Phillips, C. Bradley, J. Coughlan, E. Dillane, I.A. Fleming, T.E. Reed, P.A.H. Westley, T.F. Cross, P. McGinnity, and P.A. Prodöhl. 2021. Population genetics reveal patterns of natural colonization of an ecologically and commercially important invasive fish.  Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2020-0255

Deary, A.L., C.D. Vestfals, F.J. Mueter, E.A. Logerwell, E.D Goldstein, P.J. Stabeno, S.L. Danielson, R.R. Hopcroft, and J.T. Duffy-Anderson. 2021. Seasonal abundance, distribution, and growth of the early life stages of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) in the US Arctic. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02940-2

Garcia, S., C.A. Tribuzio, A.C. Seitz, M.B. Courtney, J.K. Nielsen, J.M. Murphy, and D.S. Oxman. 2021. Differential horizontal migration patterns of two male salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis) tagged in the Bering Sea. Animal Biotelemetry. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-021-00260-0

Paukert, C.P., J.D. Olden, A.J. Lynch, D. Brashears, R.C. Chambers, C. Chu, M. Daly, K.L. Dibble, J. Falke, D. Issak, P. Jacobson, O.P. Jensen, and D. Munroe. 2021. Climate change effects on North American fish and fisheries to inform adaptation strategies. Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10668

Grants and Awards for September 2021

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14321 "Development of an In Situ Pore Water Sampler for Scientific Ocean Drilling" - C. Geoff Wheat - NSF - $592,667.00 (September 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14327 "Delineating species and stock boundaries in the Arctic-Bering cisco species pair" - Andres Lopez - BOEM - $32,966.00 (September 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14330 "Building Capacity for Tribal Monitoring of Harmful Algal Toxins in Subsistence Harvested Shellfish" - Shannon DeMaster - US Geological Survey - $199,817.00 (September 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14354 "Extension of Machine Learning Methods to Bristol Bay Run Timing Forecasts" - Curry Cunningham - Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association - $32,000.00 (July 19, 2021)
• Grant G-14372 "Development of a Management Strategy Evaluation Framework for Subsistence Salmon Fisheries of the Kuskokwim River Watershed" - Curry Cunningham - NOAA - $266,186.00 (September 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14378 "Collaborative Research: Elucidating Brine-Dominated, Segment-Scale Hydrothermal Discharge Along The Cleft Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge" - C. Geoff Wheat - NSF - $79,353.00 (September 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14395 "Enhancing ocean color remote sensing tools to better constrain fisheries forecasting models in a critical  subarctic system" - Will Burt - NASA - $138,000.00 (August 23, 2021)
• Grant G-14412 "Estimating escapement of Chilkat River Chinook salmon using trans-generational mark-recapture (tGMR)" - Megan McPhee - AK Department of Fish & Game - $149,508.00 (August 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14420 "Integrating oceanographic research and monitoring efforts in the NE Gulf of Alaska" - Seth Danielson - NPS - $147,898.00 (September 17, 2021)

Grant set up on assumption:

• Grant G-14380 "Arctic High-Frequency Radar Operations and Maintenance" - Seth Danielson - AOOS (July 1, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-2865 "Meek Lecturers" - Andrew Seitz - UA Foundation - $100,000.00 (October 1, 2005)
• Grant G-11616 "LTER: Beaufort Sea Lagoons: An Arctic Coastal Ecosystem in Transition" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - Mod 4 - $181,656.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-13024 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NOAA - Mod 4 - $269,000.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13469 "Zooplankton Monitoring Along Coastal Regions and Tidewater Glacier Fjords of Glacier Bay and Wrangell- St. Elias National Parks & Preserves" - Jennifer Questel - NPS - Mod 1 - $165,002.00 (June 30, 2020)
• Grant G-13646 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NASA - $50,000.00 (September 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that Jennifer Questel has been appointed as Research Assistant Professor in CFOS. A CFOS alum, Jenn most recently held a UAF Centennial Postdoctoral Fellow, working with Russ Hopcroft and other researchers. Her research expertise focuses on the ecology of zooplankton communities, specifically the assessment of zooplankton biodiversity using molecular techniques for species identification, population genetics, and population connectivity. Please join me in congratulating Jenn on her faculty appointment!

The CFOS Advisory Council will meet tomorrow to discuss priorities and needs of the college. The meeting agenda includes presentations on our academic and research programs; diversity and inclusivity efforts; student activities; AOOS collaborations; OARC; ABEC[BROKEN LINK]; and lunch with Chancellor White. I look forward to an engaging meeting with our Council members.

R/V Sikuliaq

Bernard Coakley’s (UAF/GI) Chukchi Edges II cruise will finish in Nome later this week. After Coakley’s gear is unloaded, a rebuilt engine will be installed on the ship and preparations will begin for Craig Lee’s (UW/APL) AMOS cruise. 

Activities and Accomplishments

Geoff Wheat won the Innovative Disclosures and Entrepreneurial Activities (IDEAs) 2021 award for best disclosure from a faculty member for the development of the Multi-Temperature Fluid Sampler. The competition is hosted by the university’s Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization (OIPC).

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ran an obituary for Judy McDonald, who was a research scientist at the Seward Marine Center from 1975 to 2001. She helped manage the wet lab in the Hood Laboratory and was instrumental to Alaska’s participation in the National Ocean Science Bowl. 

Russ Hopcroft was featured in a KDLL radio story about algae blooms in the Gulf of Alaska. 

UAF News and Phys.org mentioned Andrew McDonnell in stories about how natural cycles in the Gulf of Alaska can accentuate ocean acidification. 

Courtney Carothers spoke about CFOS’s Tamamta program on the radio program Alaska News Nightly. 

Andy Seitz was featured in a video made by the Alaska Center for Energy and Power about fish interactions with a hydrokinetic test site on the Tanana River. 

Alaska News Nightly featured Matthew Wooller’s mammoth research at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility. 

Publications

Hauri, C., R. Pagès, A.M.P. McDonnell, M.F. Stuecker, S.L. Danielson, K. Hedstrom, B. Irving, C. Schultz, and S.C. Doney. 2021. Modulation of ocean acidification by decadal climate variability in the Gulf of Alaska. Communications Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00254-z

King, A.L., L. Anderson, M. Abbott, M. Edwards, M.S. Finkenbinder, B. Finney, and M.J. Wooller. 2021. A stable isotope record of late Quaternary hydrologic change in the north-western Brooks Range, Alaska (eastern Beringia). Journal of Quaternary Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3368

Lalande, L., J.M. Grebmeier, A.M.P. McDonnell, R.R. Hopcroft, S. O'Daly, and S.L. Danielson. 2021. Impact of a warm anomaly in the Pacific Arctic region derived from time-series export fluxes. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255837

Mateus, C.S., M.F. Docker, G. Evanno, J.E. Hess, J.B. Hume, I.C. Oliveira, A. Souissi, and T.M. Sutton. 2021. Population structure in anadromous lampreys: patterns and processes. Sea Lamprey International Symposium III, Journal of Great Lakes Research.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2021.08.024

Raymond W.W., J.B. Schram, G.L. Eckert, and A.W.E. Galloway. 2021. Sea otter effects on trophic structure of seagrass communities in southeast Alaska. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13819

Message from the Dean

Just over two years ago, CFOS established the Alaska Blue Economy Center (ABEC) to serve as a resource and support center for research, instruction, and outreach related to Alaska's vast aquatic resources and ecosystems. In this regard, and in partnership with the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, College of Business and Security Management, and Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization, it is a pleasure to convey that Justin Sternberg[BROKEN LINK] has been hired as the Director of ABEC. Justin brings a wealth of experience working to advance Alaska’s burgeoning blue economy sector and energy programs. He is in the process of relocating to Fairbanks, and his office will be located in the CFOS Dean’s Office. His email address is jcsternberg@alaska.edu. Please join me in congratulating Justin on his new appointment!

I hope you take time to enjoy the beautiful fall season colors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq continues to operate in the northern Chukchi Sea for Bernard Coakley’s (UAF/GI) Chukchi Edges II cruise.  They are halfway through the 45-day voyage to investigate the formation, composition and structure of the northern edge of the Chukchi Sea continental shelf. 

Activities and Accomplishments

Jeff Falke was selected as an Agency Coordinating Lead for the Alaska Chapter of the 5th National Climate Assessment.

CFOS in the News

A UAF News article announced the first cohort of graduate students in CFOS’s new Tamamta program, which focuses on bridging Indigenous and Western sciences. 

Shannon Atkinson was featured in a NOAA Fisheries article about humpback whale research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mat Wooller was featured in a Scientific American article regarding his work at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility. 

Publications

Blanchard, A.L. and D.G. Shaw. 2021. Multivariate analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of Port Valdez, Alaska, 1989–2019. Marine Pollution Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112906

Callahan, M.W., A.H. Beaudreau, R.A. Heintz, F.J. Mueter, and M.C. Rogers. 2021. Temporal and age-based variation in juvenile sablefish diet composition and quality: Inferences from stomach contents and stable isotopes. Marine and Coastal Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10173

Clawson, C.M., J.A. Falke, J. Rose, A. Prakash, A.E. Martin, and L.L. Bailey. 2021. High-resolution remote sensing and multistate occupancy estimation identify drivers of spawning site selection in fall chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) across a sub-Arctic riverscape. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2021-0013

Copping, A.E., L.G. Hemery, H. Viehman, A.C. Seitz,  G.J. Staines, and D.J. Hasselman. 2021. Are fish in danger? A review of environmental effects of marine renewable energy on fishes. Biological Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109297 

Galloway A.W.E., A.H. Beaudreau, M.D. Thomas, B.L. Basnett, L.S. Lam,  S.L. Hamilton,  K.S. Andrews, J.B. Schram,  J. Watson, and J.F. Samhouri. 2021. Assessing prevalence and correlates of blue-colored flesh in lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) across their geographic range. Marine Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03936-6.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03936-6

Gorman, K.B., K.E. Ruck, T.D. Williams and W.R. Fraser. 2021. Advancing the Sea Ice Hypothesis: Trophic interactions among breeding Pygoscelis penguins with divergent population trends throughout the western Antarctic Peninsula. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.526092

Jalbert, C., J.A. Falke, J.A. Lopez, K.J. Dunker, A.J. Sepulveda, and P.A.H. Westley. 2021. Vulnerability of Pacific salmon to invasion of northern pike (Esox lucius) in Southcentral Alaska. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254097

Melica, V., S. Atkinson, J. Calambokidis, A. Lang, J. Scordino, and F. Mueter. 2021. Application of endocrine biomarkers to update information on reproductive physiology in gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255368

Shackell, N.L., J.A.D. Fisher, C.E. den Heyer, D.R. Hennen, A.C. Seitz, A. Le Bris, D. Robert, M.E. Kersula, S.X. Cadrin, R.S. McBride, et al. 2021. Spatial ecology of Atlantic halibut across the Northwest Atlantic: A recovering species in an era of climate change. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture. https://doi.org/10.1080/23308249.2021.1948502

Stratton, M.E., H. Finkle, J.A. Falke, and P.A.H. Westley. 2021. Assessing potential stock structure of adult Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in a small Alaska watershed: Quantifying run timing, spawning locations, and holding areas with radio telemetry. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10658

Walther, E.J., M.S. Zimmerman, and P.A.H. Westley. 2021. Landscape attributes explain salmonid ecological neighborhoods across a complex river network. Freshwater Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13801

Williamson E.R. and C.J. Sergeant. 2021. Independent validation of downscaled climate estimates from a coastal Alaska watershed using local historical weather journals. PeerJ. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12055

Grants and Awards for August 2021 

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14270 "Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Cook Inlet Belugas and Links to Salmon Availability" - Lara Horstmann (Sonia Kumar) - UA Foundation Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research Student Award - $6,404.00 (May 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14282 "Understanding Spatial Dynamics and Movements of Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) in the Northern Bering Sea" - Andrew Seitz - BOEM - $139,946.00 (August 12, 2021)
• Grant G-14291 "Harnessing the power of eDNA as real-time assessment tool of nearshore Arctic marine communities" - Jessica Glass - BOEM - $200,766.00 (August 17, 2021)
• Grant G-14299 "Annual cycle of upper ocean turbulence in the Nordic Seas: observations and models" - Harper Simmons - ONR - $551,931.00 (August 16, 2021)
• Grant G-14309 "Dynamical downscaling of the submesoscale cascade of turbulence" - Harper Simmons - ONR - $60,109.00 (August 23, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11653 "Coastal hydrographic physical dynamics and oceanography assessments" - Seth Danielson - NPS - Mod 3 - $62,444.00 (August 2, 2017)
• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 9 - $513,498.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 10 - $2,758,304.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-13328 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska" - Andrew Seitz - Department of the Navy - Mod 5 - $278,347.00 (April 15, 2020)
• Grant G-13562 "Lake Clark National Park & Preserve Oceanographic Assessment" - Tyler Hennon - NPS - Mod 1 - $105,296.00 (August 12, 2020)

Grants controlled by other departments:

• Grant G-14032 "Material and Cost Efficient Modular Riverine Hydrokinetic Energy System" - Andrew Seitz - ACEP - Department of Energy - $71,533.00 (April 12, 2021)
• Grant G-14290 "UAF Drivers and Diversity of Chinook Salmon Pop in the AYK Region" - Curry Cunningham - IARC - AK Dept. of Fish & Game - $129,962.00 (July 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

As we kick off the fall semester, it is a pleasure to welcome our new and current students. While we continue to deal with challenging times due to the pandemic, our faculty and staff are ready to support your education, training and future success. In that regard, this afternoon we will welcome and celebrate our students with a meet and greet BBQ at our Fairbanks location. Many thanks to Christina Sutton and the Dean’s Office and Academic Programs staff for organizing this event.

Wishing everyone a safe and productive semester.

R/V Sikuliaq

In support of Bernard Coakley’s (UAF/GI) Chukchi Edges II cruise, Sikuliaq is sailing further north than ever before. The ship is currently at 79 degrees North latitude in the Arctic Ocean, which is about 475 miles northwest of Point Barrow. 

CFOS in the News

Graduate student Ellen Chenowith’s baleen whale research was featured in a Functional Ecologists article. 

Russ Hopcroft was quoted by the Anchorage Daily News and the Cordova Times regarding phytoplankton in the Gulf of Alaska. 

Mat Wooler’s research at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility was featured by ScienceBlog and the Good News Network. 

Graduate Student Sonia Kumar was on the front page of the Anchorage Daily News as part of a story about the return of beluga whales to Turnagain Arm. 

Publications

Quintella, B.R., Clemens, B.J., Sutton, T., Lanca, M.J., Madenjian, C.P., Happel, A., and Harvey, C. 2021. At-sea feeding ecology of parasitic lampreys. Sea Lamprey International Symposium III, Journal of Great Lakes Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2021.07.008

Zinkann, A.C., Wooller, M.J., O'Brien, D., and Iken, K. 2021. Does feeding type matter? Contribution of organic matter sources to benthic invertebrates on the Arctic Chukchi Sea shelf. Food Webs. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2021.e00205

Message from the Dean

CFOS benefits significantly from its state, federal, tribal, NGO, research and industry partners. In this regard, I recently visited the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory, which is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and co-managed with CFOS. K-Bay Lab Director Kris Holderied, staff and CFOS students led me on a tour of the research labs, classrooms, scientific diving capabilities and related infrastructure at this unique and picturesque shoreside facility located near Seldovia. K-Bay supports numerous research projects, including the current EPSCoR Fire and Ice project. This facility is a model for collaboration between the university and NOAA. It is a pleasure to thank Kris and her team and the wonderful staff and students for all their good work.

Congratulations to our summer 2021 graduates:

Talia Davia. BS Fisheries
Jesse Gordon. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Anne Beaudreau
Julia McMahon. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Peter Westley
Amy Darcie Neff. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Brenda Norcross
Patrick Barry. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Tony Gharrett
Kelly Cates. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Shannon Atkinson
Jason Leppi. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Mark Wipfli and Daniel Rinella

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Nome topping off the fuel tanks for Bernard Coakley’s (UAF/GI) cruise into the northern Chukchi Sea. Funded by NSF, the Chukchi Edges II cruise is a 45-day voyage to test hypotheses about formation, composition and structure of the northern edge of the Chukchi Sea continental shelf—aka, the Chukchi Borderland.  This is the longest research voyage ever conducted by Sikuliaq

Activities and Accomplishments

Will Burt was recognized for excellence in reviewing by the American Geophysical Union.

CFOS in the News

The Prince William Sound Science Center featured Kristen Gorman’s Copper River sockeye salmon migration study in their July newsletter.

Congratulations to Mat Wooller, whose research appeared on the cover of Science magazine and in The New York Times, The Daily Mail, CNN, Wired and many other media outlets.

Bernard Coakley’s current Sikuliaq cruise was featured by UAF News and Alaska Native News.

Reliable UK mentioned Peter Westley in a feature story about the impacts of salmon declines on Indigenous subsistence fishermen in Alaska.

Publications

Gonzalez, S., Horne, J.K., and Danielson, S.L. 2021. Multi-scale temporal variability in biological-physical associations in the NE Chukchi Sea. Polar Biology 44(4): 837–855. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02844-1

Haenel, Q., Oke, K.B., Laurentino, T.G., Hendry, A.P., and Berner, D. 2021. Clinical genomic analysis reveals strong reproductive isolation across a steep habitat transition in stickleback fish. Nature Communications 12:4850. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25039-y

Harke, M.J., Frischkorn, K.R., Hennon, G.M.M., Haley, S.T., Barone, B., Karl, D. M., and Dyhrman, S.T. 2021. Microbial community transcriptional patterns vary in response to mesoscale forcing in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Environmental Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15677

Jensen, L.T., Lanning, N.T., Marsay, C.M., Buck, C., Aguilar-Islas, A.M., Rember, R., Landing, W.M., Sherrell, R.M., and Fitzsimmons, J.N. 2021. Biogeochemical cycling of colloidal trace metals in the Arctic cryosphere. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 126(8). https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017394

Kandel, A., and Aguilar-Islas, A.M., 2021. Spatial and temporal variability of dissolved aluminum and manganese in surface waters of the northern Gulf of Alaska. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 189–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2021.104952

Khalsa, N.S., Gatt, K.P., Sutton, T.M., and Kelley, A.L. 2021. Characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore Arctic fishes. Ecology and Evolution 11(16): 11491–11506. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7940

Krause, J.W., Lomas, M.W., and Danielson, S.L. 2021. Diatom growth, biogenic silica production, and grazing losses to microzooplankton during spring in the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 104950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2021.104950

Miller, C.A., and Kelley, A.L. 2021. Alkalinity cycling and carbonate chemistry decoupling in seagrass mystify processes of acidification mitigation. Scientific Reports 11:13500. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92771-2

Miller, C.A., and Kelley, A.L. 2021. Seasonality and biological forcing modify the diel frequency of nearshore pH extremes in a subarctic Alaskan estuary. Limnology and Oceanography 66(4): 1475–1491. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11698

Miller, C. A., Bonsell, C., McTigue, N.D., and Kelley, A.L. 2021. The seasonal phases of an Arctic lagoon reveal the discontinuities of pH variability and CO₂ flux at the air–sea interface. Biogeosciences 18:1203–1221. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1203-2021

Vestfals C.D., Mueter F.J., Hedstrom K.S., Laurel B.J., Petrik C.M., Duffy-Anderson J.T., and Danielson S.L. 2021. Modeling the dispersal of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) early life stages in the Pacific Arctic using a biophysical transport model. Progress in Oceanography 196:102571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102571

Wooller, M.J., C. Bataille, P. Druckenmiller, G. M. Erickson, P. Groves, N. Haubenstock, T. Howe, J. Irrgeher, D. Mann, K. Moon, B. A. Potter, T. Prohaska, J. Rasic, J. Reuther, B. Shapiro, K. J. Spaleta, and A. D. Willis. 2021. Lifetime mobility of an Arctic woolly mammoth. Science 373(6556): 806–808 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg1134

Grants and Awards for July 2021

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14046 "Stock Assessment of a Valuable Groundfish Species: Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) in Prince William Sound" - Katja Berghaus (Trent Sutton) - UA Foundation NGOA - $8,298.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14155 "Gulf of Alaska Deep-Sea Zooplankton - Morphological and genetic analyses of zooplankton communities for nearshore to deep waters of the Gulf of Alaska" - Jennifer Questel - NPRB - $176,700.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14172 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line 2019-2024" - Russ Hopcroft - NPRB - $120,778.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14179 "MSE for Subsistence Fisheries of the Kuskokwim River Watershed" - Curry Cunningham - Bering Sea Fishermen's Association - $110,710.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14206 "Collaborative Research: Global eddy-driven transport estimated from in situ Lagrangian observations" - Harper Simmons - NSF - $48,256.00 (July 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14207 "Collaborative Research: Taking the Pulse of the Arctic Ocean - A US Contribution to the International Synoptic Arctic Survey" - Seth Danielson - NSF - $246,814.00 (July 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14210 "Second Generation consequences of hatchery enhancement of sockeye salmon in Auke Creek, Alaska" - Megan McPhee - Bering Sea Fishermen's Association - $10,735.00 (July 1, 2021)

Grant set up on assumption:

• Grant G-14241 "Bio-physical drivers of bowhead whale distribution on the Alaskan Beaufort Shelf During a Period of Rapid Environmental Change" - Stephen Okkonen - BOEM - $2,747,838.00 (once awarded) (July 1, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-8633 "Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center Fellowships" - Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $250,000.00 (April 1, 2013)
• Grant G-11709 "LTER: Resilience in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem" - Russ Hopcroft - NSF - Mod 4 - $1,127,000.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11557 "CAREER: Imaging the global distribution and drivers of the ocean's biological carbon pump" - Andrew McDonnell - NSF - Mod 7 - $79,100.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 9 - $2,157,779.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12804 "CMI Program Administration--Kumar Student Award" - Sonia Kumar (Lara Horstmann) - $25,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-12804 "CMI Program Admin--Stadler Student Award" - Lindsey Stadler (Katrin Iken) - $12,175.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" - Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA - Mod 3 - $180,000.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" - Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA - Mod 4 - $75,000.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12935 "Collaborative Research: Characterization of Subduction Channel Processes - Borehole Sampling at Active Serpentinite Mud Volcanoes on the Mariana Forearc" - Geoff Wheat - NSF - Mod 2 - $94,007.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13397 "Subtidal Habitat Mapping in the Cook Inlet Lease Area for Current and Predictive Sea Otter Associations with Habitat" - Elizabeth Hasan - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - Mod 2 - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

As recently communicated by UA Interim President Pitney, and consistent with recent changes in CDC guidance in response to an increase in the Delta variant of the virus, today marks a return to wearing face masks on campus for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Please ensure that you comply with this updated university policy to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, and thank you for your cooperation as we look forward to the start of the fall semester this month.

A priority for CFOS is to support the growth of our graduate programs and to foster graduate student research. In this regard, a new strategic investment for the college is the CFOS Dean’s Graduate Student Research Assistantship, with the first assistantship being offered in the coming academic year. Details of this competitive research assistantship were recently conveyed by Associate Dean for Academic Programs Trent Sutton, including the application deadline of August 16, 2019. In addition, each of our department chairs was allocated funds to help support graduate student tuition and related scholarly activities for the upcoming academic year. Despite the continued state budget challenges, going forward my goal is to continue to prioritize the success of our students.

It is a great pleasure to convey that Schery Umanzor has accepted an appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Marine Biology. Based at our Lena Point facility, Schery's research and teaching focus on kelp mariculture represents a key opportunity for the university and Alaska in the burgeoning Blue Economy. Please join me in congratulating Schery on her tenure-track faculty appointment!

Finally, after many years working at UAF and CFOS, today is Carol Kaynor's last day working as our web editor. Please join me in thanking Carol for the incredible work she has accomplished in managing the CFOS website and for her expert editorial work. She will continue to provide assistance on a limited basis to address questions and website issues. Please direct future web-related requests and updates to web@cfos.uaf.edu.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Seward preparing for Bernard Coakley’s (UAF/GI) Chukchi Edges II cruise in the northern Chukchi Sea. The purpose of the cruise is to test hypotheses about formation, composition and structure of the northern edge of the Chukchi Sea continental shelf.

Activities and Accomplishments

R/V Nanuq supported Amy Bishop and her team for drone surveys of bird colonies in the Chiswell Islands and Cape Resurrection. Natalie Monacci will use Nanuq to maintain the GAKOA buoy in Sunny Cove.

CFOS in the News

Shannon Atkinson and Heidi Pearson were featured in a NOAA Fisheries story about humpback whale research in Juneau.

Publications

Larsen Tempel, J.T., S. Wise, T.Q. Osborne, K. Sparks, and S. Atkinson. 2021. Life without ice: Perceptions of environmental impacts on marine resources and subsistence users of St. Lawrence Island. Ocean and Coastal Management 212:105819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105819

Pickett, B.M., J.R. Glass, P.G. Ridge, and J.S.K. Kauwe. 2021. De novo genome assembly of the marine teleost, bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus). G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkab229

Walther, E.J., M. Zimmerman, and P.AH. Westley. 2021. Landscape attributes explain salmonid ecological neighborhoods across a complex river network. Freshwater Biology 00:1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13801

Wright T., R. Davis , H. Pearson, M. Murray, and M. Sheffield-Moore. 2021. Skeletal muscle thermogenesis enables aquatic life in the smallest marine mammal. Science 373:223–225. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abf4557

Message from the Dean

With the start of fall semester now just weeks away, we will soon welcome back many new and current students to our college. We can be proud that, despite the challenges, enrollment has continued to tick up over the past few years, reaching an all-time high last year, and we anticipate another solid enrollment for the coming academic year. We also welcome our new tenure-track faculty hire, Jessica Glass, who will start her first academic year in the Department of Fisheries.

Plans are underway to host the fall meeting of the CFOS Advisory Council, which will be held in person on the Fairbanks campus on Tuesday, September 28. This will be a full-day meeting, and will include meetings with our students, staff and faculty. Please stay tuned for details.

The Dean’s Office and Dean’s Advisory Committee are starting to plan the third all-hands faculty retreat. At this time, we plan to host the retreat for a full day at the Captain Cook Hotel on Sunday, January 23, preceding the start of the 2022 Alaska Marine Science Symposium. The retreat agenda will be developed with input from faculty and staff.

Thank you all for your continued dedication to our mission to deliver excellence in fisheries and ocean sciences research, education and outreach for the benefit of Alaska and the nation.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Kris Newhall’s (WHOI) OOI Papa cruise, which will recover, service and redeploy moorings and gliders at Ocean Station Papa in the North Pacific Ocean.

Activities and Accomplishments

Mark Johnson gave the talk “Opening of the Arctic for Shipping and Resource Extraction and the Role that Alaska Will Play” as part of UAF’s Discover Alaska series.

Gwenn Hennon gave the talk "Diatoms on thin ice: sensitivity and resiliency to anthropogenic change in the Alaskan Arctic" at the Molecular Life of Diatoms 6 conference held July 12–14, 2021.

CFOS in the News

Will Burt, Curry Cunningham and the Tamamta program were mentioned in a UAF News announcement about NASA funding for oceanographic research in the Gulf of Alaska.

The summer edition of UAF’s Aurora magazine highlights CFOS research about warm water in the Arctic, Chinook salmon size, and sea urchins in the Aleutian Islands. The issue also features Mat Wooller’s research at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility.

KDLG radio in Dillingham ran a story about Milo Adkison’s summer field course in fisheries management.

Amanda Kelley and graduate students Shelby Bacus and Marina Washburn were featured in a video produced by AOOS about the impacts of ocean acidification on juvenile pink salmon.

Publications

Chenoweth, E.M., K.M. Boswell, A.S. Friedlaender, M.V. McPhee, J.A. Burrows, R.A. Heintz, and J.M. Straley. 2021. Confronting assumptions about prey selection by lunge‐feeding whales using a process‐based model. Functional Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13852

Jalbert, C.S. J.A. Falke, J.A. López, K.J. Dunker, A.J. Sepulveda, and P.A.H. Westley. 2021. Vulnerability of Pacific salmon to invasion of northern pike (Esox lucius) in Southcentral Alaska. PLoS ONE 16(7): e0254097.>https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254097

Melica, V., S. Atkinson, D. Gendron, J. Calambokidis, and F. Mueter. 2021. Blubber endocrine profiles provide insights into reproductive biology in blue whales from the eastern North Pacific Ocean. General and Comparative Endocrinology 310:113830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113830

Phelps, S.R., G.M.M. Hennon, S.T. Dyhrman, M.D.H. Limón, O.M. Williamson, and P.J. Polissar. 2021. Carbon isotope fractionation in Noelaerhabdaceae algae in culture and a critical evaluation of the alkenone paleobarometer. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 22(7): e2021GC009657. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GC009657

Siegel, D., et al. [authors include A.M.P. McDonnell]. 2021. An operational overview of the EXport Processes in the Ocean from RemoTe Sensing (EXPORTS) Northeast Pacific field deployment. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene 9(1): 00107. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2020.00107

van Putten, I., R. Kelly, R.D. Cavanagh, E.J. Murphy, A. Breckwoldt, S. Brodie, C. Cvitanovic, M. Dickey-Collas, L. Maddison, J. Melbourne-Thomas, H. Arrizabalaga, K. Azetsu-Scott, L.E. Beckley, R. Bellerby, A.J. Constable, G. Cowie, K. Evans, M. Glaser, J. Hall, A.J. Hobday, N.M. Johnston, J.K. Llopiz, F. Mueter, F.E. Muller-Karger, K.C. Weng, D. Wolf-Gladrow, and J.C. Xavier. 2021. A decade of incorporating social sciences in the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research Project (IMBeR): Much done, much to do? Frontiers in Marine Science 8:662350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.662350

Message from the Dean

As we have now closed out the first half of the year, it is worth reflecting on some of our key milestones and accomplishments to date. Since January, we held the first CFOS Advisory Council meeting, established a new CFOS Diversity Committee, continued to expand our course delivery through asynchronous modality, are developing a new Master of Marine Policy degree jointly with our colleagues at UAS, appointed the first Frank and Marjorie Meek Chair in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, and welcomed new faculty, staff and students to the college.

There is much to be proud of at CFOS, and the recognition of our high-quality academic and research programs and operation of national facilities is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our faculty, staff and students. Thank you for all your good work.

Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing Fourth of July holiday weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project.

Activities and Accomplishments

Andy Seitz gave the talk “Can clean energy and fish co-exist?” as part of UAF’s Discover Alaska series.

R/V Nanuq was used to test how unmanned aerial systems might help monitor populations of seabirds in the Gulf of Alaska.

CFOS in the News

KNOM radio featured a story on Robert Mason’s (UCONN) recent Sikuliaq cruise, which explored how climate change may increase levels of mercury in the Arctic Ocean and affect marine mammals and fish.

Publications

Ulaski, B.P., and B. Konar. 2021. Direct release of embryonic sporophytes from adult Nereocystis luetkeana (Laminariales, Ochrophyta) in a high latitude estuary. Algae 36(2): 147–154. https://doi.org/10.4490/algae.2021.36.5.10

Umanzor, S., J.M. Sandoval-Gil, M. Sanchez-Barredo, L.B. Ladah, M.-M. Ramirez-García, and J.A. Zertuche-González. 2021. Short-term stress responses and recovery of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera, Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) juvenile sporophytes to a simulated marine heatwave and nitrate scarcity. Journal of Phycology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13189

Grants and Awards for June 2021

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14101 "Tactical Naval Sensing: Regional 3D Oceanic Conditions" - Harper Simmons - University of California, San Diego - $80,000.00 (June 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14117 "Relaxed Selection in Salmon Hatcheries - Year 2" - Milo Adkison - Pacific Salmon Commission - $112,000.00 (May 15, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11744 "Synthesizing Optically-and Carbon Export-Relevant Particle Size Distributions for the EXPORTS Field Campaign" - Andrew McDonnell - University of California Santa Barbara - Mod 4 - $105,116.00 (September 15, 2017)

Grants controlled by another department:

• Grant G-14145 "PR643395: Tanana River Test Site Use and Support" - Andrew Seitz - AK Center for Energy and Power - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory PNNL - $5,430.00 (June 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

Last Friday was Juneteenth, a date commemorating the end of slavery in our nation—and now an official federal holiday. I again encourage everyone to stand together against all forms of racism.

Please join me in welcoming CFOS fisheries student Katja Berghaus as the Dean’s Office front desk assistant, replacing Mikayla Grunin.

Finally, summer solstice has now passed, which is all the more reason to spend time outside and enjoy the Alaska summer.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Seward for repairs on the port thruster and to get ready for Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research project. The NGA LTER voyage is scheduled to depart Seward on Sunday, June 27.

Activities and Accomplishments

Ph.D. student Katja Berghaus was awarded the highly competitive Kathryn E. and John P. Doyle Scholarship, which supports female students studying science at the University of Alaska.

Professor Andy Seitz has been appointed the first Frank and Marjorie Meek Endowed Chair in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Congratulations, Andy!

CFOS in the News

KTUU and the Nome Nugget featured Harper Simmons’ research on ocean warming in the Arctic.

Natalie Monacci was recognized in the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network’s Pier Review newsletter for her work mentoring the Nigerian Maritime University Ocean Acidification Team through the Pier2Peer Network.

Publications

Abernethy, E.F., J.D. Muehlbauer, T.A. Kennedy, J.D. Tonkin, R. Van Driesche and D.A. Lytle. 2021. Hydropeaking intensity and dam proximity limit aquatic invertebrate diversity in the Colorado River Basin. Ecosphere 12(6): e03559. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3559

Jiang, L.-Q., R.A. Feely, R. Wanninkhof, D. Greeley, L. Barbero, S. Alin, B.R. Carter, D. Pierrot, C. Featherstone, J. Hooper, C. Melrose, N. Monacci, et al. 2021. Coastal Ocean Data Analysis Product in North America (CODAP-NA)—an internally consistent data product for discrete inorganic carbon, oxygen, and nutrients on the North American ocean margins. Earth System Science Data 13(6): 2777–2799. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2777-2021

Message from the Dean

At the request of UA Interim President Pitney and UAS Chancellor Carey, CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast have been working together to develop a proposal for a new Master of Marine Policy (MMP) degree program. Keith Criddle, the UAF Ted Stevens Distinguished Professor of Marine Policy, has been leading the CFOS effort in conjunction with faculty at UAS. In the coming days, we will solicit input on the draft program from CFOS and UAS faculty, as well as provide an update to the president and Chancellor Carey. While there is still a ways to go in defining the final program and garnering final approval from UA senior leadership and the Board of Regents, our goal is to have this new degree program offered jointly by UAF/CFOS and UAS and open to enrollment by the 2022 fall semester. This is another example of CFOS and UAS faculty and staff working toward a common goal in support of fisheries and marine science research and education for the benefit of Alaska.

Wishing everyone a happy National Ocean Month and World Oceans Day tomorrow.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of Dr. Robert Mason’s (UCONN) mercury cycling study, which consists of a transect from open water through the marginal ice zone and into ice-covered regions in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. The voyage is scheduled to end in Seward on June 14.

Activities and Accomplishments

Russ Hopcroft was awarded Alaska Sikuliaq Program funding for Sikuliaq ship-time in support of Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-term Ecological Research program cruises in 2022.

Last Thursday, Dean Moran gave a “Did You Know” presentation to the UA Board of Regents that highlighted CFOS academic and research programs and major facilities, which was part of a larger presentation on Alaska’s Blue Economy. The presentation included a recorded interview with NOAA director and CFOS alum Dr. Robert Foy.

UAF’s underwater glider Shackleton was the first glider to transit from Prince William Sound to Resurrection Bay. After the 20-day journey, the glider was successfully recovered by CFOS’s vessel R/V Nanuq last week.

Graduate student Lauren Sutton was awarded the highly competitive Kathryn E. and John P. Doyle Scholarship. Each year two undergraduate and two graduate students receive the award, which supports female students studying science at the University of Alaska.

CFOS in the News

Lara Horstmann was mentioned in a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner feature story about a bowhead whale skeleton suspended at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

The Mountain Research Initiative featured Gwenn Hennon in a photo essay about the receding Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska.

Katrin Iken was featured in a story published by the Austrian Polar Research Institute regarding her recent paper about the ecology of the Chukchi Borderland marine region.

In their newsletter Ocean News Weekly, the Consortium of Ocean Leadership highlighted Franz Mueter and CFOS alum Casey Clark’s work to enable scientists to better gauge how centuries of fossil fuel emissions could be skewing data collected from the marine environment.

UAF News ran a story on Brenda Konar’s appointment as the new principal investigator and project director of NSF’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) “Fire and Ice” research project.

Harper Simmons talked about ocean warming in the Arctic on KYUK radio.

Publications

Hinkle, E., and N.B. Ford. 2021. Reproductive traits of North American Cajun dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus shufeldtii) from the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge. The Southwestern Naturalist 65(1): 56–60. https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909-65.1.56

Moran, S.B. 2021. Workforce development and leadership training for the new blue economy. In: L. Hotaling and R. Spinrad, eds. Preparing the Workforce for the New Blue Economy: People, Products and Policies. Elsevier, pp. 407–416. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821431-2.00002-0

Vershinina, A.O., P.D. Heintzman, D.G. Froese, G. Zazula, M. Cassatt-Johnstone, L. Dalén, C. Der Sarkissian, S.G. Dunn, L. Ermini, C. Gamba, P. Groves, J.D. Kapp, D.H. Mann, A. Seguin-Orlando, J. Southon, M. Stiller, M.J. Wooller, et al. 2021. Ancient horse genomes reveal the timing and extent of dispersals across the Bering Land Bridge. Molecular Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15977

Zhulay, I., B.A. Bluhm, P.E. Renaud, R. Degen, and K. Iken. 2021. Functional pattern of benthic epifauna in the Chukchi Borderland, Arctic deep sea. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:609956. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.609956

Grants and Awards for May 2021

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14081 "Large Payload Delivery AUV Study" - C. Geoff Wheat - ONR - $199,055.00 (May 11, 2021)
• Grant G-14099 "Life History, variability and mixed-stock analysis of Dolly Varden in the Noatak River FY21" - Andrew Seitz - ADFG - $7,634.00 (April 1, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-2218 "Administration of PCCRC" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation PCCRC - $42,000.00 (January 1, 2005)
• Grant G-3163 "Ted Stevens Distinguished Professor of Marine Policy" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation - $220,000.00 (April 1, 2006)
• Grant G-12114 "Inertial and Turbulent Processes in the Iceland Basin: A Proposal to the Near Inertial Shear and Kinetic Energy in the North Atlantic Experiment (NISKINE) Departmental Research Initiative" - Harper Simmons - ONR - Mod 4 - $207,035.00 (April 15, 2018)
• Grant G-13303 "Collaborative Research: A High Resolution Multi-Tracer Biogeochemical Study of the Pacific Arctic" - Dean Stockwell - NSF - Mod 1 - $44,325.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13353 "Spatiotemporal dynamics of chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea" - Megan McPhee - UA Foundation PCCRC - $47,551.00 (May 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13354 "Nutritional consequences of changes in phytoplankton community structure" - Sarah Mincks - UA Foundation PCCRC - $35,775.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13545 "Evaluation of Spatio-temporal Methods for Standardizing Data from Multiple Fishery-Independent Surveys in the GOA and BSAI" - Curry Cunningham - UA Foundation PCCRC - $78,066.00 (August 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

On June 3, CFOS will be featured as part of the Did You Know series of presentations to the UA Board of Regents. As part of this Regents’ meeting, it will be my pleasure to interview one of our outstanding alumni, Bob Foy, Science and Research Director of the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center. This will be followed by presentations focused on the Blue Economy by CFOS, UAS and Alaska Sea Grant, showcasing the depth and diversity of our collective academic, research and outreach programs that bring significant benefits to Alaska and the nation.

Effective June 30, Brenda Konar will step down as associate dean for research and director of the Institute of Marine Science (IMS) and the Coastal Marine Institute (CMI), and will begin work as the project director and lead PI for EPSCoR Fire and Ice. Brenda has served as associate dean for nearly 7 years, providing support for our research enterprise and major facilities. In addition to her own robust research and teaching programs as professor in the department of marine biology, Brenda has played a key role in fostering collaborative research initiatives, securing funding for a new research faculty position in mariculture, recruiting other new research faculty, and working with the National Science Foundation and the university to develop the Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedures (CECSOP) for Sikuliaq research operations. Brenda will remain a faculty member in CFOS, and we look forward to her continued success. Please join me in thanking Brenda for her outstanding university service.

I am pleased to announce that Jennifer Reynolds has agreed to serve a one-year term as interim associate dean for research and director of IMS and CMI. Jennifer brings significant experience in research administration as a former director of NURP and IMS. Please join me in congratulating Jennifer on her new appointment.

Finally, it is a pleasure to announce that Laura Frisone is the new CFOS HR coordinator. As a former university employee in the Office of Information and Technology, she brings experience in university and HR operations. Today is her first day on the job. Please join me in welcoming Laura to the CFOS team.

R/V Sikuliaq

Tyler Hennon’s (UAF/CFOS) Bering and Aleutian Internal Tide Mixing (BAIT MIX) cruise, which was supported by the Alaska Sikuliaq Program, has been completed. Sikuliaq is currently underway in support of Dr. Robert Mason’s (UCONN) project, which is investigating how changes in sea-ice conditions are impacting the role of mercury and methylmercury in the Arctic Ocean food web.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS researchers presented flash talks at UAF’s Arctic Research Open House, which was hosted by the International Arctic Research Center. A Facebook Live video recording of the event is available, and UAF’s YouTube channel has a playlist of talks by participating researchers, including Shelby Bacus, Katrin Iken, Mark Johnson, Erika King, Brenda Konar, Natalie Monacci and Lindsey Stadler.

Graduate student Brain Ulaski recently presented an overview of projects conducted at the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory to Lathrop High School.

Gwenn Hennon participated in Joy Elementary School's Earth Week with a presentation and student activity, “The hidden world within sea ice,” which was developed with support from the Coastal Marine Institute.

CFOS in the News

EurekaAlerts and UAF News mentioned Franz Mueter and CFOS alumni Casey Clark in a press release about a new tool that will allow scientists to better gauge how centuries of fossil fuel emissions could be skewing the data they collect from marine environments.

A recent study by Alexei Pinchuk that includes visualizations of how warming waters impact Alaska’s marine ecosystem was featured in Golden Software, Inc.

Mat Wooller’s research was mentioned in a NOAA feature story about information that seal whiskers provide to scientists.

Trent Sutton, CFOS graduate students Kyle Gatt and Carolyn Hamman, and alumni Justin Priest and Duncan Green were featured in the American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter’s newsletter, Oncorhynchus, regarding the Beaufort Sea Long-Term Nearshore Fish Monitoring Program.

Peter Westley was quoted in a story by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner about food retailers that are changing guidelines because of shrinking salmon sizes.

Harper Simmons appeared in a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner story about the importance of warm Pacific water in melting sea ice in the Arctic.

Publications

Bucklin, A., K.T.C.A. Peijnenburg, K.N. Kosobokova, T.D. O'Brien, L. Blanco-Bercial, A. Cornils, T. Falkenhaug, R.R. Hopcroft, A. Hosia, S. Laakmann, C. Li, L. Martell, J.M. Questel, D. Wall-Palmer, M. Wang, P.H. Wiebe, and A. Weydmann-Zwolicka. 2021. Toward a global reference database of COI barcodes for marine zooplankton. Marine Biology 168:78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03887-y

Clark, C.T., M.R. Cape, M.D. Shapley, F.J. Mueter, B.P. Finney, and N. Misarti. 2021. SuessR: Regional corrections for the effects of anthropogenic CO₂ on δ¹³C data from marine organisms. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13622

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to recognize the CFOS staff members who were honored last week at the annual UAF Staff Recognition event. These individuals and all of our hardworking staff help to ensure that CFOS operates efficiently and effectively. Please join me in congratulating the following employees for their dedicated service to CFOS and to the university: Caitlin Smoot, Jonathan Pierce, Paul St. Onge and Sarah Spanos (5 years of service); John Pender (10 years of service).

Spring is here with warmer temps and trees budding—I hope everyone is able to safely enjoy some of our spectacular outdoors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Tyler Hennon’s (UAF/CFOS) Bering and Aleutian Internal Tide Mixing (BAIT MIX) project, a pilot study on the bottom-up and top-down controls on fish populations in order to ensure the health and sustainability of fisheries.

Activities and Accomplishments

The underwater glider Shackleton, part of the UAF glider fleet, was deployed in Cordova and is currently performing the first crossing of the Gulf of Alaska. Hank Statscewich will retrieve it using R/V Nanuq.

Graduate student Courtney Hart was selected as a Goering Family Fellowship recipient with a $1,000 scholarship for the 2021–2022 academic year.

Samuel May has received Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies funding to join CFOS and the lab of Peter Westley as a postdoctoral researcher to work on modeling the reproductive success of hatchery and wild salmon.

CFOS in the News

KOTZ radio and the Nome Nugget featured Harper Simmons in a story about warm water melting sea ice in the Arctic. Simmons, Seth Danielson and Thilo Klenz were mentioned in UAF News and Arctic Sounder stories about the research.

Bloomberg Green quoted Peter Westley in an article about how shrinking salmon body sizes have impacted the food industry.

Shannon Atkinson was mentioned in an Eos article about the lingering effects of the Pacific marine heatwave from 2014 to 2016 in the Gulf of Alaska.

The Bulletin of Marine Science featured a paper by Jessica Glass about predatory trevally in the Indo-Pacific.

Publications

Alabia, I.D., J. García Molinos, T. Hirata, F.J. Mueter, T. Hirawake, and S.-I. Saitoh. 2021. Marine biodiversity refugia in a climate-sensitive subarctic shelf. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15632

Courtney, M.B., M. Evans, K.R. Shedd, and A.C. Seitz. 2021. Understanding the behavior and ecology of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) on an important feeding ground in the Gulf of Alaska. Environmental Biology of Fishes 104:357–373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01083-x

Glass, J.R., S.R. Santos, J.S.K. Kauwe, and B.D. Pickett. 2021. Phylogeography of two marine predators, giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) and bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus), across the Indo-Pacific. Bulletin of Marine Science 97(2): 257–280. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2019.0114

Johnson, M.A., A.V. Marchenko, D.O. Dammann, and A.R. Mahoney. 2021. Observing wind-forced flexural-gravity waves in the Beaufort Sea and their relationship to sea ice mechanics. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 9(5): 471. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9050471

Smith, A.N., G.M.M. Hennon, E.R. Zinser, B.C. Calfee, J.W. Chandler, and A.D. Barton. 2021. Comparing Prochlorococcus temperature niches in the lab and across ocean basins. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11777

Vestfals, C.D., F.J. Mueter, K.S. Hedstrom, B.J. Laurel, C.M. Petrik, J.T. Duffy-Anderson, and S.L. Danielson. 2021. Modeling the dispersal of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) early life stages in the Pacific Arctic using a biophysical transport model. Progress in Oceanography 102571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102571

Grants and Awards for April 2021

New awards:

• Grant G-13997 "US Science Support Program Office associated with the International Ocean Discovery Program (USSSP-IDOP)" - Geoff Wheat - Columbia University - $79,816.00 (April 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14007 "2021 NGOA Award for Lee" - Peter Westley (Madeline Lee) - UA Foundation - $11,000.00 (March 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14016 "Evaluating Factors Adult Mortality CRSS" - Kristen Gorman - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $64,999.00 (March 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14031 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study 2022" - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC - $41,560.00 (January 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14040 "Shifting the Baseline for Salmon Escapement Goals: Causes and Solutions" - Milo Adkison - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $74,648.00 (March 1, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11400 "Long Term Monitoring: Ecological Communities in Kachemak Bay, Phase 2" - Katrin Iken - Prince William Sound Science Center - Mod 4 - $52.930.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11408 "Environmental Drivers: Seward Line" - Russ Hopcroft - Prince William Sound Science Center - Mod 4 - $134,400.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11485 "Long-Term Monitoring of the Alaska Coastal Current" - Seth Danielson - Prince William Sound Science Center - Mod 4 - $116,900.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11625 "Modeling of Near Surface Stratification Processes in the Bay of Bengal: A proposal to the MISO-DRI" - Harper Simmons - Office of Naval Research - $114,055.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12804 "Coastal Marine Institute Program Administration 2019-2024" - Brenda Konar - BOEM - Mod 2 - $89,702.00 (May 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 8 - $863,401.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-13193 "CY2019 Navy-funded cruises on R/V Sikuliaq" - Douglas Baird Jr. - Office of Naval Research - Mod 2 - $2,294,800.00 (August 5, 2019)
• Grant G-13323 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation" - Ethan Roth - Mod 1 - $340,000.00 (April 1, 2020)

Grant and grant fund controlled by another department:

• Grant G-12834 "Alaska INBRE-4 One Health" - Amanda Kelley - AK INBRE CD Award - $46,500.00 (March 1, 2021)
• Grant G-13079 "Landfast Ice Climatology within the Arctic OCS" - Seth Danielson - GI - BOEM - Mod 2 - $127,226.00 (September 24, 2019)

Message from the Dean

As we conclude the spring 2021 semester, I would like to reiterate my appreciation to our dedicated students, staff and faculty for your perseverance and collective energy in advancing the mission of CFOS. Please note that on Thursday, April 29, CFOS will host a virtual graduation celebration. Details on how to connect to the CFOS event have been shared and are available from Christina Sutton.

I am delighted to convey that Stephanie Madsen has accepted Chancellor White’s appointment to the CFOS Advisory Council. As executive director of the At-sea Processors Association and an elected director serving on the board of the UA Foundation, Stephanie has been an ardent supporter of the university and of the diverse research and education programs in CFOS, particularly in fisheries. Please join me in congratulating Stephanie on her recent appointment.

Last, please join me in congratulating associate professor Seth Danielson on being awarded tenure, and Alexei Pinchuk on his promotion to research professor.

2021 Dean’s Recognition Awards

Outstanding Advisor: Katrin Iken
Outstanding Instructor: Courtney Carothers
Outstanding Public Service: Peter Westley
Outstanding Researcher: Russ Hopcroft
Outstanding Staff: Hank Statscewich
Outstanding R/V Sikuliaq Crew Member: Christoph Gabaldo
Outstanding Graduate: Eric Walther
Outstanding Undergraduate: Brian Zhang

Spring 2021 graduates

Ashley Bolwerk. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Ginny Eckert
Kyle Gatt. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Trent Sutton
Sonia Ibarra. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Ginny Eckert
Nina Lundstrom. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Anne Beaudreau
Eric Walther. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Peter Westley
Christopher Latty. PhD Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Tuula Hollmen
Mary (Katie) McCabe. MS Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Brenda Konar
Channing Bolt. PhD Oceanography, Major Advisor: Ana Aguilar-Islas
Dmitry Brazhnikov. PhD Oceanography, Major Advisor: Harper Simmons
Hanna Hellen. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Nana Matsui. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Robert (Eric) Rowe. BS Fisheries
Tazia Wagner. BS Fisheries

Student awards

Outstanding overall student/Dean's Choice Award: Brian Zhang
Leadership Award: Feyne Elmore
Outstanding Senior: Sadie Oswald
Outstanding Junior: Kortney Birch
Outstanding Sophomore: Kyleigh McArthur
Outstanding Freshman: Shelby Thompson

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) spring research voyage. This is the first of two NGA LTER voyages aboard Sikuliaq in 2021. The second is scheduled for late June to mid-July.

Activities and Accomplishments

Kristen Gorman gave a presentation to the Marine Biology class at Lathrop High School in Fairbanks, discussing her work on Copper River sockeye salmon migration energetics.

Olivia Edwards won best MS oral presentation at the recent Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society meeting.

Chris Sergeant was chosen to be in the 2021 cohort of Wilburforce Leaders in Conservation Science.

CFOS in the News

Footage from R/V Sikuliaq was featured in a University of California San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography video showing how warm water enters the Arctic and melts ice from below.

Greenwave featured Schery Umanzor’s research on nutrient extraction by farmed kelp.

Andy Seitz and Peter Westley were featured in a KYUK article about how marine predation may affect the body size of spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon.

Publications

Callahan, M.W., A.H. Beaudreau, R. Heintz, and F. Mueter. 2021. First winter energy allocation in juvenile sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria, a fast growing marine piscivore. Marine Ecology Progress Series 663:145–156. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13641

Kelly, A., J.H. Miller, M.J. Wooller, C.T. Seaton, P. Druckenmiller, and L. DeSantis. 2021. Dietary paleoecology of bison and horses on the mammoth steppe of eastern Beringia based on dental microwear and mesowear analyses. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 572:110394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110394

MacKinnon, J.A., H.L. Simmons, J. Hargrove, J. Thomson, T. Peacock, M.H. Alford, B.I. Barton, S. Boury, S.D. Brenner, N. Couto, S.L. Danielson, E.C. Fine, H.C. Graber, J. Guthrie, J.E. Hopkins, S.R. Jayne, C. Jeon, T. Klenz, C.M. Lee, Y-D Lenn, A.J. Lucas, B. Lund, C. Mahaffey, L. Norman, L. Rainville, M.M. Smith, L.N. Thomas, S. Torres-Valdés, and K.R. Wood. 2021. A warm jet in a cold ocean. Nature Communications 12:2418. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22505-5

Williams, B.C., K.R. Criddle, and G.H. Kruse. 2021. An agent-based model to optimize transboundary management for the walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) fishery in the Gulf of Alaska. Natural Resource Modeling. https://doi.org/10.1111/nrm.12305

Message from the Dean

For those residing in Fairbanks, I hope that you have shoveled out, still have a roof overhead, and have otherwise returned to normalcy after the Snowmageddon event on Easter weekend. At the least the Fairbanks ski season has been extended!

Beginning in 2015, the state of Alaska has provided $500,000 annually to support research and education programs conducted by UAF-based researchers and collaborators aboard Sikuliaq. As operator of Sikuliaq, CFOS facilitates the allocation of these state funds through the competitive Alaska Sikuliaq Program (ASP). The deadline for the CY2022 proposal submission is April 30.

Finally, it is a pleasure to welcome Mikayla Grunin as our new Front Desk Assistant in the Dean’s Office—welcome aboard, Mikayla!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently transiting from Newport, Oregon, to Seward. After the ship arrives in Seward, preparations will begin for the first of two Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research voyages for Russ Hopcroft (UAF/CFOS).

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS students presented posters at the 2021 Research and Creative Activity Days Award Ceremony to share research supported by UAF’s Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity (URSA) program.

• Talia Davis: “Ocean water and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) samples create baseline for climate change and pollution indicators and strengthen data sovereignty for the Tlingit community of Kake, Alaska” (CFOS Dean’s Choice Honorable Mention)
• Feyne Elmore: “Effects of salinity and minerals on zooplankton abundance and structure in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska”
• Amanda Franz: “The influence of acclimation temperatures on the mRNA expression driving thermotolerance in broad whitefish Coregonus nasus”
• Hanna Hellen: “Differences in stable isotope signatures between Chukchi Sea and Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears”
• Thomas House: “Differences in isotopic signatures among Arctic grayling in the Yukon River Watershed”
• Molly Piscoya and Roger Maldonado: “Histological analyses of male lingcod reproductive tissues in Prince William Sound”
• Will Samuel: “Analysis of the Cripple Creek project: Assessing the effects of fish passage improvements and habitat enhancement” (CFOS Dean’s Choice Award)
• Emily Williamson: “Phytoplankton diversity and abundance along a glacial gradient in Kachemak Bay, Alaska”

At the recent Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society meeting, the following CFOS students received the highest scores for their presentations:

• Undergraduate oral presentation: Will Samuel, “Analysis of the Cripple Creek project: Assessing the effects of fish passage improvements and habitat enhancement”
• MS poster presentation: Carolyn Hamman, “Detection of Arctic cod Boreogadus saida using eDNA in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska”
• PhD poster presentation: Chris Sergeant, “How will Pacific salmon in Alaska respond to changes in streamflow and water temperature?”

CFOS in the News

Andy Seitz and Peter Westley spoke on a KYUK radio show about their research on late-stage marine mortality of Yukon River Chinook salmon.

CFOS, the Seward Marine Center, Gillian Braver and Amanda Kelley were mentioned in an article in the Seward Journal about the success of the 2021 Tsunami Bowl. The event was also mentioned by UAF News and the Juneau Empire.

Feyne Elmore was mentioned in UAF News for receiving a 2021 Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

Publications

Jones, B.R., A.L. Kelley, and S.L. Mincks. 2021. Changes to benthic community structure may impact organic matter consumption on Pacific Arctic shelves. Conservation Physiology 9(1): coab007. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coab007

McIntosh Marcek, H.A., L.F.W. Lesack, B.N. Orcutt, C.G. Wheat, S.R. Dallimore, K. Geeves, and L.L. Lapham. 2021. Continuous dynamics of dissolved methane over two years and its carbon isotopes (δ13C, Δ14C) in a small Arctic lake in the Mackenzie Delta. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 126(3): e2020JG006038. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JG006038

Meyer, K.A., L.V. Chiaramonte, and J.B. Reynolds. 2021. The 100-watt method: A protocol for backpack electrofishing in small streams. Fisheries 46(3):125–130. Publication on AFS website

Weitzman, B., and B. Konar. 2021. Biological correlates of sea urchin recruitment in kelp forest and urchin barren habitats. Marine Ecology Progress Series 663:115–125. Publication on Research Gate

Grants and Awards for March 2021

New awards:

• Grant G-13919 "The Student Observing Sikuliaq Information (SOSSI) Program" - Will Burt - NPRB - $19,997.00 (March 1, 2021)
• Grant G-13964 "Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System" - Seth Danielson - Princeton University - $100,000.00 (October 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13970 "2021 BWT Bottom Sampling Support, Analyses, and Report" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $69,854.00 (January 1, 2021)
• Grant G-13993 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation - 2021" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $89,615.00 (March 15, 2021)
• Grant G-13994 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Shipboard Scientific Equipment (SSSE) 2021" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $24,972.00 (March 15, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding during March:

• Grant G-12333 "ASGARD: Arctic Shelf Growth, Advection, Respiration and Deposition Rate Experiments" - Seth Danielson - NRPB - Mod 2 - $50,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12726 "Investigating microbial biodegradation of crude oil in Arctic marine sediments via shotgun metagenomics and compound-specific hydrocarbon analyses" - Alexis Walker - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - Mod 2 - $23,900.00 (April 1, 2019)

Grant funds controlled by another department:

• Grant G-13295 "Alaska Space Grant Program FY20-24" - Denice Thorsen (GI) - NASA:
  
  • Higher Ed Mini Grant - Sonia Kumar (Lara Horstmann) - $21,937.00 (March 1, 2021)
  • Higher Ed Mini Grant - Ben Lowin (Will Burt) - $22,436.00 (March 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

Last week the CFOS Advisory Council (AC) met for the first time to hear from Chancellor White, members of our leadership team, and our student representatives regarding CFOS academic departments and programs, research activities and major facilities. I want to thank Molly McCammon for agreeing to serve as chair. Next steps include addressing the council directive and priorities, as well as specific topics of interest to members, including industry partnerships and advocacy; research priorities; and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the college. I look forward to working with the AC as we strive to meet the needs of our students, our community and industry partners, and the state of Alaska.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Dr. Ed Dever’s (OSU) Ocean Observatory Initiative (OOI) Endurance Array maintenance cruise off the coasts of Oregon and Washington. The Endurance Array is part of a regional observatory network that includes OOI, Station Papa, and Ocean Networks Canada. This observing network captures the variability of ocean properties across a range of temporal and spatial scales, allowing researchers to examine ocean health issues such as hypoxia, ocean acidification, and harmful algal blooms.

Activities and Accomplishments

The Seward Marine Center hosted the 24th annual Tsunami Bowl, themed Plunging into our Polar Seas, which was held online this year due to the pandemic. The Juneau-Douglas High School “New Squids on the Dock” team was the overall winner of the Tsunami Bowl and will proceed to the national competition. Other awards are listed on the Tsunami Bowl Facebook page.

R/V Sikuliaq Science Operations Manager Ethan Roth presented a virtual tour of the ship to Tsunami Bowl teams using video footage provided by Sikuliaq marine technician Bern McKiernan.

The journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry recognized a paper coauthored by Matthew Wooller, Dried blood spot sampling of landlocked Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) for estimating mercury exposure and stable carbon isotope fingerprinting of essential amino acids, as one of its Top 10 Exceptional Papers of 2020.

The Alaska SeaLife Center announced that Seth Danielson is the recipient of the 2021 Marine Research Award. This honor is part of the center’s Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards given annually to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the awareness and sustainability of Alaska’s marine resources. Congratulations, Seth!

Feyne Elmore, an undergraduate student in the Fisheries and Marine Sciences program, was selected as a prestigious 2021 Barry Goldwater Scholar. This federally endowed award recognizes outstanding undergraduate students pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. For 2021, there were 410 awardees selected from more than 5,000 nominations by colleges and universities across the nation. Congratulations, Feyne!

Fisheries graduate students Elizabeth Mik'aq Lindley and Madeline Lee were awarded Honorable Mentions in the 2021 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

CFOS in the News

Curry Cunningham, Andy Seitz, Peter Westley and CFOS alumna Kaitlyn Manishin were featured by UAF News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in a story about the role that late-stage ocean mortality may play in Yukon River Chinook salmon declines.

The three University of Alaska chancellors noted the UAS–UAF joint undergraduate fisheries program in a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner article.

Recent CFOS alumna Lauren Wild was featured in a KCAW radio story about a necropsy conducted on a humpback whale that washed ashore near Sitka.

Trent Sutton and graduate student Carolyn Hamman were featured in the Western Division of the American Fisheries Society’s Tributary newsletter regarding their research on synthetic chemicals and mercury found in coastal Beaufort Sea fishes of subsistence importance.

Publications

Kosobokova, K.N., and R.R. Hopcroft. 2021. Population structure, vertical distribution and fecundity of Eukrohnia hamata (Chaetognatha) in the Arctic Ocean during summer. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 169:103454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103454

Raymond, W.W., B.B. Hughes, T.A. Stephens, C.R. Mattson, A.T. Bolwerk, and G.L. Eckert. 2021. Testing the generality of sea otter‐mediated trophic cascades in seagrass meadows. Oikos. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.07681

Suryan, R.M., M.L. Arimitsu, H.A. Coletti, R.R. Hopcroft, M.R. Lindeberg, S.J. Barbeaux, S.D. Batten, W.J. Burt, M.A. Bishop, J.L. Bodkin, R. Brenner, R.W. Campbell, D.A. Cushing, S.L. Danielson, M.W. Dorn, B. Drummond, D. Esler, T. Gelatt, D.H. Hanselman, S.A. Hatch, S. Haught, K. Holderied, K. Iken, D.B. Irons, A.B. Kettle, D.G. Kimmel, B. Konar, K.J. Kuletz, B.J. Laurel, J.M. Maniscalco, C. Matkin, C.A.E. McKinstry, D.H. Monson, J.R. Moran, D. Olsen, W.A. Palsson, W.S. Pegau, J.F. Piatt, L.A. Rogers, N.A. Rojek, A. Schaefer, I.B. Spies, J.M. Straley, S.L. Strom, K.L. Sweeney, M. Szymkowiak, B.P. Weitzman, E.M. Yasumiishi, and S.G. Zador. 2021. Ecosystem response persists after a prolonged marine heatwave. Scientific Reports 11:6235. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83818-5

Umanzor, S., Y. Li, D. Bailey, S. Augyte, M. Huang, M. Marty‐Rivera, J‐L. Jannink, C. Yarish, and S. Lindell. 2021. Comparative analysis of morphometric traits of farmed sugar kelp and skinny kelp, Saccharina spp., strains from the Northwest Atlantic. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/jwas.12783

Message from the Dean

I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing and safe spring break last week. Yesterday marked daylight savings time, and one can feel that spring is now just around the corner.

For more than twenty years, CFOS has played a lead role in bringing together high school students from across the state to compete in the Alaska Tsunami Bowl, which is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. Next week, the 24th annual Tsunami Bowl will take place, with the theme “Plunging into our Polar Seas,” which highlights polar research. Due to the pandemic, this year’s event will be held virtually March 26–28. The competition will include 8 teams from 7 schools: Cordova High School, Dimond High School, Eagle River High School, Gustavus High School, Ketchikan High School, Juneau-Douglas High School, and Mat-Su Career and Technical High School. A big thanks to Gillian Braver for organizing this year’s event and Amanda Kelley for leading the research paper and oral presentations.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for the first science cruise of 2021: Dr. David Schmidt’s Cascadia GPS-A project to install geodetic transponders and benchmarks along the Cascadia subduction zone. Later this week, Sikuliaq will arrive in Newport, Oregon, to begin staging for Dr. Ed Dever’s (OSU) OOI Endurance Array maintenance cruise.

Activities and Accomplishments

Many CFOS faculty, research staff and students are participating in the Kachemak Bay Science Conference, which begins today and continues through March 18.

Gwenn Hennon gave a seminar at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center about climate change impacts on phytoplankton.

On Friday, March 12, Bradley Moran presented highlights of CFOS research, academic programs, and the Seward Marine Center to the Alaska House Finance Subcommittee; a heartfelt thanks to Rep. Adam Wool for the invitation to present.

CFOS in the News

In an article published in the Frontiersman, UA Interim President Pat Pitney cited CFOS as an example of how the university continues to grow despite statewide budget cuts.

The Peninsula Clarion ran a story about a recent sea star die-off event in the Northern Gulf of Alaska that was based on a journal article by Brenda Konar and others in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.

Seth Danielson appeared in the Prince William Sound Science Center’s newsletter in an article about how gliders are used to study herring.

The Seward Marine Center, research vessels operated by CFOS, and CFOS staff and faculty were highlighted in a story about the history of SMC that was published by UAF’s Cornerstone.

Publications

Arimitsu, M., J. Piatt, S. Hatch, R.M. Suryan, S. Batten, M.A. Bishop, R.W. Campbell, H. Coletti, D. Cushing, K. Gorman, R.R. Hopcroft, K.J. Kuletz, C. Marsteller, C. McKinstry, D. McGowan, J. Moran, W.S. Pegau, A. Schaefer, S. Schoen, J. Straley, and V.R. von Biela. 2021. Heatwave-induced synchrony within forage fish portfolio disrupts energy flow to top pelagic predators. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15556

Barnes, C.L., A.H. Beaudreau, and R.N. Yamada. 2021. The role of size in trophic niche separation between two groundfish predators in Alaskan waters. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 13(1): 98–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10141

Brown, K.L., S. Atkinson, C.G. Furin, F.J. Mueter, and R. Gerlach. 2021. Metals in the stomach contents and brain, gonad, kidney, and liver tissues of subsistence-harvested northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Icy Strait, Alaska. Marine Pollution Bulletin 166:112183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112183

Johnson, J.J., P.A. Shaw, E.J. Oh, M.J. Wooller, S. Merriman, H.Y. Yun, T. Larsen, J. Krakoff, S.B. Votruba, and D.M. O'Brien. 2021. The carbon isotope ratios of nonessential amino acids identify sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumers in a 12-wk inpatient feeding study of 32 men with varying SSB and meat exposures. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa374

Kaiser, B.A., M. Kourantidou, D. Ahsan, S. Bakanev, A. Burmeister, G. Eckert, L.M. Fernandez, H.P. Hong, A.A. Monsalve, D. Mullowney, B.H. Nøstvold, H. Park, E. Poulsen, L. Ravn-Jonsen, C. Siddon, J.H. Sundet, K. Tokunaga, and M. Yamamoto. 2021. Global ecological and economic connections in Arctic and sub-Arctic crab markets. Marine Policy 127:104442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104442

Knudsen, E.E., P.S. Rand, K.B. Gorman, D.R. Bernard, and W.D. Templin. 2021. Hatchery-origin stray rates and total run characteristics for pink salmon and chum salmon returning to Prince William Sound, Alaska, in 2013–2015. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 13(1): 58–85. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10134

Message from the Dean

As part of the continued implementation of our Decadal Plan[BROKEN LINK], we will begin planning the third CFOS all-hands faculty retreat. As with our prior faculty retreats, we will review our goals and establish specific action items in academics, research and service for the next 1–2 years. This will include developing strategies for continued growth in student enrollment; ensuring the efficient and effective implementation of our evolving academic programs; developing interdisciplinary research programs; strengthening major facilities and operations; and serving the needs of Alaska’s communities. The retreat agenda and meeting dates will be developed by the Dean’s Advisory Committee with input from faculty and staff.

It is a pleasure to welcome Jeff Muehlbauer as Assistant Unit Leader in Fisheries in the Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Jeff earned his doctorate in ecology from the University of North Carolina. Since then, he has worked as a research ecologist and research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona. Jeff’s research interests include river ecology, hydrology and geomorphology.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle at the University of Washington dock for annual preventive maintenance and a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system. Later this week, the ship will get underway to test the new engineering control system and conduct the multibeam patch test. The first science cruise of 2021 will begin next week in support of David Schmidt’s Cascadia GPS-A project to install geodetic transponders and benchmarks along the Cascadia subduction zone.

Activities and Accomplishments

The 24th annual American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter Student Symposium was held last Friday. This year’s event, which was organized by Jesse Gordon, Lia Domke and Taylor Cubbage, included 22 student presentations from Juneau, Fairbanks, Anchorage, Bethel and Nome, and was attended by 180 people. Please contact lkdomke@alaska.edu for a recording. Here are the top-rated presentations:

• Best Long Talk: Taylor Cubbage (Fairbanks, Fisheries): Physiological performance of northern pike: implications for management in invaded systems
• Best Short Talk: Erika King (Juneau, Fisheries): Assessing the contribution of precocial males to the next generation and genetic diversity in a naturally spawning population of coho salmon

CFOS recently held a 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which originated at the University of Queensland. Will Burt organized the event, where each graduate student had three minutes and a single slide to present their thesis research to more than 50 participants. Here are the top-rated presentations:

• First Place: Lindsey Stadler (Fairbanks, Marine Biology): Food web ecology of nearshore fishes along a gradient of glacially influenced watersheds
• Second place: Emily Ortega (Fairbanks, Oceanography): Iron speciation in the northern Gulf of Alaska
• People's Choice: Erika King (Juneau, Fisheries): Assessing the impact of precocial males on population structure and genetic diversity in a naturally spawning population of coho salmon

Graduate student Josie Haag gave a flash talk on her research as part of “Venus, Volcanoes and More: UAF Graduate Research Stories,” a presentation in the Science for Alaska Lecture Series.

CFOS in the News

The Seward Marine Center, research vessels operated by CFOS, and CFOS staff and faculty were highlighted in a story about the history of SMC that was published by the Seward Journal and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Seth Danielson was featured in Arctic Today regarding how changes in the Bering Sea are influencing weather patterns.

Publications

Carothers, C., J. Black, S.J. Langdon, R. Donkersloot, D. Ringer, J. Coleman, E.R. Gavenus, W. Justin, M. Williams, F. Christiansen, J. Samuelson, C. Stevens, B. Woods, S.J. Clark, P.M. Clay, L. Mack, J. Raymond-Yakoubian, A. Akall'eq Sanders, B.L. Stevens, and A. Whiting. 2021. Indigenous peoples and salmon stewardship: a critical relationship. Ecology and Society 26(1): 16. https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol26/iss1/art16/

Dilliplaine, K., M. Oggier, R.E. Collins, H. Eicken, R. Gradinger, and B. Bluhm. 2021. Crude oil exposure reduces ice algal growth in a sea-ice mesocosm experiment. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02818-3

Manishin, K.A., C.J. Cunningham, P.A.H. Westley, and A.C. Seitz. 2021. Can late stage marine mortality explain observed shifts in age structure of Chinook salmon? PLoS ONE 16(2): e0247370. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247370

Pinchuk, A.I., S.D. Batten, and W.W. Strasburger. 2021. Doliolid (Tunicata: Thaliacea) blooms in the southeastern Gulf of Alaska as a result of the recent marine heat wave of 2014–2016. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:625486. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.625486

Taher, M.E., A.M. Ghoneium, R.R. Hopcroft, and W.S. ElTohamy. 2021. Temporal and spatial variations of surface water quality in the Nile River of Damietta Region, Egypt. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 193:128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-08919-0

Weitzman B., B. Konar, K. Iken, H. Coletti, D. Monson, R. Suryan, T. Dean, D. Hondolero, and M. Lindeberg. 2021. Changes in rocky intertidal community structure during a marine heatwave in the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:556820. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.556820

Message from the Dean

I am delighted to convey that Dr. Terrie Williams has agreed to deliver the CFOS keynote lecture for the spring semester. An internationally recognized comparative ecophysiologist at the University of California Santa Cruz, Dr. Williams is director of the Center for Marine Mammal Research and Conservation at UCSC. For the past 30 years her research has investigated the physiology of large mammalian predators. I want to extend my gratitude to Dr. Williams for her willingness to serve as CFOS keynote speaker. This seminar will take place on Wednesday, April 14, at 3:30 pm. Please stay tuned for details of Dr. Williams’s virtual presentation.

The first meeting of the CFOS Advisory Council is scheduled for March 24, and will be held virtually. I am delighted to welcome such a dedicated and diverse group to help support and advocate for the health and needs of our college. Details of the meeting will be forthcoming.

Last, the recent launch of Ocean Decade U.S. was by many accounts a major success, and in that regard it is noteworthy that Geoff Wheat was a coauthor on one of only eight Ocean Shots selected from more than one hundred submissions to this event. And, in his keynote remarks, NSF Division Director Terry Quinn highlighted Sikuliaq as part of major science programs and facilities that NSF supports for the ocean sciences community. These are just a few recent examples of CFOS being recognized on the national stage—well done!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle at the University of Washington dock for annual preventive maintenance and a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system.

Activities and Accomplishments

Will Burt has organized a Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition in which CFOS graduate students will have to explain their research in three minutes to a nonspecialized audience. The first round of the competition is tomorrow (2/16) at 12:00 pm AK time. Contact wburt2@alaska.edu if you are interested in watching this event or the finals the following week.

Trent Sutton spoke about lamprey on an episode of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Fish of the Week podcast.

Graduate students Ashley Bolwerk, Lia Domke and Becca Cates gave a talk at the Fireside Lecture Series about conducting fieldwork in Southeast Alaska. The event was held at the U.S. Forest Service Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.

Publications

Clark, C.T., L. Horstmann, and N. Misarti. 2021. Walrus teeth as biomonitors of trace elements in Arctic marine ecosystems. Science of the Total Environment 772:145500. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145500

Hvingel, C., B. Sainte-Marie, and G.H. Kruse. 2021. Cold-water shellfish as harvestable resources and important ecosystem players. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab005

Message from the Dean

On Wednesday and Thursday this week, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) will host a virtual launch of Ocean Decade US, which is in support of the UN Decade of Ocean Science and Sustainable Development. Registration is free for the two-day meeting and will feature high-level remarks by Committee Chair Larry Mayer, Committee Vice Chair Rick Spinrad, NASEM President Marcia McNutt, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Director Margaret Leinen, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean Peter Thomson, and Monica Medina of Our Daily Planet. The meeting will feature transformative “Ocean Shots,” Early Career Professionals, a Youth Advisory Council, and an e-Posterboard Hall. House Oceans Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Don Young and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR) will provide recorded remarks to help kick off the meeting. I encourage you to join this important event.

It is a pleasure to welcome Joesi Zastrow (jlzastrow@alaska.edu) to the CFOS Dean’s Office. She replaces Claire Hughes at the front desk. Joesi graduated from UAF this past December with a BS in Biology. Welcome aboard, Joesi!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle at the University of Washington dock for annual preventive maintenance and a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system.

Activities and Accomplishments

The annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) was held virtually last week and featured numerous presentations by CFOS students and faculty. Two CFOS graduate students advised by Brenda Konar won first-place awards for their poster presentations: Brian Ulaski won the Ph.D. category for his poster about the importance of seaweed wrack as a habitat and resource, and Amy Dowling won the M.S. category for her poster on environmental drivers of variability in Pacific blue mussels in glacially influenced estuaries.

CFOS faculty and graduate students presented progress on current research projects at the Coastal Marine Institute’s annual research review.

Gwenn Hennon gave a talk at the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program’s weekly meeting examining how loss of glacial ice will alter Alaska's marine ecosystems.

Graduate students Josianne Haag and Emily Ortega have partnered with the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to host a youth art contest to encourage kids to think about their local biodiversity.

As part of the Strait Science series in Nome, graduate student Stephanie O’Daly gave a lecture about changes in algal distribution and decreased removal of carbon in the Northern Bering and Chukchi seas.

CFOS in the News

Andrew McDonnell was mentioned in an Alaska Center for Energy and Power newsletter as a collaborator on a grant to develop a business model and demonstrate the feasibility of using wind-powered heat pumps to heat homes and businesses in Alaska.

The Delta Wind printed an op-ed by Seth Danielson about the importance of University of Alaska–based ocean monitoring.

CFOS’s high-frequency radar program was featured by KNOM Radio.

The Anchorage Daily News acknowledged CFOS in an article about a new Blue Pipeline Venture Studio, which is designed to help boost Alaska’s ocean economy.

The Nome Nugget ran a story about Stephanie O’Daly’s research on sea ice carbon production.

Publications

Charapata, P., L. Horstmann, and N. Misarti. 2021. Steroid hormones in Pacific walrus bones collected over three millennia indicate physiological responses to changes in estimated population size and the environment. Conservation Physiology 9(1): coaa135. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coaa135

Johnson, M.A. 2021. Subtidal surface circulation in lower Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Regional Studies in Marine Science 41:101609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2021.101609

Walker, A.M., M.B. Leigh, and S.L. Mincks. 2021. Patterns in benthic microbial community structure across environmental gradients in the Beaufort Sea shelf and slope. Frontiers in Microbiology 12:581124. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.581124

Mincks, S.L., T.J. Pereira, J. Sharma, A.L. Blanchard, and H.M. Bik. Composition of marine nematode communities across broad longitudinal and bathymetric gradients in the Northeast Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Polar Biology 44:85–103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02777-1

Grants and Awards for January 2021

New awards for January 2021:

• Grant G-13890 "Finding Tlokowe: Using eDNA to Discover and Characterize Spawning Sites of the Nooksack River Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys)" -Andrés López - Northwest Indian College - $65,902.00 (November 15, 2020)
• Grant G-13906 "Resource Access, Well-Being, and Small-Scale Fishing Livelihoods in Alaska's Rural and Indigenous Communities" - Courtney Carothers - NPRB - $165,127.00 (November 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13911 "Advancing Remote Sensing Insight into Coastal Sea Ice Ecosystems" - Stephen Okkonen - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - $32,656.00 (July 2, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding in January 2021:

• Grant G-11291 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study (UA Foundation)" - Trent Sutton - UA Foundation - $95,540.00 (January 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12161 "Pacific Cod Individual Based Model Enhancement and Validation" - Ken Coyle - NPRB - Mod 2 (COVID Funding) - $8,358.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12903 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line 2019-2020" - Russ Hopcroft - NPRB - Mod 1 (COVID Funding) - $11,194.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13328 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska" - Andy Seitz - Department of the Navy - Mod 4 - $221,839.00 (April 15, 2020)
• Grant G-13451 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line 2020-2021" - Russ Hopcroft - Mod 1 (COVID Funding) - $11,627.00 (July 1, 2020)

One new grant controlled by IARC awarded several projects to CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-13850 "Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystems Studies (CICOES)" - Uma Bhatt (main PI) - University of Washington - July 1, 2020:
  • Curry Cunningham (2 funds) - $74,974.00 and $10,888.00
  • Andrés López (2 funds) - $91,381.00 and $2,846.00
  • Megan McPhee (1 fund) - $45,866.00
  • Russ Hopcroft (2 funds) - $91,381.00 and $11,727.00
  • Seth Danielson (1 fund) - $120,000.00

One grant was set up on assumption in January 2021:

• Grant G-13873 "Assessing Kelp Nutrient Bioextraction Capacity in US Agriculture Farms with Implications for Conservation and Management" - Schery Umanzor Rodriguez - Department of Energy (January 22, 2021)

Message from the Dean

With the spring 2021 semester officially under way, it is a pleasure to welcome back our current and new CFOS students and acknowledge our fall 2020 graduates. As always, our faculty and staff are here to support you, and we wish you great success. The Chancellor’s List included Samantha Allen, Feyne Elmore, Rachel Heimke, Max Johnson, Kathryn Langlois, Kyleigh McArthur, Amanda Orr, Sadie Oswald, and Brian Zhang. The Dean’s List included Kortney Birch, Talia Davis, Sadie Inman, Syrena Jackson, Anthony Jaster, Annie Kilborn, Ron Sheldon, and Tazia Wagner.

Congratulations to our fall 2020 graduates:

• Tim Adickes. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Fisheries Science)
• Donald Arthur. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Jeff Falke
• Emily Fergusson. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Ginny Eckert
• Anias Gentilhomme. MS Oceanography, Advisors: Eric Collins and Gwenn Hennon
• Annie Kandel. MS Oceanography, Advisor: Ana Aguilar-Islas
• Nicole Laroche. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Heidi Pearson
• Valentina Melica. PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Shannon Atkinson
• Malia Smith. MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Lara Horstmann
• Robert Spanger. PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Brenda Norcross

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new graduate students:

• Mary Keenan. MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Lara Horstmann
• Briah Uher-Koch. PhD Marine Biology, Advisor: Tuula Hollmen
• Kevin Fitzgerald. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Jeff Falke
• Lilian Hart. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Curry Cunningham
• Madeline Lee. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Peter Westley

Next week, we look forward to CFOS presentations at the 2021 Alaska Marine Science Symposium, which will be a virtual meeting. If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to register and enjoy what is widely considered to be a premier symposium focused on arctic marine science.

Last, I would like to call to your attention that fellowship and scholarship applications are open for the new Tamamta program, which provides funded fellowships to Indigenous and allied MS and PhD students, and welcomes graduate students who would like to join this team as scholars. The Tamamta (a Sugpiaq and Yup’ik word meaning “all of us”) program elevates Indigenous knowledge systems to transform fisheries and marine sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle at the University of Washington dock for yearly maintenance and a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Ben Lowin received a grant from the Alaska Space Grant Program for his research on bio-optical measurement techniques in the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Seth Danielson spoke at the Strait Science series at UAF’s Northwest campus in Nome about CFOS’s high-frequency radar program, the importance of collaborating with Bering Strait and Arctic coastal communities, and changes in sea ice.

CFOS in the News

Courtney Carothers and graduate student Janessa Equible spoke about the Tamamta program on Bethel’s KYUK radio.

The Nome Nugget published a story about Seth Danielson’s recent Strait Science talk and UAF’s high-frequency radar program.

Mat Wooller’s work with stable isotope analysis was mentioned in a KTVF television story about prehistoric mummified wolf remains.

The Seward Marine Center’s 50th anniversary in December 2020 was featured in the Seward Journal.

Publications

Keogh, M.J., P. Charapata, B.S. Fadely, T. Zeppelin, L. Rea, J.N. Waite, V. Burkanov, C. Marshall, A. Jones, C. Sprowls, and M.J. Wooller. 2021. Whiskers as a novel tissue for tracking reproductive and stress-related hormones in North Pacific otariid pinnipeds. Conservation Physiology 9(1): coaa134. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coaa134

Murphy, R., C. Cunningham, B.P. Harris, and C. Brown. 2020. Qualitative and quantitative fisher perceptions to complement natural science data for managing fisheries. Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10568

Orcutt, B.N., T. D'Angelo, C.G. Wheat, and E. Trembath‐Reichert. 2021. Microbe‐mineral biogeography from multi‐year incubations in oceanic crust at North Pond, Mid‐Atlantic Ridge. Environmental Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15366

Questel, J.M., R.R. Hopcroft, H.M. DeHart, C.A. Smoot, K.N. Kosobokova, and A. Bucklin. Metabarcoding of zooplankton diversity within the Chukchi Borderland, Arctic Ocean: improved resolution from multi-gene markers and region-specific DNA databases. Marine Biodiversity 51:4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-020-01136-x

Rosellon-Druker, J., M. Szymkowiak, K.Y. Aydin, C.J. Cunningham, E.A. Fergusson, S. Kasperski, G.H. Kruse, J.H. Moss, M. Rhodes-Reese, K.S. Shotwell, E. Spooner, and E.M. Yasumiishi. 2021. Participatory place-based integrated ecosystem assessment in Sitka, Alaska: Constructing and operationalizing a socio-ecological conceptual model for sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria). Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104912

Message from the Dean

Happy New Year! It is a pleasure to wish everyone a warm welcome after what was hopefully a safe and relaxing winter break spent with friends and family. I wish everyone a productive and safe 2021.

As many of you are aware, Anne Beaudreau has accepted a faculty position at the University of Washington School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, which is effective this month. It is a pleasure to thank Anne for her nine years of outstanding service at CFOS and wish her the very best going forward.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored at the Fairhaven Shipyard dock in Bellingham, Washington, for yearly maintenance. In mid-January, Sikuliaq will head to Seattle for a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Sonia Kumar was awarded $21,937 through the Alaska Space Grant program for her research on Cook Inlet beluga whales.

CFOS in the News

CFOS was mentioned as a grant partner in a Cordova Times article about the Alaska Ocean Cluster program run by the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association.

Publications

Levine, R.M., A. De Robertis, D. Grünbaum, R. Woodgate, C.W. Mordy, F. Mueter, E. Cokelet, N. Lawrence-Slavas, and H. Tabisola. 2020. Autonomous vehicle surveys indicate that flow reversals retain juvenile fishes in a highly advective high-latitude ecosystem. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11671

Dammann, D.O., M.A. Johnson, E.R. Fedders, A.R. Mahoney, C.L. Werner, C.M. Polashenski, F.J. Meyer, and J.K. Hutchings. Ground-based radar interferometry of sea ice. Remote Sensing 13(1): 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13010043

Message from the Dean

I am pleased to convey that the following individuals have accepted Chancellor White’s appointment to the new CFOS Advisory Council (AC):

• Robert Foy, Ph.D., Science and Research Director, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (ex officio)
• Molly McCammon, Executive Director, Alaska Ocean Observing System (3-year term, renewable for one additional term)
• Vera Metcalf, Director, Eskimo Walrus Commission, Kawerak, Inc (3-year term, renewable for one additional term)
• Stephanie Quinn-Davidson, Ph.D., Director, Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Tanana Chiefs Conference (3-year term, renewable for one additional term)
• Norman Van Vactor, CEO/President, Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (3-year term, renewable for one additional term)
• Doug Vincent-Lang, Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ex officio)

With the exception of the ex officio seats, all candidates were nominated by our faculty and vetted through the CFOS Dean’s Advisory Committee. One of the first orders of business for the AC will be to consider additional council members to ensure a diverse and active membership, and to allow for staggered appointments. I will also propose that the council consider modifying the bylaws to include ex officio seats to represent Alaska tribal governance and local governance. I am delighted to welcome such a diverse, experienced and dedicated group to help support and advocate for the health and needs of our college.

As we wrap up this crazy year, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the dedication and hard work of our students, staff and faculty—it is humbling and rewarding to be part of CFOS. Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday.

Finally, today marks the beginning of winter solstice —here comes the sun!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is headed to Bellingham, Washington, for yearly maintenance. Next month, the ship will move to Seattle for a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS faculty Schery Umanzor is facilitating the Nurdle Patrol in Juneau. This citizen science initiative aims to find and map sources of plastic pellets polluting the nation's coastline.

Undergraduate student Kortney Birch was awarded a 2021 Molly Ahlgren Scholarship from the Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.

CFOS in the News

The Anchorage Daily News published an opinion piece written by Seth Danielson about the importance of long-term monitoring programs in Alaska’s oceans. The op-ed is also available on the CFOS Newsroom.

UAF News issued a press release about the Seward Marine Center’s 50th anniversary.

R/V Sikuliaq was featured in a Passagemaker Magazine story about sea ice and Jim Thomson’s 2019 CODA cruise.

Matthew Wooller’s work at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility was mentioned in a UAF News story about a 57,000-year-old wolf pup preserved by permafrost in northern Canada.

Publications

Edwards, M. S., and B. Konar. 2020. Trophic downgrading reduces spatial variability on rocky reefs. Scientific Reports 10(1): 18079. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75117-2

Gabara, S. S., B. P. Weitzman, B. Konar, and M. S. Edwards. 2020. Macroalgal defense phenotype correlates with herbivore abundance. Marine Biology 167:179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-020-03787-7

Meachen, J., M. J. Wooller, B. D. Barst, J. Funck, C. Crann, J. Heath, M. Cassatt-Johnstone, B. Shapiro, E. Hall, S. Hewitson, and G. Zazula. A mummified Pleistocene gray wolf pup. Current Biology 30(24): R1467–R1468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.011

Message from the Dean

This month marks the 50th anniversary of both the Seward Marine Center (SMC) and the Gulf of Alaska (GAK-1) time-series program. Established ten years after the formation of the legislatively mandated Institute of Marine Science in 1960, SMC has supported a diversity of research, teaching and outreach programs. From 1970 to 1980, Seward served as home port for the 80-foot R/V Acona; from 1980 to 2004 the 133-foot R/V Alpha Helix ; and since 2015 has been home port for the 261-foot Global Class ice-capable R/V Sikuliaq.

A prime example of the seagoing research supported at SMC is the GAK-1 time-series. Located at the mouth of Resurrection Bay, temperature and salinity depth profiles have been collected continuously at GAK-1 since 1970, making it one of the longest-running oceanographic time-series in the North Pacific. The legacy of ocean observations at GAK-1 and along the Seward Line contributed to the foundation of the NGA LTER, which began in 2018.

Congratulations to the many faculty, staff and students who have worked at the Seward Marine Center—here’s to another productive 50 years!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is transiting to Newport, Oregon, to mobilize for Hussain Abdulla’s (Texas A&M) research on marine peptide deamination. This project will use UAF’s MC-800 multicore and OSU’s “Big Bertha” gravity core to collect samples off the central California coast for determination of sedimentary carbon isotope signatures. This is the last scheduled and funded project for 2020, after which Sikuliaq will transit to the Puget Sound region for annual maintenance and equipment upgrades.

Activities and Accomplishments

Andrew McDonnell contributed to the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Webinar series with a segment focused on zooplankton and marine particle size distributions during the NASA EXPORTS field campaign in the North Pacific Ocean.

Graduate student Jesse Gordon won the American Fisheries Society Student Subunit photography contest. His picture of Crescent Harbor in Sitka will be featured on the cover of the 2021 Student Research Calendar, which will also include images submitted by Katja Berghaus, Feyne Elmore, Courtney Hart (photo by Taylor White), Elizabeth Hinkle, Ben Lowin, Alexandra Reich, Isaac Reister, William Samuel (photo by William Samuel and Benjamin Meyer), Savannah Sandy, Emily Stidham, Marina Washburn, and Brooke Woods (photo by Leah Woods).

CFOS in the News

An article in the Frontiersman featured research on ocean carbon dynamics in the Bering Strait conducted by graduate student Stephanie O’Daly.

Publications

Wheat, C.G., C. Kitts, C. Webb, R. Stolzman, A. McGuire, T. Fournier, T. Pettigrew, and H. Jannasch. 2020. A new high-temperature borehole fluid sampler: the Multi-Temperature Fluid Sampler. Scientific Drilling 28:43–48. https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-28-43-2020

Grants and Awards for November 2020

New awards for November 2020:

• Grant G-13618 "Arctic Benthic Change in Motion" - Katrin Iken - NPRB - $20,000.00 (November 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13797 "Improving Preseason Forecasts with Artificial intelligence Methods and Ecosystem Information" - Curry Cunningham - University of Washington - $15,000.00 (January 6, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding during November 2020:

• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY 2018-2022" - S. Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 8 - $2,500,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-13637 "2020 Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research Award for Molly Payne" - Peter Westley (Molly Payne) - UA Foundation - $1,872.00 (June 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13639 "The Importance of Seaweed Wrack Habitat and Resource" - Brenda Konar (Brian Ulaski) - UA Foundation - $1,872.00 (July 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13727 "Lingcod in Prince William Sound" - Trent Sutton (Katja Berghaus) - UA Foundation - $1,872.00 (July 1, 2020)

Grant controlled by another campus/department:

• Grant G-13539 "Establishing Baseline Measurements for Humpback Whales in Juneau, AK" - Shannon DeMaster - Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission - UAS - $11,160.00 (June 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

CFOS benefits from a diversity of people, perspectives and programs. In this regard, and recognizing the heightened national attention to social inequality evident across many public and private institutions, I am pleased to convey that we will establish a new CFOS Diversity Committee.

The committee will provide recommendations to the CFOS Dean and Dean’s Advisory Committee on strategies, actions and priorities to ensure a diverse, equitable and inclusive college. For example, the committee will review and report annually on CFOS gender and ethnicity data to help guide recruitment, admission and retention of our students, staff and faculty. Committee members will serve on a voluntary basis as representatives of the CFOS community. Establishing this committee provides an opportunity to be more strategic and coordinated on important issues related to diversity, equity, inclusivity and social justice within the college; this effort also aligns with the university's goals to grow a culture of respect, diversity, inclusion and caring.

It is a pleasure to announce Gillian Braver is our new Campus Logistics and Science Liaison at the Seward Marine Center. Gillian brings experience in science education and outreach, and served as a Boat Ranger in the Kenai Fjords National Park. Gillian can be contacted by email at gibraver@alaska.edu. Please join me in welcoming Gillian to CFOS.

The CFOS 2020 Annual Report is complete and has been posted on our website; printed copies will soon be distributed by the Dean’s Office. I am delighted with this report in terms of its visual appeal and highlights of some of our academic, research and service activities over the past year. Please join me in thanking Alice Bailey for providing the content and Carol Kaynor for expert editing.

On Thursday, December 3, from 1–2 pm (AKST), our distinguished CFOS Fall Keynote Seminar speaker Dr. Richard (Rick) Spinrad will present The New Blue Economy: People, Products and Policies. Please mark your calendars for what promises to be a thoughtful and interesting talk on the blue economy, a subject that is central to the mission of our college. Please contact Heather McLeod at hlmcleod@alaska.edu for the Zoom link and password.

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is transiting to Newport, Oregon, to mobilize for Hussain Abdulla’s (Texas A&M) research on marine peptide deamination. This project will use UAF’s MC-800 multicore and OSU’s “Big Bertha” gravity core to collect samples off the central California coast for determination of sedimentary carbon isotope signatures.

For something completely different, Sikuliaq is also helping fictional scientists investigate strange noises coming from the ocean floor in the recent Tom Clancy novel, Shadow of the Dragon. Maybe a stocking stuffer?

Activities and Accomplishments

Shannon Atkinson served on a panel for the University of Alaska Southeast 2020 Power & Privilege Symposium, which discussed the film Picture A Scientist and the challenges that females face when pursuing academic careers.

Graduate students Katja Berghaus and Carolyn Hamman each received Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity awards to mentor CFOS undergraduate students Amanda Frantz, Molly Piscoya and Roger Maldonado.

In early November, graduate student Valentina Melica presented her research on whale hormones at an Alaska Wildlife Alliance Wildlife Wednesdays event and at the Gray Whales Pacific Coast Feeding Group Consortium Meeting.

EPSCoR Seed Grants were recently awarded to Elizabeth Hinkle for her project, "Arctic grayling movement and genetic relatedness in response to wildfire" and to Courtney Hart for her project, “Using harmful algal bloom monitoring to understand PSP risks and mitigate testing burdens at a shellfish farm in Southeast Alaska.”

CFOS in the News

Seth Danielson and Katrin Iken were featured in several media reports in UAF News, Science Daily, USARC Arctic Update, Science Codex and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner regarding their research aboard Norseman II that found a very active ecosystem in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. Alaska Native News and The Guardian also covered the research, and Iken was interviewed by KUAC FM radio.

CFOS high-frequency (HF) radar research in the Bering, Beaufort and Chukchi Seas was featured by UAF News, Arctic Sounder, USARC Arctic Update, and KTUU; these reports mention the CFOS HR radar team comprised of Seth Danielson, Rachel Potter, Hank Statscewich and Jordi Maisch.

Research on ocean carbon dynamics in the Bering Strait conducted by graduate student Stephanie O’Daly was covered by UAF News, Alaska Business Magazine, Anchorage Press, and Juneau Empire.

A photograph of R/V Nanuq supporting UAF research and a highlighted publication by Seth Danielson appeared in the Gulf Watch Alaska quarterly newsletter.

Publications

Bluhm, B.A., M.A. Janout, S.L. Danielson, I. Ellingsen, M. Gavrilo, J.M. Grebmeier, R.R. Hopcroft, K. Iken, R.B. Ingvaldsen, L.L. Jørgensen, K.N. Kosobokova, R. Kwok, I.V. Polyakov, P.E. Renaud, and E.C. Carmack. 2020. The pan-Arctic continental slope: Sharp gradients of physical processes affect pelagic and benthic ecosystems. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:544386. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.544386

Bolt, C., A. Aguilar-Islas, and R. Rember. 2020. Particulate trace metals in Arctic snow, sea ice, and underlying surface waters during the 2015 US Western Arctic GEOTRACES Cruise GN01. 2020. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. ACS publications

O’Daly, S.H., S.L. Danielson, S.M. Hardy, R.R. Hopcroft, C. Lalande, D.A. Stockwell, and A.M.P. McDonnell. 2020. Extraordinary carbon fluxes on the shallow Pacific Arctic shelf during a remarkably warm and low sea ice period. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:548931. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.548931

Okasaki, C., M.L. Keefer, P.A.H. Westley, and A.M. Berdahl. 2020. Collective navigation can facilitate passage through human-made barriers by homeward migrating Pacific salmon. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287:20202137. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2137

Whalen, M.A., R.D.B. Whippo, J.J. Stachowicz...W.W. Raymond, et al. 2020. Climate drives the geography of marine consumption by changing predator communities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117(45): 28160–28166. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2005255117

Message from the Dean

The 2020 CFOS Annual Report is in the final stages of editing and will soon be sent for printing. As with our prior reports, expect to see a visually appealing and interesting summary of some of our academic, research and service highlights over the past year. A big thank-you to Alice Bailey for providing the content and assembling the final product, and to Carol Kaynor for expert editing. We expect to distribute the report in the coming weeks.

As a reminder, nominations of candidates to serve on the CFOS Advisory Council, using this nomination form, are due November 15. The Dean’s Advisory Committee will review nominations and offer recommendations, and Chancellor White will make the formal appointments.

This Wednesday is Veteran’s Day. Please remember to take a moment to reflect on and honor the military veterans who served our country.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Chukchi Sea for Robert Pickart’s (WHOI) Monitoring Mooring project. She is working her way south after spending almost two weeks in the Beaufort Sea ice and is scheduled to return to Seward on November 19.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS merchandise is once again available in the Sea Grant bookstore. We will be accepting online orders only and will be filling them weekly due to limited staff in the office.

On October 28, seagoing scientists using R/V Sikuliaq in Arctic waters presented their research findings and plans to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. Jim Thomson (UW/APL) discussed preliminary results from his recent Coastal Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) cruise and updates from Robert Pickart’s ongoing mooring project, and Bernard Coakley (UAF) presented the field plan for his 2021 Chukchi Edges cruise.

Professor emeritus Gordon Kruse has been appointed to the North Pacific Research Board Science Panel.

Last week, Courtney Hart was a session chair and Brenda Konar, Hannah Myers, Brian Ulaski, Katie McCabe, and Amy Dowling gave presentations at the virtual Western Society of Naturalists marine ecology conference, which had more than 1,000 attendees.

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner featured Seth Danielson, Rachel Potter, Hank Statscewich and Jordi Maisch in a story about using high-frequency radar systems to map surface currents in the Arctic.

Our 5 percent increase in enrollment this year was mentioned by Chancellor White in an opinion piece that appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Graduate student Michelle Trifari was featured in a UAF News story about mercury found in Aleutian steller sea lions, as well as in stories on KTVF Fairbanks, the Arctic Sounder, the Kodiak Daily Mirror, Alaska Business Magazine and ADN News and News Break.

Publications

Frost, T.J., E.M. Yasumiishi, B.A. Agler, M.D. Adkison, and M.V. McPhee. 2020. Density‐dependent effects of eastern Kamchatka pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and Japanese chum salmon (O. keta) on age‐specific growth of western Alaska chum salmon. Fisheries Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1111/fog.12505

Grants and Awards for October 2020

New awards for October 2020:

• Grant G-13641 "High-resolution coupling of ocean physics and chemistry to plankton distribution" - Russ Hopcroft - MJ Murdock Charitable Trust - $325,700.00 (October 1. 2020)
• Grant G-13685 "UAF FY21 Support for Marine Scientist Hollmen" - Tuula Hollmen - AK SeaLife Center - $77,111.00 (October 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13727 "Lingcod in Prince William Sound: - Trent Sutton (Katja Berghaus) - UA Foundation - $3,750.00 (July 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13745 "Dynamics of Contemporary Genomic Evolution in Replicate Threespine Stickleback Populations" - Krista Oke - Stony Brook University - $86,603.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13754 "DNA Mixture Lab Study (L4719)" - Megan McPhee - Humboldt State University - $77,719.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13760 "Ocean Acidification and fisheries recruitment dynamics in the eastern Bering Sea" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $81,330.00 (October 1, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding during October 2020:

• Grant G-12511 "RCN-UBE: The Research on STEM Education Network: Improving Research Inclusivity through a Grassroots Culture of Scientific Teaching" - Trent Sutton - University of Alabama-Birmingham - Mod 2 - $14,393.00 (August 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12861 "Model-based Fish Distribution and Habitat Descriptions for Arctic Cod, Saffron Cod and Snow Crab in the Alaskan Arctic" - Franz Mueter - BOEM - Mod 1 - $96,308.00 (July 17, 2019)

Message from the Dean

CFOS has many stakeholders and supporters, and it is important that they have a platform to help guide and support the college. In this regard, Chancellor White has approved the new CFOS Advisory Council. The purpose of the advisory council will be to provide critical input, advice and recommendations to the Dean and UAF Chancellor on matters related to academic programs, research, major facilities and development efforts of the college. Nominations of candidates to serve on the CFOS Advisory Council are welcome via our advisory council nomination form and are due by November 15. The Dean’s Advisory Committee will review nominations and make their recommendations to me, and I will then recommend candidates to Chancellor White for formal appointment.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Beaufort Sea for Bob Pickart’s (WHOI) Monitoring Mooring project. He and his team will recover, service and deploy a subsurface mooring on the Beaufort Shelf, conduct a hydrographic survey of the boundary current, and do mooring work in the Canadian portion of the Beaufort Sea.

Activities and Accomplishments

Bradley Moran’s nomination by the US National Academies Ocean Studies Board to serve as vice president of the international Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Executive Committee was ratified last week during the annual SCOR meeting.

Thank you to everyone who donated to CFOS programs during UA Giving Day. In a UAF News story, the UAF interim director of development and alumni relations wrote, “UAF donors and supporters blow me away. Our first giving day event, ‘ 49 Hours for the 49th State,’ was humbling, inspiring and wonderful.”

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner mentioned CFOS as a UAF program that saw a 5 percent increase in enrollment this semester.

Message from the Dean

The first-ever UA System-wide “giving day” is set to begin at noon on Tuesday, October 20. On the CFOS Giving Day website, there will be a 49-hour (consistent with the 49^th state) time period to make a donation to two funding areas vital to student success: the CFOS Support Fund and the CFOS Graduate Student Support Fund. Your support will help our students achieve their potential to become future leaders in fisheries and marine science. To inspire participation, I have pledged a gift that will be “unlocked” after the first ten donations have been made. I encourage all alumni, friends and supporters to give.

Ensuring a robust shoreside facility in support of Sikuliaq and related seagoing research is a UAF and CFOS priority. In that regard, UAF Facilities Services is conducting significant repairs and maintenance on the D.W. Hood Laboratory, Orca Building, Mooring Shop, Machine Shop and Warehouse at the Seward Marine Center. This work includes installation of new heating systems, new piping for the potable water connection to Sikuliaq, new smoke detectors, and pressure testing the pavement heating system. These investments will bolster our efficient and effective shoreside operation in Seward.

It is a pleasure to welcome Michelle Warrenchuk as the new CFOS Procurement Technician and Administrative Generalist. Michelle was most recently an administrative assistant in the UAS College of Arts and Sciences, and effective today will be working out of our Lena Point facility in support of CFOS procurement. Please welcome Michelle to CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Seward to unload moorings from Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) project. Later this week, Robert Pickart’s (WHOI) personnel and gear will be loaded, and then Sikuliaq will depart for a monthlong Monitoring Mooring project in the Beaufort Sea.

Activities and Accomplishments

With the help of eCampus, Peter Westley launched a free six-week version of the UAF course Salmon, People, and Place. More than 500 students from around the world are participating.

Seth Danielson was appointed to serve on the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee, which provides planning and communications assistance to polar science projects.

CFOS in the News

Brenda Konar and Alaska Sea Grant’s Melissa Good contributed to a radio piece that was aired by Unalaska’s KUCB and Alaska Public Media about devastation to Aleutian Island reefs caused by sea urchins and climate change. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner also published a story about the research.

In their October newsletter, the Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium (ARICE) posted a webinar of preliminary results from the November 2019 GO-WEST cruise aboard R/V Sikuliaq. Franz Mueter was aboard the expedition, which investigated the association of young polar cod with newly forming sea ice.

The Cordova Times quoted Courtney Carothers in a story on Tamamta, CFOS’s graduate traineeship program that focuses on indigenous knowledge of fisheries and marine sciences.

Curry Cunningham was interviewed for a Bloomberg QuickTake video on Bristol Bay salmon ecosystems in association with Fat Bear Week.

Publications

Johnson, M., A. Mahoney, A. Sybrandy, and G. Montgomery. 2020. Measuring acceleration and short-lived motion in landfast sea-ice. Journal of Ocean Technology 15(3). https://www.thejot.net/article-preview/?show_article_preview=1190

Larsen Tempel, J. T., and S. Atkinson. 2020. Endocrine profiling of reproductive status and evidence of pseudopregnancy in the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). PLoS ONE 15(9): e0239218. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239218

Sutton, L., K. Iken, B. A. Bluhm, and F. J. Mueter. 2020. Comparison of functional diversity of two Alaskan Arctic shelf epibenthic communities. Marine Ecology Progress Series 651:1–21 (feature article). https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13478

Thorson, J. T., C. J. Cunningham, E. Jorgensen, A. Havron, P. J. F. Hulson, C. C. Monnahan, and P. von Szalay. 2020.The surprising sensitivity of index scale to delta-model assumptions: Recommendations for model-based index standardization. Fisheries Research 233:105745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2020.105745

Umanzor, S., Y. Li, and C. Yarish. 2020. Effect of direct “seeding” binders and embryonic sporophyte sizes on the development of the sugar kelp, Saccharina latissima. Journal of Applied Phycology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02277-z

Wheat, C. G., R. A. Zierenberg, J. B. Paduan, D. W. Caress, D. A. Clague, and W. W. Chadwick Jr. 2020. Changing brine inputs into hydrothermal fluids: southern Cleft segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GC009360

Grant Awards for September 2020

New awards for September 2020:

• Grant G-13607 "Using Genomics to Improve Stock Structure Resolution and Assess Recruitment Dynamics of Lake Whitefish in Lake Michigan" - Megan McPhee - Great Lakes Fishery Trust - $127,744.48 (July 31, 2020)
• Grant G-13637 "2020 Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research Award for Molly Payne" - Peter Westley - UA Foundation - $5,000.00 (June 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13639 "The Importance of Seaweed Wrack as Habitat and Resource" - Brenda Konar (Brian Ulaski) - UA Foundation - $12,500.00 (July 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13646 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NASA - $50,000.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13664 "Arctic Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Structure Data Analysis and Writing Retreat" - Seth Danielson - BOEM - $54,189.00 (September 14, 2020)
• Grant G-13683 "NRT: NNA: Tamamta (All of Us): Transforming Western and Indigenous Fisheries and Marine Sciences" - Courtney Carothers - NSF - $3,000,000.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13696 "Investigating the impacts of oil exposure and changing snow cover on sea ice microbial communities" - Gwenn Hennon - BOEM - $149,831.00 (September 23, 2020)
• Grant G-13697 "Are expanding Pink Salmon populations in the Arctic produced from regional watersheds?" - Kristen Gorman - BOEM - $81,405.00 (September 23, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding during September 2020:

• Grant G-1085 "NOSB Support" - Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $2,375.00 (July 1, 2002)
• Grant G-11133 "Chukchi Sea Ecosystem Mooring" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 7 - $50,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11158 "HFR Operations and Maintenance" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 7 - $156,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11299 "An Arctic marine mammal observing system" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 6 - $65,000.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11557 "CAREER: Imaging the global distribution and drivers of the ocean's biological carbon pump" - Andrew McDonnell - NSF - Mod 4 - $26,366.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support-Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 5 - $672,589.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations - CY 2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 7 - $700,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12500 "Bering Strait High-Frequency Radar" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 2 - $114,286.00 (October 1, 2018)
• Grant G-13024 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NOAA - Mod 1 - $181,000.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13129 "Impacts of Sedimentation and Drivers of Variability in the Boulder Patch Community, Beaufort Sea" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - Mod 1 - $55,840.00 (September 18, 2019)
• Grant G-13223 "Underwater Autonomous Vehicle missions in support of an Ecosystem Based Approach to Alaska fisheries management" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $228,571.00 (January 1, 2020)

The following grant is controlled by another department and received incremental funding during September 2020:

• Grant G-13079 "Landfast Ice Climatology within the Arctic OCS" - GI - Seth Danielson - BOEM - Mod 1 - $124,123.00 (September 24, 2019)

Message from the Dean

This week UAF will host the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities site visit as part of the fall 2020 accreditation of the university. The visit will include virtual forums for students (Wednesday, September 30, 12–12:45 pm), staff (Thursday, October 1, 12–12:45 pm) and faculty (Thursday, October 1, 1–1:45 pm) to allow an opportunity to meet with the evaluators and share information about your UAF experience. It is important that we demonstrate good participation in these events and I encourage everyone to provide your input.

On Friday, September 18 I joined Interim President Pat Pitney for her tour of our Lena Point fisheries center. The President appreciated learning more about the Juneau facility and meeting with some of our students, staff and faculty, as well as collaborators at NOAA Fisheries. It is heartening that our new interim President is strongly supportive of CFOS. The tour was followed by a meeting with Interim Chancellor Karen Carey to discuss the UAF–UAS joint undergraduate program. Both the President and Chancellor recognized that CFOS and UAS faculty are working well together on the joint undergraduate program related to fisheries and that enrollment has been ticking up. Later, Chancellor Carey gave a tour of the Anderson Building and encouraged further collaboration with CFOS. Thanks to Franz Mueter and Gabrielle Hazelton for guiding the tour, and to President Pitney and Chancellor Carey for their time and support.

I hope everyone is taking time to get outside and enjoy Alaska’s spectacular fall colors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) cruise. The purpose of the CODA cruise in 2020 is to recover the moorings that were deployed by the ship in 2019 in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Seas. Sikuliaq will return to Seward on October 12 to swap gear and personnel, and then head back north to support Bob Pickart’s (WHOI) project in the Beaufort Sea.

Activities and Accomplishments

Trent Sutton has been named the Alaska Regional Management Unit Lead for the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative.

CFOS in the News

Brenda Konar and CFOS alum Ben Weitzman were mentioned in an article published by UAF News about devastation to Aleutian Island reefs caused by sea urchins and climate change. Konar was also quoted in a story by KTUU.

Courtney Carothers was interviewed by KTUU regarding Tamamta, CFOS’s graduate traineeship program that focuses on indigenous knowledge of fisheries and marine sciences.

CFOS was mentioned in SeafoodNews as part of a new US Economic Development Association Build to Scale award to support Alaska’s blue economy in collaboration with the Bering Sea Fishermen's Association, Alaska Ocean Cluster, UAF Alaska Blue Economy Center and other stakeholders.

Matthew Wooller’s work at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility was mentioned in a UAF News story about sediment core samples on St. Matthew Island.

Publications

Clemens, B. J., H. Arakawa, C. Baker, S. Coghlan, A. Kucheryavyy, R. Lampman, M. J. Lança, C. S. Mateus, A. Miller, H. Nazari, G. Pequeño, T. M. Sutton, and S. Yanai. 2020. Management of anadromous lampreys: Common threats, different approaches. Journal of Great Lakes Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2020.09.005

George, J. C., L. Horstmann, S., Fortune, T. Sformo, R. Elsner, and E. Follmann. 2020. Thermoregulation and energetics. In: J.C. George and J.G.M. Thewissen (eds.). The bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus: Biology and human interactions. Academic Press. ISBN: 9780128189696

Horstmann, L. 2020. Anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal system. In: J.C. George and J.G.M. Thewissen (eds.). The bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus: Biology and human interactions. Academic Press. ISBN: 9780128189696

Stimmelmayr, R., L. Horstmann, B. Person, and J. C. George. 2020. Hematology, serum, and urine composition. In: J.C. George and J.G.M. Thewissen (eds.). The bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus: Biology and human interactions. Academic Press. ISBN: 9780128189696

Tempestini, A., A. I. Pinchuk, and F. Dufresne. 2020. Spatial genetic structure in Themisto libellula (Amphipoda: Hyperiidae) from the coastal Gulf of Alaska, Bering and Chukchi seas. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02745-9

Message from the Dean

I am delighted to convey that Dr. Richard Spinrad has agreed to deliver the CFOS keynote lecture for the fall semester. An internationally recognized ocean scientist and executive, Dr. Spinrad is currently Professor of Oceanography and Senior Adviser to the Vice President of Research at Oregon State University. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Spinrad was the head of NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the National Ocean Service, served as co-lead of the White House Committee that developed the nation’s first set of ocean research priorities, and oversaw the revamping of NOAA’s research enterprise. In 2016, Dr. Spinrad retired as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), having been appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014. I want to extend my gratitude to Dr. Spinrad for his willingness to serve as the CFOS keynote speaker. Please stay tuned for the date, time and details of Dr. Spinrad’s virtual presentation.

This week I will join Interim President Pat Pitney in Juneau for a tour of our Lena Point facility. President Pitney clearly understands the importance of Alaska’s vast aquatic resources and related research and academic programs and major facilities. In this regard, this tour is an opportunity to highlight some of the strengths and recent successes of CFOS, including continued growth of our undergraduate program, a robust graduate student body, new faculty hires, strong and diverse research programs, and our operation of Sikuliaq that is well regarded by the ocean sciences community and the National Science Foundation. I look forward to discussing with President Pitney ways to advance fisheries and ocean sciences research and academic programs through collaboration to meet the needs of Alaska and the nation.

I hope everyone is taking time to enjoy the spectacular fall colors in our great state. As always, please stay safe as we navigate these challenging times.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq finished the 100th occupation of the Gulf of Alaska Seward Line with profiling instrumentation, a significant accomplishment toward the collection of long-term ecological data. The first occupation was in April 1974, with prior samples only from discrete depths.

Today, Sikuliaq got underway for Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) cruise. The CODA cruise was originally scheduled to depart from Nome, but now it will start and end in Seward because of the pandemic. Its purpose is to recover the moorings that were deployed in 2019. Thomson will also assist Spahr Webb (UC/LDEO) with deploying wave gliders near the Shumagin Islands to measure tectonic shifts from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on July 21, and will recover gliders in the Beaufort Sea for Luc Rainville (UW).

CFOS in the News

A study on the loss of Bering Sea ice coauthored by Matthew Wooller gained international attention in articles by Reuters, Daily Mail, and Phys.org in addition to a radio piece by Alaska Public Media and a UAF News press release. Seth Danielson’s comments on the context of the study appeared in Gizmodo.

UAF News mentioned Matthew Wooller and CFOS alum Casey Clark as coauthors on a study about the complex diets of early Interior Alaskans.

Brenda Konar and CFOS alum Ben Weitzman were mentioned as coauthors on a study published in Science Magazine showing that the loss of sea otters is accelerating the effects of climate change on reefs in the Aleutian Islands.

The Narwhal, a Canadian journal, featured Peter Westley in an article about salmon body-size declines. The research, which also involved Curry Cunningham and Krista Oke, also appeared in The Guardian and the Washington Post.

Publications

Beas-Luna, R., F. Micheli, C.B. Woodson, M. Carr, D. Malone, J. Torre, C. Boch, J.E. Caselle, M. Edwards, J. Freiwald, S.L. Hamilton, A. Hernandez, B. Konar, K.J. Kroeker, J. Lorda, G. Montaño-Moctezuma, and G. Torres-Moye. 2020. Geographic variation in responses of kelp forest communities of the California Current to recent climatic changes. Global Change Biology. Wiley Online Library

Campbell, M.A., T.J. Buser, M.E. Alfaro, and J.A. López. 2020. Addressing incomplete lineage sorting and paralogy in the inference of uncertain salmonid phylogenetic relationships. PeerJ 8:e9389. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9389

Clark, C.T., L. Horstmann, and N. Misarti. 2020. Evaluating tooth strontium and barium as indicators of weaning age in Pacific walruses. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. BES Journals online

Westley, P.A. 2020. Documentation of en route mortality of summer chum salmon in the Koyukuk River, Alaska, and its potential linkage to the heatwave of 2019. Ecology and Evolution 00:1–9. Wiley Online Library

Grant Awards for August 2020

New awards for August 2020:

• Grant G-13543 "NASA IPA August 2020 - July 2022" - C. Geoff Wheat - NASA - $202,264.00 (August 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13545 "Evaluation of Spatio-temporal Methods for Standardizing Data from Multiple Fishery-Independent Surveys in the GOA and BSAI" - Curry Cunningham - UA Foundation PCCRC - $83,781.00 (August 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13562 "Lake Clark National Park & Preserve Oceanographic Assessment" - Tyler Hennon - National Park Service - $130,000.00 (August 12, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding during the month of August:

• Grant G-8633 "Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center - Fellowships" - S. Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $205,000.00 (April 1, 2013)
• Grant G-11073 "Time-Series Monitoring of Ocean Acidification in Alaska" - Brenda Konar - AOOS - Mod 8 - $29,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11157 "Seward Line Monitoring" - Russ Hopcroft - AOOS - Mod 7 - $105,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11557 "CAREER: Imaging the global distribution and drivers of the ocean's biological carbon pump" - Andrew McDonnell - NSF - Mod 3 - $123,507.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11616 "LTER: Beaufort Sea Lagoons: An Arctic Coastal Ecosystem in Transition" - Katrin Iken - Mod 3 - University of Texas at Austin - $191,364.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations - CY2018-2022" - S. Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 6 - $5,041,718.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA - Mod 2 - $531,618.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12361 "NOAA - Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO)" - Brenda Konar - AOOS - Mod 3 - $102,857.00 (June 1,2018)
• Grant G-12381 "Alaska Ocean Acidification Research: Autonomous Observations of Ocean Acidification in Alaska Coastal Seas" - Brenda Konar - AOOS - Mod 3 - $39,718.00 (June 1, 2018)

The following grant was set up on assumption in August 2020:

• Grant G-13532 "Exploring Radium Isotopes as tracers of groundwater inputs, flushing rates, and produced water in Cook Inlet" - William Burt - BOEM - $25,000.00 (August 15, 2020)

Message from the Dean

As we kick off the fall semester, it is a pleasure to welcome our new and current students. And while we are all experiencing unusually challenging times with the global pandemic, it is heartening that our faculty and staff stand ready to support your education, training and future success.

It is a pleasure to convey that Dr. Jessica Glass has accepted the offer for the tenure-track assistant professor position in the Department of Fisheries. Jessica completed her BS and PhD at Yale University, and is a CFOS alum (MS, 2014) who worked under Gordon Kruse. Jessica’s appointment is part of the “Fire and Ice” NSF EPSCoR program. Her research interests are on biological and physical drivers of evolution and sustainable management practices of commercially and recreationally important marine fishes. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. I want to thank Andres Lopez for chairing this search, and search committee members Jessie Gordon, Brenda Konar, Megan McPhee and Peter Westley. Jessica will be based at the Fairbanks campus and her start date is May 2021. Please join me in welcoming Jessica to CFOS.

On October 20, UAF will host its inaugural "Day of Giving" campaign, a social media push to encourage friends, alumni and our community partners to support the university’s schools and programs. CFOS is excited to participate in this effort to raise funds and awareness for the incredible students and programs that we support. Please mark your calendars and be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.

R/V Sikuliaq

On September 1, Sikuliaq will embark on the third and final Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research cruise this year, this time with Russ Hopcroft and a team of staff and students. Afterward, the ship will transit to the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas for Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) cruise. The cruise will begin and end in Seward, and will not stop in Nome in order to adhere to COVID-19 safety precautions.

Activities and Accomplishments

As recently communicated by Chancellor White in Cornerstone, the Murdock Charitable Trust has awarded funding to Russ Hopcroft (lead PI), Ana Aguilar-Islas, Will Burt, Seth Danielson, Gwenn Hennon, Andrew McDonnell and Suzanne Strom (Western Washington University) to support research on the high-resolution coupling of ocean physics and chemistry to plankton distributions. Congratulations!

CFOS in the News

SIT News and KINY radio ran stories on Shannon Atkinson’s research on humpback whales in Juneau during the coronavirus pandemic.

A study on salmon body-size declines coauthored by Peter Westley, Curry Cunningham, and postdoctoral fellow Krista Oke received international media attention, with articles in the Reuters article picked up by New York Times, CNN, Reuters, Science Daily, Daily Mail, CBC News, Digital Journal, Yale Environment 360, and Oceanographic Magazine. Alaskan news coverage included UAF News, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, the Juneau Empire and a radio piece by Alaska Public Media.

UAF News and the CFOS Newsroom released stories on Tamamta, a new fisheries and marine science program that focuses on Indigenous knowledge.

Publications

Baumann, T. M., I. V. Polyakov, L. Padman, S. Danielson, I. Fer, M. Janout, W. Williams, and A. V. Pnyushkov. 2020. Arctic tidal current atlas. Scientific Data 7(1): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-00578-z

Danielson, S. L., D. F. Hill, K. S. Hedstrom, J. Beamer, and E. Curchitser. 2020. Demonstrating a high‐resolution Gulf of Alaska ocean circulation model forced across the coastal interface by high‐resolution terrestrial hydrological models. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 125:e2019JC015724.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015724

Gardner, C., R. A. Watson, A. D. Jayanti, S. Junaidi, M. AlHusaini, and G. H. Kruse. 2020. Crustaceans as fisheries resources: General overview. In: G. Lovrich and M. Thiel (eds). The Natural History of the Crustacea: Fisheries and Aquaculture volume 9, pp. 1–19. New York: Oxford University Press.

Litzow, M. A., M. J. Malick, N .A. Bond, C.J. Cunningham, J. L. Gosselin, and E. J. Ward. 2020. Quantifying a novel climate through changes in PDO–climate and PDO‐salmon relationships. Geophysical Research Letters 47(16): e2020GL087972. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087972

Marsh, J. M., F. J. Mueter, J. T. Thorson, L. Britt, and S. Zador. 2020. Shifting fish distributions in the Bering Sea. In: J. Richter-Menge and M.L. Druckenmiller (eds). State of the Climate in 2019. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 101(8): S254-S256. Article link

Oke, K. B., C. J. Cunningham, P. A. H. Westley, M. L. Baskett, S. M. Carlson, J. Clark, A. P. Hendry, V. A. Karatayev, N. W. Kendall, J. Kibele, H. K. Kindsvater, K. M. Kobayashi, B. Lewis, S. Munch, J. D. Reynolds, G. K. Vick, and E. P. Palkovacs. 2020. Recent declines in salmon body size impact ecosystems and fisheries. Nature Communications 11:4155. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17726-z

Message from the Dean

A key responsibility of CFOS is the management of major facilities in support of Alaska’s aquatic ecosystems research and academic programs. In this regard, last week Senators Dan Sullivan and Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) toured Sikuliaq at the JAG Alaska Inc, Seward Shipyard, where the ship was having her hull repainted. It was a pleasure to join the tour as the crew highlighted the capabilities of the ship to our elected officials. Hats off to the captain and crew, Doug Baird and Miles Baker for ensuring a safe and enjoyable tour. Afterward, Brian Mullaly brought the senators and a small entourage across Resurrection Bay back to Seward aboard Nanuq, which included a water view of the Seward Marine Center and dock. I want to personally thank Senator Sullivan and his staff for including Sikuliaq, Nanuq and SMC as part of his busy travel schedule in our great state.

This Friday we will host a CFOS new-student orientation to welcome and familiarize the incoming class with our academic programs and procedures. The event is being organized by our new student recruiter, Kyle Rivera, and will be held virtually. I look forward to welcoming our incoming students and wish the very best success for all of our students.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq’s hull has been repainted and she is ready to resume marine science operations. There is the possibility for a short-notice cruise to investigate the subduction zone at the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred July 21 near the Shumagin Islands. In early September, Sikuliaq will embark for the third and final Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) cruise this year.

Activities and Accomplishments

Geoff Wheat started a two-year, part-time Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) position in the NASA Astrobiology Program. The NASA Astrobiology Program supports research that leads to a better understanding of how life emerged and evolved on Earth, the environments in our universe capable of supporting life, and the possible distribution of habitable worlds.

CFOS in the News

The Alaska Ocean Acidification Network featured the research of Shelby Bacus, a CFOS graduate student (Amanda Kelly, advisor), which seeks to understand the impact of ocean acidification on Pacific Plate Limpets in Kachemak Bay.

Peter Westley’s course Salmon, People, and Place was mentioned in a UAF News press release about UAF partnering with the learning platform edX to increase access to courses that feature Arctic research.

Shannon Atkinson’s research on humpback whales in Juneau was featured in stories by NOAA Fisheries and UAF News.

Publications

Alabia, I.D., J.G. Molinos, S.-I. Saitoh, T. Hirata, T. Hirawake, and F.J. Mueter. 2020. Multiple facets of marine biodiversity in the Pacific Arctic under future climate. Science of the Total Environment 744: 140913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140913

Nielsen, J.K., F.J. Mueter, M.D. Adkison, T. Loher, S.F. McDermott, and A.C. Seitz. 2020. Potential utility of geomagnetic data for geolocation of demersal fishes in the North Pacific Ocean. Animal Biotelemetry 8(1): 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-020-00204-0

Message from the Dean

One of the goals in our CFOS Decadal Plan[BROKEN LINK] is to support entrepreneurialism and economic diversification within Alaska. The Alaska Mariculture Initiative has been identified as a growth opportunity, with a goal of increasing Alaska's mariculture industry from $1 million to $1 billion over the next thirty years. As a leader in aquatic ecosystems research, CFOS has an important role to play in fostering this burgeoning blue economy industry.

In this regard, it is a pleasure to welcome research faculty Schery Umanzor to the CFOS Department of Marine Biology. Schery’s research focuses on optimizing kelp mariculture from hatchery stages to harvest, in particular the interaction of kelp farms and their surroundings as analogous to kelp forests and their ecosystems. She is currently part of three ARPA-E MARINER research projects: Seaweed Hatchery and Selective Breeding Technologies; Scalable Coastal and Offshore Macroalgal Farming; and Assessing Kelp Nutrient Bioextraction Capacity in Aquaculture Farms in the US. Based at our Lena Point facility, this new research faculty position is generously supported by a Chancellor’s Award. Please join me in welcoming Schery to CFOS!

As we approach the start of fall semester, we can be proud that our student enrollment continues to tick upward, diverse field research projects are being conducted, and two successful LTER cruises have been executed aboard Sikuliaq since the beginning of 2020. It is worth taking a moment to reflect that despite the pandemic, our academic and research programs continue to thrive and bring tremendous value to Alaska and beyond.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq has been lifted onto a dry dock at the Seward Marine Industrial Center to apply ice-resistant paint to her hull. We expect the ship to be floating again next week, when preparations will begin for investigating the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred on July 21 near the Shumagin Islands.

Activities and Accomplishments

During the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission meeting last week, Seth Danielson presented results from 2017 and 2018 Sikuliaq cruises in the Arctic. Researchers using Sikuliaq in 2020 and 2021 in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas presented their proposed activities to the commissioners in order to avoid conflicts with subsistence hunting activities.

CFOS in the News

Andy Seitz was featured in a video produced by the Alaska Center for Energy and Power about interactions between salmon and hydrokinetic turbines.

In an article published by UAF News, Katherine (Kate) Hedstrom and Seth Danielson were mentioned as coauthors of a paper published in the journal Biogeosciences about ocean acidification in the Gulf of Alaska.

Publications

Padula, V., A.H. Beaudreau, B. Hagedorn, and D. Causey. 2020. Plastic-derived contaminants in Aleutian Archipelago seabirds with varied foraging strategies. Marine Pollution Bulletin 158:111435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111435

Rebert, A.L., G.H. Kruse, J.B. Webb, S.L. Tamone, D. Oxman, and K.W. McNeel. 2020. Evaluation of a direct age determination method for terminally molted male snow crab Chionoecetes opilio (Fabricius 1788) (Decapoda: Brachyura: Oregoniidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruaa043

Zanotti, L., Z. Ma, J.L. Johnson, D.R. Johnson, D. Yu, M. Burnham and C. Carothers. 2020. Sustainability, resilience, adaptation, and transformation: tensions and plural approaches. Ecology and Society 25(3): 4. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11642-250304

Grant Awards for July 2020

New awards for July 2020:

• G-13443 "Quantifying phytoplankton biomass and productivity in the Gulf of Alaska surface waters at unprecedented spatial scales" - William Burt - NPRB - $174,907.00 (July 1, 2020)
• G-13451 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line: 2019-2021" - Russell Hopcroft - NPRB - $116,283.00 (July 1, 2020)
• G-13469 "Zooplankton Monitoring Along Coastal Regions and Tidewater Glacier Fjords of Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks & Preserves" - Jennifer Questel - National Park Service - $72,316.00 (June 30, 2020)
• G-13481 "Assessing Effects of Supplementation on Fitness of Sockeye Salmon in Auke Creek, Alaska–Final Phase" - Megan McPhee - Pacific Salmon Commission - $42,245.00 (April 1, 2020)
• G-13482 "Relaxed selection in salmon hatcheries" - Milo Adkison - Pacific Salmon Commission - $128,516.00 (May 1, 2020)

Awards that received incremental funding during the month of July:

• G-10539 "Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) Continuation" - C. Geoff Wheat - University of Southern California - Mod 10 - $52,924.00 (October 1, 2015)
• G-11630 "Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Survey (IES) Phase II" - Franz Mueter - BOEM - Mod 3 - $216,908.00 (July 1, 2017)
• G-11709 "LTER: Resilience in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem" - Russell Hopcroft - NSF - Mod 3 - $1,127,000.00 (September 1, 2017)
• G-12726 "Investigating microbial biodegradation of crude oil in Arctic marine sediments via shotgun metagenomics and compound-specific hydrocarbon analyses" - Alexis Walker (Sarah Hardy) - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - Mod 1 - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2019)
• G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" - Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA - Mod 1 - $180,000.00 (July 1, 2019)
• G-12935 "Collaborative Research: Characterization of Subduction Channel Processes - Borehole Sampling at Active Serpentinite Mud Volcanoes on the Mariana Forearc" - C. Geoff Wheat - NSF - Mod 1 - $182,548.00 (September 1, 2019)

Message from the Dean

For the second consecutive year, the University of Alaska Fairbanks has been cited as the top U.S. university in Times Higher Education’s 2020 Impact Rankings for quality education, noting in particular our high-quality programs in fisheries and marine science. Congratulations to UAF and CFOS for this point of pride!

Last week, Doug Baird and I welcomed back to Seward the captain, crew and science party aboard Sikuliaq after they completed another successful LTER cruise. Managing seagoing science requires significant effort to mitigate the COVID-19 virus, and once again the LTER cruise was executed using the highest safety standards. We also discussed ongoing efforts to improve the Seward Marine Center, including recent investments by Chancellor White for dock engineering, upgrades to the Hood laboratory and related infrastructure improvements in support of our shoreside operation. This work is being coordinated between CFOS and UAF Facilities Services.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq completed the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project with a science team from CFOS and Western Washington University, including Ana Aguilar-Islas, Will Burt, Seth Danielson and Russ Hopcroft from UAF/CFOS. Sikuliaq is now preparing for a shipyard dry docking to paint the hull.

Activities and Accomplishments

Ph.D. student Janessa Esquible-Hussion was recently awarded the 2020 Emerging Leaders Mentorship Award (ELMA) from the American Fisheries Society.

CFOS in the News

The journal Science mentioned R/V Sikuliaq in a story about U.S. research vessels resuming operations after developing procedures to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.

Seth Danielson was mentioned as a coauthor on a paper in Frontiers in Marine Science showing that Arctic Ocean changes are driven by subarctic seas, in a story run by UAF News and WUWT.

Alaska Business and UAF News ran a story about a paper in Global Change Biology on Chinook salmon declines relating to changes in habitat, naming Curry Cunningham as a contributor to the paper.

Publications

Cates, K. A., S. Atkinson, A. A. Pack, J. M. Straley, C. M. Gabriele, and S. Yin. 2020. Corticosterone in central North Pacific male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae): Pairing sighting histories with endocrine markers to assess stress. General and Comparative Endocrinology 296:113540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113540

Jones, L. A., E. R. Schoen, R. Shaftel, C.J. Cunningham, S. Mauger, D. J. Rinella, and A. St. Saviour. 2020. Watershed‐scale climate influences productivity of Chinook salmon populations across southcentral Alaska. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15155

Koehn, L. E., T. E. Essington, P.S. Levin, K.N. Marshall, L.G. Anderson, A. Bundy, C. Carothers, F. Coleman, J.H. Grabowski, E. Houde, O.P. Jensen, C. Möllmann, and A. D. M. Smith. 2020. Case studies demonstrate capacity for a structured planning process for ecosystem-based fisheries management. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 77(7): 1256–1274. https://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2019-0202

Olsen, D. W., C. O. Matkin, F.J. Mueter, and S. Atkinson. 2020. Social behavior increases in multipod aggregations of southern Alaska resident killer whales (Orcinus orca). Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12715

Polyakov, I. V., M. B. Alkire, B. A. Bluhm, K. A. Brown, E. C. Carmack, M. Chierici, S. L. Danielson, I. Ellingsen, E. A. Ershova, K. Gårdfeldt, R. B. Ingvaldsen, A. V. Pnyushkov, D. Slagstad, and P. Wassmann. 2020. Borealization of the Arctic Ocean in response to anomalous advection from sub-Arctic seas. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:491. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00491

Message from the Dean

As we are now in the second half of the year, I hope that everyone had a safe and relaxing Fourth of July holiday weekend.

July 2020 marks a historic moment in the history of CFOS as Alaska Sea Grant (ASG), the Marine Advisory Program (MAP) and the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center will no longer be administered by CFOS. The formation of the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences in 1987 was originally envisioned by former Alaska Sea Grant director Ron Dearborn and Institute of Marine Science director and SFOS inaugural dean Vera Alexander. There has since been a close collaboration between CFOS and ASG/MAP faculty and staff in serving the needs of Alaska’s coastal communities. The all-hands faculty and staff retreat in 2016 is but one recent example of this collaboration in developing the CFOS Decadal Plan[BROKEN LINK]. While no longer part of CFOS, we look forward to future collaborations with ASG/MAP.

Brenda Norcross has officially retired from CFOS after 31 years of outstanding faculty service. A prolific researcher, student advisor and instructor, Brenda's intellectual focus on fisheries ecology and fisheries oceanography has been a mainstay of Alaska’s fisheries. She has served on numerous state, national and international governmental science committees, including 25 years of service on the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Groundfish Management Team. In 2001, Brenda was honored for her research and outreach efforts by being named an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow and a Harriman Scholar. Please join me in wishing Brenda the very best for her future.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project with a science team from CFOS and Western Washington University, including Seth Danielson, Russ Hopcroft, Ana Aguilar-Islas, and Will Burt.

Activities and Accomplishments

M.S. student Nina Lundstrom was selected for a 2020 North Pacific Research Board Graduate Student Research Award to support her research on climate change impacts on nearshore fish communities.

Ph.D. student Courtney Hart was awarded a scholarship from the 2020 Kathryn E. and John P. Doyle Scholarship fund of The Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) to support her research on geoduck clams and harmful algal blooms. Ph.D. student Veronica Padula also was awarded a Doyle scholarship in support of her research on the effects of plastics and plastic-derived chemicals on marine ecosystems and subsistence-dependent communities in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands.

CFOS in the News

Dean Stockwell and Gay Sheffield were mentioned in the Nome Nugget in a story about spruce pollen washing up on arctic shores.

UAF News featured Jeff Falke and his Ph.D. student Chris Sergeant in a press release about three new tools that will help predict the effect of climate change on freshwater fish. The CFOS Newsroom, the Alaska Sea Grant Fishlines newsletter, and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ran a longer version of the story.

Publications

Danielson, S. L., O. Ahkinga, C. Ashjian, E. Basyuk, L. W. Cooper, L. Eisner, E. Farley, K. B. Iken, J. M. Grebmeier, L. Juranek, G. Khen, S. Jayne, T. Kikuchi, C. Ladd, K. Lu, R. McCabe, G. W. K. Moore, S. Nishino, S. R. Okkonen, F. Ozenna, R. S. Pickart, I. Polyakov, P. J. Stabeno, K. Wood, W. J. Williams, R. A. Woodgate, and T. J. Weingartner. 2020. Manifestation and consequences of warming and altered heat fluxes over the Bering and Chukchi Sea continental shelves. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104781

Fergusson, E., T. Miller, M. V. McPhee, C. Fugate, and H. Schultz. 2020. Trophic responses of juvenile Pacific salmon to warm and cool periods within inside marine waters of Southeast Alaska. Progress in Oceanography 186:102378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2020.102378

Mueter, F., C. Bouchard, H. Hop, B. Laurel, and B. Norcross. 2020. Arctic gadids in a rapidly changing environment. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02696-1

Rosengard, S. Z., R. W. Izett, W. J. Burt, N. Schuback, and Philippe D. Tortell. 2020. Decoupling of ΔO₂∕Ar and particulate organic carbon dynamics in nearshore surface ocean waters. Biogeosciences 17(12): 3277–3298. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3277-2020

Grant Awards for June 2020

The following grants received incremental funding during June:

• Grant G-11387 "Collaborative Research: Global Estimation of Lagrangian Characteristics" - Harper Simmons - Mod 1 - NSF - $18,472.00 (April 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Ginny Eckert - Mod 15 - NOAA - $43,800.00 (February 1, 2018)*
• Grant G-12726 "Investigating microbial biodegradation of crude oil in Arctic marine sediments via shotgun metagenomics and compound-specific hydrocarbon analyses" - Alexis Walker (Sarah Hardy) - Mod 1 - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13021 "Nurturing the Successful Growth and Maturation of a Domestic Seaweed Aquaculture Industry: Identifying and Removing Barriers and Promoting Opportunities" - Melissa Good - Mod 1- University of Connecticut - $40,655.00 (September 1, 2019)*
• Grant G-13328 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska" - Andrew Seitz - Mod 1 - Department of the Navy - $219,191.00 (April 1, 2020)

* As of July 1, 2020, these grants are no longer controlled by CFOS. The Sea Grant Omnibus has been transferred to the Provost office. MAP department grants also have been transferred.

Message from the Dean

Last Friday was Juneteenth, a date recognized across our nation in commemoration of the end of slavery. This date reverberates in 2020 with the tragic death of George Floyd, and again I encourage everyone to stand against all forms of racism.

It has been a year and a half since the second CFOS faculty retreat was held in Anchorage. A primary outcome of that gathering was to expand the face-to-face and synchronous distance delivery of our academic curriculum to include asynchronous modality, for two reasons. First, online instruction will extend our academic reach and enable the next generation of fisheries and ocean scientists to access our outstanding degree programs within Alaska and beyond. Second, we have the opportunity to increase student enrollment while generating additional revenue to support our mission.

In light of the global pandemic, asynchronous instruction has emerged as a key modality for student learning in higher education. What does this mean for CFOS and UAF? While there is currently no master’s degree program in marine science in the nation available by online asynchronous delivery, CFOS will soon offer our Master of Marine Studies and Blue MBA degree programs online; this also presents an opportunity to grow our undergraduate degree program in fisheries and marine sciences. By embracing this opportunity, CFOS will continue to be an innovative leader in fisheries, marine biology and ocean sciences instruction.

I want to personally thank the following faculty for their willingness to engage in this work: Courtney Carothers, Quentin Fong, Russ Hopcroft, Lara Horstmann, Katrin Iken, Andrés López, Andrew McDonnell and Trent Sutton. I also want to thank Owen Guthrie and eCampus for support and resources, and Trent Sutton for his work in helping our faculty advance this important effort.

As we are now past summer solstice, I hope everyone is taking time to enjoy the beautiful Alaska summer.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the pier in Seward performing routine maintenance and enhanced cleaning while waiting for the UNOLS Council fleet stand-down to expire on July 1. Beginning July 1, Sikuliaq will start mobilizing for her second cruise of 2020, in the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research area.

Activities and Accomplishments

The following CFOS graduate students received the North Gulf of Alaska Research Award for research connected to fisheries management and of interest to fisheries managers and regulatory bodies: Brian Ulaski, Molly Payne, Katja Berghaus, and Donny Arthur. The students will consult with scientists at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game or the National Marine Fisheries Service.

CFOS in the News

Trent Sutton and CFOS alumna Katie Shink’s research on Arctic lamprey migrations on the Yukon River was featured in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Bradley Moran was interviewed by Channel 11 News in Fairbanks on World Oceans Day to talk about the importance of oceans and the benefits they provide for humankind.

The Alaska Ocean Observing System spring newsletter focused on research operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, mentioning UAF research in the Bering Strait and featuring a story on Sikuliaq’s cruise along the Seward Line in the northern Gulf of Alaska.

Gay Sheffield from Alaska Sea Grant was quoted in a KNOM article about the effect of COVID-19 on research in the Bering Strait area. Communities are taking extra precautions and restricting travel from outside the region.

The National Science Foundation featured Russ Hopcroft and R/V Sikuliaq in a story about maintaining vital research in the Gulf of Alaska during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bradley Moran wrote an opinion piece published in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on how a potential merger between the University of Alaska Southeast and the University of Alaska Fairbanks could present an opportunity to combine the UAS and UAF programs in fisheries, marine biology and ocean sciences to better support Alaska’s health and economy.

Publications

Connors, B., M. J. Malick, G. T. Ruggerone, P. Rand, M. Adkison, J. R. Irvine, R. Campbell, and K. Gorman. 2020. Climate and competition influence sockeye salmon population dynamics across the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 77(6): 943–949. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2019-0422

DeHart, H. M, L. Blanco-Bercial, M. Passacantando, J. M. Questel, and A. Bucklin. 2020. Pathways of pelagic connectivity: Eukrohnia hamata (Chaetognatha) in the Arctic Ocean. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:396. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00396

Khalsa, N. S., J. Smith, K. A. Jochum, G. Savory, and J. A. López. 2020. Identifying under-ice overwintering locations of juvenile Chinook salmon by using environmental DNA. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10444

McKinney, G., M. V. McPhee, C. Pascal, J. E. Seeb, and L. W. Seeb. 2020. Network analysis of linkage disequilibrium reveals genome architecture in chum salmon. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics 10(5): 1553–1561. https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.119.400972

Ohlberger, J., D. E. Schindler, R. J. Brown, J. M. S. Harding, M. D. Adkison, A. R. Munro, L. Horstmann, and J. Spaeder. 2020. The reproductive value of large females: consequences of shifts in demographic structure for population reproductive potential in Chinook salmon. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2020-0012

Taylor, N., C. T. Clark, N. Misarti, and L. Horstmann. 2020. Determining sex of adult Pacific walruses from mandible measurements. Journal of Mammalogy. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyaa051

Message from the Dean

Last week during the UA Board of Regents meeting, President Johnsen announced that Professor Franz Mueter has been appointed as a prestigious UA President’s Professor of Quantitative Fisheries and Ecosystems. In making this appointment, President Johnsen noted Franz’s exceptional work with students, research on the influence of climate variability on the productivity and spatial dynamics of fish populations, and service on the Science and Statistical Committee of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. I would like to thank President Johnsen for his continued strong support of CFOS. Congratulations, Franz!

I am pleased to convey that Robert (Bob) Cruise is the new Port Engineer for Sikuliaq ship operations. Bob has previously worked aboard the Alaska ferries for more than 23 years (13 years as a chief engineer), more recently as a relief chief engineer aboard R/V Atlantic Explorer and R/V Oceanus, and as port engineer for a private firm. Please join me in welcoming Bob to CFOS.

To reiterate my message sent last week regarding the senseless death of George Floyd, I encourage everyone to stand against all forms of racism that we are experiencing and commit to a concerted and lasting effort to bring about positive change.

Wishing everyone a happy World Oceans Day !

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the pier in Seward, performing routine maintenance and enhanced cleaning and preparing to calibrate the EK-80 echosounder and patch test the two multibeam echosounder systems. The UNOLS Council fleet stand-down order is scheduled to expire on July 1. Resumption of science operations will be in accordance with UNOLS risk assessment guidelines. We are planning to resume science operations and assist in the collection of oceanographic data and recovery of deployed gear, though with a reduced number of science personnel aboard. We will continue to take precautions to prevent exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Activities and Accomplishments

The University of Alaska Fairbanks produced a publication on Arctic Research[BROKEN LINK] with articles about R/V Sikuliaq’s role in long-term ecological research and Alaska Sea Grant’s assistance with kelp farming and preventing paralytic shellfish poisoning.

UA News published an article about Franz Mueter’s appointment as President’s Professor of Quantitative Fisheries and Ecosystems.

CFOS in the News

Sea Technology magazine ran a story about R/V Sikuliaq’s cruise in the Gulf of Alaska in May, highlighting the health precautions taken and the research that was accomplished.

The University of Washington College of Engineering Newsletter prominently featured R/V Sikuliaq’s role in exploring the changing Arctic.

CFOS graduate student Hannah Myers was interviewed by Maine Public Radio about U.S. and Canadian lobster catches in the Gulf of Maine.

Publications

Chiaramonte, L.V., K.A. Meyer, P.R. Branigan, and J.B. Reynolds. 2020. Effect of pulsed DC frequency on capture efficiency and spinal injury of trout in small streams. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10440

Donkersloot, R., J.C. Black, C. Carothers, D. Ringer, W. Justin, P.M. Clay, M.R. Poe, E.R. Gavenus, W. Voinot-Baron, C. Stevens, M. Williams, J. Raymond-Yakoubian, F. Christiansen, S.J. Breslow, S.J. Langdon, J.M. Coleman, and S.J. Clark. 2020. Assessing the sustainability and equity of Alaska salmon fisheries through a well-being framework. Ecology and Society 25(2): 18. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11549-250218

Myers, H.J., and M.J. Moore. 2020. Reducing effort in the U.S. American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery to prevent North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) entanglements may support higher profits and long-term sustainability. Marine Policy 118:104017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104017

Reynolds, J.B., and J.C. Dean. 2020. Development of electrofishing for fisheries management. Fisheries 45(5): 229–237. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10440

Grant Awards for May 2020

New awards that were set up and awarded in May:

• Grant G-13353 "Spatiotemporal dynamics of chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea" - Megan McPhee - UA Foundation PCCRC - $87,151.00 (May 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13354 "Nutritional consequences of changes in phytoplankton community structure" - Sarah Hardy - UA Foundation PCCRC - $34,777.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13397 "Subtidal Habitat Mapping in the Cook Inlet Lease Area for Current and Predictive Sea Otter Associations with Habitat" - Elizabeth Hasan - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2020)

The following grant was set up on assumption and controlled by another department in May:

• Grant G-13379 "NMREC Infrastructure Upgrades" - Andrew Seitz - University of Washington - $200,000.00 (April 7, 2020)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of May:

• Grant G-10583 "Flow and turbulence in the wakes of abrupt topography" - Harper Simmons - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - Mod 8 - $56,441.00 (April 25, 2015)
• Grant G-11157 "Seward Line Monitoring" - Russell Hopcroft - AOOS - Mod 6 - $110,693.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-12114 "Inertial and Turbulent Processes in the Iceland Basin: A proposal to the Near Inertial Shear and Kinetic Energy in the North Atlantic Experiment (NISKINE) Departmental Research Initiative" - Harper Simmons - ONR - Mod 3 - $198,278.00 (April 15, 2018)

Message from the Dean

Ensuring student success is fundamental to the mission of our college. In this regard, last week CFOS hosted for the first time its own graduation ceremony to celebrate our more than 30 undergraduate and graduate students. Congratulations to all our graduates, and to Trent Sutton, Courtney Carothers and Christina Sutton for organizing this wonderful event—and hopefully the beginning of a new CFOS tradition. The CFOS event was followed by the first UAF virtual graduation held on Saturday. Congratulations again to all CFOS 2020 graduates!

As many of you may now be aware, Robbie Hamilton has tendered her resignation from CFOS, effective May 29. Over the past 18 years, Robbie has worked as a fiscal and procurement technician for CFOS in support of our research and academic mission. She will be greatly missed as a valued employee and important staff member of CFOS. Please join me in wishing Robbie the very best in her future endeavors.

After working at UAF for more than 30 years, Steve Hartz has tendered his retirement as Science Operations Manager for Sikuliaq, effective June 30. As many will know, Steve has been an essential employee for our successful marine operations, dating back to his work in support of R/V Alpha Helix in the 1980s through the first few years of research operations aboard R/V Sikuliaq. Please join me in wishing Steve the very best going forward. Marine Technician Ethan Roth will be the Interim Science Operations Manager.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the pier in Seward for another few weeks performing routine maintenance and enhanced cleaning while waiting out the UNOLS Council fleet stand-down.

Activities and Accomplishments

Congratulations to Kayla Drumm, our first graduate of the joint UAS/UAF Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences degree program. KINY radio (Juneau) wrote a piece about her trailblazing accomplishment.

CFOS in the News

Gordon Kruse’s feature article based on his keynote address at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea symposium Shellfish: Resources and Invaders of the North was featured on the ICES website.

CFOS researchers on Sikuliaq’s recent LTER cruise in the northern Gulf of Alaska were featured in an Eos article about social distancing at sea. The LTER program also referred to the cruise on its website in an article about the importance of the Seward Line time series.

KNOM radio mentioned Gay Sheffield in a story about changes in bowhead whale migrations.

Publications

Barnes, C.L., A.H. Beaudreau, M.W. Dorn, K.H. Holsman, and F.J. Mueter. 2020. Development of a predation index to assess trophic stability in the Gulf of Alaska. Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2141

Khalsa, N.S., J. Smith, K.A. Jochum, G. Savory, and J.A. López. 2020. Identifying under‐ice overwintering locations of juvenile Chinook salmon by using environmental DNA. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10444

McKinney, G.M., M.V. McPhee, C. Pascal, J.E. Seeb, and L.W. Seeb. 2020. Network analysis of linkage disequilibrium reveals genome architecture in chum salmon. G3: Genes, Genomes, and Genetics 10(5): 1553–1561. Article on Oxford Academic G3 journals

Ressel, K.N., D.G. McNicholl, and T.M. Sutton. 2020. Capelin Mallotus villosus population differentiation among and within regions using relative warps. Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-020-00970-z

Ulaski, B.P., B. Konar, and E.O. Otis. 2020. Seaweed reproduction and harvest rebound in Southcentral Alaska: Implications for wild stock management. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00740-1

Message from the Dean

As we conclude the spring 2020 semester, please note two important upcoming events. On Saturday, May 23, UAF will hold a virtual Commencement 2020 —congratulations to our graduates. And on Thursday, May 21, CFOS will host its own virtual graduation ceremony. Details on how to connect to the CFOS event will be forthcoming.

It is a pleasure to recognize the CFOS staff members who were honored last week at the annual UAF Staff Recognition event. These individuals and all of our hardworking staff help to ensure that CFOS operates efficiently and effectively. Please join me in congratulating the following employees for their dedicated service to CFOS and to the university: Eric Danielson, Edward DeCastro, Scott Lonergan, Ethan Roth, Jeffrey Simonson, Rob Worrad (5 years of service); Elizabeth Dobbins, John Haverlack, Hank Statscewich (10 years of service); Dave Partee (20 years of service); and Steve Hartz (30 years of service).

Be safe and enjoy the sunshine.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq just completed a seven-day Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) cruise. The ship will stay alongside the pier in Seward for another few weeks while waiting out the UNOLS Council stand-down of the US Academic Research Fleet due to the coronavirus. Welcome back!

Activities and Accomplishments

2020–2021 Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center Fellowship Recipients:

• Katja Berghaus – PhD Fisheries (Advisor Trent Sutton)
• Matthew Callahan – MS Fisheries (Advisor Anne Beaudreau)
• Becca Cates – MS Fisheries (Advisor Ginny Eckert)
• Kelly Cates – PhD Fisheries (Advisor Shannon Atkinson)
• Austin Flanigan – MS Fisheries (Advisor Andy Seitz)
• Kevin Siwicke – PhD Fisheries (Advisor Andy Seitz) – new
• Mary Spanos – MS Fisheries (Advisor Trent Sutton) – new
• Marina Washburn – PhD Fisheries (Advisor Amanda Kelley)

Noah Khalsa, one of our graduating undergraduate students, was awarded a 2020 Brina Kessel Medal for Excellence in Science.

The CFOS Ocean Acidification Research Center (OARC) has established a new advisory committee. Its members are Will Burt, Seth Danielson, Gwenn Hennon, Amanda Kelley, Brenda Konar and Mat Wooller. Led by Natalie Monacci, the OARC Advisory Committee will focus on increasing student engagement, broadening internal and external collaborations, diversifying funding and strengthening communications.

Alaska Sea Grant has developed a collection of state and local COVID-19 resources aimed to help Alaska seafood, mariculture and fishing businesses, which includes a recorded webinar. In conjunction, Gabe Dunham and Melissa Good produced a bulletin of local, state, and federal resources including information from the National Sea Grant Law Center.

CFOS in the News

R/V Sikuliaq’s first cruise since the COVID-19 pandemic began was featured twice in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and twice by Alaska Public Media, and also appeared in UAF News, KUAC, KTOO, and Sitnews. Russ Hopcroft referenced the cruise in a Science article about the challenges of reopening labs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

University of Montana News and UAF News released articles about a paper coauthored by Megan McPhee, Chris Sergeant and others and published in Science about Canadian mining pollution threatening rivers in Alaska.

Kyle Dilliplaine, CFOS alum (MS) and incoming PhD student, was featured in an Anchorage Daily News article about how the UAF virology lab is helping with coronavirus testing in Fairbanks.

Jeff Falke coauthored a paper about a new Fish and Climate Change Database tool called FiCli that first appeared in Nature Scientific Data, and then gained significant media attention with articles in USGS, Futurity, Sciencenewsnet, Science Daily, and Phys.org.

Hank Statscewich was mentioned in a New York Times article about science in Antarctica.

Gay Sheffield and Alaska Sea Grant were mentioned in the KNOM Radio story, “Subsistence Whaling Undisrupted by COVID-19, Regional Hunters Successful.”

Alaska Sea Grant released an article about how COVID-19 is affecting Alaska mariculture, which appeared in UAF News and Ketchikan’s Sitnews. More information on the survey is available on the Sea Grant website.

Katrin Iken contributed to the Oceanography supplemental booklet New Frontiers in Ocean Exploration with an article about the 2019 R/V Sikuliaq cruise led by UAF scientists that explored seamounts in the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Publications

Forster, C.E., B.L. Norcross, and I. Spies. 2020. Documenting growth parameters and age in Arctic fish species in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Deep-Sea Research II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104779

Forster, C.E., B.L. Norcross, F.J. Mueter, E.A. Logerwell, and A.C. Seitz. 2020. Spatial patterns, environmental correlates, and potential seasonal migration triangle of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) distribution in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02631-4

Krabbenhoft, T. J., B. J. E. Myers, J. P. Wong, C. Chu, R. W. Tingley III, J. A. Falke, T. J. Kwak, C. P. Paukert, and A. J. Lynch. 2020. FiCli, the Fish and Climate Change Database, informs climate adaptation and management for freshwater fishes. Scientific Data 7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0465-z

Sawyer, A. C., J. W. Moore, D. E. Schindler, and P. A. H. Westley. 2020. Connecting salmon science in an era of global change. Fisheries 45:214–215. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10432

Grant Awards for April 2020

New awards set up and awarded in April:

• Grant G-13304 "Gulf of Alaska Cruise 2020: Ocean Acidification in Alaska's Coastal Seas" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $87,229.00 (October 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13323 "University of Alaska Fairbanks / Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $367,800.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13328 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska" - Andrew Seitz - Dept. of the Navy - $221,839.00 (April 15, 2020)
• Grant G-13339 "CoPe RCN: PEople on the MOve in a Changing Climate (PEMOCC)" - Davin Holen - University of Georgia - $79,977.00 (February 1, 2020)

New award set up on assumption in April:

• Grant G-13326 "Ocean migration and behavior of steelhead kelts in multiple Alaskan OCS oil and gas lease areas, examined with satellite telemetry" - Andrew Seitz - BOEM - $85,000.00 (April 3, 2020)

The following grant is controlled by another department and opened in April:

• Grant G13302 "Tamamta Iqallupet Anirtungnaqlluki: Conceptualizing Indigenous Approaches to Salmon Science and Management in Alaska" - Courtney Carothers - CRCD - NSF - $354,423.00 (April 1, 2020)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of April:

• Grant G-11400 "Long Term Monitoring: Ecological Communities in Kachemak Bay, Phase 2" - Katrin Iken - PWSSC Mod 3 - $52,000.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11408 "Environmental Drivers: Seward Line" - Russell Hopcroft - PWSSC Mod 3 - $131,200.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11485 "Long Term Monitoring of the Alaska Coastal Current" - Seth Danielson - PWSSC Mod 3 - $115,200.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11498 "Riverine Carbon Contributions to Alaskan Arctic Coastal Margins" - Stephen Okkonen - WHOI Mod 4 - $50,172.00 (March 16, 2017)
• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks / Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support Year 1 of 5" - Steven Hartz - NSF Mod 3 - $600,000.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks / Sikuliaq Ship Operations 2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF Mod 5 - $4,000,000.00 (July 1, 2018)

Message from the Dean

The spring 2020 semester will certainly be remembered as one for the ages. The emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted nearly all aspects of our personal and work lives, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The outbreak of the virus in turn triggered a global collapse of oil prices, which unfortunately is expected to have a significant impact on the state economy and hence our university. In other words, a global scale one-two punch to Alaska.

Despite these unprecedented external forces, the entire university community adapted efficiently and effectively. For CFOS, we continued our academic mission using distance-delivery instruction methods that were already in place prior to the pandemic; this is an excellent example of the potential to grow our academic programs through online instruction. And while our many research programs have been similarly challenged, we are doing our best to advance on this front. For example, we are continuing to conduct essential research to the extent possible, and plans are in place to lead the nation’s first research cruise since the stand-down of the Academic Research Fleet through July 1, with Sikuliaq supporting the NGA LTER program next month. Well done, CFOS.

It is a pleasure to convey that several CFOS faculty were successful in the most recent UAF promotion and tenure process. Please join me in congratulating Andy Seitz (promotion to professor), Gabe Dunham and Peter Westley (promotion to associate professor with tenure), and Melissa Good (promotion to research associate professor).

Last, while the pandemic prevented the annual State of the College event, I would like to reiterate my strong appreciation to our dedicated students, staff and faculty for your perseverance, patience and collaborative approach in advancing the mission of CFOS during these challenging times.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2020 Dean’s Recognition Awards:

• Dr. Sarah Hardy: Outstanding Advisor
• Dr. Franz Mueter: Outstanding Instructor
• Dr. Ginny Eckert: Outstanding Public Service
• Dr. Seth Danielson: Outstanding Researcher
• Ms. Heather McLeod: Outstanding Staff
• Ms. Shelly Song: Outstanding Sikuliaq Crew Member
• Mr. Noah Khalsa: Outstanding Undergraduate Student
• Ms. Annie Raymond: Outstanding Graduate Student

Congratulations to our spring 2020 graduates:

• Kristin Brown. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Shannon Atkinson
• Michael Knutson. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Ginny Eckert
• Rachel Lekanoff. MS Oceanography, Major Advisor: Eric Collins
• Fletcher Sewall. Ph.D. Oceanography, Major Advisor: Brenda Norcross
• Lauren Wild. Ph.D. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Franz Mueter
• Christine Ann Zinkann. Ph.D. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Katrin Iken
• Kate Ariola. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Ocean Science)
• Dennis Barril. BS Fisheries
• Heidi Ingram. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Fisheries Science
• Noah Khalsa. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Fisheries Sciences)
• Kelsie Maslen. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Fisheries Science)
• Justin Ming. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Ocean Science)
• Deidra Neeley. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Fisheries Science)

Outstanding undergraduate student awards:

• Kyleigh McArthur: Outstanding Freshman
• Jennifer Tusten: Outstanding Sophomore
• Brian Zhang: Outstanding Junior
• Monroe Morris: Outstanding Senior
• Noah Khalsa: Outstanding Leadership

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the UAF pier in Seward. Sikuliaq crew are continuing enhanced cleaning measures of the ship, good personal hygiene practices, and routine maintenance. After conducting a COVID-19 virus risk assessment and implementing several mitigation measures, Sikuliaq has received the green light to conduct a reduced North Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) cruise for Dr. Russ Hopcroft the first week of May.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS alum Michael Garvin (Ph.D., 2013) is doing pioneering research on COVID-19, which was recently published in the journal bioRxiv.

Hannah Myers was awarded the prestigious 2020 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Award. Congratulations, Hannah!

CFOS students Becca Cates and Kelly Cates, together with alumna Elizabeth Figus and former employee Lars Powers, are helping construct PPE for Southeast Alaska health care workers. The Juneau Empire and the Anchorage Press ran stories on the project.

CFOS in the News

The Anchorage Daily News ran an opinion piece by Peter Westley and Curry Cunningham about salmon fisheries management during COVID-19.

Russel Hopcroft commented in a Science article about COVID-19 affecting long-term scientific research, noting work on Sikuliaq.

Megan McPhee and Chris Sergeant were among several coauthors of a letter published in Science about Canadian mining practices that threaten downstream ecosystems and fisheries in Alaska and other states.

Publications

Donkersloot, R., J. Coleman, C. Carothers, D. Ringer, and P. Cullenberg. 2020. Kin, community, and diverse rural economies: Rethinking resource governance for Alaska rural fisheries. Marine Policy 117: 103966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103966

Grant Awards for March 2020

The new award for March is as follows:

• Grant G-13304 "Gulf of Alaska Cruise 2020: Ocean Acidification in Alaska's Coastal Seas" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $87,229.00 (October 1, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of March:

• Grant G-11625 "Modeling of Near Surface Stratification Processes in the Bay of Bengal: A proposal to the MISO-DRI" - Harper Simmons - ONR - Mod 3 - $111,839.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Ginny Eckert - NOAA - Mod 14 - $1,630,289.00 (February 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12044 "Development of Scalable Coastal and Offshore Macroalgal Farming ARPA-E" - Michael Stekoll - Department of Energy - Mod 5 - $2,628,000.00 (April 11, 2018)
• Grant G-12804 "Coastal Marine Institute Program Administration 2019-2024" - Brenda Konar - BOEM - Mod 1 - $152,911.00 (May 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12871 "Cooperative Monitoring of Harmful Algal Blooms and Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning on Kodiak Archipelago: Advancing Tribal Resilience and Subsistence Food Security" - Julie Matweyou - Kodiak Area Native Association - Mod 1 - $9,220.00 (February 6, 2019)

Message from the Dean

Over the weekend we received positive news that the Governor’s office recognized the need for continuity of UAF’s important research mission during these uncertain times. This news is particularly timely in that many of our graduate students need to conduct fieldwork as part of their thesis research. We owe thanks to Chancellor White and his team for advocating on our behalf and to President Johnsen for helping to advance our diverse research programs and major facility operations.

It is a pleasure to convey that Kyle Rivera has accepted the position of CFOS student recruiter. Kyle earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in health, physical education and administration from Murray State University in Kentucky, where he also worked as a student recruiter and athletic director. Kyle will begin working remotely on Monday, April 13. Please join me in welcoming Kyle to our college.

With increasing daylight, warmer temperatures and trees budding, we are overdue to usher in spring after one of our coldest and snowiest winters in decades. Enjoy and be safe.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq completed her 14-day quarantine at sea and has docked at the UAF pier in Seward. Crew are continuing enhanced cleaning measures and routine maintenance of the ship while we wait for the green light to resume science operations.

Activities and Accomplishments

We recently launched the new CFOS website. This was a significant effort to migrate the prior website to OU Campus as well as conduct a major update in content, and we are still working to fine-tune our many web pages. A big thank-you to CFOS web editor Carol Kaynor and Sherrie Roberts of University Relations for their collective effort and expertise. Well done!

Courtney Carothers was appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on the Use of Limited Access Privilege Programs in Mixed-Use Fisheries.

Congratulations to Noah Khalsa and Hanna Myers, who received Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation, and to Kyle Dilliplaine, who received an honorable mention.

CFOS in the News

R/V Sikuliaq was mentioned in a Mirage News article about using life on research vessels as a successful example of living and working in close quarters during COVID-19 restrictions.

The disruption of R/V Sikuliaq operations and seagoing research due to the COVID-19 pandemic was featured in an article in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Publications

Clark, C. T., L. Horstmann, and N. Misarti. 2020. Zinc concentrations in teeth of female walruses reflect the onset of reproductive maturity. Conservation Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coaa029

Ulaski, M. E., H. Finkle, and P. A. H. Westley. 2020. Direction and magnitude of natural selection on body size differs among age classes of seaward migrating Pacific salmon. Evolutionary Applications. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12957

Copeman, L., M. Spencer, R. Heintz, J. Vollenweider, A. Sremba, T. Helser, L. Logerwell, L. Sousa, S. Danielson, A. I. Pinchuk, and B. Laurel. 2020. Ontogenetic patterns in lipid and fatty acid biomarkers of juvenile polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) from across the Alaska Arctic. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02648-9

Message from the Dean

While we adapt to the current disruptions and uncertainties in our work and personal lives, it is heartening that the many dedicated CFOS staff and faculty continue to focus on the success of our students. In that regard, following the extended UAF Spring Break, the delivery of CFOS courses has proceeded essentially without interruption using online distance delivery, a teaching modality in which we are well versed. I am also very pleased that our faculty have offered to assist other UAF units as they transition to distance delivery teaching. Well done CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

R/V Sikuliaq is en route from Seattle to her homeport in Seward. During this transit, Sikuliaq successfully recovered two Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Observatory moorings associated with the NGA-LTER and Gulf Watch Alaska programs, and also conducted CTD work.

The crew is taking precautions and undergoing a quarantine at sea for 14 days, per guidance from the CDC, WHO and State of Alaska, to prevent transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Crew are cleaning the ship daily, and some often-used parts such as handrails twice a day. The ship’s medical officer is monitoring the crew by checking temperatures twice a day and examining for any symptoms of the coronavirus. Sikuliaq will not dock in Seward if any of the crew are symptomatic. We will continue to comply with all state and federal mandates regarding crew travel to and from the ship. The current plan is to moor at the UAF pier in Seward on April 4, and then wait for the green light to resume science operations.

Activities and Accomplishments

Franz Mueter gave a presentation at UAF’s Northwest Campus in Nome as part of the Strait Science series, sharing how changing sea ice conditions will affect the future of Arctic cod and other ice-associated fish.

CFOS in the News

Russ Hopcroft was featured in a Smithsonian article about the potential effect of the novel coronavirus on long-running research, including the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research project.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ran a story about Anne Beaudreau’s research on glacial retreat and Pacific salmon.

Publications

Kadko, D., A. Aguilar-Islas, C.S. Buck, J.N. Fitzsimmons, W.M. Landing, A. Shiller, C.P. Till, K.W. Bruland, E.A. Boyle, and R.F. Anderson. 2020. Sources, fluxes and residence times of trace elements measured during the U.S. GEOTRACES East Pacific Zonal Transect. Marine Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2020.103781

Krieger, J.R., A.H. Beaudreau, R.A. Heintz, and M.W. Callahan. 2020. Growth of young-of-year sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in response to temperature and prey quality: Insights from a life stage specific bioenergetics model. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 526: 151340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2020.151340

Litzow, M.A., M.E. Hunsicker, N.A. Bond, B.J. Burke, C.J. Cunningham, J.L. Gosselin, E.L. Norton, E.J. Ward, and S.G. Zador. 2020. The changing physical and ecological meanings of North Pacific Ocean climate indices. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1921266117

Maniscalco, J.M., A.M. Springer, K. Counihan, T. Hollmen, H.M. Aderman, and M. Toyukak Sr. 2020. Contemporary diets of walruses in Bristol Bay, Alaska suggest temporal variability in benthic community structure. PeerJ 8:e8735. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8735

Message from the Dean

We could all use a bit of positive news at this time, and in that regard I will not provide in this message any further updates on COVID-19 that are being communicated by UA leadership. Rather, the CFOS Dean’s Office has undergone a significant staff turnover in recent months, and I am very pleased to convey that we have now assembled an exceptional new team in terms of experience and energy to serve our students and faculty. In this regard, it is a pleasure to announce that Eric Sanchez has accepted the position of CFOS HR Coordinator. Eric brings significant experience from his extensive career in the military supporting human resource operations across multiple departments and locations. Eric’s first day at CFOS will be Monday, March 23. Please join me in welcoming Eric to our college.

R/V Sikuliaq

Following a recommendation from UNOLS [PDF] to NSF and ONR, the Academic Research Fleet is suspending research cruises for the next 30 days. This week Sikuliaq is scheduled to transit from the GSA Federal Center South pier in south Seattle to home port in Seward.

Activities and Accomplishments

Faculty and students from CFOS and OARC participated in a Fairbanks homeschool event by facilitating fun activities and demonstrations to showcase our programs and help foster the students’ interest in STEM.

CFOS in the News

Anne Beaudreau was featured in UAF News for research she and others are conducting on how glacial retreat will affect Pacific salmon.

KTVF, a Fairbanks subsidiary of NBC, ran a story about William Burt and his use of ocean optics to study plankton.

Gary Freitag’s work monitoring non-native Botrylloides in Ketchikan was featured in the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center ITunicate Newsletter.

Publications

Edwards, M., B. Konar, J. H. Kim, S. Gabara, G. Sullaway, T. McHugh, M. Spector, and S. Small. 2020. Marine deforestation leads to widespread loss of ecosystem function. PLoS ONE 15 (3): e0226173. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226173

Pitman, K. J., J. W. Moore, M. R. Sloat, A. H. Beaudreau, A. L. Bidlack, R. E. Brenner, E. W. Hood, G. R. Pess, N. J. Mantua, A. M. Milner, V. Radić, G. H. Reeves, D. E. Schindler, and D. C. Whited. 2020. Glacier retreat and Pacific salmon. BioScience 70 (3): 220–236. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa015

Wild, L. A., F. J. Mueter, B. Witteveen, and J. M. Straley. 2020. Exploring variability in the diet of depredating sperm whales in the Gulf of Alaska through stable isotope analysis. Royal Society Open Science 7 (3). https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.191110

Message from the Dean

In support of our mission to educate the next generation of fisheries and ocean scientists, we will soon roll out the new CFOS website, which is designed to enhance student recruitment and success. Our students conduct field and laboratory studies, disseminate new research discoveries at scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed scientific articles, and engage the public—they are essential to the many successful academic, research and outreach programs in CFOS.

In this regard, on Thursday the Chancellor will recognize several of our faculty for excellence in instruction and outreach. It is a pleasure to recognize and celebrate their success, along with our students and staff who support this critical part of our mission.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the GSA Federal Center South pier in south Seattle undergoing routine maintenance. Over the past two weeks, Sikuliaq passed both the NSF ship condition inspection and the regulatory USCG/ABS annual certificate of inspection.

Activities and Accomplishments

Marilyn Sigman’s book, Entangled: People and Ecological Change in Alaska's Kachemak Bay, published by UA Press, will receive the 2020 John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing.

As a member of the Marine Arctic Ecosystem Study (MARES), the Ocean Acidification Center (OARC) was awarded the 2019 NOPP Excellence in Partnering Award by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program. Natalie Monacci represented OARC at the award ceremony at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in San Diego.

Kristen Gorman was honored with an outreach award at the Copper Basin Symposium for the successful Copper River Salmon Harvesters Roundtable, which she helped organize in Tazlina on February 21. She presented her research on spawning migration habits of sockeye salmon at the symposium and the Copper River Salmon Science Synthesis Workshop.

Gwenn Hennon attended the EPSCoR States meeting in Washington, DC, and met with our congressional delegation to advocate for EPSCoR.

CFOS in the News

Seth Danielson, Katrin Iken, and Dean Stockwell were coauthors on a paper about transformations in arctic ecosystems that was published by Nature Climate Change. The paper has received significant international media attention, appearing in Newsweek, Phys.org, El País (in Spanish), UAF News, Alaska Public Media, and other news outlets.

UAF News ran a story about William Burt’s use of optical equipment to measure phytoplankton and zooplankton in the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Julie Matweyou’s research and work in communities was mentioned in a story in Grist about toxic shellfish in Alaska.

Publications

Catterson, M. R., D. C. Love, T. M. Sutton, and M. V. McPhee. 2020. Interactions between marine growth and life history diversity of steelhead from the Situk River, Alaska. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 40 (1): 242–255. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10405

Clark, S. C., J. Granger, A. Mastorakis, A. Aguilar‐Islas, and M. G. Hastings. 2020. An investigation into the origin of nitrate in Arctic sea ice. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 34 (2): e2019GB006279. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GB006279

Huntington, H. P., S. L. Danielson, F. K. Wiese, M. Baker, P. Boveng, J.J. Citta, A. De Robertis, D. M. S. Dickson, E. Farley, J. C. George, K. Iken, D. G. Kimmel, K. Kuletz, C. Ladd, R. Levine, L. Quakenbush, P. Stabeno, K. M. Stafford, D. Stockwell, and C. Wilson. 2020. Evidence suggests potential transformation of the Pacific Arctic ecosystem is underway. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0695-2

Koehn, L. E., T. E. Essington, P. S. Levin, K. N. Marshall, L. G. Anderson, A. Bundy, C. Carothers, F. C. Coleman, J. H. Grabowski, E. Houde, O. P. Jensen, C. Möllmann, and A .D. M. Smith. Case studies demonstrate capacity for a structured planning process for ecosystem-based fisheries management. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2019-0202

Sergeant, C. J., J. A. Falke, R. A. Bellmore, J. R. Bellmore, and R. L. Crumley. 2020. A classification of streamflow patterns across the coastal Gulf of Alaska. Water Resources Research 56 (2): e2019WR026127. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026127

Valk, O., M. M. Rutgers van der Loeff, W. Geibert, S. Gdaniec, S. B. Moran, K. Lepore, R. L. Edwards, Y. Lu, V. Puigcorbé, N. Casacuberta, R. Paffrath, W. Smethie, and M. Roy-Barman. 2020. Decrease in 230Th in the Amundsen Basin since 2007: far-field effect of increased scavenging on the shelf? Ocean Science 16:221–234. https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-221-2020

Grant Awards for February 2020

The new awards for February are as follows:

• Grant G-13224 "Knauss Fellowship for Ann Zinkann" - Ginny Eckert - NOAA - $59,000.00 (February 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13259 "2020 UAF Port Valdez Environmental Studies" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $69,000.00 (January 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13260 "Port Valdez Environmental Studies: Retrospective Analysis of Chemical Data, 1998-2019" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $24,000.00 (January 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13265 "Thresholds in a changing ocean environment: Bioeconomic implications to inform adaptation decisions for Alaska's salmon fisheries" - Amanda Kelley - University of Wyoming - $73,813.00 (November 1, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of February:

• Grant G-2218 "Administration of PCCRC" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation - $45,000.00 (January 1, 2005)
• Grant G-3163 "Ted Stevens Distinguished Professor of Marine Policy" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation - $225,000.00 (April 1, 2006)
• Grant G-4710 "Marine Research, Training and Technology Program" - Shannon DeMaster - UA Foundation - $9,000.00 (March 5, 2008)
• Grant G-12500 "Bering Strait High-Frequency Radar" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $114,286.00 (October 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12684 "Belmont Forum Collaborative Research (BiodivERsA): De-icing of Arctic Coasts: Critical or new opportunities for marine biodiversity and Ecosystem Services ACCES" - Katrin Iken - NSF- Mod 1 - $57,784.00 (March 15, 2019)

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to welcome two new staff to the CFOS Dean’s Office. Starting today, Deborah (Debby) Queen will begin work as the CFOS executive officer. Debby brings significant professional experience from her prior work at the UA Office of Information Technology, as executive assistant in the UAF Chancellor’s office, and most recently with the Fairbanks healthcare industry. The new CFOS financial manager is Tatiana Krupina. A UAF alum, Tatiana brings years of experience working in the private sector and was most recently senior accountant for Fountainhead Development Inc. Tatiana’s first day at CFOS will be Wednesday, February 26. Please join me in welcoming Debby and Tatiana to our college.

I also want to thank Heather McLeod for managing more than her usual workload during this staff transition. We will host a Coffee with the Dean on Friday, February 28, to allow folks to meet and greet Debby and Tatiana and to thank our staff for their good work.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the GSA Federal Center South pier in south Seattle, performing routine maintenance and preparing for the NSF ship inspection.

Activities and Accomplishments

Last weekend CFOS hosted the 23rd Alaska Tsunami Bowl in Seward. Fifteen teams competed, and the winner was "Southern Oscillation" from South Anchorage High School. Kudos to the Seward Marine Center staff and the City of Seward for their time and effort in making this year’s event a success.

Will Burt was accepted into the RBR2020 Cohort, a new two-year accelerator program to support innovative early-career ocean scientists. The program is funded by RBR, a Canadian company that designs and manufactures oceanographic instruments.

On February 5, Alice Bailey and Doug Baird participated in the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission Research Communications Working Group in Anchorage.

UAF Provost Anupma Prakash and the Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services, Julie Queen, recently toured the Seward Marine Center to learn more about CFOS programs and facilities.

A paper coauthored by Lara Horstmann on whale gut microbiomes was voted among the 20 best papers in 2019 in the ISME journal.

CFOS in the News

Gordon Kruse was featured in UAF Cornerstone for receiving the Terry Quinn II Distinguished Scientist Award from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The Nome Nugget covered a recent presentation in the UAF Northwest Campus Strait Science series, hosted by Gay Sheffield, which featured CFOS alum Jackie Grebmeier’s research on the impacts of decreasing sea ice on the arctic food chain.

Publications

Atkinson, S., D. Gendron, T. A. Branch, K. L. Mashburn, V. Melica, L. E. Enriquez-Paredes, and R. L. Brownell Jr. 2020. Pregnancy rate and biomarker validations from the blubber of eastern North Pacific blue whales. Marine Mammal Science 36 (1): 6–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12616

Fryer, P, C. G. Wheat, T. Williams, C. Kelley, K. Johnson, J. Ryan, W. Kurz, J. Shervais, E. Albers, B. Bekins, B. Debret, J. Deng, Y. Dong, P. Eickenbusch, E. Frery, Y. Ichiyama, R. Johnston, R. Kevorkian, V. Magalhaes, S. Mantovanelli, W. Menapace, C. Menzies, K. Michibayashi, C. Moyer, K. Mullane, J. W. Park, R. Price, O. Sissmann, S. Suzuki, K. Takai, B. Walter, R. Zhang, D. Amon, D. Glickson, and S. Pomponi. 2020. Mariana serpentinite mud volcanism exhumes subducted seamount materials: Implications for the origin of life. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A 378 (2165). https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2018.0425

Harried, B. L., D. J. Daugherty, D. J. Hoeinghaus, A. P Roberts, B. J. Venables, T. M. Sutton, and B. K. Soulen. 2019. Population contributions of large females may be eroded by contaminant body burden and maternal transfer: a case study of alligator gar. North American Journal of Fisheries Management . https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10382

Hennon, G. M. M., and S. T. Dyhrman. 2020. Progress and promise of omics for predicting the impacts of climate change on harmful algal blooms. Harmful Algae 91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2019.03.005

Johnston, T. M. S., M. C. Schönau, T. Paluszkiewicz, J. A. MacKinnon, B. K. Arbic, P. L. Colin, M. H. Alford, M. Andres, L. Centurioni, H. C. Graber, K. R. Helfrich, V. Hormann, P. F. J. Lermusiaux, R. C. Musgrave, B. S. Powell, B. Qiu, D. L. Rudnick, H. L. Simmons, L. St. Laurent, E. J. Terrill, D. S. Trossman, G. Voet, H. W. Wijesekera, and K. L. Zeiden. 2019. FLEAT: A multiscale observational and modeling program to understand how topography affects flows in the western North Pacific. Oceanography 32 (4): 10–21. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2019.407

Merrifield, S. T., P. L. Colin, T. Cook, C. Garcia-Moreno, J. A. MacKinnon, M. Otero, T. A. Schramek, M. Siegelman, H. L. Simmons, and E. J. Terrill. 2019. Island wakes observed from high-frequency current mapping radar. Oceanography 32 (4): 92–101. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2019.415

Ravelo, A. M., B. A. Bluhm, N. Foster, and K. Iken. 2020. Biogeography of epibenthic assemblages in the central Beaufort Sea. Marine Biodiversity 50 (1): 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-019-01036-9

Simmons, H. L., B. S. Powell, S. T. Merrifield, S. E. Zedler, and P. L. Colin. 2019. Dynamical downscaling of equatorial flow response to Palau. Oceanography 32 (4): 84–91. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2019.414

St. Laurent, L., T. Ijichi, S. T. Merrifield, J. Shapiro, and H. L. Simmons. 2019. Turbulence and vorticity in the wake of Palau. Oceanography 32 (4): 102–109. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2019.416

Wheat, C. G., K. Becker, H. Villinger, B. N. Orcutt, T. Fournier, A Hartwell, and C. Pau. 2020. Subseafloor cross-hole tracer experiment reveals hydrologic properties, heterogeneities, and reactions in slow-spreading oceanic crust. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 21 (1): e2019GC008804. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GC008804

Yeh, H. D., J. M. Questel, K. R. Maas, and A. Bucklin. 2020. Metabarcoding analysis of regional variation in gut contents of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus in the North Atlantic Ocean. Deep-Sea Research Part II . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104738

Message from the Dean

An article in yesterday’s edition of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on the value of university research noted the importance of Alaska’s blue economy, which encompasses both traditional maritime sectors and emerging innovation and technology-driven opportunities. By supporting a broad portfolio of cutting-edge research projects and training the next generation of scientists and technicians, CFOS and its partner Alaska Sea Grant are at the forefront of Alaska’s maritime economic development. We can take pride that our work and that of the entire university is recognized for bringing significant positive economic impact to the state.

The annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) held last week in Anchorage featured numerous insightful presentations by CFOS students and faculty that reflect extremely well on our diverse research, education and public outreach programs. Kudos to Alice Bailey for showcasing our many programs and facilities at the CFOS booth, and for communicating the many opportunities for students, postdocs and faculty to connect with the College. There was also strong interest in our new coastal research vessel, Nanuq; thanks to Brian Mullaly for promoting this new research asset.

Several active searches for CFOS staff positions are progressing well. We are hoping to conclude the search for a new executive officer and financial manager in the next week; we are also focused on filling the HR coordinator and student recruiter positions.

Warmer temperatures and more daylight remind us that spring is just around the corner. Until then, best to enjoy the beauty of Alaska’s winter.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is at the University of Washington pier in Seattle for repairs, routine maintenance, and to prepare for the NSF ship inspection next month. Once the Ballard Locks close, the ship will move to a pier on the Duwamish River in South Seattle.

Activities and Accomplishments

The AMSS award for best PhD oral presentation went to Scott Gabara, who studied under Brenda Konar on kelp deforestation along the Aleutian Islands.

Last week, the Coastal Marine Institute and the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center held their annual symposia in Anchorage.

Laura Horstmann and Nicole Misarti presented their walrus research and led an experiment at the Museum of the North Walrus Family day, which had more than 200 participants.

CFOS Professor Emeritus Gordon Kruse was awarded the inaugural Terry Quinn II Distinguished Scientist Award, which was established by the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council. Congratulations, Gordon!

Steven Hartz was recognized by UNOLS for his 30 years of contributions to seagoing research.

Publications

Shink, K.G., T.M. Sutton, J.M. Murphy, and J.A. López. 2019. Utilizing DNA metabarcoding to characterize the diet of marine-phase Arctic lamprey ( Lethenteron camtschaticum ) in the eastern Bering Sea. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences 76 (11): 1993–2002. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2018-0299

Ressel, K.N., J. Bell, and T.M. Sutton. 2020. Distribution and life history of spawning capelin in subarctic Alaska. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 149 (1): 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10207

Zanotti, L., C. Carothers, C. Aqpik Apok, S. Huang, J. Coleman, and C. Ambrozek. 2020. Political ecology and decolonial research: Co-production with the Iñupiat in Utqiaġvik. Journal of Political Ecology 27 (1). https://doi.org/10.2458/v27i1.23335

Spencer, M.L., C.D. Vestfals, F.J. Mueter, and B.J. Laurel. 2020. Ontogenetic changes in the buoyancy and salinity tolerance of eggs and larvae of polar cod ( Boreogadus saida ) and other gadids. Polar Biology . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02620-7

Grant Awards for January 2020

The new awards for January are as follows:

• Grant G-13184 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study 2021" - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC - $37,764.00 (January 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13218 "F/ASGARD Fish Arctic Shelf Growth, Advection, Respiration and Deposition Rates Year 4" - Brenda Norcross - NPRB - $25,599.00 (October 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13219 "Technical review of Yukon River Canadian–origin Chinook salmon Interim Management Escapement Goal" - Curry Cunningham - Bering Sea Fisherman's Association - $75,972.00 (October 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13223 "Underwater autonomous vehicle missions in support of an ecosystem-based approach to Alaska fisheries management" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $280,952.00 (January 1, 2020)

The following grant is controlled by another department and received funding during the month of January:

• Grant G-13148 "NNA Track 1: Pursuing Opportunities for Long-term Arctic Resilience for Infrastructure and Society (POLARIS)" - CNSM/CDR - Davin Holen (Co-PI) - Penn State University - $241,955.00 (November 1, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of January:

• Grant G-1085 "NOSB Support" - S. Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $22,871.00 (July 1, 2002)
• Grant G-9023 "Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit" - Victoria Baker - UA Foundation - $23,000.00 (September 1, 2013)
• Grant G-9156 "Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit CoBank" - Victoria Baker - UA Foundation - $4,000.00 (September 1, 2013)
• Grant G-11291 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study (UA Foundation)" - Trent Sutton - UA Foundation - $90,000.00 (January 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11498 "Riverine Carbon Contributions to Alaskan Arctic Coastal Margins" - Stephen Okkonen - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - Mod 3 - $50,173.00 - (March 16, 2017)
• Grant G-11744 "Synthesizing Optically- and Carbon Export-Relevant Particle Size Distributions for the EXPORTS Field Campaign" - Andrew McDonnell - University of California Santa Barbara NCEAS - Mod 3 - $86,340.00 (September 15, 2017)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Ginny Eckert - NOAA - Mod 13 - $50,000.00 (February 1, 2018)

Message from the Dean

As we kick off the spring 2020 semester, this is a good time to reflect on the key goals for the College this coming year, which were transmitted today in the 2020 CFOS Goals and Priorities memorandum. Increasing enrollment at CFOS is a top priority and we are actively working to bolster our student body; as Chancellor White recently conveyed, we are all in the enrollment business. We are also making good progress in hiring new staff to support the CFOS mission. And in the coming months we look forward to hiring new faculty in fisheries, mariculture and aquatic ecosystem dynamics.

Next week, we look forward to many interesting presentations by our students and faculty at the 2020 Alaska Marine Science Symposium in Anchorage. During the poster sessions, CFOS will have a booth with plenty of swag, so please stop by and check it out.

It is a pleasure to welcome back our current and new CFOS students and acknowledge the fall 2019 graduates. CFOS faculty and staff are here to support you, and we wish you great success. In that regard, in 2019 we had a record number of Chancellor's and Dean's List students. The Chancellor’s list included Noah Khalsa, Ronald Sheldon, and Brian Zhang. The Dean’s list included Tim Adickes, Talia Davis, Feyne Elmore, Heidi Ingram, Roger Maldonado, Alex Mathews, Nana Matsui, Kyleigh McArthur, Monroe Morris, Sadie Oswald, Jennifer Tusten, and Tazia Wagner.

Congratulations to our fall 2019 undergraduate class:

• Tibor Dorsaz - BS Fisheries
• Adrienne Stansberry - BS Fisheries
• Alyx Hoover - BS Fisheries
• Diego Madrid - BS Fisheries

Congratulations to our graduating Master’s and PhD students:

• Cheryl Barnes - PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Anne Beaudreau
• Madison Kosma - MS Fisheries, Advisors: Megan McPhee and Jan Straley
• Stephanie O'Daly - MS Oceanography, Advisor: Andrew McDonnell
• Kirsten Ressel - MS Fisheries, Advisor: Trent Sutton

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new graduate students:

• Stephanie O'Daly - PhD Oceanography, Advisor: Andrew McDonnell
• Janessa Esquible - PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Courtney Carothers
• Lindsey Stalder - MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Katrin Iken
• Taylor Cubbage - MS Fisheries, Advisor: Jeff Falke
• Emily Stidham - MS Oceanography, Advisor: Russ Hopcroft
• Elizabeth Hasan - MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Brenda Konar
• Tamsen Peeples - MS Fisheries, Advisor: Mike Stekoll
• Erika King - MS Fisheries, Advisor: Megan McPhee and David Tallmon

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is docked at the UW pier in Seattle for repairs, routine maintenance, and to prepare for the NSF ship inspection next month.

Activities and Accomplishments

Elizabeth Hinkle was awarded an Alaska EPSCoR seed grant to study the post-wildfire response of stream habitat and macroinvertebrate assemblage.

CFOS in the News

Katrin Iken was interviewed by KTVF Channel 11 (Fairbanks) about receiving the 2020 Usibelli Distinguished Research Award. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner also ran a story about the Usibelli awards.

Publications

Esquible, J. A., K. Burek-Huntington, S. Atkinson, A. C. Klink, E. Bortz, T. A. Goldstein, K. Beckmen, K. Pabilonia, and R. Tiller. 2019. Pathological findings and survey for pathogens associated with reproductive failure in perinatal Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 137 (2): 131–144. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03421

Hulme, S. M., and C. G. Wheat. 2019. Subseafloor fluid and chemical fluxes along a buried‐basement ridge on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 20 (11): 4922–4938. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GC008408

Lovvorn, J. R., A. R. Rocha, S. L. Danielson, L. W. Cooper, J. M. Grebmeier, and K. S. Hedstrom. 2020. Predicting sediment organic carbon and related food web types from a physical oceanographic model on a subarctic shelf. Marine Ecology Progress Series 633:37–54. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13163

Prentice, C., K. L. Poppe, M. Lutz, E. Murray, T. A. Stephens, A. Spooner, M. Hessing-Lewis, R. Sanders-Smith, J. M. Rybczyk, J. Apple, F. T. Short, J. Gaeckle, A. Helms, C. Mattson, W. W. Raymond, and T. Klinger. 2020. A synthesis of blue carbon stocks, sources and accumulation rates in eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows in the Northeast Pacific. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GB006345

Shalev, N., T .R. R. Bontognali, C. G. Wheat, and D. Vance. 2019. New isotope constraints on the Mg oceanic budget point to cryptic modern dolomite formation. Nature Communications 10 (1): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13514-6

Schuler, A. R., S. Piwetz, J. Di Clemente, D. Steckler, F. Mueter, and H. C. Pearson. 2019. Humpback whale movements and behavior in response to whale-watching vessels in Juneau, AK. Frontiers in Marine Science 6:710. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00710

Wheat, C. G., J. S. Seewald, and K. Takai. 2019. Fluid transport and reaction processes within a serpentinite mud volcano: South Chamorro Seamount. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 269:413–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2019.10.037

Message from the Dean

Happy New Year! It is a pleasure to wish everyone a warm welcome after what was hopefully an enjoyable winter break spent with friends and family. I wish everyone a productive and safe 2020.

As we transition into the new year, we also have two important staff transitions. Effective today, Jennifer Harris will begin her new role with the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, and Tara Borland will start her new position with Alaska EPSCoR. Please join me in wishing Jennifer and Tara the best going forward.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq was very successful in finding storm waves for Dr. Thomson’s cruise in December, reporting seas up to 17 meters (55 feet). Sikuliaq is now moored in Seattle for repairs, maintenance and preparation for the biennial NSF inspection.

Activities and Accomplishments

Ocean Acidification Research Center (OARC) members Natalie Monacci and Amanda Kelley coauthored a poster, Ocean Acidification in Alaska: Chemistry, Clams, Cod, and Crabs, at the American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting in San Francisco. Natalie also gave a flash talk on ocean acidification at AGU that was recorded by UAF and posted on YouTube.

Chris Maio, who has been working on a long-term coastal erosion project funded in part by Alaska Sea Grant, also gave a flash talk at AGU that was recorded by UAF and posted on YouTube.

Franz Mueter contributed to a special section of the 2019 NOAA Arctic Report Card that describes and compares rapid community and population shifts in the Bering and Barents seas. The Report Card was unveiled during a press conference at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco and generated extensive coverage by the media.

Katrin Iken was awarded the 2020 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Research Award. This is wonderful news that reflects Katrin’s tremendous contribution to research for the state of Alaska, the nation, and our international science community.

CFOS in the News

Nature Research Ecology and Evolution described how William Burt’s research with ocean optics validated satellite measurements of zooplankton.

The Anchorage Daily News ran an article about the growth of Alaska’s seaweed industry and mentioned Alaska Sea Grant as one of the organizations facilitating mariculture training.

Franz Mueter’s research with arctic cod was featured in a story by Ice In Motion.

Publications

Thoman, R., U. Bhatt, P. Bieniek, B. Brettschneider, M. Brubaker, S. Danielson, Z. Labe, R. Lader, W. Meier, G. Sheffield, and J. Walsh. 2020. The record low Bering Sea ice extent in 2018: Content, impacts, and an assessment of the role of anthropogenic climate change. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, S18–19. PDF download

Marsh, J. M., and F. J. Mueter. 2019. Influences of temperature, predators, and competitors on polar cod ( Boreogadus saida ) at the southern margin of their distribution. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02575-4

Marsh, J. M., F. J. Mueter, and T. J. Quinn II. 2019. Environmental and biological influences on the distribution and population dynamics of polar cod ( Boreogadus saida ) in the US Chukchi Sea. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02561-w

Ormseth, O. A., M. M. Baker, R. R. Hopcroft, C. Ladd, C. W. Mordy, J. H. Moss, F. J. Mueter, S. K. Shotwell, and S. L. Strom. 2019. Introduction to understanding ecosystem processes in the Gulf of Alaska, volume 2. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 165:1–6. To DOI publication: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2019.06.019

Schuler, A., S. Piwetz, J. Di Clemente, D. Steckler, F. J. Mueter, and H. C. Pearson. 2019. Humpback whale movements and behavior in response to whale-watching vessels in Juneau, AK. Frontiers in Marine Science 6:710. To DOI publication: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00710

Thorson, J. T., M. Fossheim, F. J. Mueter, E. Olsen, R. R. Lauth, R. Primicerio, B. Husson, J. Marsh, A. Dolgov, and S. G. Zador. 2019. Comparison of near-bottom fish densities show rapid community and population shifts in Bering and Barents Seas. In Arctic Report Card 2019, J. Richter-Menge, M.L. Druckenmiller and M. Jeffries (eds.). Department of Commerce, NOAA, NOAA Arctic Report Card.

Grenier, M., R. Francois, M. Soon, M. M. Rutgers van der Loeff, X. Yu, O. Valk, C. Not, S. B. Moran, R. L. Edwards, Y. Lu, K. Lepore, and S. E. Allen. 2019. Changes in circulation and particle scavenging in the Amerasian basin of the Arctic Ocean over the last three decades inferred from the water column distribution of geochemical tracers. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 124. To DOI publication: 10.1029/2019JC015265

Grant Awards for December 2019

The new awards for December are as follows:

• Grant G-13142 "Tracing the Fate of Phytoplankton-Derived Carbon in Chukchi Shelf Sediments Part A" - Sarah Hardy - NPRB - $158,888.00 (December 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13143 "Tracing the Fate of Phytoplankton-Derived Carbon in Chukchi Shelf Sediments Part B" - Sarah Hardy - NPRB - $23,604.00 (December 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13157 "Ecosystem monitoring and detection of wind and ice-mediated changes through a year-round physical and biogeochemical mooring in the Northeast Chukchi Sea" - Seth Danielson - NPRB - $176,000.00 (December 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13175 "RII Track-4: Using otolith geochemistry to understand the ocean ecology of a changing Alaskan salmon system" - Kristen Gorman - NSF - $162,010.00 (December 15, 2019)

The following grant received incremental funding during the month of December:

• Grant G-11157 "Seward Line Monitoring" - Mod 5 - Russ Hopcroft - AOOS - $100,000.00 (June 1, 2016)

Message from the Dean

An overarching priority of the Alaska Governor’s Mariculture Task Force is to “boost the mariculture industry, including aquatic farming and enhancement of fisheries in Alaska.” In this regard, CFOS collaborating faculty Mike Stekoll is leading one of several innovative projects supported by the Department of Energy ARPA-E MARINER program. Phase II (pending) of the Alaska MARINER project is a model partnership between academia and industry: UAF/CFOS, University of Connecticut, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, Blue Evolution, and C.A. Goudey & Associates. The project goal is to develop scalable coastal and offshore macroalgal farming techniques, and will utilize our Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center.

Along these lines, CFOS is exploring ways to enhance the MARINER program and related mariculture research in Alaska. For example, Mike Stekoll is using our Lena Point facility to support his mariculture program, and CFOS leadership is discussing how to best utilize the Chancellor’s award to support a new mariculture faculty hire. Mariculture holds significant promise to bolster Alaska’s blue economy, and CFOS remains focused on supporting this opportunity.

A reminder that we will hold a CFOS Coffee with the Dean on Thursday, December 12, from 10–11 am in the CFOS Dean’s Office. Please stop by for some coffee, tea and pastries.

R/V Sikuliaq

On November 27, Sikuliaq disembarked personnel in Nome via small boat. According to the harbormaster, this was the latest open-water transfer by boat in Nome's approximately 120 years of documented history. Sikuliaq is currently in the Gulf of Alaska supporting Dr. Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Breaking Bubbles project. Thomson’s team will be using Surface Wave Instrument Float with Tracking (SWIFT) buoys equipped with motion sensors, turbulence profilers and cameras for bubble recording.

Activities and Accomplishments

Congratulations to our students who participated in the CFOS Fall Undergraduate Symposium last Friday.

Gwenn Hennon and Will Burt received seed funding from the Murdock Trust to enhance the capability of the Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Observatory (GEO).

Jennifer Questel was a visiting scientist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where she gave a seminar in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology and worked on DNA sequencing of cnidarians and ctenophores collected during the 2019 NOAA Gulf of Alaska Seamounts cruise.

Franz Mueter, Alexei Pinchuk, Jared Weems and fisheries alumna Lorena Edenfield successfully deployed and fished an under-ice net from Sikuliaq along the Beaufort and Chukchi slope and basin. Operating in 90–100% ice cover, the net caught Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and a variety of zooplankton, including some unexpected species. The joint CODA/GO-WEST cruise was funded by NSF, ARICE, BOEM and UAF.

The American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter Student Subunit was awarded a $750 grant from the Associated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks to continue a student-led research project focused on the ecotoxicology of burbot.

CFOS in the News

Will Burt coauthored a paper published in Nature about daily vertical migrations of ocean animals.

Jennifer Reynolds’ work mapping hydrocarbon seeps on Alaska’s seafloor appeared in UAF Cornerstone and Petroleum News.

Franz Mueter was interviewed by Ice in Motion regarding the CODA/GO-WEST cruise. The Nome Nugget also mentioned Mueter in an article about Arctic cod research on the cruise.

Alaska Public Media reported on free how-to training for would-be seaweed farmers in Alaska, cosponsored by Alaska Sea Grant. Melissa Good is quoted in the story, which also aired on KFSK (Petersburg), KTUU-TV (Anchorage), and KATH-TV (Juneau), and was mentioned by Pacific Fishing online.

KHNS-FM interviewed Davin Holen for a story on the Skagway Traditional Council joining a growing number of Alaska tribes monitoring ocean acidification levels.

Publications

Armstrong, J. B., D. E. Schindler, C. J. Cunningham, W. Deacy, and P. Walsh. 2019. Watershed complexity increases the capacity for salmon–wildlife interactions in coastal ecosystems. Conservation Letters. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12689

Behrenfeld, M. J., P. Gaube, A. Della Penna, R. T. O’Malley, W. J. Burt, Y. Hu, P. S. Bontempi, D. K. Steinberg, E. S. Boss, D. A. Siegel, C. A. Hostetler, P. D. Tortell, and S. C. Doney. 2019. Global satellite-observed daily vertical migrations of ocean animals. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1796-9

Miller, C. A., H. C. Holm, L. Horstmann, J. C. George, H. F. Fredricks, B. A. S. Van Mooy, and A. Apprill. 2019. Coordinated transformation of the gut microbiome and lipidome of bowhead whales provides novel insights into digestion. ISME Journal. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0549-y

Rose, C. S., J. K. Nielsen, J. R. Gauvin, T. Loher, S. A. Sethi, A. C. Seitz, M. B. Courtney, and P. Drobny. 2019. Survival outcome patterns revealed by deploying advanced tags in quantity: Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) survivals after release from trawl catches through expedited sorting. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 76 (12): 2215–2224. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2018-0350

Smé, N. A., S. Lyon, F. Mueter, V. Brykov, Y. Sakurai, and A. J. Gharrett. 2019. Examination of saffron cod Eleginus gracilis (Tilesius 1810) population genetic structure. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02601-5

Smith, J., S. Karpovich, L. Horstmann, J. McIntyre, and D. M. O’Brien. 2019. Seasonal differences in foraging and isotopic niche width related to body size in Gulf of Alaska harbor seals. Canadian Journal of Zoology 97 (12): 1156–1163. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2019-0108

Grant Awards for November 2019

New awards for November are as follows:

• Grant G-13101 "Western Beaufort and Chukchi Sea Surface Current Analysis" - Seth Danielson - BOEM - $77,640.00 (November 6, 2019)
• Grant G-13129 "Impacts of Sedimentation and Drivers of Variability in the Boulder Patch Community, Beaufort Sea" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - $53,083.00 (September 18, 2019)
• Grant G-13130 "Auke Creek Coho Jack Study" - Megan McPhee - UA Foundation - $28,500.00 (November 1, 2019)

The following grants are controlled by other departments and were set up in November:

• Grant G-12795 "NIST/MEP" - Quentin Fong - UAA Business Enterprise Institute - Department of Commerce - $178,373.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13079 "Landfast Ice Climatology within the Arctic OCS" - Seth Danielson - GI Snow & Ice & Permafrost - BOEM - $121,117.00 (September 24, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of November:

• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY 2018-2022" - S. Bradley Moran - Mod 4 - NSF - $3,000,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12361 "NOAA - Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO)" - Brenda Konar - Mod 2 - AOOS - $69,050.00 (June 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12381 "Alaska Ocean Acidification Research: Autonomous Observations of Ocean Acidification in Alaska Coastal Seas" - Brenda Konar - Mod 2 - AOOS - $197,550.00 (June 1, 2018)

Message from the Dean

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I ask that every CFOS student, staff and faculty reflect on the importance of our collective work, and of the responsibility we hold as stewards of Alaska’s vital aquatic resources. In that regard, I offer a few recent examples of the importance of our research, training and outreach, and how our activities benefit Alaska and the nation.

First, following a recent White House summit on partnerships in ocean science and technology, the President issued a memorandum directing federal agencies to develop national strategies to map the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and the Alaska coastline. These actions will benefit Alaska and the nation’s economy, advance our understanding of our oceans and coastlines, and promote efficient ocean exploration activities. Implicit in these actions is the need for strengthened collaboration between agencies, our UAF partners, and CFOS researchers and major facilities.

Last week at the University–National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) Annual Meeting, Gay Sheffield gave a revealing account of the dramatic environmental changes occurring within the Bering Strait region, and the impact of these changes on Alaska’s communities and economy. During the Q&A, numerous individuals remarked on how CFOS is literally at the front lines studying Alaska’s changing aquatic ecosystems—this is central to our mission.

To expand on this further, the fascinating work and value of CFOS is showcased in the 2019 CFOS Annual Report, which is now complete and posted on our website.

As many of you are now aware, Wendy Huesties has accepted a position with the University of Alaska statewide system. Since 2014, Wendy has played an important role as the CFOS Financial Manager. Please join me in thanking Wendy for her good work and wishing her the best in her new position.

Wishing everyone a pleasant and safe Thanksgiving with family and friends.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas to support Dr. Franz Mueter’s (UAF/CFOS) and Dr. Hauke Flores’ (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research) GO-WEST project. The project will look at polar cod, ice-associated fauna, sea-ice habitat properties, and hydroacoustic profiles of zooplankton and fish in the western Beaufort Sea. The goal is to sample across the marginal ice zone during sea-ice formation and potential entrainment of juvenile polar cod. The GO-WEST project is funded by the Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium (ARICE) and the CFOS Alaska Sikuliaq Program.

Activities and Accomplishments

Shannon Atkinson, Jenell Larsen, and Sonia Ibarra participated in the Southeast Sea Otter Stakeholder Meeting in Juneau on November 6, 2019. Hosted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the meeting focused on sea otter interactions with fisheries and Alaska Native communities and recommendations for future research and management efforts.

Gordon Kruse served as one of three conveners of the ICES/PICES/NAFO symposium, entitled “Shellfish – Resources and Invaders of the North," held in Tromsø, Norway, November 5–7, 2019. Gordon also gave the keynote presentation, "Dynamics of snow crab in the eastern Bering Sea and US portions of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas under climate change," which was coauthored by CFOS alumni Joel Webb and Lauren Divine and graduate student Laura Slater. Symposium papers will be published in a special issue of the ICES Journal of Marine Research.

Gay Sheffield gave the keynote presentation at the 2019 UNOLS Annual Meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, entitled “Bering Strait: A regional perspective on Arctic marine science.”

CFOS in the News

The Nome Nugget highlighted Sikuliaq research and featured Seth Danielson.

An New York Post story about low sea ice in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas featured Sikuliaq scientists studying wave action and coastal erosion. The story appeared locally, nationally and internationally, from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner to the Associated Press, Minnesota Star Tribune, Chicago Tribune, and Japan News.

Gay Sheffield was featured in an Anchorage Daily News story about seabird and marine mammal die-offs in the Bering Sea.

The Frontiersman ran a story about a keynote presentation co-delivered by Courtney Carothers at the 2019 Mat-Su Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium in Palmer.

Franz Mueter was interviewed in a KNOM Radio Mission story about Arctic cod and current changes in Chukchi and Beaufort Sea ecosystems.

Rachel Potter was interviewed by KNOM about the use of high-frequency radar systems to monitor and track ocean currents in the Bering Strait region.

Publications

Carothers, C., T.L. Sformo, S. Cotton, J.C. George, and P.A.H. Westley. 2019. Pacific salmon in the rapidly changing Arctic: Exploring local knowledge and emerging fisheries in Utqiaġvik and Nuiqsut, Alaska. Arctic 72 (3): 273–88. https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic68876