The “IERP” in GOAIERP

Wyatt Fournier

7/19/13

The goal of our Integrated Ecosystem Research Project is to better understand the mechanisms in which climate and ocean conditions influences the survival of juvenile marine fish.  This is different than traditional methods of predicting survival of juvenile fish to adults which utilize a single species stock assessment through targeted surveys.  The GOAIERP observes physical and biological ocean properties to determine how natural variability in these conditions may promote survival of juvenile fish.  

Scott McKeever is in charge of deploying research instruments down through the water column to collect data on temperature, salinity, oxygen, photosynthetically active radiation, turbidity, and fluorescence.  Water samples are also collected at multiple depths at each station to sample for nutrients, microzooplankton, and phytoplankton.  These samples and collected data will be taken back to the lab and analyzed so that our oceanographers can observe annual, seasonal, and regional variability in the Gulf of Alaska.