Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
-
- Western Washington University (19)
- Edith Cowan University (4)
- Utah State University (4)
- Georgia Southern University (3)
- The University of Maine (3)
-
- Old Dominion University (2)
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (2)
- University of South Florida (2)
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2)
- University of Vermont (2)
- University of Windsor (2)
- Cal Poly Humboldt (1)
- Chapman University (1)
- Colby College (1)
- Louisiana State University (1)
- Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School (1)
- Michigan Technological University (1)
- Nova Southeastern University (1)
- Rhode Island School of Design (1)
- The University of San Francisco (1)
- The University of Southern Mississippi (1)
- University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (1)
- University of Denver (1)
- University of Kentucky (1)
- University of Nebraska - Lincoln (1)
- University of North Florida (1)
- University of Rhode Island (1)
- West Chester University (1)
- Western University (1)
- Publication
-
- Institute Publications (19)
- Electronic Theses and Dissertations (8)
- Research outputs 2014 to 2021 (3)
- Doctoral Dissertations (2)
- Graduate College Dissertations and Theses (2)
-
- All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023 (1)
- All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations (1)
- Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications (1)
- Aspen Bibliography (1)
- Biology Faculty Publications (1)
- Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research (1)
- CCPO Publications (1)
- Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects (1)
- Data and Datasets (1)
- Dissertations (1)
- Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports (1)
- Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository (1)
- Fall Student Research Symposium 2021 (1)
- Graduate Theses and Dissertations (1)
- Honors College (1)
- Honors Theses (1)
- Honors Thesis (1)
- Illustration Course Work & Materials (1)
- International Journal of Speleology (1)
- LSU Master's Theses (1)
- Master's Theses (1)
- Masters Theses (1)
- OES Theses and Dissertations (1)
- Research Datasets (1)
- Senior Honors Projects (1)
- Publication Type
- File Type
Articles 1 - 30 of 63
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Understanding How Changes In Precipitation Intensity Will Affect Vegetation In The Western U.S., Cristina Chirvasa
Understanding How Changes In Precipitation Intensity Will Affect Vegetation In The Western U.S., Cristina Chirvasa
Fall Student Research Symposium 2021
Precipitation events are becoming more intense as the atmosphere warms, but it remains unclear how precipitation intensification will affect plant growth in arid and semiarid ecosystems. There is conflicting evidence suggesting that larger precipitation events may either increase or decrease plant growth. Here, we report the growth responses of herbaceous and woody plants to experimental manipulations of precipitation intensity in a cold, semi-arid ecosystem in Utah, USA. In this experiment, precipitation was collected and redeposited as fewer, larger events with total annual precipitation kept constant across treatments. Results from the first two growing seasons revealed that more intense events ‘pushed’ …
Geographic Patterns Of Genetic Diversity Under Climate Change: Linking Genes And Ecosystems, Shannon L. Bayliss
Geographic Patterns Of Genetic Diversity Under Climate Change: Linking Genes And Ecosystems, Shannon L. Bayliss
Doctoral Dissertations
Climate change is having profound effects on species distributions. However, much less is understood about how climate change may alter the distribution of genetic variation within species across landscapes. Maintaining genetic diversity within populations is essential for the survival of species in the face of rapid climatic changes, but importantly, losses of genetic variation will also have significant consequences on entire ecosystems. The objective of this dissertation is to understand how genetic variation in a riparian cottonwood species, Populus angustifolia, affects mass and energy exchange between the land and atmosphere across ~1700 km of latitude of the western United …
Diversity And Drivers Of Oribatid Mites (Acari: Oribatida) In Boreal Peatlands, Carlos Rafael De Araujo Barreto
Diversity And Drivers Of Oribatid Mites (Acari: Oribatida) In Boreal Peatlands, Carlos Rafael De Araujo Barreto
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Boreal peatlands are important ecosystems for carbon cycling, storing 1/3 of the world’s terrestrial carbon in only ~3% of the globe, making them a key component of potential mitigation strategies in response to global climate warming. Experiments have shown that warming can affect plant and microbial communities in ways that potentially shift peatlands from carbon sinks to sources. Soil food webs, including the microarthropod community, are key in carbon cycling but are relatively understudied both in peatlands and under experimental warming. My research capitalized on a large-scale experimental field manipulation of warming in two contrasting peatland sites in Northern Ontario, …
Satellite-Detected Ammonia Changes In The United States: Natural Or Anthropogenic Impacts, Yaqian He, Rongting Xu, Stephen A. Prior, Di Yang, Anni Yang, Jian Chen
Satellite-Detected Ammonia Changes In The United States: Natural Or Anthropogenic Impacts, Yaqian He, Rongting Xu, Stephen A. Prior, Di Yang, Anni Yang, Jian Chen
USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
Ammonia (NH3) is the most abundant alkaline component and can react with atmospheric acidic species to form aerosols that can lead to numerous environmental and health issues. Increasing atmospheric NH3 over agricultural regions in the US has been documented. However, spatiotemporal changes of NH3 concentrations over the entire US are still not thoroughly understood, and the factors that drive these changes remain unknown. Herein, we applied the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) monthly NH3 dataset to explore spatiotemporal changes in atmospheric NH3 and the empirical relationships with synthetic N fertilizer application, livestock manure production, and climate factors across the entire US …
Examining The Combined Impacts Of Rapid Senescence And A Low Water Stressor On Maternal State, Egg Quality, And Fitness In Chinook Salmon, Madison A. Sturba
Examining The Combined Impacts Of Rapid Senescence And A Low Water Stressor On Maternal State, Egg Quality, And Fitness In Chinook Salmon, Madison A. Sturba
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Assessing the impact of environmental challenges on maternal state and breeding success is important for predicting how migratory Pacific salmon populations will respond to an increasingly stressful world. The overall goal of my thesis was to examine fine-scale senescent changes in female Chinook salmon over time, whether these changes impacted ovulation and egg quality, and whether exposure to an environmental challenge (low water) during senescence subsequently provoked even stronger state-dependent responses to ultimately impact female longevity and egg survival. Following an experimental decrease in water availability, I quantified changes in physical, physiological, and reproductive maternal state, then linked these changes …
A Social-Ecological Examination Of Moose In Maine: Habitat, Management, And Changing Seasonality, Asha Dimatteo-Lepape
A Social-Ecological Examination Of Moose In Maine: Habitat, Management, And Changing Seasonality, Asha Dimatteo-Lepape
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Maine is a New England state with rich ecosystems and diverse opportunities for enjoying the outdoors. Maine is well known as a popular nature-based tourist destination, and is often associated with its notable moose population. Social-ecological systems in Maine are highly intertwined, and as such, are especially susceptible to impacts resulting from climate change. Moose health in the state is already being negatively impacted by climate change with high infestation rates of winter tick resulting in declining moose health and high moose calf mortality. Given that late winter is a time of high stress and increased mortality of moose due …
Is The Life History Flexibility Of Cold Desert Annuals Broad Enough To Cope With Predicted Climate Change? The Case Of Erodium Oxyrhinchum In Central Asia, Huiliang Liu, Yanfeng Chen, Lingwei Zhang, Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin, Lan Zhang, Yan Liu, Daoyuan Zhang, Yuanming Zhang
Is The Life History Flexibility Of Cold Desert Annuals Broad Enough To Cope With Predicted Climate Change? The Case Of Erodium Oxyrhinchum In Central Asia, Huiliang Liu, Yanfeng Chen, Lingwei Zhang, Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin, Lan Zhang, Yan Liu, Daoyuan Zhang, Yuanming Zhang
Biology Faculty Publications
Interannual seasonal variability in precipitation may strongly affect the life history and growth of desert annual plants. We compared the effects of dry and wet springs and dry and wet autumns on growth and F2 seed dormancy of plants from spring (SG)- and autumn (AG)-germinated seeds of the cold desert annual Erodium oxyrhinchum. Vegetative and reproductive growth and F2 seed dormancy and germination were monitored from September 2016 to November 2020 in the sandy Gurbantunggut Desert in NW China in Central Asia. Dry autumns decreased the density of AG plants, and dry springs decreased the density of SG plants …
Understanding The Effects Of Climate Change Via Disturbance On Pristine Arctic Lakes—Multitrophic Level Response And Recovery To A 12-Yr, Low-Level Fertilization Experiment, Phaedra Budy, Casey A. Pennock, Anne E. Giblin, Chris Luecke, Daniel L. White, George W. Kling
Understanding The Effects Of Climate Change Via Disturbance On Pristine Arctic Lakes—Multitrophic Level Response And Recovery To A 12-Yr, Low-Level Fertilization Experiment, Phaedra Budy, Casey A. Pennock, Anne E. Giblin, Chris Luecke, Daniel L. White, George W. Kling
Watershed Sciences Student Research
Effects of climate change-driven disturbance on lake ecosystems can be subtle; indirect effects include increased nutrient loading that could impact ecosystem function. We designed a low-level fertilization experiment to mimic persistent, climate change-driven disturbances (deeper thaw, greater weathering, or thermokarst failure) delivering nutrients to arctic lakes. We measured responses of pelagic trophic levels over 12 yr in a fertilized deep lake with fish and a shallow fishless lake, compared to paired reference lakes, and monitored recovery for 6 yr. Relative to prefertilization in the deep lake, we observed a maximum pelagic response in chl a (+201%), dissolved oxygen (DO, −43%), …
The Impacts Of Climate Change On The Gulf Of Maine Northern Shrimp (Pandalus Borealis) Distribution, Reproduction, And Life, Hsiao-Yun Chang
The Impacts Of Climate Change On The Gulf Of Maine Northern Shrimp (Pandalus Borealis) Distribution, Reproduction, And Life, Hsiao-Yun Chang
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Gulf of Maine northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) once supported a significant winter fishery for the Gulf of Maine (GOM). Although the shrimp fishery is not comparable to the lobster business, it provided fishermen and many coastal communities jobs and incomes in winters after lobster seasons. However, a moratorium has been put on the shrimp fishery since 2014 due to record low population abundance and perceived recruitment failures. The recruitment failures have been correlated with warming water temperatures over the past decade. The GOM has been recognized as experiencing rapid warming as a result of global climate change. …
Susceptibility Of High-Elevation Forests To Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus Ponderosae Hopkins) Under Climate Change, David N. Soderberg
Susceptibility Of High-Elevation Forests To Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus Ponderosae Hopkins) Under Climate Change, David N. Soderberg
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Across western North America, pine forests are important for timber, wildlife habitat, and at high elevations are important for water retention and yield from rain and snowmelt. The mountain pine beetle (MPB) is one of the most significant disturbance agents shaping pine forests, and like all insects, temperature is a major driver of its population success and the dynamics of the landscapes that they inhabit. Changing temperature regimes can therefore directly influence MPB population persistence at a particular location, in addition to potential shifts in the range boundaries that they inhabit. MPB is currently expanding its range northward in British …
Empowering Hope-Based Climate Change Communication Techniques For The Gulf Of Maine, Aimee Bonanno, Megan Ennes, Jennifer A. Hoey, Emily Moberg, Sarah-Mae Nelson, Nette Pletcher, Richelle L. Tanner
Empowering Hope-Based Climate Change Communication Techniques For The Gulf Of Maine, Aimee Bonanno, Megan Ennes, Jennifer A. Hoey, Emily Moberg, Sarah-Mae Nelson, Nette Pletcher, Richelle L. Tanner
Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research
The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest warming marine areas on the planet: The industries and creatures that call it home face an unprecedented shift in their interactions and existence. Scientists, policy makers, and practitioners often want to communicate to the public about the seriousness of the situation to encourage mitigation and adaptation. Many standard communication strategies that rely on fear and scientific authority alone—rather than comprehensive explanations that include solutions—can leave audiences feeling overwhelmed and disengaged, instead of hopeful and motivated to act. In this practice bridge, we showcase a social science research-based climate change communication “tool-kit” …
Investigating Local Adaptation To Hypoxia Stress In The Eastern Oyster Through Comparative Transcriptomics, Heather Nichole Smith
Investigating Local Adaptation To Hypoxia Stress In The Eastern Oyster Through Comparative Transcriptomics, Heather Nichole Smith
LSU Master's Theses
Climate change represents one of the most important challenges to biodiversity, therefore it is important to understand the mechanisms that allow species to respond to rapid environmental change. Here, we compared two populations of eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, from the Gulf of Mexico to study the mechanisms underlying hypoxia tolerance. Using a common garden experiment and comparative transcriptomics, we identified sets of genes involved in the hypoxia response and found differences in both the timing and baseline expression of hypoxia-responsive genes between tolerant and sensitive populations, consistent with a scenario of local adaptation. These genes include the signaling transcription factor …
Examining The Links Between Environmental Variation, Foraging Behaviour And Foraging Success In An Arctic Seabird, Alyssa Eby
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Arctic regions are experiencing increasing variability in inter-annual sea ice dynamics ultimately impacting marine Arctic ecosystems. Arctic-breeding seabirds, such as thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) are thus likely to be negatively impacted by fluctuating environmental conditions through its influence on prey availability. Additional extrinsic factors (colony size and chick demand) and intrinsic factors (sex) are also likely to impact foraging behaviour and success of murres in combination with environmental conditions. First, we tested the effect of colony size on colony sensitivity to environmental change at two low Arctic colonies of varying sizes, Coats Island, Nunavut and Digges Island, Nunavut …
Physiological And Molecular Responses Of Eurythermal And Stenothermal Populations Of Zostera Marina L (Eelgrass) To Climate Change, Carmen C. Zayas-Santiago
Physiological And Molecular Responses Of Eurythermal And Stenothermal Populations Of Zostera Marina L (Eelgrass) To Climate Change, Carmen C. Zayas-Santiago
OES Theses and Dissertations
As CO2 levels in Earth’s atmosphere and oceans steadily rise, varying organismal responses may produce ecological losers and winners. Increased ocean CO2 can enhance seagrass productivity and thermal tolerance, providing some compensation for climate warming. However, the consistency of this CO2 effect across populations of cosmopolitan species such as Zostera marina L. (eelgrass) remains largely unknown. This study analyzed whole-plant performance metabolic profiles and gene expression patterns of distinct eelgrass populations in response to CO2 enrichment. Populations were transplanted from Nisqually Landing and Dumas Bay, two cold water environments in Puget Sound, WA (USA) that rarely …
Predicting Range Shifts Of African Apes Under Global Change Scenarios, Joana S. Carvalho, Bruce Graham, Gaeelle Bocksberger, Fiona Maisels, Elizabeth A. Williamson, Serge Wich, Tenekwetche Sop, Bala Amarasekaran, Benjamin Barca, Abdulai Barrie, Richard A. Bergl, Christophe Boesch, Hedwige Boesch, Terry M. Brncic, Bartelijntje Buys, Rebecca Chancellor, Emmanuel Danquah, Osiris A. Doumbe, Stephane Y. Le-Duc, Anh Galat-Luong, Jessica Ganas, Sylvain Gatti, Andrea Ghiurghi, Annemarie Goedmakers, Nicolas Granier, Dismas Hakizimana, Barbara Haurez, Josephine Head, Ilka Herbinger, Annika Hillers, Sorrel Jones, Jessica Junker, Nakedi Maputla, Eno-Nku Manasseh, Maureen S. Mccarthy, Mary Molokwu-Odozi, Bethan J. Morgan, Yoshihiro Nakashima, Paul K. N'Goran, Stuart Nixon, Louis Nkembi, Emmanuelle Normand, Laurent D. Z. Nzooh, Sarah H. Olson, Leon Payne, Charles-Albert Petre, Alex K. Piel, Lilian Pintea, Andrew J. Plumptre, Aaron S. Rundus, Adeline Serckx, Fiona A. Stewart, Jacqueline Sunderland-Groves, Nikki Tagg, Angelique Todd, Ashley Vosper, Jose F. C. Wenceslau, Erin G. Wessling, Jacob Willie, Hjalmar S. Kuehl
Predicting Range Shifts Of African Apes Under Global Change Scenarios, Joana S. Carvalho, Bruce Graham, Gaeelle Bocksberger, Fiona Maisels, Elizabeth A. Williamson, Serge Wich, Tenekwetche Sop, Bala Amarasekaran, Benjamin Barca, Abdulai Barrie, Richard A. Bergl, Christophe Boesch, Hedwige Boesch, Terry M. Brncic, Bartelijntje Buys, Rebecca Chancellor, Emmanuel Danquah, Osiris A. Doumbe, Stephane Y. Le-Duc, Anh Galat-Luong, Jessica Ganas, Sylvain Gatti, Andrea Ghiurghi, Annemarie Goedmakers, Nicolas Granier, Dismas Hakizimana, Barbara Haurez, Josephine Head, Ilka Herbinger, Annika Hillers, Sorrel Jones, Jessica Junker, Nakedi Maputla, Eno-Nku Manasseh, Maureen S. Mccarthy, Mary Molokwu-Odozi, Bethan J. Morgan, Yoshihiro Nakashima, Paul K. N'Goran, Stuart Nixon, Louis Nkembi, Emmanuelle Normand, Laurent D. Z. Nzooh, Sarah H. Olson, Leon Payne, Charles-Albert Petre, Alex K. Piel, Lilian Pintea, Andrew J. Plumptre, Aaron S. Rundus, Adeline Serckx, Fiona A. Stewart, Jacqueline Sunderland-Groves, Nikki Tagg, Angelique Todd, Ashley Vosper, Jose F. C. Wenceslau, Erin G. Wessling, Jacob Willie, Hjalmar S. Kuehl
Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications
Aim: Modelling African great ape distribution has until now focused on current or past conditions, while future scenarios remain scarcely explored. Using an ensemble forecasting approach, we predicted changes in taxon-specific distribution under future scenarios of climate, land use and human populations for (1) areas outside protected areas (PAs) only (assuming complete management effectiveness of PAs), (2) the entire study region and (3) interspecies range overlap. Location: Tropical Africa. Methods: We compiled occurrence data (n = 5,203) on African apes from the IUCN A.P.E.S. database and extracted relevant climate-, habitat- and human-related predictors representing current and future (2050) conditions to …
Testing The Climatic Variability Hypothesis With Coastal And Inland Populations Of Mimulus Guttatus And Implications For These Populations Under Climate Change, Alec Chiono
Master's Theses
How climate shapes the niche of a species is a core interest in evolution and ecology. Research on the evolution of climatic niches can inform us on the historical relationship between organisms and their climate, and, in an era of great environmental change, what that relationship may look like in the future. In this study, I tested an essential idea in the history of climate niche research, the Climatic Variability Hypothesis, by comparing the thermal niche breadth of coastal and inland populations of Mimulus guttatus. Using thermal performance results from this experiment, I also forecasted how the suitability of …
The Potential Influence Of Abiotic Conditions On Mussel Species Abundance In San Francisco Bay, Alexandra G. Farrell, M. Christina Vasquez Dr.
The Potential Influence Of Abiotic Conditions On Mussel Species Abundance In San Francisco Bay, Alexandra G. Farrell, M. Christina Vasquez Dr.
Honors Thesis
Climate change has negatively altered seawater conditions, which may have severe implications for marine ecosystems. Mussels are susceptible to environmental changes since they are primary consumers and filter-feeding bivalves. Two species of particular interest to the West Coast of the U.S. are Mytilus galloprovincialis and M. trossulus. M. trossulus is native to the California Coast and was historically prevalent from Southern California to Washington. However, with increased shipping and rising seawater temperature, M. galloprovincialis, an invasive species from the Mediterranean, pushed the species range of M. trossulus poleward. M. trossulus is more tolerant of cold seawater with variable salinity while …
Evolution And Resurrection Ecology Of A Foundational Coastal Marsh Plant, Jennifer L. Summers
Evolution And Resurrection Ecology Of A Foundational Coastal Marsh Plant, Jennifer L. Summers
Doctoral Dissertations
Stratified storage of dormant seeds in soil can result in natural archives useful for studying evolutionary responses to environmental change. However, few studies leverage soil-stored seed banks as natural archives, in part because of concerns over attrition, bias, and sediment mixing. Here, I examine the persistent seed bank of Schoenoplectus americanus, a foundational brackish marsh sedge, to a) determine whether it can serve as a resource for reconstructing demographic and population genetic/genomic variation, b) whether and how evolution may be occurring across a century. After extracting seeds from radionuclide-dated soil cores taken across the Chesapeake Bay, I “resurrected” age …
Vignette 04: Olympia Oysters, Jodie Toft, Betsy Peabody
Vignette 04: Olympia Oysters, Jodie Toft, Betsy Peabody
Institute Publications
Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) are our only native oyster species here in the Salish Sea. Olympia oysters once covered an estimated 13-26% of the intertidal area in Puget Sound, mostly near the heads of inlets. A combination of overharvest, pollution, and habitat loss reduced the current population to less than 4% of historic numbers, though sparse numbers of Olympia oysters can still be found throughout most of their historic distribution. Looking to the future, as our region’s marine waters experience effects of climate change and ocean acidification (OA), native species such as the Olympia oyster may prove to …
Vignette 02: Lower Trophic Levels In The Salish Sea, Ian Perry
Vignette 02: Lower Trophic Levels In The Salish Sea, Ian Perry
Institute Publications
Plankton form the base of the pelagic marine food web in the Salish Sea, and are eaten by fishes, marine mammals, and seabirds. Plankton include microscopic plants (phytoplankton) and very small animals (zooplankton). This vignette presents an overview of monitoring observations of phytoplankton and zooplankton distribution and biomass in the Strait of Georgia. Climate change may lead to unusual and unexpected patterns of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the future.
Vignette 15: Eelgrass Variations Ties To Sea Level Variations, Ronald Thom
Vignette 15: Eelgrass Variations Ties To Sea Level Variations, Ronald Thom
Institute Publications
This vignette shares an overview of the process and results of a long-term eelgrass monitoring effort at the mouth of Sequim Bay. Coupling these local long-term findings with research and monitoring across the Salish Sea and the globe will help better understand the longer-term effects of global warming and perhaps other human and natural-derived pressures on coastal ecosystems, and provide clues on how to make these systems more resilient to pressures.
Vignette 12: The Blob, Nicholas Bond
Vignette 12: The Blob, Nicholas Bond
Institute Publications
A marine heat wave of unprecedented severity, areal extent and duration occurred in the Northeast Pacific Ocean during 2014-2016. This event, known as the “Blob,” had a wide variety of far- ranging effects on physical, chemical, and biological ocean properties. Because the Blob was such a massive perturbation, it represents an attractively large signal for inquiry in the Salish Sea. It represents a dress rehearsal for typical conditions in future decades due to global climate change.
Vignette 13: The Salish Sea Model, Tarang Khangaonkar P.E.
Vignette 13: The Salish Sea Model, Tarang Khangaonkar P.E.
Institute Publications
Given numerous concerns related to the health of the ecosystem and the possibility of anthropogenic impacts—from population growth to climate impacts, such as sea level rise—scientists, engineers, and planners seek an improved basic understanding of the biophysical behavior of the Salish Sea. The Salish Sea Model (SSM) development was motivated by this urgent need for a comprehensive predictive model that could diagnose water quality issues and concerns and serve as a planning tool in support of Puget Sound restoration efforts. The SSM was developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) …
State Of The Salish Sea: Executive Summary, Kathryn L. Sobocinski
State Of The Salish Sea: Executive Summary, Kathryn L. Sobocinski
Institute Publications
This report synthesizes information on past, current, and emerging stressors within the Salish Sea estuarine ecosystem. The Salish Sea is a complex waterbody shared by Coast Salish Tribes and First Nations, Canada, and the United States. It is defined by multiple freshwater inputs and marine water from the Pacific Ocean that mix in two primary basins, Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia. Human impacts are multifaceted and extensive within the Salish Sea, with a regional population of almost 9 million people. Population growth has driven urbanization and development, which in turn has triggered structural changes to the landscape and …
Vignette 20: Fraser River Estuary In Need Of Urgent Intensive Care, Laura Kehoe, Tara G. Martin
Vignette 20: Fraser River Estuary In Need Of Urgent Intensive Care, Laura Kehoe, Tara G. Martin
Institute Publications
The Fraser River is the lifeline of the Salish Sea, influencing its stratification, circulation, and primary productivity. If we do not take strong action to conserve the Fraser River estuary, two-thirds of the species at risk in this region are predicted to have a less than 50% chance of survival. Many of the region's most iconic species could disappear. Conservation action combined with environmental governance is a pathway for a brighter future for the Fraser River and other highly contested regions.
Vignette 23: Indigenous Management Systems Can Promote More Sustainable Salmon Fisheries In The Salish Sea, William I. Atlas, Natalie C. Ban, Jonathan W. Moore, Adrian M. Tuohy, Spencer Greening, Andrea J. Reid, Nicole Morven, Elroy White, William G. Housty, Jess A. Housty, Christina N. Service, Larry Greba, Sam Harrison, Katherine Ir Butts, Elissa Sweeney-Bergen, Donna Macintyre, Matthew R. Sloat, Katrina Connors
Vignette 23: Indigenous Management Systems Can Promote More Sustainable Salmon Fisheries In The Salish Sea, William I. Atlas, Natalie C. Ban, Jonathan W. Moore, Adrian M. Tuohy, Spencer Greening, Andrea J. Reid, Nicole Morven, Elroy White, William G. Housty, Jess A. Housty, Christina N. Service, Larry Greba, Sam Harrison, Katherine Ir Butts, Elissa Sweeney-Bergen, Donna Macintyre, Matthew R. Sloat, Katrina Connors
Institute Publications
Indigenous peoples of the Northern Pacific Rim have harvested salmon for more than 10,000 years, and Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) form the foundation of social-ecological systems encompassing communities from California to Kamchatka and Northern Japan. Through continuous placed-based interdependence with salmon, Indigenous societies formed deliberate and well-honed systems of salmon management. These systems promoted the sustained productivity of salmon fisheries. In Canada and the United States, Indigenous sovereignty and resource stewardship were forcibly disrupted by colonial government authority. Despite the destructive impacts of colonization, Indigenous culture and knowledge are resurgent in Canada and the United States. Indigenous fishing technologies and …
Vignette 21: How Ecological Time-Series Inform Response To Stressors, Jackson W.F. Chu
Vignette 21: How Ecological Time-Series Inform Response To Stressors, Jackson W.F. Chu
Institute Publications
An important part of biodiversity monitoring includes assessing the differences in vulnerability across parts of an ecosystem. Hypoxia is one of the big three climate- related stressors causing biodiversity loss in the oceans. As the ocean warms, its capacity to hold oxygen becomes reduced. At the same time, concurrent shifts in circulation result in changes to how oxygen gets transported from the surface (where oxygen dissolves into the ocean) to the seafloor and from offshore to inshore areas. When a habitat experiences a substantial drop in oxygen, below the point needed to sustain everyday life, animals respond by migrating away, …
Vignette 14: Eelgrass Wasting Disease, Olivia Graham, Morgan Eisenlord, Drew Harvell
Vignette 14: Eelgrass Wasting Disease, Olivia Graham, Morgan Eisenlord, Drew Harvell
Institute Publications
Rising seawater temperatures can increase the risk of disease outbreaks in many taxa. Pathogens are potentially the ultimate keystone species in that their small biomass can have massive impacts that ripple through ecosystems. Disease outbreaks can be particularly damaging when they affect ecosystem engineers, such as seagrasses. Outbreaks of wasting disease in seagrasses are one of a myriad of stressors associated with declining temperate and tropical seagrass meadows around the globe. Levels of eelgrass wasting disease are high in the San Juan Islands and Puget Sound. These increasing levels of disease are a threat to sustainability of eelgrass meadows, our …
Section 1: Introduction, Kathryn L. Sobocinski
Section 1: Introduction, Kathryn L. Sobocinski
Institute Publications
Section 1 is an introduction to the report and the Salish Sea as a whole. The introduction provides an overview of the Salish Sea, the concept of "ecosystem health," and a roadmap to the rest of the report.
Vignette 17: Salish Sea Jellyfish, Correigh Greene
Vignette 17: Salish Sea Jellyfish, Correigh Greene
Institute Publications
The Salish Sea is home to a diverse community of gelatinous zooplankton (or "jellies"). In their adult forms, jellies comprise a relatively large proportion of biomass in the Salish Sea. Questions regarding jellyfish abundance and climate variation in the Salish Sea have been difficult to address, in part because of a lack of consistent monitoring. Research presented in this vignette suggests that jellyfish are sensitive to climate signals like marine water temperatures, but do not appear to be systematically increasing in abundance over time. Due to advances in modeling, we may gain a better perspective on the roles jellies play …