Ocean Acidification Risk Assessment for Alaska's Fishery Sector

The highly productive fisheries of Alaska are located in seas projected to experience strong global change, including rapid transitions in temperature and ocean acidification-driven changes in pH and other chemical parameters. Many of the marine organisms that are most intensely affected by ocean acidification(OA) contribute substantially to the state’s commercial fisheries and traditional subsistence way of life. Prior studies of OA’s potential impacts on human communities have focused only on possible direct economic losses from specific scenarios of human dependence on commercial harvests and damages to marine species. However, other economic and social impacts, such as changes in food security or livelihoods, are also likely to result from climate change. This study evaluates patterns of dependence on marine resources within Alaska that could be negatively impacted by OA and current community characteristics to assess the potential risk to the fishery sector from OA. Here, we used a risk assessment framework based on one developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to analyze earth-system global ocean model hindcasts and projections of ocean chemistry, fisheries harvest data, and demographic information. The fisheries examined were: shellfish, salmon and other fin fish. The final index incorporates all of these data to compare overall risk among Alaska’s federally designated census areas. The analysis showed that regions in southeast and southwest Alaska that are highly reliant on fishery harvests and have relatively lower incomes and employment alternatives likely face the highest risk from OA.Although this study is an intermediate step toward our full understanding, the results presented here show that OA merits consideration in policy planning, as it may represent another challenge to Alaskan communities, some of which are already under acute socio-economic strains.This study is part of the Synthesis of Arctic Research (SOAR) and was funded in part by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program through Interagency Agreement No. M11PG00034 with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL).Ye

Population dynamics and biogeochemical significance of Limacina helicina antarctica in the Scotia Sea (Southern Ocean)

Limacina helicina antarctica is a common part of the Southern Ocean zooplankton community but little is known about its life cycle. Here we determine the population structure and standing stock biomass of this species in the Scotia Sea region and use this information to derive estimates for rates of growth, mortality and secondary productivity. Three non-overlapping cohorts were present in the size–frequency distribution, a G2 generation (0-year) with a modal peak at 0.3 mm shell diameter, a G1 generation (1-year) with a modal peak at 2.7 mm and a G generation (2-year) cohort with sizes between 4 and 10 mm. We surmise that at least some L. helicina ant. are capable of living 3 years or more, growing at an average rate of 0.01 mm d−1. Mortality rates were 0.01 d−1 or 3.83 year−1, with 2% of individuals surviving beyond 1 year of age and 0.05% beyond 2 years of age. Standing stock biomass was 178 mg DW m−2 or 32 mg C m−2, divided between 23 mg Corg m−2 and 9 mg Cinorg m−2. The inorganic fraction had a calcium carbonate composition equivalent to 72 mg CaCO3 m−2. Maximum daily productivity during the summer was 1.8 mg C m−2 d−1, made up of 1.3 Corg mg m−2 d−1 and 0.5 mg Cinorg m−2 d−1, and equivalent to 4.2 mg CaCO3 m−2 d−1. The mass specific growth rate (P:B d−1) was 0.06 within the summer period. Growth and production appeared to continue over the autumn and winter months at rates almost equivalent to those in summer. We propose that autumn peaks in sedimenting L. helicina ant., reported by other studies, do not appear to be the consequence of the termination of the life-cycle but are more likely to result from a combination of environmental and behavioural factors