Complex Systems: 'Unearthing past Sockeye salmon populations on the Kenai Peninsula' - Nov. 14, 2014

Friday, Nov. 14, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building, Room 105A

Mollie McCarthy, faculty in the UAA Department of Biology, will present "'Unearthing past Sockeye salmon populations on the Kenai Peninsula."

McCarthy on her research: The Kenai River's Sockeye salmon runs are supported by production from both glacial and clearwater lakes, introducing an opportunity to explore how salmon population dynamics and climatic drivers differ in these distinctive habitat types. For this study, Sockeye salmon population fluctuations will be reconstructed on historic (1970-present) and paleo (up to 2000 ybp) time scales using existing Alaska Department of Fish & Game data and sediment cores, respectively. We hypothesize that productivity will be out of phase, with clearwater lakes being most productive during warm periods and glacial lakes being most productive during cool periods. Since warming impacts on glacial systems include increased suspended silt and decreased productivity, cooling periods would enhance euphotic volume and prey productivity. We constructed brood tables and calculated recruits per spawner (R/S) for the major clearwater (i.e., Russian River) and glacial (the remainder of the run) components of the Kenai Sockeye run using escapement and harvest data from 1970 to present. Paleo-data is currently being analyzed and age models for cores are being constructed to obtain paleo-salmon population predictions.

All Complex Systems talks are free and open to public. Parking on campus is free on Fridays.

November Archive