**EVOS PROPOSAL SUMMARY PAGE** **(Trustee Council Use Only) Project No.
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**Cluster \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_**

**Date Received \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_**

Project Title: **Surface nutrients over the Shelf and Basin in Summer --
Bottom up Control of Ecosystem Diversity; submitted under the BAA**

Project Period: FY 03 -- FY 04

Proposers:

**Phyllis J. Stabeno**

NOAA/PMEL

7600 Sand Point Way NE

Seattle, WA 98115

Phone: 206-526-6453

FAX: 206-526-6485

Email: <stabeno@pmel.noaa.gov>

# Calvin W. Mordy

Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, NOAA/PMEL &
Univ. of Washington

7600 Sand Point Way NE

Seattle, WA 98115

Phone: 206-526-6870

FAX : 206-526-6744

Email: <mordy@pmel.noaa.gov>

EVOS Funding: FY 03 \$37.5k

FY 04 \$43.6k

Matching Funds: FY 03 \$186.4k

FY 04 \$184.7k

Study Location: Yakutat to Kodiak Island / Shelikof Strait

Trustee Agency: NOAA

Abstract:

Our goal is to better understand the extraordinary variability of
nutrients (spatial, interannual and decadal), and factors controlling
nearshore communities and zooplankton and juvenile salmon distributions
in the northern GOA. We propose monitoring nitrate over the shelf and
basin. Underway samples will be collected as part of the NMFS-OCC/GLOBEC
salmon survey in July/August of 2003 and 2004. This survey includes a
transit across the central GOA and 10 cross-shelf oceanographic and
juvenile salmon transects from Yakutat to Kodiak Island. This will be
the broadest nutrient survey of the northern GOA. Nutrient maps will be
used to support NPZ models and satellite-derived models of nitrate and
new production, to examine mechanisms of nutrient supply such as mixing
over banks and transport up submarine canyons, and to assist resource
management of salmon and other commercially important species. Funding
in 2003 (\$37.5k) is crucial as this is GLOBEC's final intensive field
season.

**I. INTRODUCTION**

The Gulf of Alaska represents one of the most productive marine
ecosystems in the world, but is especially sensitive to meteorological
and climate forcing. Record high sea-surface temperatures in 1997 and
1998 contributed to notable shifts in biological species and abundance
(Mantua, 1997; Minobe, 1997; McFarlane & Beamish, 1999). Also,
increasing temperatures and reduced salinities over the past several 9
decades resulted in a thinning of the mixed layer in the central Gulf of
Alaska (GOA) and reduced entrainment of nutrients in the upper water
column (Freeland et al, 1997). Recent warm events have suppressed
upwelling off of Vancouver Island resulting in nutrient depletion and
abnormally low chlorophyll concentrations occurring hundreds of
kilometers offshore (Whitney et al., 1998, 1999).

It is uncertain if similar nutrient deficiency also occurs in
downwelling regions along the Alaskan coast; to date, time series
measurements of nutrients are too sparse to support such a claim. While
it is generally assumed that surface waters are nutrient depleted in
summer, satellite images show regions of high chlorophyll east of Prince
William Sound (PWS, Stabeno et al., 2002). We hypothesize that while
most of surface water in the northern GOA is depleted of nutrients in
summer, there are regions of nutrient pumping (or nutrient hot-spots)
that sustain new production -- and that these hot spots are the basis
for the high productivity and ecosystem diversity observed in the
western GOA. Long-term monitoring of nutrient levels in the northern GOA
is essential if we are to understand mechanisms which support summertime
production, and understand variability of these mechanisms in relation
to meteorological and climate forcing on interannual (e.g. El
Nino/Southern Oscillation, ENSO), decadal (e.g. the Pacific Decadal
Oscillation, PDO), and century (e.g. greenhouse warming) time scales.

In this proposal, we initiate a long-term monitoring program of surface
nutrient concentrations across the northern GOA. These results will be
combined with data from Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated
Investigations, GLOBEC, and the Steller Sea Lion Program, and with
time-series measurements made from Vancouver Island to Ocean Station
Papa (OSP). Results from this project will improve our understanding of
mechanisms that supply nutrients to the shelf, our understanding of
differences between the eastern and western GOA, and our understanding
of bottom-up control of nearshore communities and plankton and fish
distributions. Ultimately, we hope to use this project as a springboard
for continued nutrient time-series measurements that will greatly
benefit resource management in the northern GOA.

**II. NEED FOR THE PROJECT**

**A. Statement of Problem**

Climate forcing greatly impacts processes controlling the distribution
of nutrients, and hence productivity in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). For
example, decreases in wind mixing, entrainment, and on-shelf transport
of nutrients are predicted to be a consequence of long-term global
warming (U.S. GLOBEC, 1996). Indeed, evidence suggests that the North
Pacific may already be warming. Long-term records of SST at coastal
stations in British Columbia reveal a 1-2ºC per century increase
(Freeland et al., 1997; Whitney et al., 1999). Concomitant with
increasing SST over the past several decades has been a thinning of the
mixed layer and reduced winter entrainment of nutrients in surface
waters at Ocean Station Papa (OSP) in the southern GOA (Freeland et al.,
1997). Along Line-P (Figure 1), the extent of seasonal nutrient
depletion was more widespread in the 1990s relative to historic (1970s)
observations (Whitney et al., 1998). Most stunning was the westward
extent of nitrate depleted surface water in late summertime during the
mid 1990s, especially in 1994 when surface waters were depleted westward
to 140ºW (Figure 1, Whitney et al., 1998). It has been estimated that
associated with lower nitrate concentrations along Line-P are
chlorophyll concentrations about half of historic levels (Whitney et
al., 1999).

![](media/image1.png){width="5.541732283464567in"
height="3.58740157480315in"}

> Figure 1. Map of the Gulf of Alaska showing general circulation (after
> Reeburgh & Kipphut, 1987), the location of Ocean Station Papa (OSP),
> Line-P, GAK-12, and the seaward extent of late summer nitrate
> depletion along Line-P (red arrows) for years 89, 92, 94, 95, 96
> (after Whitney et al., 1998), 99, and 2000 (Whitney, pers comm.).

The 97-98 ENSO event had a similar impact on the nitrate field. Warmer
waters increased buoyancy of the winter mixed layer suppressing winter
entrainment and coastal upwelling. As a result, along Line-P, nutrient
concentrations were about half as large as observed in the 1970s with
nutrient depletion occurring 1 month earlier than in previous years
(Whitney et al., 1999).

Physical forcing in the Northern GOA greatly differs from forcing along
Line-P. For example, shifts in the bifurcation of the West Wind Drift
can lead to variability in the GOA and perhaps along Line-P (Chelton &
Davis, 1982). Also, the conditions off Vancouver Island often favor
upwelling (30-40% of summer winds off Vancouver Island are upwelling
favorable, N. Bond, pers. comm.), whereas the opposite is true for the
northern GOA. Nevertheless, the variability of nitrate was similar for
the northern and southern GOA during the 1998 ENSO. GLOBEC-LTOP
monitoring data show dramatic changes in the nutrient fields from 1998
to 1999. In 1998, nitrate concentrations shoreward of GAK 12 were lower
by about 1/3 relative to 1999, and regions of surface nitrate depletion
appeared one month earlier
(<http://murphydome.ims.uaf.edu:8000/globec/results/).> Spatial
variability of nitrate depletion could not be determined as the LTOP
survey was not broad enough to examine the seaward extent of nitrate
depletion.

The oceanography of the northern GOA as recently been reviewed by the
principal investigators of this proposal (Stabeno et al., 2002). The
principle circulation feature of the GOA is the Alaska Current/Alaskan
Stream (e.g., Favorite et al., 1976). The flow generally parallels the
continental slope, moving northward then turning westward where the flow
becomes faster and more focused (Figure 1). Seasonal variations in the
volume transport of the current are relatively small (\~13%) compared to
estimates of interannual variability (Reed and Schumacher, 1986). The
stream acts as a barrier between the central GOA and waters over the
shelf.

The central GOA is a region of weak upwelling with nutrients supplied to
the surface in abundance through winter entrainment across a deep and
weakly stratified mixed layer. It has been characterized as a High
Nutrient - Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) region as iron limitation is believed
to curtail primary production in summer (Martin et al., 1989), resulting
in high nutrients and low chlorophyll concentrations despite warmer
temperatures and stronger stratification.

Conditions shoreward of the Alaska Current/Alaskan Stream are much more
variable than the central GOA. Strong easterly winds in fall and winter
generate downwelling conditions that are generally unfavorable for
primary production. In the spring and summer, increased irradiance and a
reduction (or even a reversal) in downwelling conditions (weaker
alongshore winds) spawn substantial phytoplankton blooms -- blooms that
deplete nutrients in surface waters.

The most notable oceanographic feature of the shelf is the Alaska
Coastal Current (ACC). This current is thought to be wind driven with a
strong baroclinic signature. Maximum transport is in winter when
downwelling forcing is greatest, and the greatest baroclinic signal is
in autumn coinciding with maximum freshwater discharge. The ACC provides
critical habitat for numerous fish species; it is a nurturing area for
larvae of demersal shelf species, and a migration pathway for juvenile
and adult salmonids.

The ultimate control of a complicated ecosystem, such as the one found
in the northern GOA, is the physical control that govern the
availability of food to the lowest trophic levels. If conditions of
physical mixing, nutrient and light availability change primary
production or the timing and composition of the primary producers, the
entire food web structure can be affected (Napp et al., 1996). For
example, a climate-induced loss of nutrients and primary production
along the west coast was thought to impact fish survival (Welch et al.,
2000). In the northern GOA, strong evidence suggests significant changes
in fish abundance and composition are associated with environmental
shifts (Merrick, 1995; Shima, 1996; Mueter, 1999).

In 1977, a regime shift in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) to a
warm phase was coincident with a \~50% decline in fish biomass (Piatt &
Anderson, 1996) -- a decline in prey for the top predators. For example,
during this time the primary prey of the Steller Sea Lion shifted from
mostly rockfish and capelin -- which declined greatly in population, to
Walleye pollock (Pitcher, 1981, Shima et al., 2000). This change in diet
and prey abundance appears to have increased the nutritional stress of
adult females resulting in greater reproductive failures (Pitcher et
al., 1998). Also, due to the limited foraging range of young Steller sea
lions, changes in prey abundance and distributions may have limited the
success of these juveniles (Merrick & Loughlin, 1997; Shima et al.,
1996). A study of Steller population dynamics indicated that increased
mortality of juveniles due to the 1977 PDO shift could result in a
dramatic decline in Steller population similar to the observed trend
(Shima, 1996).

It does appear that variability of biological populations is coincident
with environmental oscillations. Thus, a careful monitoring of
meteorological forcing, climate forcing, and nutrient distributions may
help to explain observed biological variability. Time series
measurements along Line-P have proven invaluable for understanding the
impact of warmer SST and climate events on regional nutrient fields and
primary productivity, without which recent conditions could not be put
in context. However, these results pertain to the coastal upwelling
regime off Vancouver, and may not be representative of conditions in the
downwelling regime of the northern GOA. Although several years of GLOBEC
monitoring data are now available along the south coast of Alaska, large
scale mapping of nutrient fields has not occurred. We have begun
underway sampling of nitrate and fluorescence during GLOBEC and Steller
Sea Lion mooring cruises in May and September (see Section IIIC),
however the spatial coverage is severely limited.

![](media/image3.wmf){width="4.719444444444444in"
height="3.0631944444444446in"}Nutrient data across the northern GOA are
sparse and insufficient for diagnosing spatial and temporal variability,
or for understanding mechanisms of nutrient supply to surface waters at
the coast and over the shelf. This would best be done in summer, when
nutrient depletion over much of the shelf provides the perfect backdrop
for identifying local regions of nutrient pumping, or nutrient
hot-spots. But it is evident from a recent map of summertime nitrate
concentrations in the GOA (Figure 2) that not much can be deduced from
this paucity of data.

> Figure 2. Surface map of NODC and WOCE nitrate data in June-September
> since 1971.

However, satellite images of ocean color suggest that there are active
mechanisms of nutrient supply in the western GOA in summer -- mechanisms
that may help explain why this downwelling shelf is so productive
(Stabeno et al., 2002). Surface waters east of PWS have relatively low
chlorophyll concentrations, while concentrations west of PWS can be very
high. The most probable mechanisms suggested through our GLOBEC and
Steller Sea Lion research are on-shelf transport of deep nutrient-rich
water up submerged sea valleys, and tidal/storm mixing over shallow
banks. (Ekman transport of nutrient rich surface water from the central
gyre to the shelf is less important in summ0er when downwelling winds
are weak, and nutrients advection from eddies and baroclinic
instabilities could not account for chlorophyll distributions observed
in the western GOA.)

As the supply of nutrients appears critical for both nearshore and shelf
ecosystems (see Section IIC), we propose to obtain broad high-resolution
maps of nitrate using an automated underway nitrate monitor installed on
the F/V *Great Pacific* during annual National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) Ocean Carrying Capacity (OCC) / GLOBEC salmon surveys in 2003 and
2004. These are the last two years of the OCC / GLOBEC survey, and the
final intensive field year for GLOBEC process studies. Thus, to maximize
the partnership between GEM and GLOBEC, funding in 2003 is especially
important.

Underway nitrate concentrations will be verified from discrete samples
collected 4-6 times per day from the underway stream, and from surface
samples collected during CTD casts. Discrete samples will be frozen and
analyzed at PMEL for nitrate, phosphate, silicic acid, nitrite and
ammonia. The underway system on the ship includes a thermosalinigraph
(temperature and salinity), an underway fluorometer, and an ADCP which
operates continuously and is corrected for tides to reveal the flow
field. The cruise track includes a dead-head from Dutch Harbor to
Yakutat which crosses the central GOA, then 8 cross shelf transects from
Ocean Cape to Cape Kaguyak, and 2 transects across Shelikof Strait
(Figure 3).

As outlined below (Section IIIA&B), the objectives of this project are
to map surface nutrients across the northern and central GOA, identify
mechanisms that supply nutrients to surface waters in summer,
parameterize the relationship of nutrient distributions with physics,
chlorophyll, zooplankton and fish, provide a mesoscale context for
studies in the western GOA (FOCI, GLOBEC and the Steller Sea Lion
Program), and for research proposed in the eastern GOA (Coastal Ocean
Processes). This approach is essential for understanding the supply of
nutrients to nearshore communities, and the impact of climate events on
nutrient supply to the coastal GOA. These results will also be used to
improve multi-variate algorithms for predicting nitrate from various
biophysical parameters -- predictions that may indicate large-scale
variability in nitrate prior to, during, and subsequent to the strong
ENSO event and PDO regime shift at the end of the last century. Those
climate events may portend future biophysical conditions concomitant
with global climate change.

The Principal Investigators on this proposal have a long record of
accomplishment in the GOA, and are currently involved in numerous field
programs in the northern GOA (see Section IIIE). C. Mordy has deployed
underway monitors on the most recent GLOBEC cruises, and will be
responsible for operation of the underway system. P. Stabeno is a PI on
the OCC/GLOBEC salmon survey and will be responsible for synthesizing
data from these two projects. Data from the OCC/GLOBEC salmon survey
include underway measurements and numerous trawls along each of the
transects. Each trawl site consists of a CTD, surface tucker net hauls
to give zooplankton distributions, analysis of juvenile salmonid stomach
contents to compare with zooplankton distributions, and analysis of
otoliths for hatchery thermal marks and Genetic Stock Identification
techniques to determine home streams of hatchery and wild salmon stocks
and their distribution in relation to oceanographic regimes. The
OCC/GLOBEC salmon survey includes a retrospective analysis of catch per
unit effort versus oceanographic and prey factors to better understand
what affects the distribution of pink, chum, coho, and sockeye salmon in
the northern GOA. Without knowledge of nutrient concentrations, there
can be little hope of fully understanding the distributions of plankton,
or the distribution of animals dependent on plankton.

Most of the funding of this work will be leveraged from FOCI, GLOBEC,
and Steller Sea Lion funds including ship time, the underway nitrate
monitor, installation of the underway system, laboratory analysis of
frozen discrete samples, computer time, and salary for P. Stabeno. Our
request is only for travel, salary for C. Mordy and a technician (D.
Wisegarver), and various supplies.

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="5.38125in" height="4.135416666666667in"}

> Figure 3. Transects and station locations sampled by the NMFS OCC
> program in the Gulf of Alaska July 11 -- August 8, 2002. Not shown is
> the dead-head from Dutch Harbor to Yakutat, or the station-to-station
> transits.

**B. Rationale/Link to Restoration**

In establishing the GEM Program, the Trustee Council explicitly
recognized that complete recovery from the oil spill may not occur for
decades and that full restoration of injured resources will most likely
be achieved through long-term observation and, as needed, restoration
actions. The Council further recognized that conservation and improved
management of injured resources and services will require substantial
ongoing investment to improve understanding of the marine and coastal
ecosystems that support the resources, as well as the people, of the
spill region. In addition, prudent use of the natural resources of the
spill area without compromising their health and recovery requires
increased knowledge of critical ecological information about the
northern Gulf of Alaska. This knowledge can only be provided through a
long-term monitoring and research program that will span decades, if not
centuries.

This proposal would initiate long-term monitoring of the nutritional
status of the northern GOA -- and provide the basis for recognizing full
restoration of the ecosystem.

**C. Link to GEM Program Document**

Given the paucity of nutrient data in the northern GOA, it is not
surprising that the GEM program document makes repeated references to
the need for better monitoring of nutrients. These references are found
throughout discussions of the Intertidal/Subtidal, ACC, and Offshore
habitat areas. The following paragraphs are taken directly from the
program document and very clearly demonstrate the relevance of the
proposed work to these GEM components.

JULY 2002 CHAPTER 4 51

**4.4.2 Potential Alaska Coastal Current Questions:**

a\. What is the annual variability of strength, location and dynamics of
the

ACC?

*Specific Information Needs:* Measurements of variability in temperature

and salinity with depth, on time scales from days to multiple decades

at locations sufficient to understand seasonal-scale variability and at

localities sufficiently widely dispersed to understand large-scale

structure, including intrusion into bays.

b\. What is the variability in the supply of deepwater nutrients to the

photic zone of the ACC and their concentrations in that zone on time

and space scales appropriate to understanding annual primary

production?

*Specific Information Needs:* Measurements of, or proportional to,

macronutrients and micronutrients at appropriate spatial scales.

c\. What is the variability in *chlorophyll a* concentrations and

phytoplankton species composition in the photic zone of the ACC on

time and space scales appropriate to understanding annual primary

production?

GULF ECOSYSTEM MONITORING AND RESEARCH PROGRAM

*Specific Information Needs:*

•  *Chlorophyll a* measurements.

•  Information on phytoplankton species composition.

d\. What is the variability of zooplankton biomass and species

composition in the ACC on time and space scales appropriate to

understanding annual primary and secondary production?

*Specific Information Needs:* Information about zooplankton biomass and

species composition.

e\. What is the variability in the availability of forage fish to higher
trophic

levels (birds, fish, mammals) in the ACC?

*Specific Information Needs:*

•  Analyses of the diets of selected higher-trophic-level organisms

(birds, mammals, large predatory fish).

•  Analyses of selected higher-trophic-level organisms (birds,

mammals, large predatory fish) for fatty acid composition in

relation to diet.

f\. What are the major factors affecting long-term changes in sea bird

populations?

*Specific Information Needs:* Annual colony and chick productivity
counts

of appropriate species in selected GOA colonies.

g\. What are the major factors affecting long-term changes in harbor
seal

populations?

*Specific Information Needs:*

•  Annual surveys of molting population in selected GOA haul-outs.

•  Fatty acid profiles of individual animals and scat analysis surveys

in selected GOA haul-outs.

**4.4.7 Candidate Core Variables**

The key variables in measuring the productivity of the ACC are
temperature,

insolation, salinity, fluorescence, and abundance of key forage species,
including

fish and zooplankton.

The limits on GEM fiscal resources likely will require

maximum use of volunteer observing ships (VOS), which are commercial
vessels that carry

various monitoring instruments. Preparing for instrumentation of VOS and
establishing the

necessary relationships with ship operators and crews should be a
priority early in the program.

Data collected from technology placed on vessels of the Alaska Marine
Highway system

can identify relationships between the ACC and populations of key
species and can detect

change in these populations as a result of changes in the ACC.

The first need is to establish

long-time series of physical and biological measurements (temperature,
salinity, fluorescence,

nitrates, silicates, zooplankton and nekton) on the role of the ACC in
transporting nutrients and

influencing primary and secondary productivity. The variables will be
chosen to serve in the

GEM model, which serves to develop a comprehensive understanding of the
Gulf of Alaska's

ecosystems. Using vessels of opportunity, such as those of the Alaska
Marine Highway System,

would provide a low cost alternative to chartered vessels and moorings.

Proposed Actions in FY 04

Evaluate options for partnering with the Alaska Marine Highway System
for

thermosalinograph, fluorometer, and eventually nutrient monitoring on
ferry routes

throughout the northern GOA.

Proposed Actions in FY 04 and beyond

• Long-term understanding will be developed through an ecosystem model
that links

biological and physical observations across the habitat types and the
North Pacific to

understand changes in single species of interest to managers and
concerned others. The

understanding includes how natural changes (e.g., climate change) will
affect the ACC

and how changes in the ACC will in turn affect key organisms, (birds,
fish and mammals)

and activities of interest to humans such as fisheries.

Intertidal and Subtidal:

> Nutrient supply to fixed plants is not well characterized, but
> presumably is controlled by oceanographic processes and seasonal
> cycles of water turnover on the inner shelf as well as some
> contributions from stream runoff. This process of nutrient supply is
> essentially the same as for nearshore phytoplankton. Ultimately... the
> runup of deepwater from the central GOA onto the shelf and some poorly
> characterized processes for cross-shelf transport of the nutrients are
> critical to growth of both fixed and floating nearshore algae. The
> nearshore waters can be depleted of nutrients during the growing
> season if the warm surface layers where primary productivity is
> drawing down nutrients is not mixed with deeper waters by wind and
> tidal action. ... It is suspected that bottom-up forcing through
> variability of primary production is an important influence on
> intertidal invertebrate communities on the scale of decades, but there
> are no long-term data sets to examine this supposition.

Alaska Coastal Current:

> Annual variability of nutrient supply likely has a great influence on
> long-term variability in primary production. For example, this
> influence would be consistent with the relationship between the Bakun
> upwelling index and pink salmon marine survival rates up to 1990 and
> the differences observed between the volumes of settled plankton in
> the 1980s and in the 1990s (Brown, unpublished).
>
> What is the variability in the supply of deepwater nutrients to the
> photic zone of the ACC and their concentrations in that zone on time
> and space scales appropriate to understanding annual primary
> production?
>
> *Specific Information Needs:* Measurements of, or proportional to,
> macronutrients and micronutrients at appropriate spatial scales.

Offshore:

> How are the supplies of inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon, and
> other nutrients essential for plant growth in the euphotic zone
> annually influenced by climate-driven physical mechanisms in the GOA?
>
> *Specific Information Needs:* Measurements of inorganic nitrogen,
> phosphorus, silicon, and other nutrients on time and space scales
> appropriate to understanding annual variability.
>
> What is the role of the Pacific High Pressure System in determining
> the timing and duration of the movement of dense slope water onto and
> across the shelf to renew nutrients in the coastal bottom waters?
>
> *Specific Information Needs:* Synoptic information on sea level
> pressure and horizontal and vertical structure of density and
> nutrients on the outer continental shelf and Alaska Gyre in relation
> to the ACC on appropriate time and space scales.
>
> Is freshwater runoff a source of iron and silicon that is important to
> marine productivity in the offshore and adjacent marine waters?
>
> *Specific Information Needs:* Levels of biologically available silicon
> and iron from offshore water in relation to the ACC on appropriate
> time and space scales.

We hope to extend this project into a long-term monitoring program of
the nutritional status of the northern GOA, and through a broad
interdisciplinary partnership with other programs and modeling and
resource management teams, we foresee a monitoring network which closely
matches the GEM vision.

> The end point for monitoring is a geographically distributed network
> gathering data on the state of the marine ecosystem in the GEM region,
> using spatially structured survey methods. This implies a broad
> spatial scale for monitoring, as a combination of GEM with that of
> other entities. These data are transformed into information for user
> groups by using synthesis, research, modeling, data management, and
> information transfer.

**III. PROJECT DESIGN**

**A. Objectives**

The objectives of the proposed research are to examine nutrient supply
to nearshore surface waters, explore bottom-up control of plankton and
fish distributions along the shelf and in the central GOA, and to
parameterize chemical, biological and physical processes influencing
these distributions. The specific objectives of this research are to

Objective 1 Map surface nutrients across the northern and central GOA,

Objective 2 Identify mechanisms supplying nutrients to surface waters in
summer,

Objective 3 Parameterize the relationship of nutrient distributions with
physics, chlorophyll, zooplankton and fish,

Objective 4 Provide a mesoscale context for moorings and process studies
in the western GOA (FOCE, GLOBEC and the Steller Sea Lion Program), and
for research proposed in the eastern GOA (Coastal Ocean Processes), and

Objective 5 Initiate a long-term monitoring program of the nutritional
status of the northern and central GOA to better understand the impact
of interannual and decadal variability, and to provide nutritional
forecasts to resource management teams.

**B. Procedural Methods**

Objective 1. Map surface nutrients across the shelf of the northern
GOA.\
[Hypothesis:]{.underline} In summer, surface waters over the shelf
are 1) depleted in nutrients east of PWS, and 2) relatively abundant in
nutrients west of PWS.\
[Method:]{.underline} Install an underway nitrate monitor on the NOAA
chartered F/V *Great Pacific*. The details for mounting the instrument
have already been discussed with the Owner, the Captain, and the Chief
Engineer of the F/V *Great Pacific*, as well as Dr. E.D. Cokelet who is
the GLOBEC PI responsible for the underway system. All are in agreement
that the instrument would be a welcome addition to the science already
on-board (see supplemental letter of collaboration from E.D. Cokelet).

The W.S. Ocean AutoLAB is an automatic shipboard nitrate measurement
package that has been deployed by Mordy during FOCI and GLOBEC cruises
in the northern GOA in 2001 and 2002. A technician will ride the ship
during the first leg to ensure proper operation of the instrument, and
adequate calibration sampling by the science party. The nitrate monitor
uses standard wet chemistry techniques for diazotizing and coupling
reduced nitrate and nitrite, for and measuring the absorbance of the
resulting red azo dye. This method is directly comparable to the
autoanalyzer that will be used by Mordy to evaluate monitor performance.
The automated underway system will sample every 3 minutes with standards
analyzed 3-4 times per hour. Standards will be stabilized by
pasteurization, with concentrations verified before and after each
cruise. This technique for stabilizing standards has been used for
moored nitrate analyzers and nitrate concentrations are stable for over
6 months. The AutoLAB makes corrections for background absorbance and
sample turbidity.\
\
Discrete calibration samples will be collected from the ship's underway
system and from the CTD-bottle rosette. They will be frozen at --20°C,
returned to PMEL, and analyzed according to WOCE-JGOFS protocols (Gordon
et al., 1993). Mordy has extensive experience conducting nutrient
analysis under these protocols, which include blank analysis (refractive
index, distilled water reagent blank, low nutrient seawater blank) and
high-precision standard preparation using gravimetrically calibrated -
temperature corrected - pipettes (Eppendorf Maxipettors) and glassware.
Standards have been cross-calibrated with standards with other nutrient
laboratories (e.g. Lou Gordon at Oregon State University).

[Performance Measure:]{.underline}

Quality of data -- 3% accuracy, 3% precision relative to high surface
concentrations in the central gyre.\
Quantity of data -- spatial coverage including the central GOA from
Dutch Harbor to Yakutat, and shelf waters from Yakutat to Kodiak and
Shelikof Strait.

Objective 2. Identify mechanisms that supply nutrients to surface waters
in summer.

[Hypothesis:]{.underline} In summer, nutrients in surface waters are
enriched from deep mixing over shallow banks, from flow up submarine
canyons, from estuarine flow up Shelikof Strait, and from intrusions of
nutrient-rich water from the central GOA.

[Method:]{.underline} Identifying mechanisms of nutrient supply are
major goals of the GEM, FOCI, GLOBEC and Steller Sea Lion programs.
However, the FOCI, GLOBEC and Steller Sea Lion programs lack broad
nutrient surveys of the GOA. The proposed survey will cross shallow
banks and canyons off Kodiak, make two hydrographic transects across
Shelikof Strait, and make eight transects to the shelf break where
intrusions of water from the central Alaskan Gyre are common. To fully
address this objective, data from the proposed survey will be combined
with FOCI, GLOBEC, and Steller Sea Lion data including results from
moorings, drifters, hydrographic cruises, satellites and meteorological
stations. This hypothesis might not be fully realized until completion
of our GLOBEC program in 2005.

Objective 3. Parameterize the relationship of nutrients with physics,
chlorophyll, zooplankton and fish.

[Hypothesis:]{.underline} Nitrate and new production can be predicted
from space using ocean color and SST.

[Method:]{.underline} Use stepwise multiple regression techniques
described in Section C below to examine spatial and temporal variability
in the relationships between nitrate, temperature, salinity and
chlorophyll; and compare algorithms from various habitats to algorithms
used for satellite estimates in the North Pacific. We will also provide
surface nitrate maps to ground truth satellite estimates of nitrate.

[Performance Measure:]{.underline} Predict nitrate to ±2 μM.

[Hypothesis:]{.underline} There is a strong correlation between
nutrients and the distribution of primary and secondary production.

[Method:]{.underline} This hypothesis assumes strong coupling between
primary and secondary production. While this condition may be typical of
spring blooms (mostly nitrate based production), it is not necessarily
the case in summer when regenerated production dominates. However, off
Kodiak Island, there appear to be sources of nitrate, or nutrient "hot
spots" in mid-summer. We will use stepwise multiple regression analysis
of physical, chemical and biological parameters to test for tight
coupling between physical forcing, nutrient supply and the distributions
of primary and secondary producers.

Objective 4. Provide a mesoscale context for moorings and process
studies in the western GOA (FOCI, GLOBEC and the Steller Sea Lion
Program), and for research proposed in the eastern GOA (Coastal Ocean
Processes).

See Section IIIE.

Objective 5. To initiate a long-term monitoring program of the
nutritional status of the northern and central GOA, to better understand
the impact of interannual and decadal variability, and to provide
nutritional forecasts to resource management teams.

[Hypothesis:]{.underline} Variability in SST alters stratification and
entrainment of nutrients in the central GOA thereby reducing nutrient
supply to the shelf via Ekman transport and eddies. Decreased nutrient
availability leads to lower productivity and changes in plankton bloom
dynamics that adversely affect fish recruitment.

[Method:]{.underline} This hypothesis relates to observations in the
southern GOA that indicate a decline in nutrients. Although GEM is not
focusing on the offshore habitat at this time, a side benefit of this
project is that such secondary questions will begin to be addressed. We
will combine surface nutrient maps from GEM with those generated by F.
Whitney along Line-P to gain an overall picture of nutrient depletion
over the gulf.

[Hypothesis:]{.underline} Modelers and resource managers can use
knowledge of nutrient variability in habitat critical to the survival of
juvenile fish to forecast annual fish stocks and recruitment.

[Method:]{.underline} This hypothesis assumes that nutrient availability
in a key habitat ultimately determines the survival of juvenile fish;
that there is strong coupling between nutrients, primary, secondary and
tertiary production, and that fish stocks and recruitment are largely a
function of juvenile success. Addressing this very ambitious hypothesis
is a long-term goal and cannot be fully realized under this proposal,
but requires multi-year monitoring of key habitats. Fishery biologists
participating on the OCC/GLOBEC salmon survey have identified such
habitats (i.e. the ACC), and these areas are a significant component of
the OCC/GLOBEC survey. Objective 3 addresses coupling between nutrients
and secondary production, and NMFS/GLOBEC biologists are testing for
tight coupling between secondary producers and juvenile fish. Climate
events such as ENSO are known to dramatically alter nutrient fields and
severely impact some species. Through long-term studies and future
partnerships, we hope to parameterize the nutrient and biological
response to such events.

### C. Statistical Methods

The relationship of nutrients with temperature and/or salinity has been
noted for many regions of the world's oceans (Smith, 1984; Maeda et al.,
1985; Kamykowski & Zentara, 1986). A strong correspondence in upwelling
zones (equatorial & coastal) has fostered efforts to estimate nutrients
from temperature and/or salinity (Dugdale et al., 1989; Sathyendranath
et al., 1991; Garside & Garside, 1995; Dugdale et al., 1997). For
example, Garside & Garside (1995) used a multi-variate approach to
predict nitrate in the North Atlantic and Pacific with standard errors
of 0.5-1.0 μM. The strength of this relationship is a consequence high
production that depletes nitrate during seasonal warming.

In the first use of compound remote sensing, Goes et al. (2000) used
satellite measurements of temperature and chlorophyll to make basin
scale estimates of nitrate and new production in the North Pacific. This
advance was particularly important in regions of exceptional production
and moderate seasonal warming -- regions where the temperature-nitrate
relationship was very weak. While the northern GOA appears to fall into
this category, there is insufficient data to explore surface
temperature-nitrate relationships on broad spatial scales (eastern GOA
verses western GOA).

Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis (using StatView software)
will be completed on underway nitrate, temperature, salinity and
fluorescence in an effort to improve algorithms for estimating nitrate
from compound remote sensing. Using underway data from May 2001, we were
able to predict nitrate to +/-2uM (Figure 4). The temperature range of
the data in spring was relatively small; thus, despite several fronts of
nitrate and temperature, the temperature-nitrate relationship was not
significant. Instead, fluorescence was the most significant independent
variable, which reinforces the value of compound remote sensing. Data
from this program will be provided in support of remote sensing efforts.

![](media/image5.wmf){width="5.99375in" height="5.081944444444445in"}

> Figure 4. Underway measurements of nitrate, temperature, salinity, and
> fluorescence off Kodiak Island during the GLOBEC mooring cruise in May
> 2002.

**D. Description of Study Area**

The study area extends from Dutch Harbor to Yakutat. There will be a
transit from Dutch Harbor to Yakutat, 8 transects from the coast to the
shelf break, and 2 transects across Shelikof Strait (Figure 3). Those
transects, from east to west, are at Ocean Cape, Icy Bay, Cape St.
Elias, Cape Hinchinbrook, Cape Puget, Gore Point, Cape Chiniak, and Cape
Kaguyak; and across Shelikif Strait are transects at Cape Nukshak and
Cape Kekurnoi. Underway data will also be collected on transits between
transects.

**E. Coordination and Collaboration with Other Efforts**

P. Stabeno directs NOAA's FOCI program, and P. Stabeno and C. Mordy are
collaborating PIs on a second GLOBEC project, and two Steller Sea Lion
Projects. In all, the PIs annually deploy 25-50 moorings
(meteorological, biophsical, nitrate and iron) and numerous drogued
drifters, and conduct 2 hydrographic cruises in the northern GOA. They
also collaborate with GLOBEC modelers running high-resolution ocean
circulation models, and NPZ models of the GLOBEC region. The combination
of GEM nitrate maps with FOCI/GLOBEC/Steller Sea Lion mooring data,
drifter, hydrographic and modeling data will help resolve mechanisms of
nutrient supply to nearshore ecosystems in summer.

Through these other programs, PMEL is studying the possibility of
purchasing a new optical nitrate sensor
(http://www.satlantic.com/products/marine-instrumentation/nitrate/mbari-isus/).
If a new optical instrument is purchased, it will collect
high-resolution data in conjunction with the underway monitor.

The proposed work is closely related to an EVOS project mapping
temperature and salinity on a ship of opportunity which transits from
Valdez to Long Beach. We investigated the possibility of collaborating
with this project and installing an underway nitrate monitor on the
ship; however -- logistic difficulties aside -- the ship track would not
yield a broad survey of the northern GOA, and would not permit an
investigation of mechanisms that supply nutrients to the surface.

**IV. SCHEDULE**

**A. Project Milestones**

Objective 1. Map surface nutrients across the northern and central GOA\
To be met by November 2003 and November 2004 (two field seasons)

Objective 2. Identify mechanisms supplying nutrients to surface waters
in summer.\
To be met by March 2005

Objective 3. Parameterize the relationship of nutrient distributions
with physics, chlorophyll, zooplankton and fish.\
To be met by February 2004 and February 2005 (two data sets)

Objective 4. Provide a mesoscale context for moorings and process
studies in the eastern GOA (GLOBEC and the Steller Sea Lion Program),
and for research proposed in the eastern GOA (Coastal Ocean Processes).\
To be met by November 2004

Objective 5. Initiate a long-term monitoring program of nutritional
status of the northern and central GOA to better understand the impact
of interannual and decadal variability, and to provide nutritional
forecasts to resource management teams.\
To be met by November 2004

**B. Measurable Project Tasks**

FY 03, 1st quarter (October 1, 2002-December 31, 2002)

November 25: Project funding approved by Trustee Council

FY 03, 2nd quarter (January 1, 2003-March 31, 2003)

January 13-17: Attend annual EVOS Workshop (joint symposium with GLOBEC
and NMFS)

FY 03, 3rd quarter (April 1, 2003-June 30, 2003)

June: Prepare underway nitrate monitor

FY 03, 4th quarter (July 1, 2003-September 30, 2003)

Early July: Install underway nitrate monitor

Mid-July-Mid August: Conduct underway analysis -- Survey Cruise I

FY 04, 1st quarter (October 1, 2003-December 31, 2003)

October 31: Finish lab analyses of all frozen samples -- Survey Cruise I

November 31: Finish nutrient map -- Survey Cruise I

FY 04, 2nd quarter (January 1, 2004-March 31, 2004)

February 15: Finish parameterization of the relationship of nitrate with
biophysical variables -- Survey Cruise I

(dates not yet known): Attend annual EVOS Workshop

FY 04, 3rd quarter (April 1, 2004-June 30, 2004)

June: Prepare underway nitrate monitor

FY 04, 4th quarter (July 1, 2004-September 30, 2004)

Mid-July-Mid August: Conduct underway survey cruise -- Survey Cruise II

FY 05, 1st quarter (October 1, 2004-December 31, 2004)

October 31: Finish lab analyses of all frozen samples -- Survey Cruise
II

November 31 Finish nutrient maps -- Survey Cruise II

FY 05, 2nd quarter (January 1, 2005-March 31, 2005)

February 15 Finish parameterization of the relationship of nitrate with
biophysical variables -- Survey Cruise II

March 15 Finish analysis of the data set for identifying mechanisms of
nutrient supply

(dates not yet known) Annual EVOS Workshop

FY 05, 3rd quarter (April 1, 2005-June 30, 2005)

April 15 Submit final report (which will consist of draft manuscript for
publication) to EVOS

**V. RESPONSIVENESS TO KEY TRUSTEE COUNCIL STRATEGIES**

**A. Community Involvement and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)**

In the short term, the impact of the project on communities surrounding
the northern GOA will be minimal. There will some valuable interaction
between local fisherman and scientists that foments mutual respect, and
perhaps builds greater cooperation. In the long term, the use of fishing
vessels as part of a large monitoring network would provide
out-of-season employment for a number of fishermen; and, this work along
with future monitoring efforts have great potential for helping resource
managers secure sustainable fisheries for years to come.

**B. Resource Management Applications**

The vision of this program is to establish a long-term monitoring
network to report on variability of the nutritional status of the GOA.
Ekman transport of nutrient rich water from the central Gulf to the
shelf may be a key source of nutrients for spring production; however,
there appears to be significant interannual variability in nutrient
concentrations, and nutrients may be declining. Linking concentrations
in early spring with NPZ models of the northern GOA may help resource
managers forecast production levels and juvenile fish survival for the
upcoming spring, and address problems that may arise from human
activities.

**VI. PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS**

Short term publications (2003-2005) will include progress reports, a
final report, and a publication on nutrient distributions in the eastern
verses the western GOA in summer. In the long term (2005-7), we expect
to synthesize GEM, GLOBEC and Steller Sea Lion research and publish
several manuscripts on mechanisms of nutrient supply. In addition, we
expect to publish a collaborative effort with F. Whitney on comparing
nutrient depletion along Line-P with variability observed in the
Northern GOA.

**VII. PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES**

Project results will be presented at the annual GEM and GLOBEC
workshops, and at the annual Ocean Sciences/AGU meetings. GEM results
will be integrated with data from FOCI, GLOBEC, and the Steller Sea Lion
program; hence, funding for travel to these meetings will be covered by
these other programs. The topics of posters and/or papers presented will
be related to mechanisms of on-shelf nutrient transport, entrainment of
nutrients over shallow banks in summer, and the covariance of nutrient
and biological distributions (chlorophyll, zooplankton, and salmon).

**VIII. PERSONNEL**

**A. Principal Investigator (PI)\
**

Phyllis J. Stabeno (NOAA/PMEL, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA
98115, Phone: 206-526-6453, FAX: 206-526-6485, Email:
<stabeno@pmel.noaa.gov>).

P. Stabeno will be responsible for the synthesis of GEM data with
physical, chemical, and biological data collected by PMEL as part of
GLOBEC, the Steller Sea Lion Program, and the CoOP program (if funded).
This includes data from drifters, biophysical moorings, hydrographic
sections, and satellites (color and altimetry).

2\. Calvin W. Mordy (Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and
Ocean, NOAA/PMEL & University of Washington, 7600 Sand Point Way NE,
Seattle, WA, 98115, Phone: 206-526-6870, FAX : 206-526-6744, Email:
<mordy@pmel.noaa.gov>.

C. Mordy will be responsible for analysis of the underway data, analysis
of calibration samples, finalization of all data, the writing of
progress reports and a final data report, ensuring compliance with the
Trustee Council data management policy, and publication of results.
Mordy will also be responsible for linking data with the Station P time
series and with satellite models of sea-surface nitrate.

B.  **Other Key Personnel**

David P. Wisegarver has spent several years working with the underway
technology, and will install and oversee the underway nitrate monitor.
He will prepare all reagents, prepare the on-board standard, program the
instrument, and monitor operation of the analyzer during the first
cruise leg (Dutch Harbor to Seward). He will also be responsible for
training the science party in collection of calibration samples from the
underway seawater system and in collection of samples from CTD-Niskin
bottles tripped near the surface.

**C. Contracts**

No components of this project will be contracted out.

**IX. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR QUALIFICATIONS**

**A. Phyllis J. Stabeno**

PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION

B.S. University of Washington, Mathematics, June 1972

M.A. University of California, Berkeley, Mathematics, June, 1974

Ph.D. Oregon State University, Physical Oceanography, June, 1982

APPOINTMENTS

> Oceanographer, NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL),
> 1988-present

Director: Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations at PMEL,
1998-present

> Lead Physical Oceanographer: Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated
> Investigations, 1994-present
>
> Research Scientist III, Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere
> and Ocean, Univ. of Wash. 1987-88.
>
> Research Associate, Oregon State University, 1985-1986.
>
> Research Fellow, UCG, Galway, Ireland, 1982-1984.

PUBLICATIONS

*Five Relevant Publications*

> Stabeno, P.J., N.A. Bond, A.J. Hermann, C.W. Mordy, J.E. Overland and
> N. Kachel (2002): Meteorology and oceanography of the northern Gulf of
> Alaska. *Cont. Shelf Res.* \[Accepted\].
>
> Stabeno, P.J. and A.J. Hermann (1996): An eddy-resolving model of
> circulation on the western Gulf of Alaska shelf. 2. Comparison of
> results to oceanographic observations. *J. Geophys. Res., 101*(C1),
> 1151-1161.
>
> Stabeno, P.J., R.K. Reed, and J.D. Schumacher (1995): The Alaska
> Coastal Current: Continuity of transport and forcing. *J. Geophys.
> Res., 100*(C2), 2477-2485.
>
> Stabeno, P.J., and P. van Meurs (1999). Evidence of episodic on-shelf
> flow in the southeastern Bering Sea. *J. Geophys. Res., 104*(C12),
> 29,715-29,720.
>
> Schumacher, J.D., P.J. Stabeno, and A.T. Roach (1989): Volume
> transport in the Alaska Coastal Current. *Cont. Shelf Res., 9(12*),
> 1071-1083.

*Five Significant Publications*

> Stabeno, P.J., N.A. Bond, N.B. Kachel, S.A. Salo, and J.D. Schumacher
> (2001): On the temporal variability of the physical environment over
> the southeastern Bering Sea. *Fish. Oceanogr.10:1*, 81198.
>
> Stabeno, P.J., J.D. Schumacher, and K. Ohtani (1999): The physical
> oceanography of the Bering Sea. In [Dynamics of the Bering Sea: A
> Summary of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Characteristics, and a
> Synopsis of Research on the Bering Sea,]{.underline} T.R. Loughlin and
> K. Ohtani (eds.), North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES),
> University of Alaska Sea Grant, AK-SG-99-03, 1-28.
>
> Stabeno, P.J., J.D. Schumacher, R.F. Davis, and J.M. Napp (1998):
> Under-ice observations of water column temperature, salinity and
> spring phytoplankton dynamics: Eastern Bering Sea shelf. *J. Mar.
> Res., 56*, 239-255.
>
> Stabeno, P.J., J.D. Schumacher, K.M. Bailey, R.D. Brodeur, and E.D.
> Cokelet, (1996): Observed patches of walleye pollock eggs and larvae
> in Shelikof Strait, Alaska: their characteristics, formation and
> persistence. *Fish. Oceanogr.*, 5, 81-91.
>
> Stabeno, P.J., and R.K. Reed (1994): Circulation in the Bering Sea
> basin observed by satellite-tracked drifters: 1986-1993. *J. Phys.
> Oceanogr., 24*(4), 848-854.

SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES

Professional Memberships: American Geophysical Union, Irish
Meteorological Society

Fellow: Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research

Honors: PMEL Distinguished Paper Award (5 years)

> Publication: Guest Editor for *Progress in Oceanography*; Bering Sea
> Editorial Committee for *Deep-Sea Research II*

**B. Calvin W. Mordy**

CURRENT POSITION

1993. Oceanographer with NOAA/PMEL and the University of Washington.
      Responsible for the PMEL nutrient laboratory including analysis,
      quality control, and publication of data generated from
      autoanalyzers (sea-going and laboratory), underway systems, and
      moored nitrate monitors.

ACADEMIC TRAINING AND SELECTED EXPERIENCE

B.S. Berry College, Chemistry, 1982

M.S. University of Kansas, Bioorganic Chemistry, 1986

Ph.D. Oregon State University, Chemical Oceanography, 1991

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Southern California, 1991-1993

International WOCE Hydrographic Programme Planning Committee, 1995-1996

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

> Mordy, C.W., P.J. Stabeno and Anne Sigleo (2002): Temporal Variability
> of Upwelled Nitrate off the Oregon Coast: a Moored Nitrate Time
> Series. *J. Geophys. Res.* \[Submitted 3/02\]
>
> Stabeno, P.J., N.A. Bond, A.J. Hermann, C.W. Mordy, J.E. Overland and
> N. Kachel (2002): Meteorology and Oceanography of Northern Gulf of
> Alaska. Cont. Shelf Res. \[Accepted\].
>
> Daly, K. L., W. O . Smith, Jr., G. C. Johnson, G. R. DiTullio, D. R.
> Jones, C. W. Mordy, R. A. Feely, D. A. Hansell, J.-Z. Zhang (2001):
> Hydrographic Structure and Distributions of Nutrients and Particulate
> and Dissolved Carbon in the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean. *J.
> Geophys. Res. (C Oceans),* **106**:7107-7124.
>
> Zhang, J.-Z., C. W. Mordy, L. I. Gordon, A. Ross and H. E. Garcia
> (2000): Are Reported Trends in Deep Ocean Redfield Ratios Artifact?
> *Science*, **289**:1839a*.*
>
> Reed, R. K. and C. W. Mordy (1999): Bering Sea Deep Circulation: Water
> Properties and Geopotential. *J. Mar. Res.*, **57**:763-773.

EXPERTISE AND RECENT ACTIVITIES

Since initiating the nutrient laboratory at PMEL in 1993, I have
conducted nutrient analysis on 18 hydrographic cruises (including WOCE,
NOAA Climate, JGOFS, FOCI, and VENTS), and have been the lead nutrient
PI on 14 of those cruises. In addition, the nutrient laboratory deploys
about 10 moored instruments (nitrate and iron analyzers, and water
samplers) annually, and now regularly measures underway nitrate when
participating on an oceanographic expedition.

In the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, GLOBEC and Steller Sea Lion
research focuses on deep circulation and cross-shelf transport of
nutrients. A suite of eight nitrate analyzers, an iron analyzer and a
plankton sampler are being moored along the Alaskan shelf at six-month
intervals. In addition, repeat hydrographic lines are being sampled, and
underway (surface) nitrate is being collected on hydrographic cruises.
Initial results show that salty, nutrient rich water intrudes up the
shelf during seasonal relaxation of upwelling winds, and that
bathymetric steering (up-canyon flow) of deep shelf water appears to be
an important mechanism of cross-shelf transport of nutrients. In
addition, surface waters in the western GOA in summer have high surface
chlorophyll-a concentrations (as observed by satellite) suggesting
relatively high concentrations of nutrients (including iron) in the
surface mixed layer. To better understand these blooms, we intend to
investigate mechanisms of nutrient transport -- especially nutrient
pumping over shallow banks.

Participation with the GLobal Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP)
nutrient group centers on re-evaluating Redfield ratios using the high
quality World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) nutrient data set.
Suggested corrections to the Pacific WOCE data are completed, and work
has begun on evaluating Redfield ratios in the Indian and Pacific
Oceans.

Future work includes repeat hydrographic sections along World Ocean
Circulation Experiment (WOCE) cruise lines, and a proposal was submitted
to the Coastal Ocean Processes (CoOP) Program to examine buoyancy driven
transport in the eastern GOA.

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####  SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENT

**Letter of collaboration from E.D. Cokelet\
**