Coastal Institute

The project will study the entire Arctic Ocean, but the coastal areas are still an important focus. My component proposes to study planktonic food web dynamics and colonization of the Arctic by subarctic species from the Bering Sea. Disruptions of food webs caused by introduced species being most at risk in coastal areas in the near future. These disruptions may have significant negative impacts on the subsistence activities of indigenous communities along the shores of the Alaskan coast, who depend on the ocean ecosystem for more than half of their food resources. We will have a local community observer onboard the ship, and our outreach plans include visits to the native communities along the north slope of Alaska to inform them of our plans and findings from the cruise.