Trophic dynamics of intertidal soft-sediment communities in the Copper River Delta, Alaska: 2003 - 2006

• Main Authors: Mary Anne Bishop, Sean Powers
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Gulf of Alaska Data Portal
• Subjects: oil spill; subarctic; epibenthic predators; demersal fish; turbidity; CTD; salinity; chlorophyll a; nutrients; hydrography; mudflats; benthic; tidal flats; estuary; river delta; Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Alaska; Exxon Valdez; EVOSTC; Corophium salmonis; salmonis; Ammodytes hexapterus; Artedius fenestralis; Blepsias bilobus; Cancer magister; Clupea pallasii; Cottus asper; Eleginus gracilis; Enophrys bison; Gadus macrocephalus; Hemigrapsus oregonensis; Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus; Hexagrammos decagrammus; Hexagrammos lagocephalus; Hexagrammos octogrammus; Hexagrammos stelleri; Hippoglossoides elassodon; Hippoglossus stenolepis; Hypomesus pretiosus; Icelinus borealis; Isopetta isolepis; Lepidogobius lepidus; Lepidopsetta bilineata; Leptocottus armatus; Limanda aspera; Lumpenus sagitta; Lycodes pacificus; Macoma balthica; Macoma expansa; Macoma inquinata; Macoma nasuta; Macoma obliqua; Mactromeris polynyma; Mallotus villosus; Microgadus proximus; Microstomus pacificus; Mya arenaria; Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus; Mytilus trossulus; Oncorhynchus kisutch; Oncorhynchus nerka; Ophiodon elongatus; Osmerus mordax; Pallasina barbata; Parophrys vetulus; Pholis laeta; Plattichthys stellatus; Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus; Podothecus accipenserinus; Psettichthys melanostictus; Pugettia gracilis; Pugettia producta; Salvelinus malma; Stichaeus punctatus; Sygnathus leptorhynchus; Telmessus cheiragonus; Thaleichthys pacificus; Theragra chalcogramma; Trichodon trichodon; Arctic; Gulf of Alaska; Sockeye; Reeves; Knudsen; Orca; Subarctic
• Online Access: https://search.dataone.org/view/df35d.317.10

The vast majority of our understanding of the physical and chemical processes and trophodynamics of estuaries is based on studies of sub-tropical and temperate estuarine areas. In contrast, few studies of subarctic and arctic estuaries have been conducted in coastal Alaska, despite the economic importance of the fisheries, wildlife and natural resources many of these systems provide. Here, we present the first detailed description of the Copper River Delta estuary, in southcentral Alaska. We selected the Copper River Delta as our study site because the Delta’s ecological and economic resources are at risk to potential oil spills. The Trans-Alaska oil pipeline crosses six major tributaries of the Copper River. A breach of the pipeline at one of these sites, or a tanker spill in Prince William Sound or in the Gulf of Alaska would pose a severe threat to the ecology of the Copper River Delta. Our overall hypothesis is that the distribution, abundance and production of benthic invertebrates residing in intertidal sediments of the Copper River Delta are controlled by a combination of top-down (predators) and bottom-up (nutrient and primary production) processes. To evaluate the central predictions of this hypothesis, a four-dimensional (time and three-dimensional space), comprehensive sampling program was adopted to address three objectives: 1) Characterize the spatial abundance of macrobenthic species inhabiting intertidal sediments within the Copper River Delta and Orca Inlet, Southeast Prince William Sound. 2) Determine and quantify those factors that best serve as predictors for primary production in the overlying water and within the sediments of tidal flat communities. 3) Quantify the spatial and temporal abundance of demersal and avian predators and assess the role of epibenthic predation on recruitment of intertidal macroinvertebrates. Publications: Powers, S.P., M.A. Bishop, J. Grabowski and C.H. Peterson. 2006. Distribution of the invasive bivalve Mya arenaria L. on intertidal flats of southcentral Alaska. Journal Sea Research 55:207-216. Powers, S.P., M.A. Bishop, S. Moffitt, and G.H. Reeves. 2006. Variability in freshwater, estuarine and marine residence of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) within the Copper and Bering River Deltas, Alaska. American Fisheries Society Symposium 53: In press. Kline, T.K., C.A. Woody, M.A. Bishop, S.P. Powers, E.E. Knudsen. 2006. Preliminary assessment of marine-derived nutrients in the Copper River Delta, Alaska using stable isotope analysis. American Fisheries Society Symposium 53: In press. 2005 Technical Reports S.P. Powers, M.A. Bishop and E. Clesceri. 2005. Characterization of energy and potential contaminant pathways in subarctic estuarine habitats: ecology of tidalflat communities of Copper River Delta, Alaska. Final Report to Prince William Sound Regional Citizen Advisory Council. 25pp.