Determining Arctic krill spawning regions and impacts of warming on abundance and distribution

• Main Author: Wood, Giulia A.
• Other Authors: College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University. Writing Intensive Curriculum
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English; unknown
• Published: Oregon State University
• Subjects: Arctic krill; Bering Sea; Climate change; Phytoplankton; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/defaults/9w032972z

Arctic krill serve as an important link between primary producers and upper trophic level consumers in the Eastern Bering Sea. Because of their role as a lipid-rich food source for many species, changes in the krill populations can have broader impacts across the pelagic food web. While it is known that krill life cycles can be linked to environmental factors such as sea ice and phytoplankton blooms, the response of krill populations to the 3-5 year oscillation between warm and cold phases in the Eastern Bering Sea is not well understood. This OC334 Polar Oceanography research proposal outlines a research project which aims to address important questions about how the abundance and spatial distribution of Arctic krill change between warm and cold phases in the Eastern Bering Sea as well as where Arctic krill spawn in the region. Answering these questions will be critical to understanding how climate change and continued warming in the Eastern Bering Sea will affect the krill populations and the Eastern Bering Sea ecosystem.