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How We Conduct Climate Science

NOAA Fisheries' climate science approach is composed of three parts: ecosystem monitoring; process studies; and modeling, retrospective analyses, and management strategy evaluations. The three parts, monitoring, process studies, and analyses are the three legs of the stool on which our understanding  of climate effects is seated.

  • Ecosystem monitoring consists of standard oceanographic surveys which sample ocean physics, phytoplankton, zooplankton and egg, larvae, and juvenile stages of fish.

  • Process studies are shorter term studies directed toward understanding ecological relationships (e.g., primary production rates, predator-prey relationships). Both the ecosystem monitoring and the process studies typically are supported by laboratory studies (e.g., growth response to temperature) and laboratory analyses (e.g., lipid content of sampled zooplankton and fish).

  • Modeling and retrospective studies provide a framework for jointly understanding the results of the ecosystem monitoring and process studies. Modeling can be complex (ecosystem models that are computationally intensive) or simple (bioenergetics models).

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center makes a significant investment (~$9M per year)  in ecosystem monitoring, process studies, modeling, retrospective analyses, and management strategy evaluations in order to understand climate effects on fisheries, protected species, and ecosystems.

 


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