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Recent Articles

Catch the latest news from ACRC's scientists, staff, students, and partners.

Dec 14

Biennial Pink Salmon Spawning Shapes Juvenile Coho Growth in Southeast Alaska

Pink salmon have a strict two-year life cycle that results in distinct populations and biennial differences in spawning abundance. In Southeast Alaska’s rivers, odd-year pink salmon returns are typically larger than in even years and deliver greater pulses of marine-derived nutrients to freshwater ecosystems. These nutrient-rich marine resources, primarily in the form of salmon eggs, influence the growth and survival of stream-dwelling fish such as juvenile coho salmon.

Dec 5

Carbon on the Move: Insights from Montana Creek

Peering down from the side of the trail, Kaxdigoowu Héen (Montana Creek) initially appears crystal clear to passing hikers, with swift riffles and smooth pools allowing for glimpses of sandy gravel bars and smooth granite stones below the surface. To juvenile salmon, however, the waters are anything but transparent. Pine needles, leaves, and dislodged invertebrates such as mayfly nymphs and rove beetle larvae are suspended throughout the water column, floating downstream in a parade of particulate matter alongside molecular forms of organic and inorganic carbon unable to be seen with the naked eye.

Nov 26

Climate Change and Shellfish Safety: ACRC and Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tackle Emerging Challenges with New Grant

ACRC researcher John Harley and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to investigate how changing climate conditions may impact the safety of subsistence shellfish harvesting in coastal Alaska. This five-year grant will support ongoing toxin monitoring efforts and fund new research to understand how harmful algal blooms (HABs) will be impacted by a changing climate.

John Showing Mia how to ID different clams

Aug 26

Herring on the Side of Caution: Climate Change and Spawning Shifts

As winter turns to spring, Pacific herring return to nearshore waters to spawn, coating rocks, kelp, and hemlock branches with their sticky roe and turning the dark waters a vibrant milky teal. The annual herring spawn is a critical event that many species rely on in coastal ecosystems. Whales, sea lions, and salmon chase the glittery fish beneath the surface, sea birds dive after them from above, and wolves, bears, and people enjoy the roe along the shore. As a keystone species of marine ecosystems, Pacific herring are an important component of Alaska Native and British Columbia's First Nations culture and subsistence harvest, and a valuable commercial fishery. The timing of the herring spawn is seen as a critical seasonal signal, heralding the changing of the seasons, the arrival of migratory animals, and an indicator to begin or end harvests of other species. Since the timing of this spawn plays such a critical role in seasonal cycles, it is important to understand what will happen to the herring spawn in the face of a changing climate.

Apr 25

From Glaciers to Streams: Understanding the Shifts in Southeast Alaska's Aquatic Communities

Rapid glacial retreat across Southeast Alaska is reshaping coastal watersheds from the base of the food web up, and shifting invertebrate communities could lead to less stable aquatic communities as unique hydrologic conditions in glacial and snow-fed streams disappear. Former ACRC graduate student Matt Dunkle recently published a new research paper that explores how the diversity of water sources in Southeast Alaska influences freshwater invertebrate community diversity and productivity.

Apr 22

From undergraduate to graduate studies, former ACRC intern Connor Johnson thrives in water quality research

Each year, UAS student interns make critical contributions to ongoing research efforts at ACRC. You’ll find them on bikes or skis headed out to collect water samples, set minnow traps, measure glacial outflow, or dig soil pits. These motivated students spend their internships earning credits toward their degrees, learning lab skills, presenting findings at conferences, and exploring career paths in research. In 2017, Connor Johnson was one such student. His passion for working outdoors and growing interest in natural sciences brought him to the UAS environmental science program. As his academic advisor, ACRC researcher and UAS professor of environmental science Eran Hood invited him to apply for a summer internship with ACRC.

Mollie & Connor at Montana Creek Confluence

Dec 18

Stream hydrology impacts whether salmon can capitalize on pink salmon nutrients, new research suggests

Each July, Juneau’s streams fill with an abundant, nutrient-dense resource from the ocean: spawning pink salmon. The arrival of pink salmon eggs into coastal watersheds brings a large pulse of nutrients to freshwater ecosystems, marking an important phase of growth for stream-rearing salmon before they smolt and begin their sea-ward migration. New research, led by ACRC graduate student Kevin Fitzgerald, points to stream hydrology as an important factor influencing whether juvenile salmon are able to capitalize on the pink salmon resource pulse.

Nov 22

High spatial variability in the export of terrestrial carbon to coastal ecosystems, new research finds

A new study, led by ACRC research scientist John Harley, paints a clearer picture of how dissolved inorganic carbon (such as carbon dioxide) moves from land to sea in Southeast Alaska. By modeling carbon transport in rivers across more than 2,000 watersheds, the team estimated the amount of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) moving into coastal waters. They found that streamflow type (glacial-fed, snowmelt, or rainfall) and the presence of karst (landscape formations created by carbonate rocks such as limestone) were major factors influencing the type and amount of carbon transported.

Aug 1

Salmon reared in National Forests are an important food source for Alaskans

Salmon is a staple on the table of many Alaskans, but what role do our national forests play in providing essential habitat for this valuable economic, cultural, and recreational resource?

Jul 31

In coastal glacial watersheds, changes in hydrology and climate drive shifts in nutrient transport

In the Gulf of Alaska, glacierized watersheds flowing into nearshore ecosystems are thought to be a significant source of nutrients for primary production. Warming global temperatures are driving changes in glacial cover, precipitation patterns, and freshwater runoff, with complex implications for coastal environments.