Contact Information

Institute of Marine Science
60 Lodge Rd.
Nimbin, New South Wales, Australia
Phone: (907) 474-7824
ffdms1@uaf.edu

Donald Schell Professor Emeritus

Chemical Oceanography

Affiliations

former Director of IMS

Specialties

stable and radioisotope tracers in the environment
carbon and nitrogen dynamics in arctic marine and terrestrial ecosystems
stable isotope ratios as indicators of marine primary productivity

Research Overview

Much of my research has centered on using isotope ratio tracers to follow the flow of carbon and nitrogen in marine ecosystems. Of particular interest has been the detailing of the natural history of marine mammals including determining growth rates and habitat usage by matching up environmental isotope ratios with those in the animals. This has been applied to bowhead whales and southern right whales in the past and we are now working with harbor seals and Steller sea lions. Other interesting species include tiger snakes, cyamids (whale lice) and pygmy right whales.

Along with the field work comes the application of new analytical techniques to answer pressing environmental questions about Alaskan species. Can heavy metal concentrations and/or oxygen isotope ratios in organic tissues show where bowhead whales have been feeding? Do nitrogen isotope ratios in caribou hooves reflect the quality of forage over the seasonal cycles? Are the isotope ratios in individual fatty acids good markers of food resources for sea lions? These questions are all part of current research.

Selected Publications

Zhao, L, D. M. Schell, M. A. Castellini. 2006. Dietary macronutrients influence 13C and 15N signatures of pinnipeds: Captive feeding studies with harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). Comparative Biochem. and Physiol., Part A 143 (2006) 469-478

Lee, S. H., D.M. Schell, T.L. McDonald and W. J. Richardson. 2005. Regional and seasonal feeding by bowhead whales Balaena mysticetus as indicated by stable isotope ratios. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser. 286:271-287.

Schell, D. M., 2001. Carbon isotope ratio variations in Bering Sea biota: The role of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Limnol. and Oceanogr. 46:999-1000.

Schell, D. M. 2000. Declining carrying capacity in the Bering Sea: isotopic evidence from whale baleen. Limnol. and Oceanogr. 45: 459 – 462

Schell, D. M., B. A. Barnett and K. Vinette. 1998. Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in zooplankton of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 162:11-23

Best, P.B. and D. M. Schell. 1996. Stable isotopes in southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) baleen as indicators of seasonal movements, feeding and growth. Mar. Biol. 124:483-494

Saupe, S. M., D. M. Schell and W. Griffiths. 1989. Carbon isotope ratio gradients in western arctic zooplankton. Mar. Biol. 103:427-432.

Schell, D. M., S. M. Saupe and N. Haubenstock. 1989. Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) growth and feeding as estimated by d13C techniques. Mar. Biol. 103:433-443

Schell, D. M. 1983. 14C and 13C abundances in Alaskan aquatic organisms: delayed consumer production from peat in arctic foodwebs. Science. 219, 1068-1071.