Faculty Participants Accepting Students for Fall 2010
Raymond Barnhardt: cross-cultural anthropologist
Department of Cross Cultural Studies, College of Liberal Arts, Fairbanks
rjbarnhardt@alaska.edu
Research Interests:
The documentation and application of Indigenous knowledge in multiple cultural and institutional contexts.
- Integrating Indigenous knowledge in science education.
Research Ideas For Future Students:
Further research is needed from an emic perspective to document Indigenous knowledge
systems world views and ways of knowing from an insider's perspective.
Courtney Carothers: environmental/cultural anthropologist
Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
clcarothers@alaska.edu
website
Research Interests:
The social and political dimensions of fisheries and marine policy; focal areas include:
processes of marine enclosure, e.g. individual fishing quotas, marine protected areas;
local and traditional knowledge;
science and technology studies;
political ecology;
and socio-ecological change.
Current Research Projects:
- Privatizing the Right to Fish: Challenges to Livelihood and Community in Kodiak, Alaska
- Exploring Fishing Community and Fishery System Resilience and Sustainability in the Gulf of Alaska
- Subsistence Use and Knowledge of Beaufort Salmon Populations
Keith Criddle: fisheries economist
Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Juneau
kcriddle@sfos.uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Intersection between the natural sciences and economics in the management of living resources.
Current Research Projects:
- "Straddling the line: cooperative and non-cooperative strategies for management of Bering Sea pollock", an investigation of management and bioeconomic implications of variations in the distribution of pollock.
- "Fishing for pollock in a sea of change", an examination of the effects of variations in input and output prices and regulatory closures on the relative profitability of shore-based and at-sea fishing sectors.
- "A global analysis of salmon prices: how low can they go?", an exploration of the economic and management implications of changes in market linkages between wild and farmed salmon.
- A retrospective analysis of the IFQ fisheries in Alaska", an analysis of the changes that have taken place under IFQ management and the extent to which those changes were correctly anticipated ex ante.
- "Annual and seasonal growth patterns on salmon scales as indicators of climate events and shifts and indicators for salmon carrying capacity", a statistical analysis of chum salmon production in the Gulf of Alaska
- "A Retrospective Analysis of Salmon Abundance in the Eastern Bering Sea", an examination of the relationship between Chinook salmon abundance and bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery.
Research Ideas For Future Students:
Pooled bycatch quotas in open access, restricted access, IFQ, and cooperative fisheries;
optimal management rules for mixed-stock sequential fisheries--management of Yukon River salmon;
a bioeconomic analysis of the Alaska Dungeness crab fishery;
a cost-benefit analysis of shellfish enhancement programs in Alaska.
Lara Dehn: marine mammal biologist
Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
dehn@sfos.uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Broad-scale marine mammal ecology, especially feeding ecology; focus on Arctic marine mammals,
but also working on a fish parasite, Ichthyophonus hoferi, in Chinook salmon, and its potential
impact on pre-spawning mortality and fecundity.
Current Research Projects:
- Trophic links of forage fishes and ice seals in the Chukchi Sea
- Ichthyophonus in Yukon River Chinook salmon
- Trichinellosis in Pacific walruses and ice seals
Research Ideas For Future Students:
Body condition and fecundity of Chinook salmon and Pollock and Toxoplasma in Arctic marine mammals.
Ginny Eckert: MESAS Director, marine ecologist
Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Juneau
gleckert@alaska.edu
website
Research Interests:
Ecology of fished marine invertebrates; Reproductive and larval biology of marine invertebrates; Evolution of life histories; Long-term ecological and environmental monitoring
Current Research Projects:
- Recruitment and larval dispersal of Dungeness crabs
- Aquaculture and enhancement of king crabs
- Reproductive potential of snow, Tanner and king crabs
- Habitat enhancement and artificial reefs
Research Ideas For Future Students:
- Any issues related to shellfish/invertebrate fisheries in Alaska
- Development of methods to implement ecosystem-based management in Alaska
- Bycatch of crabs in Bering Sea
- Aquaculture in Alaska
- Role of early life histories in crab management
Rolf Gradinger: sea ice & polar ecologist
Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
rgradinger@ims.uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
The dynamics of microbial communities in polar seas. Recent work deals with the structuring role of sea ice for biological processes in Arctic waters.
Current Research Projects:
- Polychaetes in the fast ice off Barrow, Alaska
- Arctic marine biodiversity
- Ecology of ice related ecosystems
Russ Hopcroft:
biological oceanographer
Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
hopcroft@ims.uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Composition, production and energy flow of pelagic ecosystems.
Current Research Projects:
- GLOBEC GoA - Lower Trophic Level Synthesis
- Arctic Ocean Biodiversity (ArcOD)
- Russian American Long-term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA)
- Seward Line Long-term Observation Program
- Environmental change in the Arctic Ocean: a synthesis and retrospective analysis of zooplankton communities
- Oceanographic assessment of the planktonic communities in the Klondike and Burger prospect regions of the Chukchi Sea
Research Ideas For Future Students:
- Impacts of climate change on planktonic communities
- Rescue of biological datasets
- Molecular inventories of Arctic and Sub-arctic communities
Katrin Iken: marine ecologist
Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
iken@ims.uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Trophic interactions between organisms; shallow water and shelf community diversity, dynamics and
ecology, especially in North Pacific, Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean, and in deep-sea communities, using
scientific diving as a research tool.
Current Research Projects:
- BEST: Sea ice algae, a major food source for herbivorous plankton and benthos in the eastern Bering Sea
- Arctic epibenthic community structure and benthic food web structure in the Chukchi Sea
- Natural Geography in Shore Areas (NaGISA): a field project of the Census of Marine Life
- Arctic sea ice ridges as refuges for ice-associated fauna
Research Ideas For Future Students:
Food web dynamics; effects of climate change on benthic organisms and communities.
Brenda Konar: marine ecologist
Global Undersea Research Unit, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
bkonar@guru.uaf.edu
website
Current Research Projects:
- Epifaunal communities in the Chukchi Sea
- Kelp forest interaction webs in the Aleutian archipelago: patterns and mechanisms of change following the collapse of an apex predator
- Evaluation of walrus foraging habitats
- NaGISA
- Global biodiveristy program that focuses on nearshore rocky habitats
- Recovery in a high arctic kelp community
Gordon Kruse: fisheries scientist
Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Juneau
Gordon.Kruse@alaska.edu
website
Research Interests:
Applied fisheries research on marine invertebrates and fishes, including:
- stock assessment methods, especially size-based approaches for species lacking age structures,
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications to marine populations and fisheries management,
- effects of oceanographic conditions on distribution, growth, reproduction, and recruitment,
- marine ecosystem dynamics in response to humans (e.g., commercial harvests, trawling effects) and climate changes, and
- analysis of alternative fishery management strategies, including ecosystem-based fisheries management.
Current Research Projects:
- Retrospective Analysis of Patterns in Productivity of Fish, Seabirds, and Marine Mammals in the Bering Sea Ecosystem
- Biomass-dynamic Modeling of Key Fish Species in the Eastern Bering Sea
- Local and Traditional Knowledge of Interactions between Fishermen and Steller Sea Lions in Alaska
- Abundance, Life History, and Population Demographics of Spiny Dogfish in the Gulf of Alaska
- Prospects for an Alaska Commercial Dogfish Fishery: A Policy Analysis
- Impacts of Climate Change on Red King Crabs in the Eastern Bering Sea
- Developing Biological Reference Points for Red King Crab and Snow Crab
- Management Strategy Evaluation of the Kodiak Red King Crab Fishery
- Analysis of Minimum Size Limit for Eastern Bering Sea Tanner Crabs
- Modeling of Recruitment Dynamics of Tanner Crabs in the Eastern Bering Sea
Research Ideas For Future Students:
- Effects of Climate Change on Fish and Invertebrate Populations in Alaska
- Ecosystem-based Fishery Management: Lessons from Alaska
Jeremy Mathis: chemical oceanographer
Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
jmathis@sfos.uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Carbon cycle and ocean acidification in the marine environment, particularly in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic.
Current Research Projects:
- Storm-Climate Impact on Shelf-Basin Exchange in the Western Arctic
- Biogeochemical Assessment of the North Aleutian Basin Ecosystem
- Determining the Present and Future Ocean Carbon dynamics in the Chukchi Sea and Pan-Arctic Ocean
- Present and Future Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Juvenile Walleye Pollock Metabolic Processes and Growth Rates
- An Interdisciplinary Monitoring Mooring in the Western Arctic Boundary Current: Climate Forcing and Ecosystem Response.
- Carbon Biogeochemistry of the Northern Gulf of Alaska: Implication of Anthropogenic Perturbations
Research Ideas For Future Students:
- Carbon chemistry (dissolved CO2, Alkalinity, pH) experiments either in the lab or at sea.
- Sea-going marine carbon observation and ecosystem analysis
- Experiments to understand the physiological impacts of OA to specific organism (fish, crabs, plankton)
Franz Mueter: fisheries oceanographer
Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Juneau
fmueter@alaska.edu
website
Research Interests:
Commercial fisheries; fisheries and conservation; fisheries ecology; fisheries oceanography; fisheries population dynamics; fisheries management; quantitative ecology
Current Research Projects:
- Comparative analysis of subarctic marine ecosystems
- Retrospective analysis of patterns in fish, seabird, and marine mammal productivity in the eastern Bering Sea
- Gulf of Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Research Program
Research Ideas For Future Students:
- Use of ecosystem indicators to advance ecosystem-based approaches to management
- Effects of climate variability on marine ecosystems
- Comparative analyses of climate effects among large marine ecosystems
- Integrated ecosystem assessment of the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea
Maribeth Murray: fisheries anthropologist
Department of Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts, Fairbanks
ffmsm@uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Historical Human Ecology, Climate/Human/Marine System Interactions
Current Research Projects:
Current research is focused on human and natural system dynamics over the long-term in
sub-Arctic and Arctic regions. I am currently working with a range of paleo and historic
records to extend baseline data on climate, marine systems including fisheries, and marine
species, for the purposes of developing effective ecosystem-based management approaches
among others. I am also involved in the investigation the relationship between climate,
sea ice, productive marine hotspots and human exploitation of marine resources, and the
study of the relationships among climate change, marine resource use and contaminants.
Research Ideas For Future Students:
I am interested in working with students that want to investigate long-term (centennial
to millennial scale) change in coastal subarctic and arctic regions through examination
of historic records (documentary, archaeological, paleoecological). In addition I am
interested in working with students that want to examine the intersection between FEK
(fishers ecological knowledge), scientific knowledge, and management strategies. I may
be accepting new students in academic year 2010-2011.
Brenda Norcross: fisheries oceanographer
Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
norcross@ims.uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
The effect of the surrounding environment on fish.
Current Research Projects:
- Eulachon in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska, 2001-2004
- Fisheries Oceanography of the Bering and Chukchi Seas, 2004-2005,
- Reproductive potential of Pacific cod, 2001-2006
- Feasibility to design and implement a nearshore juvenile flatfish survey Eastern Bering Sea, 2002-2004
Terry Quinn: fisheries biomathematician
Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Juneau
terry.quinn@uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Fish population dynamics, estimation of animal and fish abundance, statistical time series analysis and sampling theory, renewable resource management systems.
Current Research Projects:
Deployment of an acoustic data logger on commercial fishing vessels in the Bering Sea:
inferences about pollock depletion, school structure, and relation to harvester behavior;
Spatial/ temporal map of Pacific halibut; multispecies models for ecosystem decision support
in the Gulf of Alaska, dealing with uncertainty in fishery age-structured assessment models;
Interactions between humpback whales, disease, and herring in Prince William Sound;
mark-recapture estimation of humpback whale abundance in the North Pacific;
age-specific movement simulation in a spatially explicit stock assessment
model of walleye pollock in the eastern Bering Sea;
combining population dynamics and genetics in models for Pacific ocean perch in the Gulf of Alaska
Research Ideas For Future Students:
Ecosystem modeling of upper trophic level species in the Gulf of Alaska,
robust harvesting strategies for species with episodic boom-and bust dynamics
(such as Bering Sea snow crab and herring),
robust harvesting strategies for crab species harvesting only males above a certain size.
Harper Simmons : physical oceanographer
Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
hsimmons@sfos.uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Understanding how and why the ocean stores and circulates heat and materials such as salts,
and how this storage and circulation evolves over time; how to obtain a unified description
of dynamical processes occurring over an immense range of spatial and temporal scales.
Research Ideas For Future Students:
Internal waves; ocean stirring and mixing; the response of the ice-ocean system to atmospheric storms.
David Tallmon: evolutionary and population geneticist
Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Juneau
ffdat@uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Population and conservation genetics, evolution, ecology.
Current Research Projects:
- Genetic and phenotypic effects of climate change.
- Population genetics of ringed seals, red king crab, pink salmon, and giant Pacific octopus.
Research Ideas For Future Students:
Genetic and phenotypic effects of climate change.
Tom Weingartner: physical oceanographer
Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
weingart@ims.uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Circulation and water mass transformation processes (mixing, cooling, and the distillation effects on sea water associated with ice melt and formation) on Arctic continental shelves and slopes.
Current Research Projects:
- Continuing a 28-year time series of temperature and salinity variability on the Gulf of Alaska. The goal is to quantify this variability and determine its causes.
- Understanding the seasonal variations in the physical environment of the Gulf of Alaska shelf as part of the US GLOBEC (Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics) Program
Peter Winsor: physical oceanographer
Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
pwinsor@sfos.uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Freshwater dynamics on regional to global scales; physical oceanography of the arctic and sub-arctic seas; ocean-ice-atmosphere dynamics; diapycnal mixing – novel measurements and interpretation; instrument development and field work.
Matthew Wooller: fisheries oceanographer
Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks
mjwooller@alaska.edu
website
Research Interests:
Understanding the influence of changing environmental conditions on past and present ecosystems; use of stable isotope techniques to study a wide range of environmental and ecological questions.
Current Research Projects:
- NSF project – OPP Tracking the seasonal contribution of algal fatty acids to the arctic marine system.
- NSF project – OPP Understanding the role of environmental change on the long- term population dynamics of one surviving and two extinct arctic mammals
- NSF project – OPP Nonlinearities in the Arctic climate system during the Holocene
- NPRB project – Studying diet in threatened eiders using stable carbon isotopes of specific fatty acids: Validation of a new technique with controlled feeding experiments
Faculty Participants Not Accepting Students for Fall 2010
Joshua Greenberg: natural resource economist
Department of Resources Management, School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, Fairbanks
j.greenberg@uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Bioeconomic modeling, economic issues pertaining to the allocation of Alaska renewable natural resources, and the economics of Alaska's reindeer industry.
Mark Herrmann: natural resource economist
School of Management, Fairbanks
ffmlh@uaf.edu
website
Nicola Hillgruber: fisheries ecologist
Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Juneau
n.hillgruber@uaf.edu
website
Research Interests:
Ecology of marine fishes, primarily in the ecology of their early life stages; focus on the impact of biological and physical factors on condition, growth and, thus, survival of larvae and juveniles of marine fishes.
Current Research Projects:
- Ecological interaction between hatchery produced and wild chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in Southeast Alaska
- Embryonic development of Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) in Alaska
- Early Life History of Eulachon - Age Validation and Growth in Berners Bay, Alaska
- Early Marine Ecology of Juvenile Chum Salmon in Kuskokwim Bay, Alaska
William Smoker: salmon fisheries biologist
Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Juneau
wwsmoker@alaska.edu
website
Research Interests:
Biology of Pacific salmon, particularly related to the use of hatcheries to enhance salmon fisheries; conservation of Pacific salmon; use of quantitative genetic experiments to study empirically the local adaptation of salmon populations.
Current Research Projects:
- Outbreeding depression in pink salmon: Effects of hybridization between seasonally distinct subpopulations
- Genetic changes associated with in-basin supplementation of a population of sockeye salmon
- Smolt Age, Growth and Productivity of Seward Peninsula Sockeye Stocks
Steering Committee
William Smoker1
Ginny Eckert1
Keith Criddle1
Gordon Kruse1
Maribeth Murray3
Tom Weingartner2
Mark Herrmann4
Paula Cullenberg6
Student representative (TBD)
Admissions Committee
William Smoker1
Ginny Eckert1
Maribeth Murray3
Tom Weingartner2
Joshua Greenberg5
Nicola Hillgruber1
Participating Departments
- Fisheries Division, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (SFOS), UAF
http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/ - Institute of Marine Science, SFOS, UAF
http://www.ims.uaf.edu/ - Dept. of Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts (CLA), UAF
http://www.uaf.edu/anthro/programs.html - School of Management, UAF
http://www.uaf.edu/som/ - Dept. of Resources Management, School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, UAF
http://www.uaf.edu/salrm/rm/index.html - Marine Advisory Program, Program Leader, Alaska Sea Grant, SFOS, UAF
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map/ - Dept. of Cross Cultural Studies, CLA, UAF
http://www.uaf.edu/cxcs/ - Global Undersea Research Unit, SFOS, UAF
http://www.guru.uaf.edu/
Students of the program can pursue graduate degrees in Anthropology, Fisheries, Marine Biology, Natural Resources and Sustainability, Oceanography or Interdisciplinary Studies. Links to the department web sites and course requirements are found here.