Contact Information
Institute of Marine Science233 Irving II
P.O. Box 757220
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220
Phone: (907) 474-7616
smhardy@alaska.edu
Sarah Mincks Hardy Assistant Professor
Specialties
- Reproduction, recruitment and life-history strategies of marine invertebrates
- Benthic-pelagic coupling
- Molecular tools in ecology and evolution
- Ecology of deep-sea habitats
- Ecology of high-latitude environments
Education
- B.A. 1996 University of California Santa Cruz (Marine Biology)
- M.S. 1998 San Francisco State University (Marine Biology)
- Ph.D. 2005 University of Hawaii (Oceanography)
Courses
Spring 2010
- Early Life-Histories of Marine Invertebrates (MSL F693X)
- Early Life-Histories of Marine Invertebrates (MSL F693X)
- Early Life-Histories of Marine Invertebrates (MSL F493X)
Research Overview
I am interested in the influences surface ocean variability (e.g., ice cover, primary production), on ecological processes at the seafloor--sometimes referred to as "benthic-pelagic coupling." My current projects focus on benthic communities in polar and deep-sea regions, and I am particularly interested in reproductive strategies, dispersal, and recruitment of organisms to these communities. The goals of this work are to understand the ecological processes that have shaped evolutionary history at the sea floor, and to use this information to predict how a changing climate might impact marine ecosystems in the future.
Links
- UAF Newsroom: Young Researchers Contribute to Polar Legacy
- International Polar Year at the University of Alaska
- Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
- Download curriculum vita (126 KB PDF)
Publications
Mincks, S.L., P. Dyal, G.L.J. Paterson, C.R. Smith, A.G. Glover (2009) A new species of Aurospio (Polychaeta, Spionidae) from the Antarctic shelf, with analysis of its ecology, reproductive biology and evolutionary history. Marine Ecology 30: 181-197.
Mincks, S.L., C.R. Smith, R.M. Jeffreys, P.Y.G. Sumida (2008) Trophic structure on the West Antarctic Peninsula shelf: Detritivory and benthic inertia revealed by delta-13C and delta-15N analysis. Deep-Sea Research II 55: 2502-2514.
Smith, C.R., S.L. Mincks, D.J. DeMaster (2008) The FOODBANCS Project: Introduction and sinking fluxes of organic carbon, chlorophyll-a and phytodetritus on the western Antarctic Peninsula shelf. Deep-Sea Research II 55: 2404-2414.
Glover, A.G., C.R. Smith, S.L. Mincks, P.Y.G. Sumida, A. Thurber (2008) Macrofaunal abundance and composition on the West Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf: evidence for a sediment ‘food bank’ and similarities to deep-sea habitats. Deep-Sea Research II 55: 2491-2501.
Mincks, S.L., C.R. Smith (2007) Recruitment patterns in Antarctic shelf sediments: Evidence of decoupling from seasonal phytodetritus pulses. Polar Biology 30: 587-600.
Smith, C.R., S.L. Mincks, D.J. DeMaster (2006) A synthesis of bentho-pelagic coupling on the Antarctic Shelf: Food banks, ecosystem inertia and global climate change. Deep-Sea Research II 53: 875-894.
Mincks, S.L., C.R. Smith, D.J. DeMaster (2005) Persistence of labile organic matter and microbial biomass in Antarctic shelf sediments: Evidence of a sediment “food bank”. Marine Ecology Progress Series 300: 3-19.
Mincks, S.L., S.M. Bollens, L.P. Madin, E.Horgan, M. Butler, P.M. Kremer, J.E. Craddock (2000) Distribution, abundance, and feeding ecology of decapods in the Arabian Sea, with implications for vertical flux. Deep-Sea Research II 47: 1475-1516.
In the News
- International Polar Year Researchers: Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows
- Bulletin of the Royal Society, April 2007 (53 KB PDF)
Selected Publications
Mincks, S.L., C.R. Smith, R.M. Jeffreys, P.Y.G. Sumida (In Press) Trophic relationships among benthic megafauna on the West Antarctic Peninsula shelf: A stable isotopes approach. Deep-Sea Research II.
Smith, C.R., S.L. Mincks, D.J. DeMaster (In Press) The FOODBANCS Project: Introduction and sinking fluxes of organic carbon, chlorophyll-a and phytodetritus on the western Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf. Deep-Sea Research II.
Glover, A.G., C.R. Smith, S.L. Mincks, P.Y.G. Sumida, A. Thurber (In Press) Macrofaunal abundance and composition on the West Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf: Evidence for a sediment "food bank" and similarities to deep-sea habitats. Deep-Sea Research II.
Mincks, S.L., C.R. Smith (2007) Recruitment patterns in Antarctic shelf sediments: Evidence of decoupling from seasonal phytodetritus pulses. Polar Biology 30: 587-600. Download 811 KB PDF.
Smith, C.R., S.L. Mincks, D.J. DeMaster (2006) A synthesis of bentho-pelagic coupling on the Antarctic Shelf: Food banks, ecosystem inertia and global climate change. Deep-Sea Research II 53: 875-894. Download 696 KB PDF.
Mincks, S.L., C.R. Smith, D.J. DeMaster (2005) Persistence of labile organic matter and microbial biomass in Antarctic shelf sediments: Evidence of a sediment “food bank.” Marine Ecology Progress Series 300: 3-19. Download 461 KB PDF.
Mincks, S.L., S.M. Bollens, L.P. Madin, E. Horgan, M. Butler, P.M. Kremer, J.E. Craddock (2000) Distribution, abundance, and feeding ecology of decapods in the Arabian Sea, with implications for vertical flux. Deep-Sea Research II 47: 1475-1516. Download 783 KB PDF.
Reports (copies available on request)
Mincks, S.L., C.R. Smith (2005) Summary of Benthic Biological Data Availability from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and Adjoining Areas (including collection techniques, geographic locations, major geographic gaps, and potentially untapped data sources). Report to the International Seabed Authority, Geological Model Phase I. 18 pp.
Mincks, S.L., C.R. Smith (2006) Critical review of benthic biological data from the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ) and adjoining areas. Report to the International Seabed Authority, Geological Model Phase II. 23 pp.
Smith, C.R., J. Drazen, S.L. Mincks (2006) Deep-sea Biodiversity and Biogeography: Perspectives from the Abyss. Report to the International Seabed Authority, Seamount Biodiversity Symposium. 13 pp.