2009 LTER All Scientists Meeting - SBC

The propagating response of inner shelf circulation to wind relaxations along the central California Coast

Libe Washburn — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:38:43 +0000

Poster Number:

395

Presenter/Primary Author:

Libe Washburn

Co-Authors:

Chris Melton

Co-Authors:

Melanie Fewings

Co-Authors:

Chris Gotschalk

Following relaxations prevailing equatorward winds, warm water from the Santa Barbara Channel flows poleward around Point Conception and along the central California coast. Sequences of satellite sea surface temperature images show the events as bands of warm water extending up to 20 km offshore. Characteristics of these flows were examined using time series of currents and temperature from an array of moorings along the inner shelf (15 m depth), a mooring on the mid-shelf (100 m depth), and surface current observations from high frequency radars.

MIRADA-LTERS

Linda Amaral-Zettler — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:45:14 +0000

Poster Number:

323

Presenter/Primary Author:

Linda Amaral-Zettler

Co-Authors:

McCliment, Elizabeth

Co-Authors:

Huse, Susan

The MIRADA project was launched in the fall of 2007 to establish a Microbial Biodiversity Survey and Inventory across all 13 of the major aquatic (marine and freshwater) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites in the NSF US LTER Program. The long-term objective of our study is to document and describe baseline diversity and relative abundance data for both common and rare members of microbial communities and to relate this diversity to the underlying physical and chemical environment.

Pathways to Ecological Literacy: Developing a Biodiversity Learning Progression

Brook Wilke — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:20:56 +0000

Poster Number:

298

Presenter/Primary Author:

Brook Wilke

Co-Authors:

Laurel Hartley

Co-Authors:

Charles Anderson

Co-Authors:

Eric Keeling

Co-Authors:

Jonathon Schramm

Co-Authors:

Robin Tinghitella

Co-Authors:

Liz Ratashak

Co-Authors:

Yeni Garcia

Co-Authors:

Shawna McMahon

Co-Authors:

Cornelia Harris

Co-Authors:

Mitch Burke

Humans make decisions daily that impact biodiversity, and it is essential that citizens understand the implications of these decisions. Yet, ecological systems are extremely complex, with many details still being discovered. Our challenge is to identify the underlying principles and concepts governing the distribution of organisms, and then communicate these details to students in a way that influences their citizenship decisions as participants in local and global communities.

SBC-LTER Schoolyard Summer Program

Scott Simon — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:37:11 +0000

Poster Number:

297

Presenter/Primary Author:

Scott Simon

Co-Authors:

Dan Reed, Ali Whitmer

SBC’s Schoolyard LTER (SLTER) program is organized around a theme of watershed ecology. This approach allows for an integrated program that includes K-12 students, K-12 teachers, undergraduate and graduate students. In 2009 we focused on developing long-term connections with local, regional and state middle and junior high schools through a partnership with American Association of University Women (AAUW) - Tech Trek Program.

Particulate organic matter in coastal ecosystems: composition and use by suspension feeders

Jenifer Dugan — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:23:23 +0000

Poster Number:

252

Presenter/Primary Author:

Robert Miller

Co-Authors:

Henry Page

Co-Authors:

Brandon Carter

Co-Authors:

Georges Paradis

Macroalgae and phytoplankton support highly productive coastal marine ecosystems. Research based on stable isotope analyses has supported the idea that macroalgal detritus, especially that of giant kelp Macrocystis, is a major source of dietary carbon to benthic suspension feeders.

Dispersal of talitrid amphipods, Megalorchestia spp., on sandy beaches: implications for ecological recovery from disturbance

Jenifer Dugan — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:10:39 +0000

Poster Number:

220

Presenter/Primary Author:

Nicholas Schooler

Co-Authors:

Jenifer Dugan

Co-Authors:

H. Mark Page

Co-Authors:

David Hubbard

Dispersal ability can affect the dynamics and composition of intertidal communities. Sandy beach ecosystems, where several key taxa have limited dispersal, are increasingly impacted by growing coastal development, and human use, while facing additional habitat loss and fragmentation from sea level rise. Implications of low dispersal rates for populations of key beach taxa, such as talitrid amphipods, include susceptibility to local extinctions and potentially lengthy recolonization times relative to lifespans/generation times.

Student Poster:

Yes

Patterns and drivers of phytoplankton primary productivity in the Santa Barbara Channel: The effects of wind forcing and mesoscale eddies

Jenifer Dugan — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:52:15 +0000

Poster Number:

193

Presenter/Primary Author:

Mark Brzezinski

Co-Authors:

Libe Washburn

Co-Authors:

Chris Gotschalk

Co-Authors:

Nick Dellaripa

Phytoplankton production in the Santa Barbara Channel supports one of the richest marine ecosystems in the Southern California Bight. The climatology of chlorophyll biomass in the area reveals maxima over the Santa Barbara Basin in the western Channel and along the mainland in the eastern channel where the continental shelf broadens and where two rivers discharge seasonally.

Effect of Remote Sensing Image Resolution on the Retrieval of Biomass and Productivity Estimates for Giant Kelp Forests

Tanique Rush — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:21:22 +0000

Poster Number:

177

Presenter/Primary Author:

Tanique Rush

Co-Authors:

Richard Zimmerman

Co-Authors:

Victoria Hill

The productivity of giant kelp forests is highly variable across time and space. Winter storms and summer periods of nutrient limitation act as bottom-up regulators of kelp abundance and growth in a geography-dependent manner. Our goal is to develop a predictive understanding of giant kelp forest dynamics in the nearshore waters of California using a combination of (i) bio-optical modeling of kelp productivity, (ii) high-resolution remote sensing of kelp cover, biomass and its physiological state.

Student Poster:

Yes

Informing Ecological Restoration in a Coastal Context

Jenifer Dugan — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:58:28 +0000

Poster Number:

165

Presenter/Primary Author:

Anita Guerrini

Co-Authors:

Jenifer Dugan

The inherent dynamism of coastal environments makes documentation of change especially challenging. At the same time, the loss of historical and ecological landscapes is particularly evident in the coastal zone. The disappearance of wetlands, native vegetation and wildlife, and the alteration of natural processes have greatly affected the ecology of remaining coastal zone habitats, while the historical introduction of numerous species of plants and animals has transformed much of the open landscape.

Hydrological and hydrochemical characteristics of the streams in the Santa Barbara Coastal LTER

Jenifer Dugan — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:33:35 +0000

Poster Number:

164

Presenter/Primary Author:

John Melack

Co-Authors:

Blair Goodridge

Seventy-four catchments, with a total area of 790 km2 (ranging from 1 to 50 km2), drain from the Santa Ynez Mountains along the northern coast of Santa Barbara Channel. The topography of these coastal catchments is characterized as mountainous headwaters and sloping coastal plains separated by transitional foothills. From west to east, there are both elevational and land use gradients. Headwater elevations increase from approximately 300 to 1400 m, and land uses on the coastal plain and foothills change from mostly rangeland to a combination of urban and agricultural lands.