US GLOBEC Newsletter 13: NEP Moves Forward

| Northeast Pacific Program Moves Forward by Hal Batchelder The Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (U.S. GLOBEC) program within NSF / OCE and NOAA's COP has identified coordinated ecosystem studies in the California Current System (CCS) and Coastal Gulf of Alaska (CGOA) as priorities for the next decade. U.S. GLOBEC proposes to investigate large-scale coupling of the CCS and CGOA - and the biophysical mechanisms - through which zooplankton and salmon populations respond to physical forcing and biological interactions in the coastal regions of the two gyres. We are currently soliciting proposals for: Process-oriented field studies in the CCS; Mesoscale surveys in the CCS; Long-term observation projects in the CCS; Modeling studies in the CCS and the CGOA; and Retrospective studies in the CCS and the CGOA. To provide for long-term coordinated strategic planning of the NEP program in the CCS, proposals are being solicited now for all future U.S. GLOBEC research activities in the CCS. This includes process-study research in the two field phases of the CCS program. At this time, the major field process years are anticipated to occur in 2000 and 2002, contingent on the availability of funding. In the event that sufficient funding is not available to support a full field program in 2000, the field years will be delayed a year, occurring in 2001 and 2003, respectively. U.S. GLOBEC's NEP program emphasizes studies on the biology / ecology of juvenile salmon, the euphausiids Euphausia pacifica and Thysanoessa spinifera, several large copepods, and forage fishes (salmon prey) in coastal regions; and how these populations are controlled by climatically-variable physical forcing, especially at large-to meso-scales. Several other national and international programs will examine similar ecosystems and processes, and proposers should be aware of these ongoing and planned efforts in the NEP. Examples of these are Canada GLOBEC, NOAA's Pacific Northwest Coastal Ecosystems Regional Study (PNCERS), the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI), the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) Climate Change and Carrying Capacity (CCCC) Program, the Coastal Ocean Processes (COOP) program and others (many of these programs have websites, links to which can be found on the U.S. GLOBEC NEP homepage at: http://www.usglobec.berkeley.edu/nep/index.html). These national and international investigations complement the research planned by U.S. GLOBEC in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. They provide a unique opportunity for both regional and inter-regional comparisons and the evaluation of large-scale climatic influences (e.g., the El Nino - Southern Oscillation) on several pan-North Pacific species (e.g., salmon and Euphausia pacifica). The U.S. GLOBEC Northeast Pacific Implementation Plan (U.S. GLOBEC Report No. 17) was developed following several community-wide meetings at which U.S. scientists from the oceanographic and fisheries communities identified key scientific issues and research prospectuses for the Northeast Pacific region. The overall objectives of the U.S. GLOBEC program are described in the U.S. GLOBEC Initial Science Plan (Report No. 1). Background information pertinent to the Northeast Pacific is found in U.S. GLOBEC Report Nos. 7, 11, 15 and 16. Investigators who plan to submit proposals should refer primarily to the NOAA RFP and, secondarily, to the Northeast Pacific Implementation Plan (U.S. GLOBEC Report No. 17). Printed copies of U.S. GLOBEC reports are available from the following address: U.S. GLOBEC Coordinating Office University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Chesapeake Biological Laboratory P.O. BOX 38 / One Williams Street Solomons, MD 20688 Tel: (410) 326-7289 Fax: 410-326-7318 I'net: Linda Lagle Specific information about the NE Pacific Study, including descriptions and points of contact of presently funded GLOBEC NEP projects, can be obtained from the following address or homepage: U.S. GLOBEC Northeast Pacific Coordinating Office Department of Integrative Biology University of California Berkeley, CA 94720-3140 Tel: (510) 642-7452 Fax: (510) 643-1142 I'net: Hal Batchelder WWW: http://www.usglobec.berkeley.edu/nep/index.html Initial phases of this inter-agency research program in the NEP have supported integrated, multi-investigator, inter-disciplinary programs of modeling, retrospective analysis, and pilot-scale monitoring (henceforth referred to as the Long-Term Observation Program or LTOP). Proposers are advised to refer to the preliminary results from these programs prior to preparation of new proposals. Ultimately, the U.S. GLOBEC effort in the NortheastPacific has an overall goal of improving predictability and management of living marine resources of the region through improved understanding of ecosystem interactions and the coupling between the physical environment and the living resources. Structure of the CCS Research Program The NE Pacific Study will comprise five major components: Long-term observation programs (LTOP), Mesoscale surveys, Process-oriented field studies, Modeling investigations, and Retrospective / comparative analyses The large range of spatial and temporal scales of important forcing processes and responses in the NEP requires a nested sampling approach (and some associated tradeoffs), which is reflected in the descriptions of the LTOP, mesoscale surveys, and process-studies in the NOAA notice. Here we briefly note some specifics related to the process studies and mesoscale surveys - two new activities of the NEP program. U.S. GLOBEC process-oriented field research will focus on target species chosen to represent key elements of the marine ecosystem in the northern part of the CCS. These are the euphausiids Euphausia pacifica and Thysanoessa spinifera, calanoid copepods, and juvenile coho and chinook salmon. Process studies in 2000 will focus on the effects of upwelling and cross-shelf exchange on the population dynamics of the target organisms north and south of Cape Blanco, OR. Where feasible (where timing and geography overlap), parts of the field program may be carried out in close coordination with nearshore interdisciplinary studies of the effects of wind-driven transport conducted by the NSF-funded Coastal Ocean Processes (COOP) program, slated to take place in 2000-2001. Process-oriented studies in 2002 will focus on the effects of upwelling and 3-dimensional mesoscale circulation on the population dynamics of the target species north and south of Cape Blanco. Biotic processes and interactions, including factors affecting primary production and predation processes will be studied in both 2000 and 2002. In the event that funding levels cannot support simultaneous studies north and south of Cape Blanco, it may be necessary to conduct studies north of the Cape in 2000 and to the south in 2002. Proposals should consider contingency plans to accommodate such a change. The primary focus of process studies will be on: (a) physical (e.g., stratification intensity; timing of the spring transition; intensity of upwelling) and biological (e.g., prey and predator abundance and distributions) factors influencing the population dynamics and vital rates of juvenile salmon and other target taxa (euphausiids, copepods) in the coastal region; (b) retention and loss of populations of target species, as impacted by meso-scale circulation and cross-shelf transport into the coastal jet off Oregon / Northern California (loss) or maintenance in the coastal upwelling zone (retention); and (c) a comparison of these processes (a, b) north and south of Cape Blanco, Oregon. Mesoscale (ship) surveys are needed to determine the distribution and abundance of the target species in relation to their physical environment during the period of euphausiid recruitment and juvenile salmon entry into the ocean (March to September). This period encompasses the spring-transition in the CCS, the initiation of upwelling and its ramifications for production, as well as the period of ocean entry by juvenile salmon and their first summer of growth. Mesoscale surveys will provide: (1) the basis for comparisons of population processes and physical structure and variability, (2) 3-dimensional data for evaluating how LTOP data generalize to a broader region, (3) regional context for in situ process studies, and (4) data needed for evaluating coupled circulation-ecosystem models. Spatially, the ship-based mesoscale sampling should encompass both the nearshore upwelling region and the coastal jet that ultimately carries a large portion of the flow of the California Current. High priority will be given to proposals that would survey a region extending from approximately Newport, OR to Eureka, CA, i.e., about 500 km along shore, and extending from nearshore to 100 km (perhaps more south of Cape Blanco, where the jet meanders further from shore). Sampling of juvenile salmon (trawling) is a critical addition to the CCS component of the NEP program since salmon are a target species of the program. Proposals are solicited that will provide spatial descriptions of juvenile coho and chinook salmon, and their forage prey in the region extending from Newport, OR to Eureka, CA, at the time of ocean entry (approx. April- May) and at the end of the first summer in the ocean (approx. September). These collections would also be useful for examining (a) trophic relationships in the nearshore ecosystem, and (b) genetic structure / stock identity of the salmonids. Salmon sampling in this region will complement existing efforts to describe salmon abundance, distribution, and condition in the vicinity of the Columbia River plume (by BPA), in British Columbia (Canadian GLOBEC) and by NMFS programs further south (Gulf of Farallones) and north (SE Alaska, Auke Bay, and off Prince William Sound). Investigators proposing to sample juvenile salmon in Oregon and Northern California should coordinate sampling plans / gear with both the CGOA salmon sampling effort and other juvenile salmon trawling efforts on the west coast (e.g., NMFS research). Schedule and Proposal Submission NOAA Standard Form Applications with instructions are accessible on the COP Internet Site.. The deadline for proposals is April 15, 1999 by 15:00 local time. Submit the original and two copies of your proposal to the Coastal Ocean Program office at the following address: Coastal Ocean Program Office (GLOBEC 99) SSMC#3, 9th Floor, Station 9700 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 A copy of the NOAA request for proposals (RFP) is available at the US GLOBEC www site, and should be consulted in responding to this funding opportunity. That document provides addresses and contact details for obtaining further technical or logistic information about applying for funds. Specific guidelines for proposal preparation are provided in the officialNOAA notice and are mandatory. Proposals received after the publisheddeadline, or proposals that deviate from the prescribed format, will be returned to the sender without further consideration. This announcement, and additional background information, will be made available on the COP home page. This opportunity is open to all interested, qualified, non-federal, and federal researchers. Foreign researchers must subcontract with U.S. proposers. Non-federal researchers should comply with their institutional requirements for proposal submission. Non-federal researchers affiliated with NOAA-university Joint Institutes should comply with joint institutional requirements. Proposals deemed acceptable from federal researchers will be funded through NOAA; non-federal awardees will be funded through their joint institutes, as appropriate, or through a grant from NOAA or NSF. Proposals selected for NSF funding will be required to submit additional forms and paperwork for grants processing. Funding is contingent upon receipt of fiscal years 1999 - 2003 federal appropriations. The anticipated maximum annual funding for NEP GLOBEC activities is ca. $6-8M, which may not occur until 2001; until then the program expects increments from its current level of ca. $2.5M/yr. Of the annual total, approximately half will be devoted to CCS activities, and half to CGOA research. Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those proposals which address one or more of the program goals listed above and and will be evaluated based on scientific merit, relevance, methodology and other criteria described in the NOAA notice. Last updated: 21 February, 1999 Please address any comments, suggestions or questions to: GLOBEC Webmaster