USGS Glacier Bay Field Station P.O. Box 140 Gustavus, AK 99826 (907) 697-2230 FAX (907) 697-2654

The Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office's mission is to provide scientific information on Alaska’s wildlife and habitats to federal land management agencies to assist in their resource management decisions.  The Field Station primarily focuses its research on the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on and the natural variation within the Glacier Bay ecosystem, with emphasis on the marine environment.  The Glacier Bay ecosystem is characterized by large spatial and temporal differences in physical and biological factors, driven not only by the recent history of glaciation and catastrophic glacial retreat but also by complex fjord estuarine dynamics.

Field Station Staff:

Glacier Bay Office

Lisa L. Etherington, Ph.D., Research Marine Ecologist
Jim de La Bruere, Captain, R/V Alaskan Gyre

Juneau Office

S. James (Jim) Taggart, Ph.D., Fisheries Scientist
Jennifer Mondragon,  Ecologist
Alex Andrews, Biological Technician
Julie Nielsen, Biological Technician
 

The Research:

Pacific Halibut

• Home range patterns (Large PDF Poster Paper)
• Inter and intra-year site fidelity
• Population structure
• Distribution patterns and habitat choice
• Diet
• Patterns of commercial fishing

Dungeness Crab

• Population patterns in fished and unfished areas
• Distribution patterns and habitat choice
• Aggregative Behavior
• Habitat choice
• Quantify the effects of commercial Dungeness crab
  fishing on the Glacier Bay marine ecosystem

Kittiwakes

• Foraging ecology
• Population patterns
• Census methodologies

Oceanography

• Fjord Oceanographic Processes in Glacier Bay, Alaska
• Fjord Oceanographic Protocol Manual
• Oceanographic Analyst Extension to ArcView

Benthic Habitat Mapping

• Sidescan Sonar (PDF poster paper)
• Open File Report 1997
• USGS Rebreather Evaluation Program

Spatial Analysis and Geographic Information Systems

• ArcView Extensions
• Animal Movement
• Spatial Tools
• GIS Data Layers
• Ecosystem CD Coverages
• Glacier Bay Ice Coverages
• Side Scan Sonar Mosaics

Marine Reserves

• Effectiveness of a Marine Reserve Network
• Movement of Tanner crab, red king crab and halibut into and out of marine reserves.
• Relative densities of Tanner crab, king crab and halibut in Glacier Bay.

Bibliography

Pictures

N. Marble Island.  Photo by John Brooks	Halibut released after tagging.  Photo by John Brooks
Looking forward at the bow-mounted hydrophone, while tracking sleeper sharks in the ice.  Photo by John Brooks