This report describes Ecosystem Monitoring Project accomplishments during October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017, or Year 13 of this on-going project. For a background on the project since its inception in 2003, please see previous years' annual reports.
This report describes Ecosystem Monitoring Project accomplishments during October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016, or Year 12 of this on-going project. For a background on the project since its inception in 2003, please see previous years' annual reports.
This report describes Ecosystem Monitoring Project accomplishments during October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015, or Year 11 of this on-going project. For a background on the project since its inception in 2003, please see previous years' annual reports.
Abstract Dams, increasingly common in riverine systems worldwide, are particularly prevalent on the Columbia River (CR) in the United States. Hydroelectric projects, including both storage and run‐of‐river (i.e., minimal storage) structures, on the mainstem CR highly manage water flow, often by releasing water over (rather than through) dams as “spill.” To test the effects of run‐of‐river dam spill on microplankton abundance
Abstract Large river estuaries experience multiple anthropogenic stressors. Understanding plankton community dynamics in these estuaries provides insights into the patterns of natural variability and effects of human activity. We undertook a 2-year study in the Columbia River Estuary to assess the potential impacts of abiotic and biotic factors on planktonic community structure over multiple time scales.
Abstract Phytoplankton form the base of pelagic food webs, and as aquatic systems come under increasing pressure from environmental stressors, managers are becoming more concerned about how these pressures may result in changes to phytoplankton distribution and abundance. The vertical distribution of phytoplankton, including the phenomenon of subsurface chlorophyll a (Chl-a) maxima (SCM), is known to vary widely, with a combination of biotic and abiotic processes hypothesized to be driving this variation.
Abstract As the frequency and intensity of hypoxic events increase in both fresh and marine waters, understanding the ecological effects of hypoxia becomes more important. The extant literature reports varying effects of hypolimnetic hypoxia on the vertical distribution and diel vertical migration(DVM)of zooplankton, with some but not all taxa reported to avoid hypoxic waters. We studied the vertical distribution and DVM of diverse zooplankton taxa throughout three seasons over 2 years (2014 and 2015) in Lacamas Lake, WA, USA.
Abstract We present the first comprehensive analysis of the Pacific Northwest estuaries (PNWE) zooplankton time series, which encompasses 38 estuaries distributed across more than 1000 km of the North American Pacific Coast. With observations spanning more than 20 yr, we here examine biogeographic trends among zooplankton communities, patterns of biological invasion across the region, and environmental correlates with dominant native and invasive taxa.