BE/CBC: Biocomplexity in the Pacific Northwest: Salmon, Climate, and Hydrologic Variability

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

The Biocomplexity in the Environment (BE): Coupled Biogeochemical Cycles (CBC) project will investigate the complex relationships between large-scale climatic forcing factors, local climatic changes across the region, salmon population dynamics both before and after European cultural impacts, and vegetation and lake-ecosystem responses to these changes. Dr. Abbott, and colleagues, Bradley and Francis (both from U Mass, Amherst), and Finney (U Alaska), will analyze high-resolution sediment records from the region to provide detailed records over large temporal and spatial scales. The two thrusts of the research are to produce multi-proxy records of moisture and temperature variations during the last 12,000 years from lakes in the Pacific Northwest and reconstruct salmon abundance at one of these sites. The project will produce a sub-decadal to century-scale climate history of the Pacific Northwest, and advance understanding of its biogeochemical cycles. The project will focus on the response of salmon populations and lake-ecosystems to climate change. The broader impact of this research would be in the area of salmon management and restoration in the Pacific Northwest.