PubTalk 9/2012 — Pacific Nearshore Ecosystem Mysteries

--from kelp forests to fisheries, sea otters aid in studying ocean vitality

by USGS Research Wildflife Biologist James Bodkin

• Nearshore marine ecosystems face unprecedented challenges, regionally and globally, with threats from adjacent lands and oceans
• Sea otter populations are experiencing reduced rates of increase across much of their range
• Scientists are evaluating the status of north Pacific nearshore ecosystems from southern CA to southwest Alaska looking for clues about processes influencing the sea otter and the nearshore environment
• New technology is being used to study nearshore food webs, define the effects of adjacent watersheds, and demystify sea otter behaviors