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Daniel H Monson, Ph.D.

Dan is a Research Wildlife Biologist with the Alaska Science Center and sea otter research lead within the Nearshore Marine Ecosystem Research Program. His work focuses on sea otter ecology and conservation including developing metrics of sea otter population status and exploring drivers of variation in sea otter foraging and demographic patterns.

Professional Experience

  • 1995 - Present                 Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska

  • 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999  Biologist, University of Minnesota, Antarctic Research Program, McMurdo, Antarctica

  • 1992 - 1995                    Graduate Research Assistant, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California

  • 1992 - 1995                    Statistical Assistant, NBS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska

  • 1987 - 1992                    Biological Technician, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska

  • 1985 - 1987                    Research Assistant, University of Minnesota, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, North Dakota

  • 1983 - 1985                    Biological Technician, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Kawishawi Field Station, Ely, Minnesota

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D.  2009   University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA    Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

  • M.S.  1995    University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA    Marine Science

  • B.S.  1983      Luther College, Decorah, IA   Biology

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • The Wildlife Society

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science

  • Ecological Society of America

Science and Products

link
A juvenile female sea otter eating small green urchins in the intertidal. Glacier Bay near Geikie Inlet, Alaska

Nearshore Marine Ecosystem Research

Nearshore ecosystems include many resources that are of high ecological, recreational, subsistence, and economic value. They also are subject to influences from a wide variety of natural and human-caused perturbations, which can originate in terrestrial or oceanic environments. Our research is designed to evaluate sources of variation in the nearshore and how they influence resources of high...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
link

Nearshore Marine Ecosystem Research

Nearshore ecosystems include many resources that are of high ecological, recreational, subsistence, and economic value. They also are subject to influences from a wide variety of natural and human-caused perturbations, which can originate in terrestrial or oceanic environments. Our research is designed to evaluate sources of variation in the nearshore and how they influence resources of high...
Learn More

Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from lower Cook Inlet and the outer Kenai Penisula, Alaska, 2002

This dataset consists of three tables related to abundance and distribution of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in lower Cook Inlet and the outer Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, based on data collected during a series of aerial surveys from May-Aug 2002. The dataset consists of: (1) sea otter counts along strip transects, (2) sea otter counts in Intensive Search Unit (ISU) within the transect
By
Alaska Science Center

Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from Western Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2022

This dataset consists of three tables related to abundance and distribution of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in western Prince William Sound, Alaska, based on data collected during a series of population-wide aerial surveys in June 2022. The dataset consists of: (1) sea otter counts along strip transects, (2) sea otter counts in Intensive Search Unit (ISU) within the transects, and
By
Alaska Science Center

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Sea Otter Forage Data, 1993-2019

These data describe observations of sea otter foraging behavior in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Data consist of dive and surface times, success in prey retrieval, prey item, prey quantity, and size. Additionally, location of observations, and age class, sex, and pup status of the focal sea otter were also recorded.
By
Alaska Science Center

Intertidal Temperature Data from Kachemak Bay, Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park

These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long-term monitoring program. This dataset consists of date, time, and temperature measurements from intertidal rocky sampling sites, including predicted tide height at the time of the reading, which is used to distinguish air from water temperature readings. The data are provided as comma separated values (.csv) files derived from data downloaded
By
Alaska Science Center

Intertidal Mussel (Mytilus) Data from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park

These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long-term monitoring program and describe mussel sampling and observations conducted in the northern Gulf of Alaska. This dataset consists of six comma separated files (.csv): 1) mussel sampling site layout information, 2) mussel counts for mussels greater than 20 millimeters in a quadrat, 3) mussel size measurements for mussels greater than 20 mi
By
Alaska Science Center

Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from Western Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2017

This dataset consists of three tables related to abundance and distribution of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in western Prince William Sound, Alaska, based on data collected during a series of population-wide aerial surveys in June 2017. The dataset consists of: (1) sea otter counts along strip transects, (2) sea otter counts in Intensive Search Unit (ISU) within the transects, and
By
Alaska Science Center

Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from the outer Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, 2019

This dataset consists of three tables related to abundance and distribution of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) near the outer Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, based on data collected during a series of population-wide aerial surveys in June 2019. The dataset consists of: (1) sea otter counts along strip transects, (2) sea otter counts in Intensive Search Unit (ISU) within the transects, and (
By
Alaska Science Center

Sea Otter Survey Data, Carcass Recovery Data, and Blood Chemistry Data from Southwest Alaska

Three data sets are included here to aid in assessment of the sea otter population collapse in southwest Alaska. One data set consists of results of sea otter surveys conducted between 1959 and 2015 at Bering Island, Russia and a selection of western Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Sea otter counts are reduced to a comparable value of otters per linear kilometer. Another data set consists per-capita a
By
Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Morphometric and Reproductive Status Data for Sea Otters Collected or Captured in Alaska

This dataset includes morphometric measurements and pregnancy / dependency status from sea otters captured or collected (experimental harvests or recovered after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill) in Alaska, 1947-2019 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Data collected include total body length, tail length, body mass, axillary girth, paw width, canine diam
By
Alaska Science Center

Gulf Watch Alaska, Nearshore Component: Sea Otter Mortality Age Data from Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2006-2017

These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long term monitoring program, nearshore monitoring component. The dataset is a comma separated file exported from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The data consist of information related to collection of sea otter carcasses. Collectors walked selected shorelines searching for signs of carcasses. Date, location, carcass condition, parts collected, an
By
Alaska Science Center

SUPERSEDED: Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore Component: Marine Water Quality, Water Temperature from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park, 2014-2016

This data release has been SUPERSEDED. No data are provided here. Data from Gulf Watch Alaska nearshore water and air temperature sampling data releases have been appended to U.S. Geological Survey data release: https://doi.org/10.5066/F7WH2N3T. This data is part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long term monitoring program, nearshore monitoring component. The data consists of date, time, and tempe
By
Alaska Science Center

Sea Otter Forage Observations from Kachemak Bay, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park and Prince William Sound

These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long term monitoring program, nearshore component and a seasonal diet study in Kenai Fjords National Park. This dataset consists of observations made of foraging sea otters (Enhydra lutris). Observers used Questar field model spotting scopes and binoculars to identify prey. Date, local time, dive duration, success, prey type, prey size, prey numbe
By
Alaska Science Center
video thumbnail: USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011 USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011
USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011
video thumbnail: USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

Female Pacific walruses and their calves traditionally spend summers far from shore, diving for benthic invertebrates over the shallow continental shelf waters of the Chukchi Sea. These female walruses and their calves prefer to rest between forage bouts on sea ice drifting above their feeding grounds.

By
Ecosystems
video thumbnail: USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

Female Pacific walruses and their calves traditionally spend summers far from shore, diving for benthic invertebrates over the shallow continental shelf waters of the Chukchi Sea. These female walruses and their calves prefer to rest between forage bouts on sea ice drifting above their feeding grounds.

By
Ecosystems
Filter Total Items: 68

The dynamics of sea otter prey selection under population growth and expansion

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) were extirpated from much of their range in the North Pacific by the early 1900s but have made a remarkable recovery in Southeast Alaska. Sea otter populations have been particularly successful in Glacier Bay, Alaska, a protected tidewater glacier fjord with a diverse and productive nearshore habitat. Collection of sea otter foraging observations in Glacier Bay began in
Authors
Clint Leach, Ben Weitzman, Jim Bodkin, Daniel Esler, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin B. Hooten
By
Alaska Science Center

Planktonic to sessile: Drivers of spatial and temporal variability across barnacle life stages and indirect effects of the Pacific Marine Heatwave

Barnacles are a foundation species in intertidal habitats. During the Pacific Marine Heatwave (PMH), intertidal barnacle cover increased in the northern Gulf of Alaska (GoA); however, the role of pelagic larval supply in this increase was unknown. Using long-term monitoring data on intertidal benthic (percent cover) and pelagic larval populations (nauplii and cyprid concentrations), we examined po
Authors
Sarah Beth Traiger, James L. Bodkin, Rob Campbell, Heather Coletti, Daniel Esler, Kris Holderied, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Caitlin McKinstry, Daniel Monson, Jessica Pretty, Martin Renner, Brian H. Robinson, Robert M. Suryan, Benjamin P Weitzman
By
Alaska Science Center

Nearshore ecosystems in the Gulf of Alaska

Nearshore ecosystem monitoring in western Prince William Sound, Kenai Fjords National Park, Kachemak Bay, and Katmai National Park and Preserve has been conducted as a single Nearshore Component of the Gulf Watch Alaska program over the past five years (2017-2021). This program builds on the previous five years and continues, in many cases, decades of preceding research and monitoring. During the
Authors
Heather A. Coletti, Daniel Esler, Brenda Ballachey, Jim Bodkin, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Brian H. Robinson, Sarah Beth Traiger, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Tom Dean, Mandy Lindeberg, Ben Weitzman
By
Alaska Science Center

Gene expression and wildlife health: Varied interpretations based on perspective

We evaluated wildlife population health from the perspective of statistical means vs. variances. We outlined the choices necessary to provide the framework for our study. These consisted of spatial and temporal boundaries (e.g., choice of sentinel species, populations, time frame), measurement techniques (molecular to population level), and appropriate statistical analyses. We chose to assess the
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Julie L. Yee, James L. Bodkin, Shannon C. Waters, Michael J. Murray, Heather Coletti, Brenda E. Ballachey, Daniel Monson, A. Keith Miles
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Revealing the extent of sea otter impacts on bivalve prey through multi-trophic monitoring and mechanistic models

Sea otters are apex predators that can exert considerable influence over the nearshore communities they occupy. Since facing near extinction in the early 1900s, sea otters are making a remarkable recovery in Southeast Alaska, particularly in Glacier Bay, the largest protected tidewater glacier fjord in the world. The expansion of sea otters across Glacier Bay offers both a challenge to monitoring
Authors
Clinton B. Leach, Benjamin P. Weitzman, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin B. Hooten
By
Alaska Science Center

Brown bear–sea otter interactions along the Katmai coast: Terrestrial and nearshore communities linked by predation

Sea otters were extirpated throughout much of their range by the maritime fur trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the coast of Katmai National Park and Preserve in southcentral Alaska. Brown bears are an important component of the Katmai ecosystem where they are the focus of a thriving ecotourism bear-viewing industry as they forage in sedge meadows and dig clams in the extensive tidal
Authors
Daniel Monson, Rebecca L. Taylor, Grant Hilderbrand, Joy Erlenbach, Heather Coletti, James L. Bodkin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Where land and sea meet: Brown bears and sea otters

In Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA, we have seen changes in the number of brown bears and sea otters. The number of animals of a species a habitat can support is called carrying capacity. Even though bears live on land and sea otters live in the ocean, these two mammals share coastal habitats. Bears eat salmon, other fish, plants, clams, and beached whales. Sea otters feed on clams and other mar
Authors
Heather Coletti, Grant Hilderbrand, James L. Bodkin, Brenda E. Ballachey, Joy Erlenbach, George G. Esslinger, Michael P. Hannam, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Buck Mangipane, Amy Miller, Daniel Monson, Benjamin Pister, K. Griffin, K. Bodkin, Tom Smith
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Divergent gene expression profiles in Alaskan sea otters: An indicator of chronic domoic acid exposure?

An opportunistic investigation into ecosystem instability in Kachemak Bay (KBay), Alaska, has led us to investigate exposure to toxic algae in sea otters. We used gene expression to explore the physiological health of sea otters sampled in KBay in May 2019. We found altered levels of gene transcripts in comparison with reference sea otters from clinically normal, oil-exposed, and nutritionally cha
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Susan Knowles, Kathi Lefebvre, Michelle St Martin, Michael Murray, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Ben Weitzman, Brenda Ballachey, Heather Coletti, Shannon C. Waters, C Cummings
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Temperature variations in the northern Gulf of Alaska across synoptic to century-long time scales

Surface and subsurface moored buoy, ship-based, remotely sensed, and reanalysis datasets are used to investigate thermal variability of northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) nearshore, coastal, and offshore waters over synoptic to century-long time scales. NGA sea surface temperature (SST) showed a larger positive trend of 0.22 ± 0.10 °C per decade over 1970–2021 compared to 0.10 ± 0.03 °C per decade over
Authors
Seth L. Danielson, Tyler D. Hennon, Daniel Monson, Robert M. Suryan, Rob W. Cambell, Steven J. Baird, Kristine Holderied, Thomas J. Weingartner
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center

Evidence of increased mussel abundance related to the Pacific marine heatwave and sea star wasting

Mussels occupy a key middle trophic position in nearshore food webs linking primary producers to predators. Climate-related environmental changes may synergistically combine with changes in predator abundance to affect intertidal ecosystems. We examined the influence of two major events on mussel (Mytilus trossulus) abundance in the northern Gulf of Alaska: the recent Pacific marine heatwave (PMH,
Authors
Sarah Beth Traiger, James L. Bodkin, Heather Coletti, Brenda Ballachey, Dean Thomas, Daniel Esler, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel Monson, Brian H. Robinson, Robert M. Suryan, Ben Weitzman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Abundance and distribution of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in the southcentral Alaska stock, 2014, 2017, and 2019

The Southcentral Alaska (SCAK) sea otter (Enhydra lutris) stock is the northernmost stock of sea otters, a keystone predator known for structuring nearshore marine ecosystems. We conducted aerial surveys within the range of the SCAK sea otter stock to provide recent estimates of sea otter abundance and distribution. We defined three survey regions: (1) Eastern Cook Inlet (2017), (2) Outer Kenai Pe
Authors
George G. Esslinger, Brian H. Robinson, Daniel H. Monson, Rebecca L. Taylor, Daniel Esler, Ben P. Weitzman, Joel Garlich-Miller
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Genetic variation in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) from the North Pacific with relevance to the threatened Southwest Alaska Distinct Population Segment

For the sea otter (Enhydra lutris), genetic population structure is an area of research that has not received significant attention, especially in Southwest Alaska where that distinct population segment has been listed as threatened since 2005 pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In this study, 501 samples from 14 locations from Prince William Sound, Alaska to the Commander Islands in Russ
Authors
Blair G. Flannery, Ora L. Russ, Michelle St. Martin, William S. Beatty, Kristen Worman, Joel Garlich-Miller, Verena A. Gill, Patrick R. Lemons, Daniel Monson, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Esler, John Wenburg
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Science and Products

link
A juvenile female sea otter eating small green urchins in the intertidal. Glacier Bay near Geikie Inlet, Alaska

Nearshore Marine Ecosystem Research

Nearshore ecosystems include many resources that are of high ecological, recreational, subsistence, and economic value. They also are subject to influences from a wide variety of natural and human-caused perturbations, which can originate in terrestrial or oceanic environments. Our research is designed to evaluate sources of variation in the nearshore and how they influence resources of high...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
link

Nearshore Marine Ecosystem Research

Nearshore ecosystems include many resources that are of high ecological, recreational, subsistence, and economic value. They also are subject to influences from a wide variety of natural and human-caused perturbations, which can originate in terrestrial or oceanic environments. Our research is designed to evaluate sources of variation in the nearshore and how they influence resources of high...
Learn More

Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from lower Cook Inlet and the outer Kenai Penisula, Alaska, 2002

This dataset consists of three tables related to abundance and distribution of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in lower Cook Inlet and the outer Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, based on data collected during a series of aerial surveys from May-Aug 2002. The dataset consists of: (1) sea otter counts along strip transects, (2) sea otter counts in Intensive Search Unit (ISU) within the transect
By
Alaska Science Center

Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from Western Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2022

This dataset consists of three tables related to abundance and distribution of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in western Prince William Sound, Alaska, based on data collected during a series of population-wide aerial surveys in June 2022. The dataset consists of: (1) sea otter counts along strip transects, (2) sea otter counts in Intensive Search Unit (ISU) within the transects, and
By
Alaska Science Center

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Sea Otter Forage Data, 1993-2019

These data describe observations of sea otter foraging behavior in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Data consist of dive and surface times, success in prey retrieval, prey item, prey quantity, and size. Additionally, location of observations, and age class, sex, and pup status of the focal sea otter were also recorded.
By
Alaska Science Center

Intertidal Temperature Data from Kachemak Bay, Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park

These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long-term monitoring program. This dataset consists of date, time, and temperature measurements from intertidal rocky sampling sites, including predicted tide height at the time of the reading, which is used to distinguish air from water temperature readings. The data are provided as comma separated values (.csv) files derived from data downloaded
By
Alaska Science Center

Intertidal Mussel (Mytilus) Data from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park

These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long-term monitoring program and describe mussel sampling and observations conducted in the northern Gulf of Alaska. This dataset consists of six comma separated files (.csv): 1) mussel sampling site layout information, 2) mussel counts for mussels greater than 20 millimeters in a quadrat, 3) mussel size measurements for mussels greater than 20 mi
By
Alaska Science Center

Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from Western Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2017

This dataset consists of three tables related to abundance and distribution of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in western Prince William Sound, Alaska, based on data collected during a series of population-wide aerial surveys in June 2017. The dataset consists of: (1) sea otter counts along strip transects, (2) sea otter counts in Intensive Search Unit (ISU) within the transects, and
By
Alaska Science Center

Sea Otter Aerial Survey Data from the outer Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, 2019

This dataset consists of three tables related to abundance and distribution of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) near the outer Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, based on data collected during a series of population-wide aerial surveys in June 2019. The dataset consists of: (1) sea otter counts along strip transects, (2) sea otter counts in Intensive Search Unit (ISU) within the transects, and (
By
Alaska Science Center

Sea Otter Survey Data, Carcass Recovery Data, and Blood Chemistry Data from Southwest Alaska

Three data sets are included here to aid in assessment of the sea otter population collapse in southwest Alaska. One data set consists of results of sea otter surveys conducted between 1959 and 2015 at Bering Island, Russia and a selection of western Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Sea otter counts are reduced to a comparable value of otters per linear kilometer. Another data set consists per-capita a
By
Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Morphometric and Reproductive Status Data for Sea Otters Collected or Captured in Alaska

This dataset includes morphometric measurements and pregnancy / dependency status from sea otters captured or collected (experimental harvests or recovered after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill) in Alaska, 1947-2019 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Data collected include total body length, tail length, body mass, axillary girth, paw width, canine diam
By
Alaska Science Center

Gulf Watch Alaska, Nearshore Component: Sea Otter Mortality Age Data from Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2006-2017

These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long term monitoring program, nearshore monitoring component. The dataset is a comma separated file exported from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The data consist of information related to collection of sea otter carcasses. Collectors walked selected shorelines searching for signs of carcasses. Date, location, carcass condition, parts collected, an
By
Alaska Science Center

SUPERSEDED: Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore Component: Marine Water Quality, Water Temperature from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park, 2014-2016

This data release has been SUPERSEDED. No data are provided here. Data from Gulf Watch Alaska nearshore water and air temperature sampling data releases have been appended to U.S. Geological Survey data release: https://doi.org/10.5066/F7WH2N3T. This data is part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long term monitoring program, nearshore monitoring component. The data consists of date, time, and tempe
By
Alaska Science Center

Sea Otter Forage Observations from Kachemak Bay, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park and Prince William Sound

These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long term monitoring program, nearshore component and a seasonal diet study in Kenai Fjords National Park. This dataset consists of observations made of foraging sea otters (Enhydra lutris). Observers used Questar field model spotting scopes and binoculars to identify prey. Date, local time, dive duration, success, prey type, prey size, prey numbe
By
Alaska Science Center
video thumbnail: USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011 USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011
USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011
video thumbnail: USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

Female Pacific walruses and their calves traditionally spend summers far from shore, diving for benthic invertebrates over the shallow continental shelf waters of the Chukchi Sea. These female walruses and their calves prefer to rest between forage bouts on sea ice drifting above their feeding grounds.

By
Ecosystems
video thumbnail: USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

USGS Science: Walrus Haul-Out 2011

Female Pacific walruses and their calves traditionally spend summers far from shore, diving for benthic invertebrates over the shallow continental shelf waters of the Chukchi Sea. These female walruses and their calves prefer to rest between forage bouts on sea ice drifting above their feeding grounds.

By
Ecosystems
Filter Total Items: 68

The dynamics of sea otter prey selection under population growth and expansion

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) were extirpated from much of their range in the North Pacific by the early 1900s but have made a remarkable recovery in Southeast Alaska. Sea otter populations have been particularly successful in Glacier Bay, Alaska, a protected tidewater glacier fjord with a diverse and productive nearshore habitat. Collection of sea otter foraging observations in Glacier Bay began in
Authors
Clint Leach, Ben Weitzman, Jim Bodkin, Daniel Esler, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin B. Hooten
By
Alaska Science Center

Planktonic to sessile: Drivers of spatial and temporal variability across barnacle life stages and indirect effects of the Pacific Marine Heatwave

Barnacles are a foundation species in intertidal habitats. During the Pacific Marine Heatwave (PMH), intertidal barnacle cover increased in the northern Gulf of Alaska (GoA); however, the role of pelagic larval supply in this increase was unknown. Using long-term monitoring data on intertidal benthic (percent cover) and pelagic larval populations (nauplii and cyprid concentrations), we examined po
Authors
Sarah Beth Traiger, James L. Bodkin, Rob Campbell, Heather Coletti, Daniel Esler, Kris Holderied, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Caitlin McKinstry, Daniel Monson, Jessica Pretty, Martin Renner, Brian H. Robinson, Robert M. Suryan, Benjamin P Weitzman
By
Alaska Science Center

Nearshore ecosystems in the Gulf of Alaska

Nearshore ecosystem monitoring in western Prince William Sound, Kenai Fjords National Park, Kachemak Bay, and Katmai National Park and Preserve has been conducted as a single Nearshore Component of the Gulf Watch Alaska program over the past five years (2017-2021). This program builds on the previous five years and continues, in many cases, decades of preceding research and monitoring. During the
Authors
Heather A. Coletti, Daniel Esler, Brenda Ballachey, Jim Bodkin, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Brian H. Robinson, Sarah Beth Traiger, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Tom Dean, Mandy Lindeberg, Ben Weitzman
By
Alaska Science Center

Gene expression and wildlife health: Varied interpretations based on perspective

We evaluated wildlife population health from the perspective of statistical means vs. variances. We outlined the choices necessary to provide the framework for our study. These consisted of spatial and temporal boundaries (e.g., choice of sentinel species, populations, time frame), measurement techniques (molecular to population level), and appropriate statistical analyses. We chose to assess the
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Julie L. Yee, James L. Bodkin, Shannon C. Waters, Michael J. Murray, Heather Coletti, Brenda E. Ballachey, Daniel Monson, A. Keith Miles
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Revealing the extent of sea otter impacts on bivalve prey through multi-trophic monitoring and mechanistic models

Sea otters are apex predators that can exert considerable influence over the nearshore communities they occupy. Since facing near extinction in the early 1900s, sea otters are making a remarkable recovery in Southeast Alaska, particularly in Glacier Bay, the largest protected tidewater glacier fjord in the world. The expansion of sea otters across Glacier Bay offers both a challenge to monitoring
Authors
Clinton B. Leach, Benjamin P. Weitzman, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin B. Hooten
By
Alaska Science Center

Brown bear–sea otter interactions along the Katmai coast: Terrestrial and nearshore communities linked by predation

Sea otters were extirpated throughout much of their range by the maritime fur trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the coast of Katmai National Park and Preserve in southcentral Alaska. Brown bears are an important component of the Katmai ecosystem where they are the focus of a thriving ecotourism bear-viewing industry as they forage in sedge meadows and dig clams in the extensive tidal
Authors
Daniel Monson, Rebecca L. Taylor, Grant Hilderbrand, Joy Erlenbach, Heather Coletti, James L. Bodkin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Where land and sea meet: Brown bears and sea otters

In Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA, we have seen changes in the number of brown bears and sea otters. The number of animals of a species a habitat can support is called carrying capacity. Even though bears live on land and sea otters live in the ocean, these two mammals share coastal habitats. Bears eat salmon, other fish, plants, clams, and beached whales. Sea otters feed on clams and other mar
Authors
Heather Coletti, Grant Hilderbrand, James L. Bodkin, Brenda E. Ballachey, Joy Erlenbach, George G. Esslinger, Michael P. Hannam, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Buck Mangipane, Amy Miller, Daniel Monson, Benjamin Pister, K. Griffin, K. Bodkin, Tom Smith
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Divergent gene expression profiles in Alaskan sea otters: An indicator of chronic domoic acid exposure?

An opportunistic investigation into ecosystem instability in Kachemak Bay (KBay), Alaska, has led us to investigate exposure to toxic algae in sea otters. We used gene expression to explore the physiological health of sea otters sampled in KBay in May 2019. We found altered levels of gene transcripts in comparison with reference sea otters from clinically normal, oil-exposed, and nutritionally cha
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Susan Knowles, Kathi Lefebvre, Michelle St Martin, Michael Murray, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Ben Weitzman, Brenda Ballachey, Heather Coletti, Shannon C. Waters, C Cummings
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Temperature variations in the northern Gulf of Alaska across synoptic to century-long time scales

Surface and subsurface moored buoy, ship-based, remotely sensed, and reanalysis datasets are used to investigate thermal variability of northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) nearshore, coastal, and offshore waters over synoptic to century-long time scales. NGA sea surface temperature (SST) showed a larger positive trend of 0.22 ± 0.10 °C per decade over 1970–2021 compared to 0.10 ± 0.03 °C per decade over
Authors
Seth L. Danielson, Tyler D. Hennon, Daniel Monson, Robert M. Suryan, Rob W. Cambell, Steven J. Baird, Kristine Holderied, Thomas J. Weingartner
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center

Evidence of increased mussel abundance related to the Pacific marine heatwave and sea star wasting

Mussels occupy a key middle trophic position in nearshore food webs linking primary producers to predators. Climate-related environmental changes may synergistically combine with changes in predator abundance to affect intertidal ecosystems. We examined the influence of two major events on mussel (Mytilus trossulus) abundance in the northern Gulf of Alaska: the recent Pacific marine heatwave (PMH,
Authors
Sarah Beth Traiger, James L. Bodkin, Heather Coletti, Brenda Ballachey, Dean Thomas, Daniel Esler, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel Monson, Brian H. Robinson, Robert M. Suryan, Ben Weitzman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Abundance and distribution of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in the southcentral Alaska stock, 2014, 2017, and 2019

The Southcentral Alaska (SCAK) sea otter (Enhydra lutris) stock is the northernmost stock of sea otters, a keystone predator known for structuring nearshore marine ecosystems. We conducted aerial surveys within the range of the SCAK sea otter stock to provide recent estimates of sea otter abundance and distribution. We defined three survey regions: (1) Eastern Cook Inlet (2017), (2) Outer Kenai Pe
Authors
George G. Esslinger, Brian H. Robinson, Daniel H. Monson, Rebecca L. Taylor, Daniel Esler, Ben P. Weitzman, Joel Garlich-Miller
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Genetic variation in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) from the North Pacific with relevance to the threatened Southwest Alaska Distinct Population Segment

For the sea otter (Enhydra lutris), genetic population structure is an area of research that has not received significant attention, especially in Southwest Alaska where that distinct population segment has been listed as threatened since 2005 pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In this study, 501 samples from 14 locations from Prince William Sound, Alaska to the Commander Islands in Russ
Authors
Blair G. Flannery, Ora L. Russ, Michelle St. Martin, William S. Beatty, Kristen Worman, Joel Garlich-Miller, Verena A. Gill, Patrick R. Lemons, Daniel Monson, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Esler, John Wenburg
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government

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