Infograph describing the effects of North Pacific marine heatwave on ocean food webs.
John Piatt, Ph.D.
Seabirds, marine food webs and impact of climate change on marine ecosystems
My research has been conducted mostly in the north Pacific and Atlantic oceans, with a focus on studies of seabird biology at colonies and ecological factors that influence seabird populations and distribution at sea. Research topics also include feeding ecology of seabirds (especially Auks), forage fish (such as capelin and sand lance), groundfish, marine mammals, food webs, oceanography, marine ecosystems; and threats to seabirds from climate change, heatwaves, overfishing, net bycatch, and oil spills.
Science and Products
North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database
The North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD) contains survey transect data designed and conducted by numerous partners primarily to census seabirds at sea. The NPPSD includes more than 486,000 transect segments and includes observations of over 20 million birds of 258 species collected over the span of 50 years (from 1973 to 2022).
Seabird Die-offs in Alaska
Beginning in 2015, large numbers of dead seabirds have been appearing on beaches in most marine areas of Alaska. Although seabird die-offs are known to occur sporadically (e.g. 1970, 1989, 1993, 1997/1998, and 2004) in Alaska, these recent die-offs have been distinguished from past events by their increased frequency, duration, geographic extent, and number of different species involved.
Seabirds and Forage Fish Ecology
Alaska's coastal and offshore waters provide foraging habitat for an estimated 100 million birds comprising more than 90 different species; from loons and seaducks that nest inland, to petrels and puffins that breed on islands off shore. All these birds depend on the sea to provide a wide variety of food types— from clams, crabs and urchins nearshore— to krill, forage fish, and squid offshore. The...
Cook Inlet Seabird and Forage Fish Study
A massive die-off of Common Murres was documented in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) during the fall and winter of 2015-2016 in association with a record-breaking marine heat wave in the GOA.
Tidewater Glacier Influence on Marine Ecosystems
Where glaciers meet the sea in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), they create unique and productive marine habitats. Ringed by the continent’s tallest coastal mountains, 20% of the GOA coastal watershed is covered by glacial ice and the annual freshwater discharge into the GOA from glacial melt is comparable to that of the Mississippi river.
Harmful Algal Bloom Toxins in Alaska Seabirds
Elevated ocean temperatures are linked to the development of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Toxins from these blooms may pose health threats to marine organisms, including seabirds. Since 2015, the USGS has worked with a variety of stakeholders to develop testing methods and research projects to better understand the geographic extent, timing and impacts of algal toxins in Alaska marine ecosystems...
Detecting Long-term Changes in Forage Fish Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Forage fish are small pelagic schooling fish that play a key role in transferring energy between plankton and top marine predators. Many seabirds, marine mammals, and commercial fish species depend on forage fish to grow and survive.
Use and History of the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD)
Data on the distribution and abundance of seabirds at sea have been used for many decades to assist in understanding the marine ecology of seabirds away from their breeding colonies, measure population status and trends, assess the impact of human activities on ocean habitats and fish stocks, and to identify critical marine habitats for seabirds.
Tracking Data for Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris)
Available here are tracking data for the Kittlitz’s murrelet, a rare seabird species that nests solitarily on the ground in barren, often alpine areas near the North Pacific and Bering Sea.
Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound During the Marine Heatwave
Changes in the body condition of a key forage fish species, Pacific sand lance ( Ammodytes personatus ), are examined to understand how energy transfer to predators may have been disrupted during the recent marine heatwave in the North Pacific (late 2013 to mid 2016).
NPPSD Sampling Effort Maps
Maps showing the sampling extent in the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD).
Effects of the North Pacific Marine Heatwave on Ocean Food Webs infographic
Infograph describing the effects of North Pacific marine heatwave on ocean food webs.
How do Marine Heatwaves Impact Seabirds
An infographic that highlights a study describing four main mechanisms by which marine heatwaves affect seabirds and marine ecosystems, i.e., (1) habitat modification, (2) physiological forcing, (3) behavioral responses, and (4) ecological processes or species interactions. Study findings indicate that marine heatwaves can affect seabirds directly by creating
An infographic that highlights a study describing four main mechanisms by which marine heatwaves affect seabirds and marine ecosystems, i.e., (1) habitat modification, (2) physiological forcing, (3) behavioral responses, and (4) ecological processes or species interactions. Study findings indicate that marine heatwaves can affect seabirds directly by creating
Figure 1 map of marine bird surveys at sea for NPPSD
Fig 1 map showing total sampling effort (strip transects) of marine bird surveys at sea in the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD).
Fig 1 map showing total sampling effort (strip transects) of marine bird surveys at sea in the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD).
Scientist with plankton sample to test for harmful algal bloom toxins
USGS Scientist Sarah Schoen with a plankton sample to test for harmful algal bloom toxins in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
USGS Scientist Sarah Schoen with a plankton sample to test for harmful algal bloom toxins in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Preparing to collect plankton samples
USGS scientist Sarah Schoen gets ready to deploy a net in Cook Inlet to collect plankton samples to test for harmful algal bloom toxins.
USGS scientist Sarah Schoen gets ready to deploy a net in Cook Inlet to collect plankton samples to test for harmful algal bloom toxins.
Short-tailed Albatross taking off
Short-tailed Albatross taking off
Kittlitz’s Murrelet Habitat
Kittlitz’s Murrelets flying near glacier in Northwestern Fjord, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.
Kittlitz’s Murrelets flying near glacier in Northwestern Fjord, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.
Science and Products
North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database
The North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD) contains survey transect data designed and conducted by numerous partners primarily to census seabirds at sea. The NPPSD includes more than 486,000 transect segments and includes observations of over 20 million birds of 258 species collected over the span of 50 years (from 1973 to 2022).
Seabird Die-offs in Alaska
Beginning in 2015, large numbers of dead seabirds have been appearing on beaches in most marine areas of Alaska. Although seabird die-offs are known to occur sporadically (e.g. 1970, 1989, 1993, 1997/1998, and 2004) in Alaska, these recent die-offs have been distinguished from past events by their increased frequency, duration, geographic extent, and number of different species involved.
Seabirds and Forage Fish Ecology
Alaska's coastal and offshore waters provide foraging habitat for an estimated 100 million birds comprising more than 90 different species; from loons and seaducks that nest inland, to petrels and puffins that breed on islands off shore. All these birds depend on the sea to provide a wide variety of food types— from clams, crabs and urchins nearshore— to krill, forage fish, and squid offshore. The...
Cook Inlet Seabird and Forage Fish Study
A massive die-off of Common Murres was documented in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) during the fall and winter of 2015-2016 in association with a record-breaking marine heat wave in the GOA.
Tidewater Glacier Influence on Marine Ecosystems
Where glaciers meet the sea in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), they create unique and productive marine habitats. Ringed by the continent’s tallest coastal mountains, 20% of the GOA coastal watershed is covered by glacial ice and the annual freshwater discharge into the GOA from glacial melt is comparable to that of the Mississippi river.
Harmful Algal Bloom Toxins in Alaska Seabirds
Elevated ocean temperatures are linked to the development of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Toxins from these blooms may pose health threats to marine organisms, including seabirds. Since 2015, the USGS has worked with a variety of stakeholders to develop testing methods and research projects to better understand the geographic extent, timing and impacts of algal toxins in Alaska marine ecosystems...
Detecting Long-term Changes in Forage Fish Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Forage fish are small pelagic schooling fish that play a key role in transferring energy between plankton and top marine predators. Many seabirds, marine mammals, and commercial fish species depend on forage fish to grow and survive.
Use and History of the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD)
Data on the distribution and abundance of seabirds at sea have been used for many decades to assist in understanding the marine ecology of seabirds away from their breeding colonies, measure population status and trends, assess the impact of human activities on ocean habitats and fish stocks, and to identify critical marine habitats for seabirds.
Tracking Data for Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris)
Available here are tracking data for the Kittlitz’s murrelet, a rare seabird species that nests solitarily on the ground in barren, often alpine areas near the North Pacific and Bering Sea.
Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound During the Marine Heatwave
Changes in the body condition of a key forage fish species, Pacific sand lance ( Ammodytes personatus ), are examined to understand how energy transfer to predators may have been disrupted during the recent marine heatwave in the North Pacific (late 2013 to mid 2016).
NPPSD Sampling Effort Maps
Maps showing the sampling extent in the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD).
Effects of the North Pacific Marine Heatwave on Ocean Food Webs infographic
Infograph describing the effects of North Pacific marine heatwave on ocean food webs.
Infograph describing the effects of North Pacific marine heatwave on ocean food webs.
How do Marine Heatwaves Impact Seabirds
An infographic that highlights a study describing four main mechanisms by which marine heatwaves affect seabirds and marine ecosystems, i.e., (1) habitat modification, (2) physiological forcing, (3) behavioral responses, and (4) ecological processes or species interactions. Study findings indicate that marine heatwaves can affect seabirds directly by creating
An infographic that highlights a study describing four main mechanisms by which marine heatwaves affect seabirds and marine ecosystems, i.e., (1) habitat modification, (2) physiological forcing, (3) behavioral responses, and (4) ecological processes or species interactions. Study findings indicate that marine heatwaves can affect seabirds directly by creating
Figure 1 map of marine bird surveys at sea for NPPSD
Fig 1 map showing total sampling effort (strip transects) of marine bird surveys at sea in the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD).
Fig 1 map showing total sampling effort (strip transects) of marine bird surveys at sea in the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD).
Scientist with plankton sample to test for harmful algal bloom toxins
USGS Scientist Sarah Schoen with a plankton sample to test for harmful algal bloom toxins in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
USGS Scientist Sarah Schoen with a plankton sample to test for harmful algal bloom toxins in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Preparing to collect plankton samples
USGS scientist Sarah Schoen gets ready to deploy a net in Cook Inlet to collect plankton samples to test for harmful algal bloom toxins.
USGS scientist Sarah Schoen gets ready to deploy a net in Cook Inlet to collect plankton samples to test for harmful algal bloom toxins.
Short-tailed Albatross taking off
Short-tailed Albatross taking off
Kittlitz’s Murrelet Habitat
Kittlitz’s Murrelets flying near glacier in Northwestern Fjord, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.
Kittlitz’s Murrelets flying near glacier in Northwestern Fjord, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.
*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