Evaluation of the Beaufort Sea shelf structure and function in support of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area
Arctic ecosystems are at risk to climate impacts, challenging existing conservation measures such as protected areas. This study aims to describe the ecological dynamics of the Canadian Beaufort Sea Shelf (BSS) ecosystem and the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TNMPA) under historical changes...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Arctic Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2020-0040 |
| _version_ | 1828093005646528512 |
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| author | Kristen J. Sora Colette C.C. Wabnitz Nadja S. Steiner U. Rashid Sumaila William W.L. Cheung Andrea Niemi Lisa L. Loseto Carie Hoover |
| author_facet | Kristen J. Sora Colette C.C. Wabnitz Nadja S. Steiner U. Rashid Sumaila William W.L. Cheung Andrea Niemi Lisa L. Loseto Carie Hoover |
| author_sort | Kristen J. Sora |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Arctic ecosystems are at risk to climate impacts, challenging existing conservation measures such as protected areas. This study aims to describe the ecological dynamics of the Canadian Beaufort Sea Shelf (BSS) ecosystem and the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TNMPA) under historical changes in sea surface temperature and sea ice extent. Using Ecopath with Ecosim, we compared the status of the BSS between two time periods, 1970–1974 and 2008–2012, and against four ecosystem models (Eastern Chukchi Sea, Barents Sea, Eastern Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska) to inform the relative long-term health and status of Arctic marine ecosystems. We find that relative to the comparable ecosystems, the BSS had a greater proportion of biomass from pelagic primary and secondary producers, and limited production from higher trophic levels. Estimates of trophic structure indices for the BSS indicate temporal ecosystem stability, and no loss in diversity. While beluga whales are a focus of the TNMPA management plan, they are not considered a key component of the modeled food web. Rather, Arctic and polar cods (main beluga prey group), arthropods, large copepods, micro-zooplankton, and herring and smelt, were identified as keystone species and warrant attention as proxies for both beluga whales and ecosystem health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:38:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7214d378b496412598373c9c818f2975 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2368-7460 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:38:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arctic Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-7214d378b496412598373c9c818f29752022-12-22T04:39:37ZengCanadian Science PublishingArctic Science2368-74602022-12-01841252127510.1139/as-2020-0040Evaluation of the Beaufort Sea shelf structure and function in support of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected AreaKristen J. Sora0Colette C.C. Wabnitz1Nadja S. Steiner2U. Rashid Sumaila3William W.L. Cheung4Andrea Niemi5Lisa L. Loseto6Carie Hoover7Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, CanadaInstitute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, CanadaInstitute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Sidney, BC V8L 5T5, CanadaInstitute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, CanadaInstitute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, CanadaFreshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, CanadaFreshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, CanadaFreshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, CanadaArctic ecosystems are at risk to climate impacts, challenging existing conservation measures such as protected areas. This study aims to describe the ecological dynamics of the Canadian Beaufort Sea Shelf (BSS) ecosystem and the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TNMPA) under historical changes in sea surface temperature and sea ice extent. Using Ecopath with Ecosim, we compared the status of the BSS between two time periods, 1970–1974 and 2008–2012, and against four ecosystem models (Eastern Chukchi Sea, Barents Sea, Eastern Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska) to inform the relative long-term health and status of Arctic marine ecosystems. We find that relative to the comparable ecosystems, the BSS had a greater proportion of biomass from pelagic primary and secondary producers, and limited production from higher trophic levels. Estimates of trophic structure indices for the BSS indicate temporal ecosystem stability, and no loss in diversity. While beluga whales are a focus of the TNMPA management plan, they are not considered a key component of the modeled food web. Rather, Arctic and polar cods (main beluga prey group), arthropods, large copepods, micro-zooplankton, and herring and smelt, were identified as keystone species and warrant attention as proxies for both beluga whales and ecosystem health.https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2020-0040ecosystem modellingArcticclimate changekeystone speciesecosystem-based managementmodélisation des écosystèmes |
| spellingShingle | Kristen J. Sora Colette C.C. Wabnitz Nadja S. Steiner U. Rashid Sumaila William W.L. Cheung Andrea Niemi Lisa L. Loseto Carie Hoover Evaluation of the Beaufort Sea shelf structure and function in support of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area Arctic Science ecosystem modelling Arctic climate change keystone species ecosystem-based management modélisation des écosystèmes |
| title | Evaluation of the Beaufort Sea shelf structure and function in support of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
| title_full | Evaluation of the Beaufort Sea shelf structure and function in support of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of the Beaufort Sea shelf structure and function in support of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of the Beaufort Sea shelf structure and function in support of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
| title_short | Evaluation of the Beaufort Sea shelf structure and function in support of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
| title_sort | evaluation of the beaufort sea shelf structure and function in support of the tarium niryutait marine protected area |
| topic | ecosystem modelling Arctic climate change keystone species ecosystem-based management modélisation des écosystèmes |
| url | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2020-0040 |
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