FY 1995

Modeling the impact of climate variability on the advection of larval walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in the Gulf of Alaska

Stabeno, P.J., A.J. Hermann, N.A. Bond, and S.J. Bograd

In Climate Change and Northern Fish Populations, R.J. Beamish (ed.), Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 121, 719–727 (1995)

An atmospherically driven primitive equation ocean model was integrated for two 90-d periods: the first, the spring of 1978, was a year of excellent recruitment for Gulf of Alaska walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma); the second, the spring of 1990, was a year of poor recruitment. There were distinct differences in the atmospheric forcing between the 2 yr, which produced accompanying differences in the currents. During 1978, larvae were more likely to be transported onto the shallow shelves adjacent to the sea valley, while during 1990 they were more likely to remain in the sea valley. The relevance of these results to the effects of future climate trends on the Alaska Coastal Current and larval survival are discussed.