The Recruitment Processes Program (RPP) conducts research across the 1.5 million mile span of Alaskan waters, providing data on seasonal fisheries, and developing environmental and biological indices of ecosystem health annually for resource management. We conduct our research in four of the Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) of Alaska: the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea. We have an opportunity for post-doctoral work in the Arctic LMEs, the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea.

RPP and our research partners are working towards understanding the impact of loss of sea ice in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas ecosystems. This work is especially timely because of continued ocean warming and apparent acceleration in loss of sea ice. Loss of sea ice has the potential to impact species distributions, life history and physiology; food web productivity, structure and energy transfer; and  predator-prey interactions. RPP and our partners have field and laboratory data on multiple components of the Arctic ecosystems including phytoplankton, zooplankton, ichthyoplankton, benthic and pelagic fish, epibenthic invertebrates, seabirds and marine mammals. This wealth of ecosystem information is available for a synthesis of data to examine climate-mediated changes in ecosystem dynamics, structure and functioning.

More information can be found on our Website https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/ecosystems/ecosystem-and-recruitment-process-research-alaska

Candidates should have attained a Ph.D. in fisheries, statistics, oceanography, or related field within the last five years. Strong quantitative abilities, good written and oral communication skills, and experience in recruitment dynamics and/or mechanistic processes are required. Candidates should have experience with analyzing data sets and experience in statistical programming languages such as R. There may also be opportunities to participate in at-sea research. Mentors for this research would be Drs Libby Logerwell (primary) and Janet Duffy-Anderson.

Logerwell, E.A., Busby, M., Mier, K.L., Tabisola, H., Duffy-Anderson, J., 2020. The effect of oceanographic variability on the distribution of larval fishes of the northern Bering and Chukchi seas. Deep. Res. Part II Top. Stud. Oceanogr. 177, 104784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104784

Mueter, F.J., Weems, J., Farley, E. V, Sigler, M.F., 2017. Arctic Ecosystem Integrated Survey (Arctic Eis): Marine ecosystem dynamics in the rapidly changing Pacific Arctic Gateway. Deep Sea Res. II 135, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.11.005

Copeman, L., Spencer, M., Heintz, R., Vollenweider, J., Sremba, A., Helser, T., Logerwell, L., Sousa, L., Danielson, S., Pinchuk, A.I., Laurel, B., 2020. Ontogenetic patterns in lipid and fatty acid biomarkers of juvenile polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) from across the Alaska Arctic. Polar Biol. 43, 1121–1140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02648-9