Current Projects
We are a group of biological oceanographers that study zooplankton and micronekton. Our research spans a variety of aquatic environments ranging from estuarine to open ocean.
Current Projects
"Quantifying climate-dependent and anthropogenic impacts on ecosystem services in the Subarctic Pacific Ocean: State-of-the-art observational tools to inform policy and management"
Funded by NSERC
Collaborators: Phillippe Tortell, Roger Francois, Evgeny Pakhomov, John Dower, Michael Dowd, William Cheung
Aim: generate a new generation of observational and modeling tools to quantify fisheries production and CO2 uptake capacity in the Subarctic Pacific Ocean
Postdoc & Graduate Student: Lian E Kwong
Publications:
Lian E Kwong, Evgeny A Pakhomov, Zooplankton size spectra and production assessed by two different nets in the subarctic Northeast Pacific, Journal of Plankton Research, Volume 43, Issue 4, July/August 2021, Pages 527–545, https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbab039
Kwong LE, Ross T, Lüskow F, Florko KRN, Pakhomov EA (2022) Spatial, seasonal, and climatic variability in mesozooplankton size spectra along a coastal-to-open ocean transect in the subarctic Northeast Pacific. Prog Oceanogr 201:102728. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102728
"Venturing into the “Twilight Zone”: where does all the carbon go?" Active Carbon Transport Project
Aim: The study of the mesopelagic realms of the world ocean, and the North Pacific in particular, aims to concentrate at obtaining a novel knowledge on the structure and functioning of mesopelagic food-webs. In particular, this project intends to quantify the importance of the active carbon transport into mesopelagic zone mediated by macroplankton and micronekton. The research will be essential in predicting how the role of the mesopelagic zone will change in response to future increases in carbon dioxide levels and associated climatic and oceanographic variability.
Postdoc & Graduate Student(s): Lian E Kwong, Natasha Henschke, Florian Lüskow, Polina Orlov
Publications:
Kwong, L.E., Pakhomov, E.A. (2017) Assessment of active vertical carbon transport: new methodology. Proceedings of Kazan University. Natural Sciences Series, 159(3): 492-509.
Henschke, N., Pakhomov, E. A., Kwong, L. E., Everett, J. D., Laiolo, L., Coghlan, A. R., & Suthers, I. M. (2019). Large vertical migrations of Pyrosoma atlanticum play an important role inactive carbon transport. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences,124, 1056–1070. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004918
Evgeny A Pakhomov, Yasha Podeswa, Brian P V Hunt, Lian E Kwong, Vertical distribution and active carbon transport by pelagic decapods in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 76, Issue 3, May-June 2019, Pages 702–717, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsy134
Kwong LE, Henschke N, Pakhomov EA, Everett JD and Suthers IM (2020) Mesozooplankton and Micronekton Active Carbon Transport in Contrasting Eddies. Front. Mar. Sci. 6:825. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00825
Fraser River Estuary Zooplankton
Joanne Breckenridge’s research has provided a first description of zooplankton in the Fraser River Estuary and revealed that zooplankton abundance in this estuary is much lower than is typical for estuaries, with estuarine endemic taxa largely restricted to backwaters. Joanne's research is currently focusing on how estuarine zooplankton persist in this rapidly flushing estuary through production of resting eggs and tidal vertical migration and on modelling how these zooplankton will be influenced by predicted changes in temperature and river flow.
Postdoc & Graduate Student: Joanne Breckenridge
Publications:
J Breckenridge, E Pakhomov, S Emry, and N Mahara. 2020. Copepod assemblage dynamics in a snowmelt-dominated estuary. Estuaries and Coasts 43(6): 1502–1518
"Hidden diversity in gelatinous zooplankton assemblages from selected ecosystems around the Pacific Ocean"
Postdoc & Graduate Student: Florian Lüskow
Publications:
Lüskow F, Galbraith MD, Hunt BPV, Perry RI, Boersma M, Pakhomov EA (2022) Gelatinous and soft-bodied zooplankton in the Northeast Pacific Ocean: Phosphorus content and potential resilience to phosphorus limitation. Hydrobiol 849. doi:10.1007/s10750-021-04758-9
Lüskow F, Johnson S, Johnson J, Pakhomov EA (2021) Gelatinous zooplankton of the Marshall Islands, Central Tropical Pacific: An inventory. Mar Biodiv 51(3):56. doi:10.1007/s12526-021-01205-9
Lüskow F, López-González PJ, Pakhomov EA (2021) Freshwater jellyfish in northern temperate lakes: Craspedacusta sowerbii in British Columbia, Canada. Aquat Biol 30:69-84. doi:10.3354/ab00742
Pacific Salmon Food Webs
Aim: Past, present and future life history experience of salmon in the changing North Pacific Ocean, with a specific focus on food webs. We combine data mining with analysis of archival and new sample collections, applying stable isotope, fatty acid and dietary approaches.
Postdoc & Graduate Student(s): Samantha James and Vanessa Zahner
Juvenile Salmon Survival Program
Aim: This projects is examining the early marine life history of Pacific salmon with respect to:1) Ocean habitat experienced, including physical, chemical and trophic conditions; 2) Migration dynamics; 3) Impact of ocean conditions of health, condition and survival.
Postdoc & Graduate Student Team: Yulia Egorova
Publications:
Yulia, E., Yulia, K., Tymofey, S., & PV, H. B. (2021). Analysis of Sr and Ba profiles measured by ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry LA-ICP-MS in otoliths of juvenile anadromous sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka in the early marine life-history stage as a proxy for fresh to marine water transition. Известия ТИНРО (Тихоокеанского научно-исследовательского рыбохозяйственного центра), 201(3), 669-685.
Micronekton Intercalibration Experiment 1
Aim: The role of the Micronekton Sampling Inter-calibration Experiment was to oversee the planning and implementation of a field program to evaluate the efficacy of sampling gears and procedures employed by different agencies to sample micronekton in the North Pacific, and to disseminate the results to the scientific community.
Publications:
Lian E. Kwong, Evgeny A. Pakhomov, Andrey V. Suntsov, Michael P. Seki, Richard D. Brodeur, Larisa G. Pakhomova, Réka Domokos, An intercomparison of the taxonomic and size composition of tropical macrozooplankton and micronekton collected using three sampling gears, Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 135: 34-45.
Rivers Inlet Ecosystem Study
Team: Desiree Tommasi
Aim: The Rivers Inlet Ecosystem Study (RIES) is formulated around the aim to develop an understanding of factors influencing the early life history of Rivers Inlet sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), with special focus on spring plankton abundance in the inlet€.
Midwater food webs
Aim: To develop a broad understanding of the fundamental ecological principles driving the composition, diversity, density and stability of the midwater plankton and micronekton communities in the world ocean. It is started as a comparative study to identify the differences/similarities in the community and food web structure (carbon cycling) in different ecological realms, including the mesopelagic zones of polar (Antarctic), temperate (Chatham Rise) and tropical (near Hawaii) regions.
Salmon resilience - the impact of climate change and fisheries on sockeye salmon's genetic diversity and population structure
Aim: This project aims to gain a better understanding of the interaction of overfishing and climate change in declining fish populations. This study focuses on sockeye salmon a species of key importance in the Pacific Northwest.
Understanding the ecosystem role of Pacific herring in coupled social-ecological systems: advancing forage fish science
Aim: A multi PI NSERC Strategic project aiming to assess ecosystem services provided by forage fish, in particular Pacific herring.