Barcoding Dutch Harbor and St Paul's Marine Invertebrates

A hotspot of shipping and fisheries activity, Dutch Harbor and St Paul in western Alaska are susceptible to impacts of both climate change, which is projected to be greatest at high latitudes, and shipping related introductions of marine non-native species. The aims of this project were to establish measures of coastal ecosystem health that can be easily quantified and repeated, to inform recognition and understanding of ecosystem change in response to these forces.

作为阿拉斯加西部航运与渔业活动的热点区域，荷兰港（Dutch Harbor）与圣保罗岛（St Paul）极易受到两类因素的冲击：一是预计在高纬度地区影响最为显著的气候变化，二是航运相关的海洋外来物种引入。本研究项目的目标为构建可便捷量化且可重复实施的海岸生态系统健康评估体系，以期为识别、理解上述两类驱动因素下的生态系统变化提供科学依据。