Kaien Island ROMS Model

Kaien Island ROMS Model

Kaien Island Model

As a part of a project for Mavi Innovations Inc., Ocean Ecology developed an ocean circulation model for a region around Kaien Island. ROMS (Regional Ocean Modeling System) was chosen to carry out the ocean current studies. ROMS is a three-dimensional, free-surface, terrain-following numerical model that solves the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (equations used to describe Newton’s Second Law of Motion in incompressible fluids) using the hydrostatic and Boussinesq assumptions. ROMS uses an orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system.

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The Skeena River Estuary

The Skeena River Estuary

Chatham Sound

Chatham Sound is situated in the northern part of British Columbia, located between Dundas and Stephens Islands and the Tsimpsean Peninsula near Prince Rupert and bordering on Alaska. It is a semi-enclosed basin with an area of approximately 1500 km2, and is influenced by fresh water from two large rivers, the Skeena and the Nass (Trites, 1956).

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Chatham Sound Eelgrass Study, July to September, 2012

Chatham Sound Eelgrass Study, July to September, 2012

Introduction

Generally situated in shallows and along complex shorelines highly valued by recreational users, eelgrass meadows are both ecologically valuable and potentially threatened. They provide rearing habitats for the juvenile stages of many species of fish, foraging habitats for both migratory and resident bird species, and recent research also suggests that eelgrass plays a critical role in carbon sequestration.

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Ocean Circulation Models

Ocean Circulation Models

Ocean circulation models are three-dimensional representations of the ocean which are used for studying ocean circulation, climate change, organism distribution and dispersal, marine chemistry, and the distribution and transport of substances in the ocean, including sediments and marine pollutants. These models include factors such as surface air temperature, water temperature and salinity, wind forcing, ocean eddies, and realistic coastline and seafloor features in their calculations. Numerical models can include real-time oceanographic data from ships and satellites to produce forecasts of oceanic conditions, including the El Niño in the Pacific, and the position of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic.

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Fisheries Science

Fisheries Science

Fisheries Science

Fisheries management draws on fisheries science in order to find ways to protect fishery resources so that sustainable exploitation is possible. Fisheries science is the academic discipline of managing and understanding fisheries. It is a multidisciplinary science, which draws on the disciplines of oceanography, marine biology, marine conservation, ecology, population dynamics, economics and management in an attempt to provide an integrated picture of fisheries.

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Plankton Analysis

Plankton Analysis

For many years, Ocean Ecology performed marine plankton identification and enumeration (both phytoplankton and zooplankton) in its laboratory. Samples were collected using either a water bottle or a plankton net. After preservation, the samples were examinined using a microscope. Depending on the particular study being performed, analysis ranged from simply identifying and enumerating harmful algal species to a full analysis of all species present.

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