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Abstract A 25‐year (1996–2020) hindcast from a coupled physical‐biogeochemical model is evaluated with nutrients, phytoplankton and zooplankton field data and is analyzed to identify mechanisms controlling seasonal and interannual variability of the northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) planktonic food web. Characterized by a mosaic of processes, the NGA is a biologically complex and productive marine ecosystem. Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis combining abiotic and biotic variables averaged over the continental shelf reveals that light intensity is a main driver for nanophytoplankton variability during spring, and that nitrate availability is a main driver for diatoms during spring and for both phytoplankton during summer. Zooplankton variability is a combination of carry‐over effects from the previous year and bottom‐up controls from the current year, with copepods and euphausiids responding to diatoms and microzooplankton responding to nanophytoplankton. The results also demonstrate the effect of nitrate availability and phytoplankton community structure on changes in biomass and energy transfers across the planktonic food web over the entire growing season. In particular, the biomass of large copepods and euphausiids increases more significantly during years of higher relative diatom abundance, as opposed to years with higher nitrate availability. Large microzooplankton was identified as the planktonic group most sensitive to perturbations, presumably due to its central position in the food web. By quantifying the combined variability of several key planktonic functional groups over a 25‐year period, this work lays the foundation for an improved understanding of the long‐term impacts of climate change on the NGA shelf. 

Abstract Sinking marine particles, one pathway of the biological carbon pump, transports carbon to the deep ocean from the surface, thereby modulating atmospheric carbon dioxide and supplying benthic food. Few in situ measurements exist of sinking particles in the Northern Gulf of Alaska; therefore, regional carbon flux prediction is poorly constrained. In this study, we (1) characterize the strength and efficiency of the biological carbon pump and (2) identify drivers of carbon flux in the Northern Gulf of Alaska. We deployed up to five inline drifting sediment traps in the upper 150 m to simultaneously collect bulk carbon and intact sinking particles in polyacrylamide gels and measured net primary productivity from deck‐board incubations during the summer of 2019. We found high carbon flux magnitude, low attenuation with depth, and high export efficiency. We quantitatively attributed carbon flux between 10 particle types, including various fecal pellet categories, dense detritus, and aggregates using polyacrylamide gels. The contribution of aggregates to total carbon flux (41–93%) and total carbon flux variability (95%) suggest that aggregation processes, not zooplankton repackaging, played a dominant role in carbon export. Furthermore, export efficiency correlated significantly with the proportion of chlorophyllain the large size fraction (> 20 μm), total aggregate carbon flux, and contribution of aggregates to total carbon flux. These results suggest that this stratified, small‐cell‐dominated ecosystem can have sufficient aggregation to allow for a strong and efficient biological carbon pump. This is the first integrative description of the biological carbon pump in this region. 

Abstract Recent marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska have had devastating impacts on species from various trophic levels. Due to climate change, total heat exposure in the upper ocean has become longer, more intense, more frequent, and more likely to happen at the same time as other environmental extremes. The combination of multiple environmental extremes can exacerbate the response of sensitive marine organisms. Our hindcast simulation provides the first indication that more than 20% of the bottom water of the Gulf of Alaska continental shelf was exposed to quadruple heat, positive hydrogen ion concentration [H⁺], negative aragonite saturation state (Ω_arag), and negative oxygen concentration [O₂] compound extreme events during the 2018–2020 marine heat wave. Natural intrusion of deep and acidified water combined with the marine heat wave triggered the first occurrence of these events in 2019. During the 2013–2016 marine heat wave, surface waters were already exposed to widespread marine heat and positive [H⁺] compound extreme events due to the temperature effect on the [H⁺]. We introduce a new Gulf of Alaska Downwelling Index (GOADI) with short‐term predictive skill, which can serve as indicator of past and near‐future positive [H⁺], negative Ω_arag, and negative [O₂] compound extreme events near the shelf seafloor. Our results suggest that the marine heat waves may have not been the sole environmental stressor that led to the observed ecosystem impacts and warrant a closer look at existing in situ inorganic carbon and other environmental data in combination with biological observations and model output. 

T he Copper River is a major source of freshwater to the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) shelf with a seasonal cycle t hat reaches peak discharge in summer. This glacially-fed river also provides a large input of dissolved chemicals t o the NGA, and because of its large particle load, it impacts the distribution of particle-reactive elements. Summertime sampling of shelf water properties was carried out within the Copper River plume region during two y ears: first during a period of upwelling-favorable winds and higher river discharge (4–7 July 2019) and later during lower river discharge and more typical downwelling conditions (11–13 July 2020). Although these wind conditions were observed in separate years, both can occur over the course of a single summer. We found that the e xport of most nutrients to surface shelf waters was enhanced under upwelling-favorable winds accompanied by higher river discharge compared to downwelling conditions and lower discharge. For example, greater cross- shelf plume transport in 2019 resulted in higher mid-shelf surface inventories for nitrate +nitrite (N +N), silicic acid (H4 SiO 4 ), phosphate (PO4 3 − ), dissolved Fe (dFe), and dissolved Cu (dCu) compared to 2020. Entrainment of relatively macronutrient-rich subsurface waters under upwelling conditions may also have contributed t o the enhancement of these mid-shelf nutrient inventories. The observed high N:P ratios in plume waters were likely driven by the scavenging of P within particle-laden plume waters. Similarly, we observed lower than expected [dFe] (1.58 to 6.12 nM) in particle-laden plume waters, likely a result of enhanced scavenging combined with low concentrations of dissolved Fe-binding ligands. Although dNi and dZn have a river source, we observed lower concentrations in surface shelf waters under upwelling conditions, suggesting enhanced dilution b y relatively micronutrient-poor subsurface waters. Results highlight the influence of sub-seasonal variations in atmospheric forcing on nutrient distributions and suggest that this forcing also impacts the location and timing of primary production hotspots during summer, adding to the ecological mosaic of the NGA across a range of temporal and spatial scales. 

The biologically productive Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) continental shelf receives large inputs of freshwater from surrounding glaciated and non-glaciated watersheds, and a better characterization of the regional salinity spatiotemporal variability is important for understanding its fate and ecological roles. We here assess synoptic to seasonal distributions of freshwater pathways of the Copper River discharge plume and the greater NGA continental shelf and slope using observations from ship-based and towed undulating conductivity-temperaturedepth (CTD) instruments, satellite imagery, and satellite-tracked drifters. On the NGA continental shelf and slope we find low salinities not only nearshore but also 100–150 km from the coast (i.e. average 0–50 m salinities less than 31.9, 31.3, and 30.8 in spring, summer, and fall respectively) indicating recurring mid-shelf and shelfbreak freshwater pathways. Close to the Copper River, the shelf bathymetry decouples the spreading river plume from the direct effects of seafloor-induced steering and mixing, allowing iron- and silicic acid-rich river outflow to propagate offshore within a surface-trapped plume. Self-organized mapping analysis applied to true color satellite imagery reveals common patterns of the turbid river plume. We show that the Copper River plume is sensitive to local wind forcing and exerts control over water column stratification up to ~100 km from the river mouth. Upwelling-favorable wind stress modifies plume entrainment and density anomalies and plume width. Baroclinic transport of surface waters west of the river mouth closely follow the influence of alongshore wind stress, while baroclinic transport east of the river mouth is additionally modified by a recurring or persistent gyre. Our results provide context for considering the oceanic fate of terrestrial discharges in the Gulf of Alaska. 

Mixotrophy among ciliates and dinoflagellates in the northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) was widespread during spring and summer, with mixotrophs contributing a median of 38 to 61% of total ciliate plus dinoflagellate biomass depending on season and year. The proportional contribution of mixotrophs was higher during a heatwave year (2019) than during a year of average temperatures (2018). The most common mixotrophic ciliates included Mesodinium spp. and several of 8 observed Strombidium species, while for dinoflagellates, the most common mixotrophs were Gymnodinium-like cells and Tripos (formerlyCeratium) spp. Onshore-offshore distribution gradients were seen mainly in summer when elevated freshwater inputs create a horizontal salinity gradient. A nearshore mixotroph assemblage consisted of nutritionally related Mesodinium spp. and dinoflagellate Dinophysis, as well as Tripos spp., while an offshore assemblage included Tontonia-like ciliates and dinoflagellates including Gymnodinium-like cells and Torodinium robustum. An 11 yr time series with lower taxonomic resolution revealed seasonality in some taxa and showed near-complete loss of Mesodinium spp. and Tontonia-like species during the longer 2014-2016 North Pacific marine heatwave. The constellation of nutritional strategies represented by NGA mixotrophs may be an important component of lower trophic level resilience to marine heatwaves, while high mixotroph contribution to ciliate plus dinoflagellate biomass may increase trophic transfer efficiency and contribute to high fisheries yields. 

The Line Height Absorption (LHA) method uses absorption of light to estimate chlorophyll-a. While most users consider regional variability and apply corrections, the effect of temporal variability is typically not explored. The Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) was selected for this study because there was no published regional value and its large swings in temporal productivity would make it a good candidate to evaluate the effect of temporal variability on the relationship. The mean NGA value of 0.0114 obtained here should be treated with caution, as variation in the slope of the relationship (a_LH*), and thus chlorophyll-a estimates, in the NGA region varied by ∼25% between spring (a_LH* = 0.0109) and summer (a_LH* = 0.0137). Results suggest that this change is driven by a shift in pigment packaging and cell size associated with changes in mixed layer depth and stratification. Consideration of how temporal variability may affect the accuracy of the LHA method in other regions is thus recommended. 

Abstract. As elsewhere in the global ocean, the Gulf of Alaska is experiencing the rapid onset of ocean acidification (OA) driven by oceanic absorption of anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In support of OA research and monitoring, we present here a data product of marine inorganic carbon chemistry parameters measured from seawater samples taken during biannual cruises between 2008 and 2017 in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Samples were collected each May and September over the 10 year period using a conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) profiler coupled with a Niskin bottle rosette at stations including a long-term hydrographic survey transect known as the Gulf of Alaska (GAK) Line. This dataset includes discrete seawater measurements such as dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity, which allows the calculation of other marine carbon parameters, including carbonate mineral saturation states, carbon dioxide (CO2), and pH. Cumulative daily Bakun upwelling indices illustrate the pattern of downwelling in the northern Gulf of Alaska, with a period of relaxation spanning between the May and September cruises. The observed time and space variability impart challenges for disentangling the OA signal despite this dataset spanning a decade. However, this data product greatly enhances our understanding of seasonal and interannual variability in the marine inorganic carbon system parameters. The product can also aid in the ground truthing of biogeochemical models, refining estimates of sea–air CO2 exchange, and determining appropriate CO2 parameter ranges for experiments targeting potentially vulnerable species. Data are available at https://doi.org/10.25921/x9sg-9b08 (Monacci et al., 2023).