EEMB 595P Winter 2011 SBC LTER Research Seminar Instructor: S. Holbrook Time :Wednesdays noon-1 pm Room: MSRB auditorium 5-JanOrganizational meeting SBC LTER overview - D. Reed 12-JanLocal and regional forcing of giant kelp biomass -D. Siegel 19-JanPatterns and controls on kelp forest NPP - B. Miller 26-JanKelp wrack and nutrient cycling on beaches - J. Dugan 2-FebPatterns and controls of constituents and fluxes of stream runoff - J. Melack 9-FebInfluence of fire in coastal watersheds - S. Cooper 16-FebPatterns and process of ocean transport - L. Washburn 23-FebNitrogen transport and cycling in the coastal zone - M. Brzezinski 2-MarSources, fluxes and fate of organic C in nearshore food webs- C. Carlson 9-MarPhysical and biological drivers of kelp forest structure and function - J. Byrnes

Focus on Ecosystems at the Land-Ocean Margin Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research

LTER Objective To attain a predictive understanding of ecological phenomena over long temporal and large spatial scales LTER Mission To provide the scientific community, policy makers, and society with the knowledge and predictive understanding necessary to conserve, protect, and manage the nation's ecosystems, their biodiversity, and the services they provide. US National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research Network Established 1980

terrestrial / marine tropical / temperate / polar pristine / urbanized / managed habitats include: forests, deserts, grasslands, alpine, tundra, agricultural lands, dry valleys, estuaries, barrier islands, coral and rocky reefs, and the pelagic ocean US LTER Network 26 sites representing diverse ecosystem types

US LTER Coastal Marine Ecosystems Moorea Coral Reef Virginia Coast Reserve Georgia Coastal Ecosystem Florida Coastal Everglades Plum Island Ecosystem Palmer Station California Current Ecosystem Santa Barbara Coastal

Coastal Marine Beach Land Nutrients, Plankton, Larvae POM, DOM Open Ocean Estuary Coastal plain: Agriculture Suburban Urban Foothills: Agriculture Suburban Mountains: Shrub Forest Streams Nutrients, Sediments, Pollutants Giant kelp

~ 10,000 km 2 Coastal mountains Offshore islands Major biogeographic boundary Mediterranean climate Small streams and estuaries Shallow rocky reefs / kelp forests Strong ENSO and PDO signal Santa Barbara Coastal LTER Established Focus on Ecosystems at the Land-Ocean Margin Site Characteristics

Giant Kelp Forests are the focal ecosystem of the Santa Barbara Coastal LTER Distribution of Macrocystis Giant kelp forests are found worldwide on shallow reefs in temperate seas Giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera

Marine Attributes of SBC LTER System of no take marine reserves Strong gradients in temp/nutrients * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1 7 High topographic relief Santa Barbara Basin 609 m Santa Barbara Complex circulation Santa Barbara

Land Attributes of SBC LTER Varied land cover Episodic stream flows Diverse watersheds with steep slopes Periodic fires

Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research Primary Research Areas 1.Land and ocean processes that determine the type and quantity of materials delivered to the coastal ocean. 2.The relative importance of land and ocean processes for primary production, biodiversity and food web structure of kelp forests. 3.Effects of disturbance & climate change on the entire coastal ecosystem

Coordinated long-term measurements General Research Approaches Manipulative field experiments Shorter-term measurement intensive process studies Synthesis through Modeling & Integrated Analyses

Hydrology and water biogeochemistry during base flow conditions and storm flow events The effects of land cover, land use and fire on chemical and biological constituents of runoff Nutrient and carbon processing in streams and soils. Marine subsidies to sandy beach communities Terrestrial Research Topics

Ocean circulation and mechanisms of material transport Phytoplankton productivity, distribution, & succession Sources and fate of dissolved & particulate organic matter Satellite remote sensing of ocean color and kelp distribution to examine regional to basin scale processes on kelp forest ecosystems Oceanographic Research Topics

Effects of disturbance and species interactions on community structure Patterns and controls of net primary production Effects of climate change on foodweb diversity and complexity Transport and processing of different sources and forms of nitrogen Kelp Forest Research Topics

Objective: Develop a storage system for metadata and data that facilitates synthesis and provides long-term management and accessibility Information Management

sbc.lternet.edu/data SBC LTER Data Catalog

SBC LTER Personnel