The Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center at the University of Alaska Southeast has received $500,000 from the National Science Foundation to study the linked forest and marine ecosystems of Southeast Alaska.
The five-year grant will support an international network of scientists, resource managers and students trying to understand how the forests store so much carbon, why the fisheries are so productive, and how warming temperatures and changing weather patterns will affect forests and fisheries.
The research network includes participants from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, British Columbia and researchers from similar ecosystems in Patagonia.
Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program undergraduate students at UAS will be involved in research activities, from field site visits to data management to creating web-based informational materials.
Goals of the project include better understanding the region’s important natural resources, building research partnerships and training the next generation of scientists and managers.
