the BREAKWATER 
A newsletter from the Prince William Sound Science Center
February 29, 2020
MIDDLETON ISLAND PUFFINS
A Tufted Puffin peers out from its burrow. Photo by Anne Schaefer
Our Tufted Puffin researchers are getting results!

Starting in July 2018, research ecologists, Kristen Gorman, Mary Anne Bishop, and Anne Schaefer set out to track Tufted Puffins during the over-winter period by deploying geolocator (GLS) tags on adults nesting at Middleton Island in the Gulf of Alaska.  The goal of the study is to fill knowledge gaps in Tufted Puffin ecology during the non-breeding season - specifically aiming to reveal where the puffins winter in the Gulf of Alaska. 

They have just begun to analyze the data from their first year of tracking and some of these results are challenging conventional knowledge about the species. Find out what they are learning and how technology is making it all possible in our news feature.
PWSSC REPRESENTED AT OSM
Education Director Lauren Bien posing in the PWSSC booth at the OSM in San Diego.
Science Center staff traveled to join ocean scientist from around the world for the Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) in San Diego, California. 

"This year's theme, "For a Resilient Planet," centers around the concept that scientists--in partnership with governments and communities--have the power to affect change in fostering healthier and more resilient oceans, a safer and sustainable food supply, and to mitigate the impacts of climate change."

Rob Campbell and Caitlin McKinstry shared results from their Gulf Watch Alaska projects studying plankton in Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet. The Science Center also hosted a booth during the conference.

Abstracts:
Rob Campbell:
The annual secondary productivity cycle in Prince William Sound measured with the Prince William Sound Plankton Camera
 
IN SEARCH OF THE ILLUSIVE ICE WORM
Folks head to Sheridan Glacier to learn about ice worms with USFS and PWSSC staff.
Have you ever seen an ice worm? 
 
"For all its popularity, little is known about the elusive ice worm. No one has witnessed them reproduce or knows quite how long they live. Perhaps this is why, in 60 years, Cordova Iceworm Festival has included relatively little scientific information on its mascot. 
 
This year, the worm finally turned, as the U.S. Forest Service and Prince William Sound Science Center collaborated to stage an educational hike at Sheridan Glacier." 
 
Read about ice worms and our education department's adventure to find them in this entertaining  Cordova Times article.
TSUNAMI BOWL
The Backstreet Buoys
Cordova's National Ocean Sciences Bowl team, the Backstreet Buoys, are returning to Cordova with titles and a major sense of accomplishment after the Alaska Tsunami Ocean Sciences Bowl in Seward.  

The Tsunami Bowl requires teams to complete a research project on a predetermined topic comprised of a 15-page paper and 15-minute oral presentation. The team's oral presentation, "Impacts of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill on Prince William Sound: Economic and Ecological Resilience" earned them third place in the state!

While the team's buzzer-round record was great (4 wins and 2 losses), the competition this year was stiff and they weren't able to work into the top spot. However, the team had a great time, learned a lot, and is already looking forward to next year's competition. Great job, Backstreet Buoys!
The Science Center is committed to understanding how one place on earth can maintain a reliable economy and natural environment for the long term. 
 
We invite you-- donors, researchers, partners, funders, elected officials, citizens--to join us in better understanding one of the world's last, great natural regions, home of the world's richest waters.

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