SEES Fellows: Enhancing Sustainability of Shellfish Harvest in Alaska: Addressing the Ecology of Alexandrium Blooms and their Sociocultural Impacts.

该项目得到了NSF科学，工程和教育可持续发展研究员（SEES研究员）计划的支持，其目标是帮助实现所需的发现，为导致环境，能源和社会可持续性的行动提供信息，同时创造必要的劳动力来应对这些挑战。可持续发展科学是一个新兴的领域，它解决了在不损害环境的情况下满足人类需求的挑战，并且不牺牲后代满足其需求的能力。一个强大的科学队伍需要在跨学科研究和思维方面受过教育和培训的个人，特别是在可持续发展科学领域。在SEES奖学金的支持下，该项目将使一个有前途的早期职业研究人员能够在与可持续发展相关的独立研究生涯中确立自己的地位。该项目的重点是阿拉斯加贝类捕捞的可持续性，在阿拉斯加，由海洋亚历山大藻引起的麻痹性贝类中毒是一个严重和持续的问题，严重影响人类健康和贝类资源的可用性。该项目旨在通过解决亚历山大藻有害藻华的生态及其社会文化影响，提高阿拉斯加东南部商业、娱乐和生计贝类捕捞的可持续性。尽管麻痹性贝类中毒的影响是公认的，但很少有研究对致病生物Alexandrum以及阿拉斯加东南部地区有毒Alexandrum水华的社会文化影响进行了研究。 这项研究是一项三管齐下的努力。 首先，该项目通过绘制孢囊苗床（即，水华起始位点），监测孢囊的出现，并确定水华形成的环境条件。这些信息增加了关于沿海峡湾系统中亚历山大藻水华动态的科学知识，提供了关于有毒水华发展的早期预警信息，并有助于集中在阿拉斯加东南部未来的麻痹性贝类中毒测试和有害藻类水华监测工作。 第二，新型原位传感器的应用将克服以往底栖生物出现监测方面的挑战，并有可能提高有害藻华预测能力。第三，人的方面的研究将产生重要信息，说明社会系统如何能够减少对有害藻华的脆弱性，以及地方/传统知识如何能够通过建立强有力的社区伙伴关系支持科学努力。 SEES研究员伊丽莎白·托宾博士与阿拉斯加大学费尔班克斯的主持人导师金妮·埃克特博士以及华盛顿大学的合伙人导师托马斯·莱申博士合作。

The project is supported under the NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellows (SEES Fellows) program, with the goal of helping to enable discoveries needed to inform actions that lead to environmental, energy and societal sustainability while creating the necessary workforce to address these challenges. Sustainability science is an emerging field that addresses the challenges of meeting human needs without harm to the environment, and without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. A strong scientific workforce requires individuals educated and trained in interdisciplinary research and thinking, especially in the area of sustainability science. With the SEES Fellowship support, this project will enable a promising early career researcher to establish herself in an independent research career related to sustainability. This project focuses on the sustainability of shelfish harvesting in Alaska.In Alaska, paralytic shellfish poisoning caused by the marine alga Alexandrium is a severe and persistent problem that significantly impacts human health and the availability of shellfish resources. This project aims to enhance sustainability of commercial, recreational and subsistence shellfish harvest in Southeast Alaska by addressing the ecology of Alexandrium harmful algal blooms and their sociocultural impacts. Despite the recognized impacts of paralytic shellfish poisoning, little research has been done on the causative organism, Alexandrium, and the sociocultural impacts of toxic Alexandrium blooms in the Southeast Alaska region. This study is a three-pronged effort. First, the project bolsters understanding of the ecological mechanisms that promote Alexandrium blooms by mapping cyst seedbeds (i.e., bloom initiation sites), monitoring cyst emergence, and identifying environmental conditions under which blooms form. This information adds to the body of scientific knowledge about Alexandrium bloom dynamics in coastal, fjord systems, provide early-warning information about toxic bloom development and help focus future paralytic shellfish poisoning testing and harmful algal bloom monitoring efforts in Southeast Alaska. Second, the application of novel in situ sensors will overcome previous benthic emergence monitoring challenges and has the potential to improve harmful algal bloom forecasting capabilities. Third, human dimensions research will generate critical information about how social systems can reduce vulnerability to harmful algal blooms and how local/traditional knowledge can support scientific efforts by establishing strong community partnerships. The SEES Fellow, Dr. Elizabeth Tobin, works with host mentor Dr. Ginny Eckert at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and with partner mentor Dr. Thomas Leschine at the University of Washington.