Changing coastal productivity: Using sediment cores, water properties and archived plankton data to identify changes at the bottom of the food web in BC’s coastal waters
PSSI Project Summary
Division: Ocean Sciences (OSD)
Section: Ecology and Biogeochemistry
Organization: DFO
Session(s): Salmon In A Changing Climate
Presentation Date(s): December 02, 2025
Speakers: Sophia Johannessen
Abstract:
Has climate change reduced the amount of plankton at the bottom of the food web in BC waters, reducing the carrying capacity for salmon? Have smaller phytoplankton replaced diatoms, lengthening the food chain and making food less nutritious for salmon? This study uses chemical markers in sediment cores and water samples to investigate food web changes in BC coastal inlets.