This project will establish a long-term program of oceanographic observations in shallow water in several glacial fjords of Southeast Alaska.

Access with scuba diving to red tree corals (Primnoa pacifica) that have emerged into shallow water in several glacial fjords of Southeast Alaska have been studied year-round since 2004. These coral populations may prove to be sentinel populations for studies on the effects of global climate change and ocean acidification on marine processes in the North Pacific Ocean.

We will establish several long-term oceanographic stations in Tracy Arm, Holkham Bay and Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay were studies on the biology of red tree corals have been ongoing since 2004. Remote oceanographic sensors that measure temperature, salinity, pH, and current speed and direction will be deployed at each site and routinely maintained from the Auke Bay Laboratory in Juneau.