What Seabirds Can Tell Us About Oregon’s Dynamic Coastal Ecosystems

What Seabirds Can Tell Us About Oregon’s Dynamic Coastal Ecosystems Will Kennerley OSU Seabird Oceanography Lab Our oceans and coasts are vast and dynamic, making understanding their underlying processes and predicting future conditions highly challenging. Seabirds, however, cross the boundary between land and sea and can be a highly-visible and insightful window into the workings of the ever-changing Oregon Coast. Will Kennerley shares about some of the work done by OSU’s Seabird Oceanography Lab as they attempt to use seabirds to better understand coastal ecosystems. Murres, cormorants, eagles, and puffins all provide insight into the oceanographic forces, changing fish communities, and effects of humans (both good and bad) along our scenic coastline. Will Kennerley is a faculty research assistant in the Seabird Oceanography Lab at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, OR. He works on diverse research projects related to seabird ecology and conservation. These projects include monitoring breeding seabirds at Yaquina Head, performing at sea surveys for Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus), and he acts as the lead contact for the “Birds with Fish” community science initiative.