Area of Expertise:
Dr. Karyn Suchy’s broad interests are in zooplankton ecology and biological oceanography. For her PhD research, she determined how short-term variations in food quantity, food quality, and primary productivity influence zooplankton communities in coastal marine ecosystems on the west coast of Canada and in the tropical waters of Guanabara Bay, Brazil. The main goal of her postdoctoral work is to investigate the level of synchrony between phytoplankton and zooplankton phenology in the Salish Sea. Time-series data for phytoplankton will be derived from various sources (satellite imagery, buoy data, ferry data, citizen science data, and research cruise data) and then coupled with historical and present zooplankton data. By looking at long-term spatial data of phytoplankton and zooplankton, we can identify their response to different climate drivers (e.g. SST, wind) and global climatic indices. Ultimately, changes in the seasonal patterns of these lower trophic levels will provide insight into their influence on the growth, survival, and overall return strength of salmon populations in the region.
Select Presentation(s) / Publication(s):
Esenkulova, Svetlana; Suchy, Karyn; Perry, Ian; Young, Kelly; Costa, Maycira; Flagg, Ryan; Galbraith, Moira; and Pearsall, Isobel, “Seasonal dynamics of oceanographic conditions, phytoplankton, and zooplankton in the Malaspina Strait, Strait of Georgia” (2018). Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference. 376.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2018ssec/allsessions/376
Suchy, Karyn; Perry, Ian; Costa, Maycira; Young, Kelly; Galbraith, Moira; Hunt, Brian; Esenkulova, Svetlana; Boldt, Jennifer; Thompson, Matthew; “Comparison of bottom-up processes in Canadian subregions of the Salish Sea” (2018). Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference. 441. https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2018ssec/allsessions/441/
Suchy, Karyn; Costa, Maycira; Perry, Ian; “Influence of environmental drivers on satellite-derived chlorophyll a in the Strait of Georgia from 2003-2016” (2018). Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference. 394. https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2018ssec/allsessions/394/
Suchy, Karyn & Dower, John & Varela, Diana & Lagunas, M.G.. (2016). Interannual variability in the relationship between in situ primary productivity and somatic crustacean productivity in a temperate fjord. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 545. 91-108. 10.3354/meps11608.
