Research Paper Archives
These research papers were submitted by high school teams participating in the Alaska regional competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.
To find all the papers submitted for a particular year and topic, click on that year's link. Or check out the links to individual papers below, sorted alphabetically by school. For more information on past competitions, visit the main NOSB archives page.
Research papers by year (and topic)
2013 research papers (topic: estuarine systems and the importance of freshwater in marine science)
2012 research papers (topic: ecosystem-based management of an Alaska-based fishery)
2011 research papers (topic: humanity's impacts, reactions, and adaptations to natural oceanic or man-made phenomena)
2010 research papers (topic: thinning Arctic ice cap)
2009 research papers (topic: ocean acidification)
2006 research papers (topic: ecosystem-based management)
2005 research papers (topic: climate change)
2004 research papers (topic: contaminants)
2003 research papers (topic: coastal community development)
2002 research papers (topic: Alaskan species under pressure)
2001 research papers (topic: environmental protection plan)
2000 research papers (topic: salmon management plan)
1999 research papers (topic: Steller sea lion declines)
Research papers alphabetically by high school
Anchorage—Bartlett High School
- Ship Creek Crack Down (2004)
Anchorage—Dimond High School
- The South Coastal Trail Controversy (2003)
- The Eklutna Project (2002)
- The Pike Plague (2001 winning paper)
- Decline of the Steller Sea Lion (1999)
Anchorage—East Anchorage High School
- Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus, sp.)—An in-depth research paper on the population decline of Pacific salmon in Alaska (2000)
- An In-Depth Research of Possible Causes for Steller Sea Lion Population Declines in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea (1999)
Anchorage—South Anchorage High School
- The Yukon River Estuary and Satellite Photography as a Tool for Population Studies in the Yukon Estuary [PDF; 3.6 MB] (2013)
- Productivity and Sea Ice Decline in the Arctic Ocean (2010)
- The Greening of Alaska…or Not?! (2005)
Bethel Alternative Boarding School
- Cost Analysis of Moving Four Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Villages in Response to Rising Sea Levels (2005)
- Effect of Housing on Dissolved Oxygen in Bethel, Alaska, Lakes (2004)
Cordova High School
- Wells and Whales: The Ecological Effects and Future of Cook Inlet Hydrocarbon Production [PDF; 1.8 MB] (2013)
- Coral, Crabs, and Conservation: Managing Aleutian King Crab Through the Preservation of Cold-Water Coral Gardens [PDF; 680 KB] (2012 winning paper)
- Effects of melting glaciers on nutrient flux to the Gulf of Alaska (2011)
- Waste Not, Want Not: Finding Alternate Uses for Cannery Discharge (2011)
- Shrinking Sea Ice, Growing Risk (2010)
- The Not So Happy Meal (2009)
- The Effects of Ocean Acidification on Pink Salmon in Prince William Sound (2009)
- Ecosystem Management of Pacific Halibut in Prince William Sound (2006 winning paper)
- The Effects of Climate Change on Cordova, Alaska, on the Prince William Sound (2005)
- Effects of Hydrocarbons on Pacific Herring in Prince William Sound (2004)
- Killer Whales in Peril: The Decline of the AT1 Group in Prince William Sound, Alaska (2002)
Dillingham High School
- Can Biofuel Become a Sustainable Resource for Dillingham? [PDF; 80 KB] (2013)
- PCB in Dillingham [PDF; 152 KB] (2013)
- Management Plan for Chinook Salmon in the Nushagak Drainage [PDF; 160 KB] (2012)
Eagle River—Chugiak High School
- Upon Thin Ice (Problems Facing Barrow, Alaska, as a Direct Result of a Retreating and Thinning Arctic Ice Cap) (2010)
- The Development of the Alaskan Ginseng Industry in Hyder, Alaska (2003)
- Relieving Anadromous Pressures: A Dissertation of Steelhead Trout in the Anchor River Vicinity (2002)
- Eagle River: Past, Present, and Future (2001)
- Analysis of the Status Quo of Salmon Populations in Cook Inlet (2000)
- Decrease in Steller Sea Lion Populations—Due to Whaling and Overfishing of Pollock in Alaska (1999)
Fairbanks: Hutchison High School
- To Know the Inconnu: A Management Plan for Sheefish in the Kobuk-Selawik Estuarine System [PDF; 756 KB] (2013)
Homer High School
- Optimization of Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Project: Focus on stream and estuary health [PDF; 4.1 MB] (2013)
- Management of Kachemak Bay Salmon: Preservation of Our Estuaries [PDF; 1.2 MB] (2013)
- Restoration of Cook Inlet Herring Fishery [PDF; 545 KB] (2012)
- Threat of European Green Crab Invasion in Kachemak Bay (2004)
- Seawall Construction in Homer, Alaska (2003)
Juneau-Douglas High School and J-D/Thunder Mountain combined teams
- Comparative Ecosystem-Based Management of Several Forage Fishes in the Changing Berners Bay Estuary [PDF; 3.8 MB] (2013)
- Comprehensive Management of the Wild Commercial Harvest and Mariculture of Geoduck Clams (Panopea generosa) in Southeast Alaska [PDF; 2.2 MB] (2012)
- Potential Impacts of Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) Hatcheries on Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) in Lynn Canal (2011 winning paper )
- The Effects of Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) Reintroduction in Southeast Alaska on the Dive Fisheries of Southern Southeast Alaska (2011)
- Impacts of Climate Change on Sea Ice and Bering Sea Primary Production (2010)
- Managing Walleye Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) and Opilio Crab (Chionoecetes opilio) Fisheries under Changing Climatic Conditions (2010)
- The Effects of Ocean Acidification on Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in Alaska (2009 winning paper [tie])
- The Effects of Ocean Acidification on Meroplanktonic Organisms (2009 winning paper [tie])
- Ecosystem management plan for the reconciliation of diverse interests concerning the eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) in the Berners Bay watershed (2006)
- Haa Shagoon: An ecosystem–based fisheries management plan for sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in the Taku Watershed (2006)
- Effects of Climate Change on Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems in the Area of Juneau, Southeast Alaska (2005)
- Climate Change Effects on the Marine Food Web in the Area of Juneau, Alaska (2005)
- Persistent Organic Pollutants in Alaska (2004)
- Tailings Disposal Options for the Kensington Mine at Berners Bay Near Juneau, Alaska (2004)
- Juneau International Airport: Safety Concerns and Estuarine Habitat Values (2003 winning paper)
- Connecting the Southeastern Alaska Communities of the Northern Lynn Canal (2003)
- Effects of Cruise Ships on Southeast Alaska Environment and Economy (2003)
- History & Future of Cruise Ship Waste (2001)
- Natural & Human History of the Mendenhall Watershed near Juneau, Alaska (2001)
- Wastewater Management for Juneau, Alaska (2001)
- Alaska Pacific Salmon Populations Analysis and Recommendations (2000)
- Salmon Management (2000)
- Population Decline of Steller Sea Lion: Analysis and Recommendations (1999 winning project*)
- System Analysis of Steller Sea Lions Decline in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska (1999)
Juneau—Thunder Mountain High School
- The Mendenhall Wetland's Acreage Issue [PDF; 2.2 MB] (2013)
- The Potential for a Sustained, Manageable Armhook squid (Berryteuthis magister) Fishery in Southeast Alaska [PDF; 1.1 MB] (2012)
Kenny Lake School
- An Estuarine Ecosystem Based Management Plan to the Spot Shrimp (Pandalus Platyceros) Resource in Prince William Sound with Reference to the Neva Estuary [PDF, 732 KB] (2013)
- Management of Copper River King Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)—An Ecosystem Based Approach [PDF, 242 MB] (2012)
- The Potential Effects of an All-Alaska Gas Pipeline on Prince William Sound—Does the Benefit Outweigh the Cost? (2011)
- Ecosystem management of sockeye salmon in the Copper River watershed: Cooperation between community and government (2006)
Ketchikan High School
- Preservation of Pink Salmon in Carroll Inlet [PDF; 508 KB] (2013)
- Sea Cucumber Ecosystem Based Management Plan [PDF; 1.6 MB] (2012)
- Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms in Southeast Alaska (2011)
Kodiak High School
- Salmon Restoration Efforts at the Karluk Estuary (Kodiak, AK), and a Comparative Look at the Schelde Estuary (Belgium) [PDF; 1.2 MB] (2013)
- The Effects of Fish Processing Bio-waste on the Ocean's Organisms and Nutrients (2011)
- Effects of Polar Ice Melt on Ocean Chemistry and Kodiak Island's Economy and Energy Technology (2010)
- Projected Effects of Ocean Acidification on the Marine Ecosystem and Social Structure of Kodiak (2009)
- At All Costs: The Effort to Protect Steller Sea Lions and Its Possible Outcomes for the Salmon Industry and Kodiak's Economy (2003)
- Factors Affecting the Tanner Crab Population Near the Kodiak Archipelago (2002)
Kotlik School
- The Nushagak Estuary: Its Salmon Resource, Potential Threat and Proposed Management Plan [PDF; 3 MB] (2013)
- The Impact of Eutrophication on Marine Ecosystems and Its Relation to Village Life (2011)
Kotzebue Middle/High School
- Chum Salmon and Maintaining a Healthy Habitat in the Hotham Inlet Estuary [PDF; 1 MB] (2013)
- Sheefish in the Northwest Arctic [PDF; 111 KB] (2012)
- Hotham Inlet Cyanobacterial Blooms: Cyanobacterial Blooms in the Arctic and Its Potential Effects (2011)
- The Effects of Global Warming on Shipping (2010)
- The Long-Range Effects on Locally Important Marine Resources of the Proposed Deepwater Port in Kotzebue (2003)
Mountain Village—Ignatius Beans Memorial School Complex
- Shrinking Ice and its Perceived Effects on the Subsistence Sources of Mountain Village, Alaska (2010)
- Shrinking Ice and Impact on Polar Bears (2010)
Ninilchik School
- Spruce Bark Beetles (2004)
- Catching the Fish and Eating Them Too—Halibut: a Pressured Species (2002 winning paper)
- Ninilchik Coastal Community (2001)
Petersburg High School
- The Effects of Timber Harvest on the East Duncan Canal Estuary [PDF; 1.7 MB] (2013 winning paper)
- Mining on the Stikine River and Effects on the Estuary [PDF; 316 KB] (2013)
- Southeast Alaska Inside Waters Management Plan of Walleye Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) [PDF; 868 KB] (2012)
- Invasive Tunicates and Their Impact on the Ecosystem Surrounding Petersburg, Alaska (2011)
- Possible Effects of Freshwater Inputs from Melting Icefields on the Marine Ecosystem of Petersburg, Alaska (2010 winning paper)
- Cause and Effect of Ocean Acidification in Petersburg, Alaska (2009)
Scammon Bay School
- Kachemak Bay [PDF; 184 KB] (2013)
- Composting And Other Ideas to Help the Bering Sea [PDF; 568 KB] (2012)
- Climate Change (2011)
seeUOnline/Valley Pathways
- Declining Value of Alaska Wild Salmon Fisheries: An Economic Solution (2005)
- Up the Creek Without a Paddle: Home Septic Systems in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (2004)
- Planning for Population Growth in the Matanuska Susitna Borough and Managing Valuable Estuarine Wetlands (2003)
Selawik—Davis-Ramoth Memorial School
- Effects of Open Landfills on an Arctic Community (2004 winning paper)
Seward High School
- Resurrection Bay Wild Coho Salmon in Potential Danger [PDF; 120 KB] (2013)
- Sperm Whale Detriments to Black Cod Catches [PDF; 500 KB] (2012)
- Jellyfish Blooms and Their Effects in the Sea of Japan (2011)
- The Effects of Receding Sea Ice on Point Hope (2010)
- Kenai Peninsula Ecosystem Management Plan for Pandalid Shrimp (2006)
- Global Warming in Barrow, Alaska (2005)
- Transient Orcas: A Dying Breed (2002)
- An Analysis of Resurrection Bay (2001)
- Resurrection Bay Salmon Management Plan and Other Related Issues (2000)
- A Look at the Possible Causes of Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) Decline (1999)
Soldotna High School
- The Effects of Global Warming and Thinning Sea Ice on Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) and Other Animals of the Arctic (2010)
- The Effects of a Salmon Shark Fishery in Prince William Sound (2006)
- The Effects of Global Warming on Barrow's Permafrost, Ice, and Community(2005)
- The Effects of Sedimentation on Skilak Lake Due to Glacial Melting(2005)
- The Effects of Tributyltin on the Marine Environment (2004)
- Persistent Organic Pollutants in Alaskan Consumers (2004)
- Oysters: Kachemak Bay's Developing Aquacultural Industry (2003)
Soldotna—Skyview High School
- Ecosystem Management—The Kenai River Estuary with an Emphasis on Herring Gulls (2006)
- Global Climate Change and its Effect on Our Coastal Community (2005 winning paper)
- Contamination of the Kenai Peninsula Coastal Community: The Impact of Humanity on a Clean Ecosystem (2004)
- The Future of the Kenai River Estuary—An Economic Model for Survival (2003)
- The Critical Status of the Kenai Brown Bear, and the Connection between Bears, Salmon, and the Riparian Zone (2002)
- Red Tides (2001)
- Kenai River Fisheries Management (2000)
Tununak—Paul T. Albert Memorial School
Unalakleet—Frank A. Degnan High School
- Salmon Management in the Unalakleet Sub-District of the Norton Sound (2000)
- The Imminent Doom of the Steller Sea Lion (1999)
Unalaska City School
- Implementing Artificial Reefs to enhance Red King Crab subsistence resources in Captains Bay, an Unalaskan Estuary [PDF; 2.6 MB] (2013)
- A Proposition for an Octopus Fishery in the Aleutian Islands [PDF; 692 KB] (2012)
- Increased Marine Transportation in Unalaska Bay and Its Future Implications (2011)
- The Implications of Increased Marine Debris on Unalaska Bay (2011)
- The Impact of Receding Sea Ice on the Unalaska Snow Crab Industry (2010)
- The Impact of Sea Ice on the Unalaska Pollock Fishery (2010)
- Monitoring Unalaska's Subsistence Species for Ecosystem-wide, Long-term Changes (MUSSEL Changes) (2006)
- Global Warming Effects on Fishing in Unalaska (2005)
Wasilla—Mat-Su Career & Technical High School
- The Stabilization of the Chinook Salmon Population in the Copper River Delta Estuary [PDF; 764 KB] (2013)
- Comparison of Sockeye Salmon in the Kasilof Estuary and Columbian Estuary [PDF; 628 KB] (2013)
- The Comprehensive Management of Chinook Salmon in Campbell Creek Estuary, as Compared to Fraser River Estuary [PDF; 1.7 MB] (2013)
- Ecosystem-Based Management of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) and Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbusha) in Prince William Sound [PDF; 868 KB] (2012)
- Ecosystem Based Management of Shellfish in the Cook Inlet Region [PDF; 160 KB] (2012)
- Ecosystem-Based Management of Bristol Bay Fisheries [PDF; 1.7 MB] (2012)
- The Sensitive Baltic Sea (2011)
- Effects of Cyanide Fishing on the Coral Reefs of Wakatobi Marine National Park (2011)
- Devastating Effect of Arctic Ice on the Village of Newtok (2010)
- Tough Times for Wainwright (2010)
Wasilla High School
- A Juxtaposition of Kachemak Bay and Yaquina Bay Estuaries [PDF; 920 KB] (2013)
- Ecosystem-based Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Management Plan of the Susitna River Drainage [PDF; 3.4 MB] (2012)
- Management of Marine Resources after an Exxon Valdez0Type Oil Spill near Kaktovik, Alaska (2011)
- Problems Facing the Alaskan Coastal Community of Shishmaref as a Direct Result of Retreating and Thinning Arctic Ice Cap (2010)
- The Most Important Hazards Facing the Wasilla Alaska Area as a Result of Ocean Acidification (2009)
White Mountain School
- Ocean Acidification (2009)
- Health of Salmon Populations in Fish River Drainages and Golovin Bay (2000 winning project*)
- Steller Sea Lion Decline: Causes, Effects, and Possible Solutions (1999)
*In 1999 and 2000, the places for the individual components of the project (paper and oral presentation) were not yet being recorded on this site.
