Hokkaido University · Environmental Science
Professor Irene D. Alabia's research lab specializes in marine ecological modeling, focusing on the impacts of climate change and oceanographic variability on the distribution and habitat dynamics of pelagic species, particularly the neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii). The lab employs advanced statistical and ensemble modeling techniques—such as MaxEnt and multi-model ensembles—integrated with remotely sensed and in situ oceanographic data to predict species habitat suitability under current and future climate scenarios. Research directions include understanding species responses to ocean warming, mesoscale ocean features (e.g., eddies and fronts), and bioclimatic velocity shifts in polar and temperate marine ecosystems. The lab also investigates climate-driven species redistribution and biodiversity trends in the Arctic and North Pacific, emphasizing ecosystem-level implications for fisheries and conservation.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Abstract We explored the seasonal potential fishing grounds of neon flying squid ( Ommastrephes bartramii ) in the western and central North Pacific using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) models fitted with squid fishery data as response and environmental factors from remotely sensed [sea surface temperature ( SST ), sea surface height ( SSH ), eddy kinetic energy ( EKE ), wind stress curl ( WSC ) and numerical model‐derived sea surface salinity ( SSS )] covariates. The potential squid fishing grounds f
Abstract Aim To investigate the species‐specific exposure and distributional responses of marine fish and invertebrate taxa to rapidly shifting climate in the Pacific Arctic, characterized by warming and cooling episodes, over the last 24 years. Location Pacific Arctic region, eastern Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea. Methods We examined the variations in the summer (June–July) habitat patterns of 21 marine fish and invertebrate taxa in the eastern Bering Sea using multimodel ensemble predictions of s
Abstract Neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) is a large pelagic squid internationally harvested in the North Pacific. Here, we examined its potential habitat in the central North Pacific using an ensemble modelling approach. Initially, ten statistical models were constructed by combining the squid fishing points, selected vertical layers of the sea temperature and salinity, sea surface height (SSH), and SSH gradient from the multi-variate ocean variational estimation system for the wester
The Arctic region is experiencing drastic climatic changes bringing about potential ecological shifts. Here, we explored marine biodiversity and potential species associations across eight Arctic marine areas between 2000 and 2019. We compiled species occurrences for a subset of 69 marine taxa (i.e., 26 apex predators and 43 mesopredators) and environmental factors to predict taxon-specific distributions using a multi-model ensemble approach. Arctic-wide temporal trends of species richness incre
Abstract Climate-driven changes in the marine ecosystem largely influence the distribution, abundance, and the consequent availability of marine resources to the fishery. In this study, we examined the potential habitat distributions of the neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) under the projected impacts of ocean warming. We used the sea surface temperature (SST) from the three CMIP5 climate scenarios (RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5) with the low to high future emissions. Based on the squid ha
We identified the pelagic habitat hotspots of the neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) in the central North Pacific from May to July and characterized the spatial patterns of squid aggregations in relation to oceanographic features such as mesoscale oceanic eddies and the Transition Zone Chlorophyll-a Front (TZCF). The data used for the habitat model construction and analyses were squid fishery information, remotely-sensed and numerical model-derived environmental data from May to July 199
The understanding of the spatio-temporal distributions of the species habitat in the marine environment is central to effectual resource management and conservation. Here, we examined the potential habitat distributions of Japanese common squid (Todarodes pacificus) in the Sea of Japan during a four-year period. The seasonal patterns of preferential habitat were inferred from species distribution models, built using squid occurrences detected from night-time visible images and remotely-sensed en
The subarctic shelf of the Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) is one of the world's most productive marine environments, exposed to drastic climate changes characterized by extreme fluctuations in temperature, sea ice concentration, timing, and duration. These climatic changes elicit profound responses in species distribution, abundance, and community composition. Here, we examined the patterns of alpha and temporal beta diversity of 159 marine taxa (66 vertebrates and 93 invertebrate species) from 29 yea
Short- and long-term climate oscillations impact seascapes, and hence, marine ecosystem structure and dynamics. Here, we explored the spatio-temporal patterns of potential squid habitat in the western and central North Pacific across inter-decadal climate transitions, coincident with periods of persistent warming and cooling. Potential habitat distributions of Ommastrephes bartramii were derived from the outputs of multi-ensemble species distribution models, developed using the most influential
Japanese flying squid ( Todarodes pacificus ) is one of the most commercially important resources in the Pacific Ocean and its abundance is largely affected by environmental conditions. We examined the influence of environmental factors in potential spawning grounds of the winter cohort, approximated from Japanese and South Korean catch and catch per unit effort (CPUE) data of Japanese flying squid. Annual spawning ground dynamics were constructed using sea surface temperature (SST), submarine e
Climate change is anticipated to have long-term and pervasive effects on marine ecosystems, with cascading consequences to many ocean-reliant sectors. For the marine fisheries sector, these impacts can be further influenced by future socio-economic and political factors. This raises the need for robust projections to capture the range of potential biological and economic risks and opportunities posed by climate change to marine fisheries. Here, we project future changes in the abundance of eight
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