Alabia Irene

Arctic Research CenterSpecially Appointed Assistant Professor
Last Updated :2024/10/29

■Researcher basic information

Degree

  • PhD Marine Bioresource and Environmental Science, Hokkaido University
  • MSc Marine Science, University of the Philippines Diliman
  • BSc Biology, University of the Philippines Visayas

Researchmap personal page

Researcher number

  • 20929608

Research Keyword

  • Fisheries Oceanography
  • Environmental Science
  • Climate change
  • Satellite oceanography
  • Marine Ecology and Fisheries

Research Field

  • Environmental science/Agricultural science, Biological resource conservation, Fisheries, Climate change ecology, marine ecosystems, Satellite oceanography, Marine species and community

■Career

Career

  • Apr. 2009 - Mar. 2010
    University of the Philippines Diliman, Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Marine Science Institute, Philippine Harmful Algal Bloom: Ecology & Stratification of HABs in the tropics, Project Researcher, Philippines
  • Jul. 2008 - Mar. 2009
    University of the Philippines Diliman, Marine Science Institute, Upwelling and gyral circulation patterns in the Eastern & western areas of the Philippines, Researcher, Philippines
  • Jan. 2006 - Jun. 2008
    University of the Philippines Diliman, Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Marine Science Institute, Pacific Seaboard Program: Upwelling variability & Intrusion Into Coastal Waters, Research Associate, Philippines
  • Oct. 2005 - Dec. 2005
    University of the Philippines Diliman, Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Marine Science Institute, Modeling for mitigating and prediction of Harmful Algal blooms, Research Assistant, Philippines

Educational Background

  • Apr. 2012 - Mar. 2015, Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, PhD, Japan
  • Mar. 2011 - Mar. 2012, Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Research Student, Japan
  • Jun. 2005 - Mar. 2009, University of the Philippines, Marine Science Instititute, MS Marine Science, Philippines
  • Jun. 1999 - Mar. 2003, University of the Philippines Visayas, College of Arts and Sciences, BS Biology, Philippines

■Research activity information

Awards

  • Mar. 2022, Japanese Society of Fisheries Oceanography, Early Career Scientist Award               
    Marine ecological studies using habitat models in polar and subarctic waters under climate change
  • Feb. 2010, SAFARI International Fisheries and Remote Sensing Symposium, Best Poster Presentation               
    Interaction of Kuroshio with the Northern Bicol Shelf: Implications on Primary Productivity

Papers

  • Future redistribution of fishery resources suggests biological and economic trade-offs according to the severity of the emission scenario
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge García Molinos, Takafumi Hirata, Daiju Narita, Toru Hirawake
    PLOS ONE, 19, 6, e0304718, e0304718, Public Library of Science (PLoS), 06 Jun. 2024, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    English, Scientific journal, 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 commercially important fish and crab species in the eastern Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea under different CMIP6 Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) leading to contrasting future (2021–2100) scenarios of warming, sea ice concentration, and net primary production. Our results revealed contrasting patterns of abundance and distribution changes across species, time periods and climate scenarios, highlighting potential winners and losers under future climate change. In particular, the least changes in future species abundance and distribution were observed under SSP126. However, under the extreme scenario (SSP585), projected Pacific cod and snow crab abundances increased and decreased, respectively, with concurrent zonal and meridional future shifts in their centers of gravity. Importantly, projected changes in species abundance suggest that fishing at the same distance from the current major port in the Bering Sea (i.e., Dutch Harbor) could yield declining catches for highly valuable fisheries (e.g., Pacific cod and snow crab) under SSP585. This is driven by strong decreases in future catches of highly valuable species despite minimal declines in maximum catch potential, which are dominated by less valuable taxa. Hence, our findings show that projected changes in abundance and shifting distributions could have important biological and economic impacts on the productivity of commercial and subsistence fisheries in the eastern Bering and Chukchi seas, with potential implications for the effective management of transboundary resources.
  • Spatial distribution models for the four commercial tuna in the sea of maritime continent using multi-sensor remote sensing and maximum entropy
    Emi Yati, Lilis Sadiyah, Fayakun Satria, Irene D. Alabia, Sayidah Sulma, Teguh Prayogo, Sartono Marpaung, Hastuadi Harsa, Dony Kushardono, Jonson Lumban-Gaol, Aris Budiarto, Diding Sudira Efendi, Sri Patmiarsih
    Marine Environmental Research, 198, 106540, 106540, Elsevier BV, Jun. 2024, [Peer-reviewed]
    Scientific journal
  • Pan-Arctic marine biodiversity and species co-occurrence patterns under recent climate
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge García Molinos, Takafumi Hirata, Franz J. Mueter, Carmen L. David
    Scientific Reports, 13, 1, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 11 Mar. 2023, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    Scientific journal, Abstract

    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 increased in the last 20 years and highlighted potential emerging areas of species accrual due to climate-driven species redistribution. Further, regional species associations were dominated by positive co-occurrences among species pairs with high frequencies in the Pacific and Atlantic Arctic areas. Comparative analyses of species richness, community composition, and co-occurrence between high and low summer sea ice concentrations revealed contrasting impacts of and detected areas vulnerable to sea ice changes. In particular, low (high) summer sea ice generally resulted in species gains (loss) in the inflow and loss (gains) in the outflow shelves, accompanied by substantial changes in community composition and therefore potential species associations. Overall, the recent changes in biodiversity and species co-occurrences in the Arctic were driven by pervasive poleward range shifts, especially for wide-ranging apex predators. Our findings highlight the varying regional impacts of warming and sea ice loss on Arctic marine communities and provide important insights into the vulnerability of Arctic marine areas to climate change.
  • Development of a prey-predator species distribution model for a large piscivorous fish: A case study for Japanese Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius and Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus
    Shuhao Liu, Yongjun Tian, Liu Yang, Irene D. Alabia, Jiahua Cheng, Shin-ichi Ito
    Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 207, 105227, 105227, Elsevier {BV}, Feb. 2023, [Peer-reviewed]
    English, Scientific journal
  • A Comprehensive Monitoring and Assessment System for Multiple Fisheries Resources in the Northwest Pacific Based on Satellite Remote Sensing Technology
    Hao Tian, Yang Liu, Yongjun Tian, Irene D. Alabia, Yuanzhe Qin, He Sun, Jianchao Li, Shuyang Ma, Sei-Ichi Saitoh
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, Frontiers Media SA, 11 Feb. 2022, [Peer-reviewed]
    English, Scientific journal, Monitoring the dynamics of ocean-going fishing vessels is essential for fisheries stock assessment and management. In this paper, coupled fishery and remote sensing methods were applied to propose a satellite-based fishery resource monitoring and assessment system (SFRMAS) that supported chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus), Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) and neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) fishing activities in the northwest Pacific. A multispecies fishing vessel database was generated in the SFRMAS using visible infrared imaging radiometer suite day/night band (VIIRS/DNB) images, automatic identification system (AIS) data and multimarine remote sensing resources. The results showed that the VIIRS/DNB vessel detection (VVD) and AIS vessel detection approaches improved the extraction accuracy of multispecies fishing vessels. A high productivity area with a higher chlorophyll a concentration had the most concentrated distribution of mackerel vessels. The widest longitudinal migrations of the neon flying squid and the latitudinal ranges of Pacific saury were highly related to sea surface temperature (SST), which was well captured by the movement of the fishing vessels. In the SFRMAS, the accuracy of detected multispecies fishing days and fishing catches was mostly between 60 and 90%, which can provide data support for fisheries stock assessment and management.
  • Residence time models and Pyrodinium blooms in Matarinao and Murcielagos Bays, Philippines               
    Sanny David P Lumayno, Garry Benico, Aletta Yñiguez, Irene D Alabia, Ian Quino, DG Fernandez, Rex Delsar B Dianala, Rhodora Azanza, Cesar Villanoy
    Philippine Journal of Science, 151, S1, 79, 90, 2022, [Peer-reviewed]
    English, Scientific journal
  • Possible future scenarios in the gateways to the Arctic for Subarctic and Arctic marine systems: II. prey resources, food webs, fish, and fisheries
    Franz J Mueter, Benjamin Planque, George L Hunt, Irene D Alabia, Toru Hirawake, Lisa Eisner, Padmini Dalpadado, Melissa Chierici, Kenneth F Drinkwater, Naomi Harada, Per Arneberg, Sei-Ichi Saitoh
    ICES Journal of Marine Science, Oxford University Press (OUP), 08 Oct. 2021, [Peer-reviewed]
    Scientific journal, Abstract
    Climate change impacts are pronounced at high latitudes, where warming, reduced sea-ice-cover, and ocean acidification affect marine ecosystems. We review climate change impacts on two major gateways into the Arctic: the Bering and Chukchi seas in the Pacific and the Barents Sea and Fram Strait in the Atlantic. We present scenarios of how changes in the physical environment and prey resources may affect commercial fish populations and fisheries in these high-latitude systems to help managers and stakeholders think about possible futures. Predicted impacts include shifts in the spatial distribution of boreal species, a shift from larger, lipid-rich zooplankton to smaller, less nutritious prey, with detrimental effects on fishes that depend on high-lipid prey for overwinter survival, shifts from benthic- to pelagic-dominated food webs with implications for upper trophic levels, and reduced survival of commercially important shellfish in waters that are increasingly acidic. Predicted changes are expected to result in disruptions to existing fisheries, the emergence of new fisheries, new challenges for managing transboundary stocks, and possible conflicts among resource users. Some impacts may be irreversible, more severe, or occur more frequently under anthropogenic climate change than impacts associated with natural variability, posing additional management challenges.
  • Marine biodiversity refugia in a climate-sensitive subarctic shelf
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge García Molinos, Takafumi Hirata, Franz J. Mueter, Toru Hirawake, Sei Ichi Saitoh
    Global Change Biology, 27, 14, 3299, 3311, Wiley, Jul. 2021, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    Scientific journal, 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 years (1990–2018) of species observations from the NOAA bottom trawl surveys in the EBS. Based on these data, we identified geographically distinct refugial zones in the northern and southern regions of the middle shelf, defined by high species richness and similarity in community species composition over time. These refugial zones harbor higher frequencies of occurrence for representative taxa relative to the regions outside of refugia. We also explored the primary environmental factors structuring marine biodiversity distributions, which underpinned the importance of the winter sea ice concentration to alpha and temporal beta diversity. The spatial biodiversity distributions between high and low winter sea ice regimes highlighted contrasting signals. In particular, the latter showed elevated species richness compared to the former. Further, the temporal beta diversity between the high and low winter sea ice periods underpinned an overall increase in the compositional similarity of marine communities in the EBS. Despite these spatiotemporal differences in biodiversity distributions, the identified refugia represent safe havens of marine biodiversity in the EBS. Distinguishing these areas can help facilitate conservation and management efforts under accelerated and ongoing climatic changes.
  • Influence of Spawning Ground Dynamics on the Long-Term Abundance of Japanese Flying Squid (Todarodes pacificus) Winter Cohort
    Yang Liu, Xinmei Xia, Yongjun Tian, Irene D. Alabia, Shuyang Ma, Peng Sun, Sei Ichi Saitoh
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 26 May 2021, [Peer-reviewed]
    Scientific journal, 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 elevation and mean Kuroshio axis data from 1979 to 2018. Based on these information, we generated a suite of spawning ground indices including suitability SST-weighted area of potential spawning ground (SSWA), mean values (January–April) of suitable SST (MVSS), and the meridional position (MP) of SST isolines (18–24°C). Comparable interannual-decadal variability patterns were detected between the squid abundance and spawning ground indices, with abrupt shifts around 1990/1991 and in recent decades. In particular, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation is negatively correlated with spawning ground indices, suggesting its role in regulating the environmental dynamics in the area. Further, the gradient forest model underpinned the importance of SSWA, SSWA_Lag1 and MVSS_Lag1 on squid abundance. The CPUE is also shown to be a better abundance index than the annual catch in modeling the species’ response to environmental variability in its spawning grounds. Our findings suggest that it is imperative to pay more and timely attention to the relationship between the abundance of Japanese flying squid and environmental changes, especially under adverse environmental conditions.
  • Response of Arctic biodiversity and ecosystem to environmental changes: Findings from the ArCS project
    Toru Hirawake, Masaki Uchida, Hiroto Abe, Irene D. Alabia, Tamotsu Hoshino, Shota Masumoto, Akira S. Mori, Jun Nishioka, Bungo Nishizawa, Atsushi Ooki, Akinori Takahashi, Yukiko Tanabe, Motoaki Tojo, Masaharu Tsuji, Hiromichi Ueno, Hisatomo Waga, Yuuki Y. Watanabe, Atsushi Yamaguchi, Youhei Yamashita
    Polar Science, 27, Mar. 2021, [Peer-reviewed]
    English, Scientific journal, Arctic ecosystems are altered profoundly by climate changes. However, the responses of Arctic marine and terrestrial ecosystems as well as their biodiversity to global warming remain largely unknown. This article provides comprehensive insights into the results and major findings from the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS) Project – an Arctic region research program initiated in Japan, which aims to address and advance our understanding of these uncertainties. Marine ecosystem studies have identified several biogeochemical processes that are associated with sea ice decline and northward transport and shift of marine species across multiple trophic levels over the Bering and Chukchi Sea shelves. Studies of the terrestrial ecosystem have identified factors that are important for the understanding of terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems, including Arctic lakes, under the presence of global warming. Novel fungal species from the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem have also been isolated and described. Overall, these results could contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of the Arctic ecosystem services.
  • Environmental habitat mapping of green mussel: A gis-based approach for sustainable aquaculture in the inner gulf of Thailand
    Hathaichanok Kumgumpol, Yang Liu, Tanuspong Pokavanich, Irene D. Alabia, Zixu Yin, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Yongjun Tian
    Sustainability (Switzerland), 12, 24, 1, 16, {MDPI} {AG}, 02 Dec. 2020, [Peer-reviewed]
    Scientific journal, The green mussel (Perna viridis) is one of the most commercially-important cultured species along the coast of Thailand. In this study, a suitable aquaculture site-selection model (SASSM) was developed to identify the most suitable areas in the inner part of the Gulf of Thailand (InnerGoT) for green mussel culture. Satellite-derived chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and hydrodynamic model outputs for sea surface temperature (SST), salinity, maximum water current (MWC), and bathymetry between 2018 and 2019 were used as input to the SASSM. The results show that suitability scores in mussel aquaculture areas were lowest (1–3) during the Southwest (SW) monsoon, rainy season (July–August), and highest (6–7) during the Northeast (NE) monsoon, cold season (November–December). Moderate suitability scores (4–5) were obtained during the monsoon transition from the NE monsoon to the SW monsoon, summer (April–May). The study area was further divided into three zones: the western, central, and eastern regions. The western and eastern parts showed high suitability scores (5–7) while the central zone exhibited low suitability scores (2–4). The model results show a similar pattern to the actual mussel production in the study area. Seasonal events (i.e., flood and dry seasons) were incorporated into the model to examine the seasonal effects on the suitable mussel aquaculture areas. The suitability scores during the SW monsoon in 2018 were more sensitive to changes in SST and salinity relative to 2019. The higher freshwater discharge and lower temperature in 2018 relative to 2019 resulted in the accrual of suitable aquaculture areas. This pattern is consistent with the productions of the green mussel, where higher production was recorded in 2018 (2002.5 t) than in 2019 (410.8 t). However, correlations among atmospheric (air temperature, rainfall, and wind) and oceanographic factors (SST and MWC) were significant in the western and central regions, suggesting that the suitability of green mussel aquaculture in these regions is vulnerable to environmental disturbances. Thus, the SASSM can be a powerful tool in providing useful information on spatial management for marine aquaculture in environmentally-dynamic coastal systems.
  • Multiple facets of marine biodiversity in the Pacific Arctic under future climate
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge García Molinos, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Takafumi Hirata, Toru Hirawake, Franz J. Mueter
    Science of the Total Environment, 744, 140913, 140913, Elsevier {BV}, 20 Nov. 2020, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    Scientific journal, Climate change is triggering a global reorganization of marine life. Biogeographical transition zones, diversity-rich regions straddling biogeographical units where many species live at, or close to, their physiological tolerance limits (i.e., range distribution edges), are redistribution hotspots that offer a unique opportunity to understand the mechanisms and consequences of climate-driven thermophilization processes in natural communities. In this context, we examined the impacts of climate change projections in the 21st century (2026–2100) on marine biodiversity in the Eastern Bering and Chukchi seas within the Pacific Arctic, a climatically exposed and sensitive boreal-to-Arctic transition zone. Overall, projected changes in species distributions, modeled using species distribution models, resulted in poleward increases in species richness and functional redundancy, along with pronounced reductions in phylogenetic distances by century's end (2076–2100). Future poleward shifts of boreal species in response to warming and sea ice changes are projected to alter the taxonomic and functional biogeography of contemporary Arctic communities as larger, longer-lived and more predatory taxa expand their leading distributional margins. Drawing from the existing evidence from other Arctic regions, these changes are anticipated to increase the susceptibility and vulnerability of the Arctic ecosystems, as trophic connectance between biological components increases, thus decreasing the modularity of Arctic food webs. Our results demonstrate how integrating multiple diversity facets can provide key insights into the relationships between climate change, species composition and ecosystem functioning across marine biogeographic regions.
  • Impact of Climate Change on Wintering Ground of Japanese Anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) Using Marine Geospatial Statistics
    Shuhao Liu, Yang Liu, Irene D. Alabia, Yongjun Tian, Zhenjiang Ye, Haiqing Yu, Jianchao Li, Jiahua Cheng
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 31 Jul. 2020, [Peer-reviewed]
    Scientific journal, The distribution and fluctuations in abundance of small pelagic species such as anchovy are largely affected by climate change. We hypothesized that the future projected rise in temperature will result to a northward shift of Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) habitat and a subsequent increase in relative abundance. To test this hypothesis, we explored the link between Japanese anchovy abundance and environmental conditions using machine-learning and statistical models. The models were fitted with catch per unit effort (CPUE) as the response variable and remotely sensed data of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), assimilated information of sea surface salinity (SSS), meridional and zonal ocean currents, and depth as environmental covariates. Our results showed that the abundance of E. japonicus was significantly influenced by environmental factors. In particular, salinity front and SST highlight strong relationships with winter CPUE distribution. Based on these models, the results reinforced our hypothesis and showed that the warming ocean will drive a substantial shift in Japanese anchovy habitat in the China seas. SST and CPUE showed negative correlations with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index. These findings underpin ramifications of the climate-driven habitat shift of small pelagic fish species on the regional marine ecosystem in the China seas.
  • Spatial habitat shifts of oceanic cephalopod (Ommastrephes bartramii) in oscillating climate
    Irene D. Alabia, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Hiromichi Igarashi, Yoichi Ishikawa, Yutaka Imamura
    Remote Sensing, 12, 3, 01 Feb. 2020, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    English, Scientific journal, 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 environmental factors to squid distribution and occurrence data. Our analyses captured the underlying temporal trends in potential squid habitat in response to environmental changes transpiring at each climatic transition, regulated by phase shifts in Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) from 1999-2013. The spatial differences in environmental conditions were apparent across transitions and presumably modulate the local changes in suitable squid habitat over time. Specifically, during a cold to warm PDO shift, decreases in the summer potential habitat (mean rate ± standard deviation:-0.04 ± 0.02 habitat suitability index (HSI)/yr) were observed along the southern edge of the subarctic frontal zone (162°E-172°W). Coincidentally, this area also exhibits a warming trend (mean temporal trend: 0.06 ± 0.21 °C/yr), accompanied with the prevalence of cold-core mesoscale eddies, west of the dateline (mean temporal trend in sea surface height:-0.19 ± 1.05 cm/yr). These conditions potentially generate less favorable foraging habitat for squid. However, a warm-to-cold PDO transition underpins a northward shift of suitable habitat and an eastward shift of regions exhibiting the highest rate of potential squid habitat loss (170-160°W; mean temporal trend:-0.05 ± 0.03 HSI/yr). Nonetheless, the emergence of the areas with increasingly suitable habitat regardless of climate transitions suggests the ecological importance of these regions as potential squid habitat hotspots and climatic refugia.
  • Impact of climate extremes on suitability dynamics for Japanese scallop aquaculture in Shandong, China and Funka bay, Japan
    Yang Liu, Yongjun Tian, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Irene D. Alabia, Kan Ichiro Mochizuki
    Sustainability (Switzerland), 12, 3, 01 Feb. 2020, [Peer-reviewed]
    Scientific journal, The assessment of extreme weather events on suitable sites for aquaculture could help in establishing sustainable coastal environmental resource management. Japanese scallop culture is an economically important marine farming activity in the coastal communities of Shandong, China and Funka Bay, Japan. In this study, we improved the suitable aquaculture site-selection model (SASSM) by using Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) data instead of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, as a complementary source for higher temporal and spatial resolution data that are useful for monitoring fine-scale coastal and oceanic processes. We also applied the newly developed SASSM to the Japanese scallop production site along the Shandong coast. Finally, we analyzed the correlations between environmental factors (chlorophyll a concentration, sea surface temperature (SST), and total suspended sediment), meteorological factors (precipitation, temperature, and wind), and climatic events (winter East Asian monsoon (EAM) and El Nino/La Nina Southern Oscillation), and the impacts of climate events on suitable zones for scallop aquaculture. The new SASSM maps show that GOCI products have the potential for oceanographic investigations in Shandong, China and Funka Bay, Japan. Our results highlighted higher aquaculture site suitability for scallop in Funka Bay than in Shandong coast. During the winter with a strong EAM (2011), the suitable area for Japanese scallop aquaculture increased. Conversely, in the winter during a strong El Nino (2016), we found fewer areas that were highly suitable for scallop aquaculture in Funka Bay. SST was extremely low in Funka Bay during spring and summer 2017, which caused fewer highly suitable areas (scores of 7 and 8) for scallop aquaculture relative to other years. These findings suggest that extreme climatic events significantly impact the availability of suitable sites for marine farming and thus, should be considered in the development and design of coastal aquaculture sites.
  • Distribution shifts of marine taxa in the Pacific Arctic under contemporary climate changes
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge García Molinos, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Toru Hirawake, Takafumi Hirata, Franz J. Mueter
    Diversity and Distributions, 24, 11, 1583, 1597, Wiley, Nov. 2018, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    Scientific journal, 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 species distribution between 1993 and 2016. Using ensemble model outputs, we examined the rates of predicted (biotic velocities) and expected (bioclimatic velocities) distribution shifts across taxa under four consecutive time periods of distinct climatic regimes. We then compared these species-specific velocity metrics to the rates of local climatic shifts (climatic velocities) and quantified the potential lags in distributional responses relative to changes in climate across taxa and transitions. Results: Our analyses showed that individual taxa responded to climatic fluctuations at different paces and generally exhibited lags in their predicted distributional responses. Subarctic species revealed higher habitat sensitivity and exposure to climatic changes than Arctic taxa, as they expand their habitat ranges into suitable regions emerging in the north under warmer conditions. Importantly, the actual rates of climate shifts (climatic velocities) were poorly correlated with both the expected and observed shifts in species distributions across taxa. Main conclusions: Our findings underpin the importance of incorporating species-specific climatic sensitivity and exposure to changes in climatic conditions when predicting range shift responses and evaluating species vulnerability. These insights are critical for conservation and management of fisheries resources in the region.
  • Detection of potential fishing zone for Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) using generalized additive model and remotely sensed data
    Achmad Fachruddin Syah, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Irene D. Alabia, Toru Hirawake
    IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 54, 1, 11 Feb. 2017
    International conference proceedings, To evaluate the effects of oceanographic conditions on the formation of the potential fishing zones for Pacific saury in western North Pacific, fishing locations of Pacific saury from Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operating Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) and satellite-based oceanographic information were used to construct species habitat models. A 2-level slicing method was used to identify the bright regions as actual fishing areas from OLS images, collected during the peak fishing season of Pacific saury in the North Pacific. Statistical metrics, including the significance of model terms, and reduction in the Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) were used as the bases for model selection. The selected model was then used to visualize the basin scale distributions of the Pacific saury habitat. The predicted potential fishing zones exhibited spatial correspondence with the fishing locations. The results from generalized additive model revealed that the Pacific saury habitat selection was significantly influenced by the SST ranges from 13-18°C, SSC ranges from 0.5-1.8 mg.m-3, SSHA ranges from 5-17 cm and EKE ranges from 700-1200 cm2s-2. Moreover, among the set of oceanographic factors examined, SST explained the smallest AIC and is thus, considered to be the most significant variable in the geographic distribution of Pacific saury.
  • Seasonal habitat patterns of Japanese common squid (Todarodes pacificus) inferred from satellite-based species distribution models
    Irene D. Alabia, Mariko Dehara, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Toru Hirawake
    Remote Sensing, 8, 11, Nov. 2016, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    Scientific journal, 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 environmental factors. The predicted squid habitat (i.e., areas with high habitat suitability) revealed strong seasonal variability, characterized by a reduction of potential habitat, confined off of the southern part of the basin during the winter-spring period (December-May). Apparent expansion of preferential habitat occurred during summer-autumn months (June-November), concurrent with the formation of highly suitable habitat patches in certain regions of the Sea of Japan. These habitat distribution patterns were in response to changes in oceanographic conditions and synchronous with seasonal migration of squid. Moreover, the most important variables regulating the spatio-temporal patterns of suitable habitat were sea surface temperature, depth, sea surface height anomaly, and eddy kinetic energy. These variables could affect the habitat distributions through their impacts on growth and survival of squid, local nutrient transport, and the availability of favorable spawning and feeding grounds.
  • Ensemble squid habitat model using three-dimensional ocean data
    Irene D. Alabia, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Hiromichi Igarashi, Yoichi Ishikawa, Norihisa Usui, Masafumi Kamachi, Toshiyuki Awaji, Masaki Seito
    ICES Journal of Marine Science, 73, 7, 1863, 1874, 01 Jul. 2016, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    Scientific journal, 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 western North Pacific from June to July 1999-2011. The variable selection analyses have captured the importance of vertical temperature and salinity layers at the upper 300 and 440 m, respectively, coinciding with the reported vertical ranges of diel migration for the squid's primary prey species in the North Pacific. The evaluation of the habitat predictions using the independent sets of the presence data from 2012 to 2014 showed significant variability in the predictive accuracy, which is likely reflective of the interannual differences in environmental conditions across the validation periods. Our findings from ensemble habitat model approach using three-dimensional oceanographic data were able to characterize the near- and subsurface habitats of the neon flying squid. Moreover, our results underpinned the possible link between interannual environmental variability and spatio-temporal patterns of potential squid habitats. As such, these further suggest that an ensemble model approach could present a promising tool for operational fishery application and squid resource management.
  • Predicting potential fishing zones for pacific saury (Cololabis saira) with maximum entropy models and remotely sensed data
    Achmad F. Syah, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Irene D. Alabia, Toru Hirawake
    Fishery Bulletin, 114, 3, 330, 342, 02 Jun. 2016
    Scientific journal, Fishing locations for Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) obtained from images of the Operational Linescan System (OLS) of the U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, together with maximum entropy models and satellite-based oceanographic data of chlorophylla concentration (chl-a), sea-surface temperature (SST), eddy kinetic energy (EKE), and sea-surface height anomaly (SSHA), were used to evaluate the effects of oceanographic conditions on the formation of potential fishing zones (PFZ) for Pacific saury and to explore the spatial variability of these features in the western North Pacific. Actual fishing regions were identified as the bright areas created by a 2-level slicing method for OLS images collected August-December during 2005-2013. The results from a Maxent model revealed its potential for predicting the spatial distribution of Pacific saury and highlight the use of multispectral satellite images for describing PFZs. In all monthly models, the spatial PFZ patterns were explained predominantly by SST (14-16°C) and indicated that SST is the most influential factor in the geographic distribution of Pacific saury. Also related to PFZ formation were EKE and SSHA, possibly through their effects on the feeding grounds conditions. Concentration of chl-a had the least effect among other environmental factors in defining PFZs, especially during the end of the fishing season.
  • Elucidating the potential squid habitat responses in the central North Pacific to the recent ENSO flavors
    Irene D. Alabia, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Toru Hirawake, Hiromichi Igarashi, Yoichi Ishikawa, Norihisa Usui, Masafumi Kamachi, Toshiyuki Awaji, Masaki Seito
    Hydrobiologia, 772, 1, 215, 227, 01 Jun. 2016, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    Scientific journal, The effects of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-mediated environmental changes to marine resources were long recognized; however, species-specific responses were also reported to vary, possibly more so, under the emerging event-to-event diversity of the ENSO conditions. Hence, the objective of this study is to characterize the potential impacts of the ENSO-regulated environmental variability to squid habitat in the central North Pacific under the different ENSO flavors, using habitat models developed from at least a decade of fishery-dependent dataset and environmental parameters. Our findings revealed that the potential squid habitats were largely influenced by ENSO-forced environmental changes during the squid’s spawning and nursery periods, resulting in substantial reduction/enhancement of available habitats in the succeeding summers of Central Pacific El Niño/La Niña, where the latter led to an expansion of favorable spawning and nursery grounds. However, the autumn–winter periods of weaker and short-lived Eastern Pacific El Niño showed elevated potential habitats due to minimal sea surface temperature drop and close proximity of spawning and nursery grounds to optimal feeding environments. The quick, albeit variable, squids’ responses to ENSO flavors accentuate their promising potential as ecological beacons under climate changes, aiding the development of adaptive management strategies for commercially exploited fisheries.
  • Future projected impacts of ocean warming to potential squid habitat in western and central North Pacific
    Irene D. Alabia, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Hiromichi Igarashi, Yoichi Ishikawa, Norihisa Usui, Masafumi Kamachi, Toshiyuki Awaji, Masaki Seito
    ICES Journal of Marine Science, 73, 5, 1343, 1356, 01 May 2016, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    International conference proceedings, 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 habitat models, SST showed the highest effect on the present potential squid habitat distribution that accounted for at least 60% of the predicted spatial patterns from May to July 2000-2010. This result underpinned the species' high sensitivity to the temperature changes in its feeding environments. Moreover, the projected future potential squid habitats revealed pronounced differences in the spatial and temporal patterns relative to the present habitat distributions across the different regions of the western and central North Pacific. The future squid habitat predictions revealed a net reduction in the suitable squid habitat coupled with the corresponding northward habitat retreat. Moreover, the magnitude of the predicted habitat changes was proportional to the levels of warming for the representative periods from May to July 2025, 2050, and 2100. The highest decrease in the spatial extent and poleward retreat of the potential squid habitat were observed from May to July 2100 under the RCP 8.5 scenario. These trends could translate to shorter squid fishing periods and offshore shifts of the squid fishing grounds. Thus, insights into the future spatio-temporal patterns and trajectories of the potential squid habitats could lend important implications on the availability of squid resources to the fishery and subsequent evaluation of squid fishery management options under climate change.
  • Shifts in chlorophyll α off eastern Luzon, Philippines, associated with the North Equatorial Current bifurcation latitude
    Olivia C. Cabrera, Cesar L. Villanoy, Irene D. Alabia, Arnold L. Gordon
    Oceanography, 28, 4, 46, 53, Dec. 2015
    Scientific journal, The circulation pattern off the east coast of Luzon, Philippines, as observed during two oceanographic cruises conducted in May/June 2011 and April/May 2012, features a northward-flowing current (the nascent Kuroshio) bracketed by an anticyclonic eddy to its northeast and a cyclonic eddy to its southwest. A previous study showed that a more northerly location of the North Equatorial Current (NEC) bifurcation during the 2011 cruise resulted in entrainment of more subtropical water from the Kuroshio into upper thermocline waters, while a more southerly bifurcation location during the 2012 cruise injected more tropical NEC water into upper thermocline waters offshore of eastern Luzon. Here, we show that the change in source of upper thermocline waters in this region can also be recognized in the distribution pattern of chlorophyll a. Horizontally averaged chlorophyll a profiles showed higher concentrations in the upper 125 m of the water column during the 2011 cruise when the bifurcation latitude was 13°N–14°N than during the 2012 cruise when the bifurcation latitude was observed at 10°N–11°N. Chlorophyll a data overlain on regional currents show that the 2011 nascent Kuroshio had a higher chlorophyll a content, supplied by the Kuroshio recirculation from the north, while the increased NEC content of the 2012 nascent Kuroshio was accompanied by reduced chlorophyll a within the upper thermocline, supporting the notion that horizontal advection plays an important role in chlorophyll variability off eastern Luzon. Using sea surface height anomalies as a proxy for upper ocean heat content, we show that warmer waters from the NEC supply the nascent Kuroshio when the location of the NEC bifurcation is more southerly. Empirical orthogonal function analysis of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer chlorophyll a data from 2003 to 2013 shows that the primary mode of chlorophyll a variability offshore of eastern Luzon was positively correlated with the NEC bifurcation latitude, further establishing that warmer, oligotrophic waters from the NEC supply the nascent Kuroshio when NEC bifurcation is southerly.
  • Identifying pelagic habitat hotspots of neon flying squid in the temperate waters of the central North Pacific
    Irene D. Alabia, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Robinson Mugo, Hiromichi Igarashi, Yoichi Ishikawa, Norihisa Usui, Masafumi Kamachi, Toshiyuki Awaji, Masaki Seito
    PLoS ONE, 10, 11, 01 Nov. 2015, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    Scientific journal, 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 1999-2010. Squid habitat hotspots were deduced from the monthly Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) models and were identified as regions of persistent high suitable habitat across the 12-year period. The distribution of predicted squid habitat hotspots in central North Pacific revealed interesting spatial and temporal patterns likely linked with the presence and dynamics of oceanographic features in squid's putative foraging grounds from late spring to summer. From May to June, the inferred patches of squid habitat hotspots developed within the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition zone (KOTZ; 37-40°N) and further expanded north towards the subarctic frontal zone (SAFZ; 40-44°N) in July. The squid habitat hotspots within the KOTZ and areas west of the dateline (160°W-180°) were likely influenced and associated with the highly dynamic and transient oceanic eddies and could possibly account for lower squid suitable habitat persistence obtained from these regions. However, predicted squid habitat hotspots located in regions east of the dateline (180°-160°W) from June to July, showed predominantly higher squid habitat persistence presumably due to their proximity to the mean position of the seasonally- shifting TZCF and consequent utilization of the highly productive waters of the SAFZ.
  • Seasonal potential fishing ground prediction of neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) in the western and central North Pacific
    Irene D. Alabia, Sei Ichi Saitoh, Robinson Mugo, Hiromichi Igarashi, Yoichi Ishikawa, Norihisa Usui, Masafumi Kamachi, Toshiyuki Awaji, Masaki Seito
    Fisheries Oceanography, 24, 2, 190, 203, 01 Mar. 2015, [Peer-reviewed], [Lead author, Corresponding author]
    Scientific journal, 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 from January-February (winter) and June-July (summer) 2001-2004 were simulated separately and covered the near-coast (winter) and offshore (summer) forage areas off the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition and subarctic frontal zones. The oceanographic conditions differed between regions and were regulated by the inherent seasonal variability and prevailing basin dynamics. The seasonal and spatial extents of potential squid fishing grounds were largely explained by SST (7-17°C in the winter and 11-18°C in the summer) and SSS (33.8-34.8 in the winter and 33.7-34.3 in the summer). These ocean properties are water mass tracers and define the boundaries of the North Pacific hydrographic provinces. Mesoscale variability in the upper ocean inferred from SSH and EKE were also influential to squid potential fishing grounds and are presumably linked to the augmented primary productivity from nutrient enhancement and entrainment of passive plankton. WSC, however, has the least model contribution to squid potential fishing habitat relative to the other environmental factors examined. Findings of this work underpin the importance of SST and SSS as robust predictors of the seasonal squid potential fishing grounds in the western and central North Pacific and highlight MaxEnt's potential for operational fishery application.

Books and other publications

  • Marine Biogeography in Biogeography: An Integrative Approach of the Evolution of Living               
    Jorge García Molinos, Irene D Alabia, Chapter Co-author
    John Wiley & Sons, Jan. 2022, 9781789450606, [Joint work]
  • Future Oceans2 IMBeR Open Science Conference: Thoughts and perspectives from early career attendees               
    Irene D Alabia, Xin Guo, Patricia Angkiriwang, Andrés Beita-Jiménez
    North Pacific Marine Science Organization, Jul. 2019, [Joint work]
  • Detection of potential fishing zone for Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) using generalized additive model and remotely sensed data               
    Achmad Fachruddin Syah, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Irene D Alabia, Toru Hirawake, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2017, [Joint translation]
  • Investigating the roles of intrinsic and extrinsic factors in the blooms of Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum using an individual-based model               
    AT Yñiguez, A Cayetano, CL Villanoy, I Alabia, I Fernandez, JD Palermo, GA Benico, FP Siringan, RV Azanza
    Procedia Environmental Sciences, Jan. 2012, [Joint work]

Lectures, oral presentations, etc.

  • Climate-driven shifts of marine biodiversity in the Arctic waters               
    Irene D. Alabia
    38th International Symposium on the Okhotsk Sea and Polar Oceans, 19 Feb. 2024, English, Keynote oral presentation
    [Invited]
  • Arctic marine biodiversity responses under contemporary climate changes               
    Irene D. Alabia
    Arribada 2024: UPMSI Research Fest, 12 Feb. 2024, English, Invited oral presentation
    [Invited]
  • Arctic marine communities & North Pacific salmon responses in recent decades               
    Irene D. Alabia
    Alaska Forum on the Environment, 09 Feb. 2024, English, Nominated symposium
    [Invited]
  • Environmental conditions at Chum salmon feeding and wintering grounds: potential effects on survival at sea.               
    Irene D. Alabia, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Takafumi Hirata, Yasuyuki Miyakoshi, Fumihiro Takahashi, Masahide Kaeriyama
    PICES Annual Meeting, 27 Oct. 2023, English, Oral presentation
  • Projected abundances of key fisheries in the Pacific Arctic under future climate: Potential biological and economic implications               
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Takafumi Hirata, Daiju Narita, Toru Hirawake
    PICES annual Meeting, 23 Oct. 2023, English, Oral presentation
  • Arctic marine biodiversity and species co-occurrence under recent climate               
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Takafumi Hirata, Franz J. Mueter, Carmen L. David
    JpGU Online Meeting, 24 May 2023, English, Oral presentation
  • Marine biodiversity distribution in a rapidly changing climate               
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Takafumi Hirata, Franz J. Mueter, Carmen L. David
    Arctic Online Symposium, 19 Jan. 2023, English, Invited oral presentation
  • Pan-Arctic marine biodiversity patterns under recent climate               
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Takafumi Hirata, Franz J. Mueter, Carmen L. David
    Ecosystem Studies of Subarctic and Arctic Seas Annual Science Meeting, 21 Jun. 2022, English, Oral presentation
  • Marine biodiversity refugia in the Eastern Bering Sea               
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Takafumi Hirata, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Toru Hirawake, Franz J. Mueter
    JpGU Meeting, 23 May 2022, English, Invited oral presentation
    [Invited]
  • Safe havens of marine biodiversity in a climate-sensitive shelf               
    Irene D. Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Takafumi Hirata, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Toru Hirawake, and Franz J. Mueter
    Ocean Science Meeting Online meeting, 28 Feb. 2022, English, Oral presentation
  • Future biogeographic shifts of marine biodiversity in the Pacific Arctic.               
    Irene Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Toru Hirawake, and Franz J. Mueter
    JpGU, Jun. 2021, English, Oral presentation
  • Multiple facets of marine biodiversity in the Pacific Arctic under future climate               
    Irene Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Toru Hirawake, and Franz J. Mueter
    PICES Annual Meeting, Oct. 2020, English, Oral presentation
    13 Oct. 2020 - 15 Oct. 2020
  • Multifaceted biodiversity distributions in the Eastern Bering Sea over the recent decades, 1990-2020               
    Irene Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Toru Hirawake, and Franz J. Mueter
    AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting, Feb. 2020, English, Oral presentation
    16 Feb. 2020 - 21 Feb. 2020
  • Modeling abundance of demersal taxa in the Pacific Arctic under climate change: implications on future resource availability to fisheries               
    Irene Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Takafumi Hirata, Toru Hirawake, and Franz J. Mueter
    IMBER Open Science Conference, Future Oceans, Jun. 2019, English, Oral presentation
    Jun. 2019
  • Biogeographic patterns of marine communities in the Pacific Arctic under a warming ocean               
    Irene Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Takafumi Hirata, Toru Hirawake, Franz J. Muete
    PICES Annual Meeting, Nov. 2018, English, Oral presentation
  • Projected distribution and diversity patterns of marine taxa in the Pacific Arctic under future climate               
    Irene Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Takafumi Hirata, Toru Hirawake, and Franz J. Mueter
    Effects of climate change on the world’s ocean (ECCWO), Jun. 2018, English, Oral presentation
  • Biodiversity patterns of marine taxa in the Eastern Bering Sea under extant climatic stanzas               
    Irene Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Takafumi Hirata, Toru Hirawake, Franz J. Muete
    AGU Ocean Science Meeting, Feb. 2018, English, Poster presentation
  • Distribution shifts of marine taxa in the Pacific Arctic under contemporary climate changes               
    Irene Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Takafumi Hirata, Toru Hirawake, and Franz J. Mueter
    International Symposium on Arctic Research, Jan. 2018, English, Oral presentation
  • Habitat distribution patterns of demersal fish in the Eastern Bering and Chukchi Seas: comparing multivariate climatic and bioclimatic velocities               
    Irene Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, Takafumi Hirata, Toru Hirawake
    ESSAS Open Science Meeting, Jun. 2017, English, Oral presentation
  • Bioclimatic velocity for walleye pollock in the Bering Sea               
    Irene Alabia, Jorge Garcia Molinos, Sei-Ichi Saitoh, and Toru Hirawake
    PICES Annual Meeting, 2016, English, Oral presentation

Courses

  • One Program for Global Goals (OGGs-NJE3 course)               
    Hokkaido University
    Aug. 2024
  • External Thesis Reader (MS Marine Science)               
    University of the Philippines Diliman
    Dec. 2023
  • External Thesis Reader (MS Environmental Science at the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology)               
    University of the Philippines Diliman
    Dec. 2021 - Mar. 2023
  • External Thesis Reader (Master's Course)               
    University of the Philippines Diliman
    May 2020
  • External Thesis Reader (Master's Course)               
    University of the Philippines Diliman
    Apr. 2015
  • Summer Marine Science Camp (High School Students)               
    Department of Science & Technology & Marine Science Institute UP Diliman
    May 2010 - Jun. 2010

Affiliated academic society

  • Jan. 2019 - Present
    Japanese Society of Fisheries Oceanography               
  • Oct. 2011 - Present
    Nippon Foundation and the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans Alumni Network               

Media Coverage

  • Echtes Meereis gibt es nur noch im Museum (in German)               
    Mar. 2024
    Other than myself
    Süddeutsche Zeitung GmbH
    https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/japan-klimawandel-eis-1.6424599?reduced=true, [Internet]
  • Understanding biodiversity changes in sub-Arctic and Arctic Seas from species distribution models               
    Jun. 2023
    Hokkaido University Presss Release Office
    https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/climate-change/article/723, [Internet]
  • Warming Arctic draws marine predators northwards               
    Apr. 2023
    Other than myself
    Hokkaido University Research Press Release
    https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/warming-arctic-draws-marine-predators-northwards/, [Internet]
  • 海の生き物たちが環境変動を避けて逃げ込む「退避海域」               
    May 2021
    The University of Tokyo
    Tokyo, Japan, [Internet]
  • Two biodiversity refugia identified in the Eastern Bering Sea
    May 2021
    Hokkaido University Research Press Release
    35723523, [Internet]
  • Marine biodiversity reshuffles under warmer and sea ice-free Pacific Arctic
    Sep. 2020
    Hokkaido University Research Press Release
    35723494, [Internet]
  • Mapping species range shifts under recent climatic changes
    Nov. 2018
    Hokkaido University Press Release
    35723494, [Internet]

Academic Contribution Activities

  • Guest Associate Editor in Frontiers in Marine Science (Toward an Integrated Understanding of Ecological Responses to Variable Climate Changes and Marine Environments)               
    Oct. 2020 - Sep. 2021
    Supervision
    Peer review etc

Others

  • Apr. 2011 - Mar. 2015
    MEXT Monbusho Scholarship Recipient
    Recipient of the MEXT Monbusho Scholarship (Doctoral Course)
  • Jul. 2008 - Apr. 2009
    DOST (Philippines) Thesis Grant Recipent