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ARCTIC RESEARCH AND
MONITORING WORKSHOPJANUARY 23RD, 2009
Mark Shasby
USGS- Alaska Regional Office
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
OVERVIEW OF USGS
ACTIVITIES IN
ARCTIC MARINE-ECOSYSTEMS
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USGS ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
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4 SCIENCE DISCIPLINES-(28 PROGRAMS)
 BIOLOGY
 GEOLOGY
 GEOGRAPHY
 WATER
USGS SCIENCE STRATEGY- 6 THEMES
3 REGIONS>> 9 AREAS (Multiple Centers)
ALASKA= 1 AREA, 1 INTEGRATED SCIENCE CENTER
USGS Budget(s) = $5.0 Mil < ?x? < $10.0 Mil across all
Disciplines, Programs, Centers in any given year.
Summary of Major USGS Research &
Monitoring Activities: Biological Studies
 Activity goals – further our understanding of fish and wildlife
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important to the Department of the Interior in the Arctic, especially in
the face of a rapidly changing climate
Major Elements and Desired Outcomes:
 Marine mammals
 Pacific Walrus:
 Response to accelerating Arctic change
 Documentation of how changes in sea ice from climate change will
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effect the energetics, distribution and demography of Pacific walrus
Polar Bears:
 Assessing the accuracy and narrowing the uncertainty in population
projections for southern Beaufort Sea polar bears
 Documentation of the impacts of changes in sea ice on polar bear
movements, distribution and demographics
 Testing the validity of models developed to forecast the status of polar
bear populations
Fish
 Testing molecular and otolith tools to investigate population of origin
and migration in Arctic cisco found in the Colville River, Alaska
 Understanding of the natal origin of Arctic cisco in the Colville River
Summary of Major USGS Research &
Monitoring Activities: Biological Studies
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Major Elements and Desired Outcomes (contd.):
Marine birds
 Migration and habitat use by threatened spectacled eiders
in the eastern Chukchi near and offshore environment
 Improved understanding of the distribution (both summer,
winter and migration) of spectacled eiders, red-throated
loons and yellow-billed loons.
 Monitoring marine birds of concern (loons) in the eastern
Chukchi Sea nearshore area
 Improved understanding of how spectacled eiders and
loons use habitats in the Chukchi Sea that are potential
interest to the oil and gas industry
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Sea Ice Studies
 Developing tools for evaluating
changes to sea ice
General Status of USGS Biology Projects
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Pacific walrus – long-term project; will complete (with FWS) analysis of rangewide survey of Pacific walrus this year; preliminary data suggest that walrus will
exploit fragmented sea ice as long as they can to remain over shallow
continental shelf in Chukchi to access foraging beds. If ice goes over deep
water, walrus desert sea ice and go to shore.
Polar bear – long-term project; declines in summer sea ice result in declines in
body condition and survival; USGS models suggest substantial declines in
polar bear populations if sea ice continues to decline thru mid-late century as
suggested by IPCC GCMs.
Arctic cisco – near end of three year study; genetic data indicate that Colville
River fish originate in tributaries of McKenzie River in Canada.
Spectacled eider – three year project will begin in 2009 employing satellite
telemetry; previous study discovered wintering area in sea ice between St.
Matthew and St. Lawrence islands.
Red-throated and Yellow-billed loons – 2nd of five year study. Preliminary
results suggest breeding red-throated loons forage in nearshore marine waters;
yellow-billed loons nest in lakes that have fish. Earlier study suggests that
loons of both species that nest on North Slope winter in Asia from Japan south
to China and Korea.
Sea ice – ongoing study; with Russian Academy of Sciences, USGS has
developed new tools to estimate changes in sea ice metrics and melt periods
Planned or Possible Future USGS
Biology Activities
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Expand studies of polar bear and walrus sea ice habitat associations during
recent years of diminishing sea ice conditions to refine projections of effects of
sea ice loss
Expand studies to determine how polar bear food webs are changing in a
diminishing sea ice environment
Expand studies to compare life history metrics for polar bears inhabiting
terrestrial summer habitats versus high latitude pack ice
Develop models to forecast the effects of diminishing summer sea ice on Pacific
walrus bioenergetics and demographics.
Arctic bluff retreat and inundation of an ecologically sensitive barrier island
system due to a changing global climate.
Coastal Marine Geology Program-exploring the possibility of bringing a
research boat that the USGS designed and built in the 1970's for Arctic work
back to Alaska and the North Slope for coastal and marine programs for
seafloor mapping (high-resolution swath bathymetry and backscatter imagery in
water depths to 100 meters; side-scan sonar and single-beam bathymetry in
deeper water), as well as light sampling.
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Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal:
Estimates of Undiscovered Oil and Gas
North of the Arctic Circle
Oil and Gas Resources of the Arctic
Alaska Petroleum Province
Assessment of Gas Hydrate Resources on
the North Slope, Alaska, 2008
UNCLOS 2008 Arctic Ocean:
Canada - U.S. Joint Expedition
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Background: The Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) allows every
coastal state a continental shelf out to 200 nm. Both Canada and the United
States have a national interest in knowing (and declaring to others) the
locations of the outer limits of their respective extended continental shelf.
Project Purpose: Collect data that will help define the limits of the extended
continental shelf for both Canada and the United States in the Arctic Ocean.
These data are in regions never before explored by surface ship
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Sediment thickness information is gathered using seismic reflection techniques that can image many
kilometers beneath the sea floor.
Morphology data are gathered using echo sounders which typically only image the surface of the sea
floor.
Status: During the 2008 cruise, approximately 2800 km of multichannel seismic
data were collected .
Challenges and Opportunities:
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Challenges:
 Stable Base Funding
 Rising Costs
 Difficult Logistics
 Data Poor Region (Met, Geo-phys, Carto, Bio.etc..)
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Opportunities
 Change in Priorities
 Leverage Interdisciplinary Assets
 Partnerships
 Improved Data Management