A sustainable integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea
Abstract
Unprecedented changes are occurring in the Arctic and affect all components of Arctic marine ecosystems, including humans. However, consistent, long-term observations for planning and adaptation are currently lacking in the Arctic Ocean. Therefore, we propose a sustainable approach to biodiversity observing in the Chukchi Sea as one component of the development of a national marine biodiversity observing (MBON) program. Grounded in the concept that sustained biodiversity across ecosystem components is critical for maintaining healthy ecosystem functions, we are building on lessons learned from the first 5-year Arctic MBON demonstration project (AMBON). Using strategic collaborations, we propose adding currently un-observed essential ocean variables (EOV) to other, ongoing long-term research programs in a sustainable way to conduct logistically costly observations in the Arctic. This approach ensures that biodiversity is measured across multiple scales of diversity from microbes to whales. We specifically propose to link to and enhance a stationary mooring array in the northern Chukchi Sea (CEO) that provides year-round environmental and biological observations. The proposed sustainable AMBON will use innovative technological approaches, such as the moored water sampler that collects year-round eDNA samples, a sediment trap to sample phytoplankton, and passive acoustics to observe vocalizing marine mammal presence. In addition, we will add the two emerging EOVs microbes (through eDNA collections) and epibenthic invertebrates, as well as fish and seabird collections, to an existing, spatially expansive sampling program in the Chukchi Sea, the DBO-NCIS. Together, the two programs link biodiversity observations across time and space. Finally, we propose to link results from organismal observations to remotely sensed seascapes, which have recently become available for the Arctic. All biodiversity observations will be related to a full suite of environmental measurements that help understand diversity patterns in space and time. Data publication and visualization is a strong focus of this proposal and we will continue to meet standard data formats (metadata, Darwin Core) to publish data on the MBON Portal, archive data at NCEI, and provide data to OBIS. We have partnered with two end user groups to integrate AMBON data with specific management needs in the Arctic. One partnership is with NOAAs Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) program to help develop and inform an IEA for the Chukchi Sea. The second partner is the NOAA-led US Arctic Observing Network (US AON) to link scientific observations to a varimunity in a meaningful and informative manner. Our proposed project also has tight links to BOEMs Environmental Studies Program (listed as area of interest for FY2019 in BOEMs Alaska Annual Studies Plan to expand AMBON work into the Beaufort Sea). We propose that connecting AMBON with other available data streams on the Alaska IOOS Regional Associations (AOOS) Arctic Portal will lead to useful data products for the stakeholder community. Beyond the Arctic regional scale, the sustainable AMBON project proposes to collaborate with other funded MBON projects (x-MBON) to continue to work on developing a national MBON plan. Enhanced focus on these collaborations will help define common observing elements and their implementation in a national plan and identify elements that may need adaptive sampling strategies. As part of GEO BON, this x-MBON collaboration also connects to a growing international effort to understand marine biodiversity and harmonize efforts for long-term, sustained observations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 08, 2020
- Source ID
- N000142012413
Entities
People
- Kathleen M Stafford
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Washington