COVID-delayed Arctic research cruise yields late-season data

Date:
November 11, 2020
Source:
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Summary:
Researchers studying the Bering and Chukchi seas for three weeks
in October found no ice and a surprisingly active ecosystem as
they added another year's data to a key climate change record.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Researchers studying the Bering and Chukchi seas for three weeks in
October found no ice and a surprisingly active ecosystem as they added
another year's data to a key climate change record.


==========================================================================
The research vessel Norseman II carried scientists from the University
of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and Clark University.

Maintaining the continuity of long-term observations is crucial as
the region is affected by climate change. For example, the researchers collected sediments and small bottom-dwelling animals to help document
harmful algal blooms that are becoming more common as Arctic waters
warm. The blooms pose a threat to the humans and marine mammals that
eat them.

Because of pandemic-related delays, the cruise began on Oct. 2 -- a
much later start than originally planned. Historically, the Bering and
Chukchi sea ecosystem transitioned to lower-level activity as sea ice
formed in October.

This year, unseasonably warm ocean temperatures delayed sea ice formation
by several weeks. The lack of ice likely allowed the greater biological activity observed by the researchers.

"The recovered data are already showing the effects of oceanic heat that extends further into the fall and early winter," said Seth Danielson of
UAF's College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.



==========================================================================
The scientists collected data for several marine science programs
monitoring the Pacific Arctic ecosystem.

The Distributed Biological Observatory, led by Jacqueline Grebmeier of
UMCES, has been sampling productive hot spots since the late 1980s in
U.S. Arctic waters.

The Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network, led by Katrin Iken
at UAF's College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, is part of a national
network studying how biodiversity and species distributions are changing
as a result of climate change in the U.S. Arctic.

The researchers also visited the Chukchi Ecosystem Observatory, a set of
highly instrumented oceanographic moorings that monitor the ecosystem year-round. "We only get one chance each year to deploy fresh sensors
with new batteries, so this cruise was important to avoid interruptions
to the observations," said Danielson, who leads the project.

"This was a really worthwhile effort that paid off in making biological
data available from a part of the year where there have been historically
few observations," said Grebmeier, the cruise's chief scientist.

To protect communities in the Bering Strait from potential exposure to
the COVID-19 virus, the team completed quarantines and multiple tests
in Anchorage before the cruise. They traveled by chartered aircraft
to Nome and were taken directly to the research vessel, bypassing the
passenger terminal.

Everyone aboard also adhered to COVID-19 health and safety mandates
from their institutions and followed an isolation and travel plan in
accordance with the Port of Nome and the State of Alaska.

Funding for the cruise was provided by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the North Pacific Research Board and the
National Oceanic Partnership Program, which also includes funding by
the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Alaska_Fairbanks. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


==========================================================================


Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201111180655.htm

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