The Chukchi Sea Environmental Studies Program (CSESP): an integrated ecological investigation of the Arctic system

Date/time: December 3, 13:00-14:30

Room: Gofoten

Session organizer: Louis Brzuzy, Shell

The Chukchi Sea is a productive shallow Arctic continental shelf system that is the conduit of water, nutrients, and biota between the Northern Pacific and Bering Sea and the basin of the Arctic Ocean. Physically, the Chukchi is dominated by the presence of ice for a large portion of the year, but, is seasonally open for a period of high biological activity that is significant at the regional and global levels.

As a system, the Chukchi is undergoing significant change. In addition to climate related changes, the Chukchi is a focal region of increased Arctic transportation and extractive resource development, including oil and gas exploration.

Since 2008, an integrated interdisciplinary ecological studies program has investigated the relationships between physical, chemical, and biological components of the Northeast Chukchi Sea environment. The Chukchi Sea Environmental Studues Program (CSESP) provides insights into the existing and changing baseline in areas of potential energy development and examines the deterministic mechanisms that currently drive system function and provide predictive capacity for interpreting system response to anthropogenic change. Results of the CSESP demonstrate the relationship between the physical/ecological environment and biodiversity patterns of the Northeast Chukchi Sea.

Case study session