Toward an Integrated Assessment of the Impacts of Extreme Wind Events on Barrow, Alaska

2004 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Lynch ◽  
J. A. Curry ◽  
R. D. Brunner ◽  
J. A. Maslanik
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Region ◽  
Open Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Arctic Seas ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
The North ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Wind Events

Warming of the arctic climate is having a substantial impact on the Alaskan North Slope coastal region. The warming is associated with increasing amounts of open water in the arctic seas, rising sea level, and thawing permafrost. Coastal geography and increasing development along the coastline are contributing to increased vulnerability of infrastructure, utilities, and supplies of food and gasoline to storms, flooding, and coastal erosion. Secondary impacts of coastal flooding may include harm to animals and their land or sea habitats, if pollutants are released. Further, Inupiat subsistence harvesting of marine sources of food, offshore resource extraction, and marine transportation may be affected. This paper describes a project to understand, support, and enhance the local decision-making process on the North Slope of Alaska on socioeconomic issues that are influenced by warming, climate variability, and extreme weather events.

North Slope Coastal Imagery Initiative: A Cloud-Based Spill Response Tool

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 110-116
Author(s):  
John Harper ◽  
Kalen Morrow
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Chukchi Sea ◽  
Open Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Arctic Seas ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
The North ◽  
Response Planning

AbstractThe North Slope of Alaska borders on two arctic seas, the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea, with a total shoreline length of approximately 6,000 km. Oil exploration and production facilities are close to the coast, and the risk of spilled oil reaching the coast is increasing. The North Slope coast is a challenging location for spill response as the coastal areas are ice-covered much of the year and subject to variable ice cover during the open-water season. In addition, the shoreline is highly complex and rapidly changing because of melting of permafrost. The North Slope Coastal Imagery Initiative developed an online, decision support tool for spill preparedness and Incident Command decision making. The online tool makes more than 16,000 high-resolution images and 30 hours of high-resolution videography available to Incident Command in the event of a spill. Such high-resolution imagery is extremely useful in providing situational awareness for personnel unfamiliar to the Arctic and for tactical response planning. The resolution of the imagery is much higher than typical shoreline mapping or satellite imagery and, as such, eliminates ambiguity in interpretation when developing the most appropriate response strategies. The project provides a consensus building tool for spill response.

scholarly journals Planning Oil Spill Response Tactics for Offshore Production Islands

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 1163-1166
Author(s):  
Michael Bronson ◽  
Thomas Chappie ◽  
Larry Dietrick ◽  
Ronald Hocking ◽  
James McHale
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Regulatory Approval ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
North Slope ◽  
The North ◽  
Offshore Production ◽  
Offshore Oil Production

ABSTRACT In anticipation of the Beaufort Sea's first two offshore production islands, Alaska's North Slope oil producers recently expanded their oil spill recovery tactical plans and equipment. To seek regulatory approval for offshore oil production, industry responders joined agency regulators and made plans to clean up as much as 225,000 barrels of oil from potential blowouts over 15 days. Response technicians are configuring new and existing skimmers, vessels, and barges on the North Slope to implement those planning standards. This paper outlines the oil spill tactical plans and equipment that Alaska's North Slope oil industry recently assembled in seeking regulatory approval for the first offshore production islands in the Arctic. The operators of North America's largest oil fields are beginning the first production from oil wells separated from roads and most spill response vessels. For example, the new Badami production pad lies on the Arctic coast more than 25 miles from the Prudhoe Bay facilities, across river courses and roadless tundra. Eight miles of ice-infested sea will separate the proposed Northstar and Liberty production islands from response vessel berths. The new fields regularly experience waves, cold, and ice invasions that constrain oil recovery efforts. Yet regulatory approval to begin oil production requires that the industry have plans and equipment to clean up all the oil that may enter open water, even from the largest spills, within 72 hours.

scholarly journals Overwintering Habitat of American Dipper, Cinclus mexicanus, Observed in an Arctic Groundwater Spring Feeding on Dolly Varden, Salvelinus malma

ARCTIC ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-87
Author(s):  
Colin P. Gallagher ◽  
Ellen V. Lea
Keyword(s):  
Open Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Dolly Varden ◽  
Salvelinus Malma ◽  
The North ◽  
Cinclus Mexicanus ◽  
Dolly Varden Salvelinus Malma ◽  
American Dipper

Perennial groundwater springs along the Alaska and Yukon North Slope provide overwintering habitat for various organisms, including birds and fishes. We observed an American Dipper, Cinclus mexicanus, in the open water of a perennial spring situated in Fish Creek, Yukon, in Ivvavik National Park on 8 March 2018. The observation at Fish Creek was among the most northern documented sightings of an American Dipper during the winter in North America. Moreover, the observation was approximately 650 km farther north than where American Dippers have been documented overwintering in Yukon, making this the most northern Canadian observation documented for this species in any season. Additionally, the American Dipper was photographed feeding on a juvenile Dolly Varden, Salvelinus malma. Although American Dippers are known to feed on small fish, our observation was a novel documentation of a trophic interaction between both species during winter. The open-water habitat in Fish Creek, which is important for both species and has not been previously described, was short (~730 m long), shallow (mean = 20 cm deep), narrow (mean = 2.8 m wide), and cold (mean water temperature = 0.34ºC). While there is little information regarding the ecological interactions of American Dipper overwintering in the Arctic, we note that all observations in the North Slope area during winter occurred in river systems also used by Dolly Varden, which indicates that juvenile Dolly Varden could be an important source of food for American Dipper in winter.

scholarly journals The nuclear icebreaker fleet of Russia in the first quarter of the XXI century. Challenges and prospects for the development of the Northern Sea Route

2021 ◽  
pp. 14-25
Author(s):  
Ю.Л. Бордученко ◽  
И.Г. Малыгин ◽  
В.Ю. Каминский ◽  
В.А. Аксенов
Keyword(s):  
Decisive Role ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Seas ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The North ◽  
Russian Economy ◽  
Current State ◽  
Northern Sea Route ◽  
Transport Problems

Арктическая зона в XXI веке становится важнейшим гарантом устойчивого развития Российской Федерации. Вклад Севера в экономику России во многом будет определяться масштабами и темпами развития Арктической транспортной системы. Необходимо расширение коммерческого и научно-исследовательского судоходства, развитие транспортных узлов и коридоров, полярной авиации, грузопассажирских морских полярных перевозок. В этих условиях Россия в целях обеспечения своих геополитических интересов должна постоянно поддерживать активное присутствие в этом регионе. Оно выражается в проведении научных исследований, разведке и добыче полезных ископаемых, обеспечении морских грузоперевозок с использованием ледоколов и специализированных ледокольно-транспортных судов. Этого невозможно достичь без развития уникального атомного ледокольного флота. В настоящее время Россия является мировым лидером в области применения атомного ледокольного флота для решения транспортных задач в морях Арктики и неарктических замерзающих морях. Для успешной конкуренции России необходимо не упускать этого лидерства и постоянно развивать и совершенствовать атомный ледокольный флот как ключевое звено инфраструктуры функционирования Северного морского пути. В статье представлен краткий обзор текущего состояния и перспектив развития атомного ледокольного флота России. Показана определяющая роль атомного ледокольного флота в обеспечении судоходства по трассам Северного морского пути для развития экономики Арктического региона России. The Arctic zone in the XXI century is becoming the most important guarantor of the sustainable development of the Russian Federation. The contribution of the North to the Russian economy will largely be determined by the scale and pace of development of the Arctic Transport System. It is necessary to expand commercial and research shipping, develop transport hubs and corridors, polar aviation, and cargo and passenger sea polar transportation. In these circumstances, Russia must constantly maintain an active presence in this region in order to ensure its geopolitical interests. It is expressed in conducting scientific research, exploration and extraction of minerals, providing sea cargo transportation using icebreakers and specialized icebreaker-transport vessels. This cannot be achieved without the development of a unique nuclear icebreaker fleet. Currently, Russia is a world leader in the use of nuclear-powered icebreaking fleet for solving transport problems in the Arctic seas and non-Arctic freezing seas. For successful competition, Russia must not lose this leadership, constantly develop and improve the nuclear icebreaker fleet as a key link in the infrastructure of the Northern Sea Route. The article provides a brief overview of the current state and prospects for the development of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet. The article shows the decisive role of the nuclear icebreaker fleet in ensuring navigation along the Northern Sea Route for the development of the economy of the Arctic region of Russia.

scholarly journals Ice Conditions of an Arctic Polynya: North Water in Winter

1986 ◽  
Vol 32 (112) ◽  
pp. 383-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad Steffen
Keyword(s):  
Sea Water ◽  
Surface Condition ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Aerial Images ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The North ◽  
North Water ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Fast Ice

AbstractThe surface condition of the North Water was investigated during two winters (i.e. the three polynyas: Smith Sound polynya, Lady Ann Strait polynya, and Barrow Strait polynya). Since no detailed information was available on ice conditions and the extent of open water during winter, radiometric temperature measurements of the sea surface had to be taken along a flight line of 2650 km from an altitude of 300 m. From November to March 1978-79 and 1980-81, 14 remote-sensing flights were carried out. On the basis of the radiometric measurements, the following ice types were identified: ice-free, dark nilas, light nilas, grey ice, grey-white ice, and white ice. A comparison between the thermal and the visual ice classification (the latter being based on grey tones of the aerial images) showed a deviation of 3%. The analysis showed that in November, December, and January more than 50% of the Smith Sound polynya was covered by young ice, nilas, and ice-free, whereas in February and March white ice was dominant. Moreover, it was found that the two polynyas in Smith Sound and Lady Ann Strait were much smaller than previously believed. In Barrow Strait, a semi-permanent polynya was observed in the winter of 1980-81. The occurrence of polynyas in Barrow Strait seems to be connected with the location of the fast-ice edge. On the basis of the calculated ice-type distribution and heat-flux rates for different ice types, an energy loss of 178 W m-2was found on the surface of the Smith Sound polynya due to open water and thin ice for the winter months November to March. Compared with other ice-covered sea surfaces in the Arctic, the heat release by the sea-water in the Smith Sound polynya is about 100 W m-2larger.

scholarly journals The Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA)

Ocean Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burkard Baschek ◽  
Friedhelm Schroeder ◽  
Holger Brix ◽  
Rolf Riethmüller ◽  
Thomas H. Badewien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Seas ◽  
The Public ◽  
The North ◽  
Data Products ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Arctic Coast ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA) was established in order to better understand the complex interdisciplinary processes of northern seas and the Arctic coasts in a changing environment. Particular focus is given to the German Bight in the North Sea as a prime example of a heavily used coastal area, and Svalbard as an example of an Arctic coast that is under strong pressure due to global change.The COSYNA automated observing and modelling system is designed to monitor real-time conditions and provide short-term forecasts, data, and data products to help assess the impact of anthropogenically induced change. Observations are carried out by combining satellite and radar remote sensing with various in situ platforms. Novel sensors, instruments, and algorithms are developed to further improve the understanding of the interdisciplinary interactions between physics, biogeochemistry, and the ecology of coastal seas. New modelling and data assimilation techniques are used to integrate observations and models in a quasi-operational system providing descriptions and forecasts of key hydrographic variables. Data and data products are publicly available free of charge and in real time. They are used by multiple interest groups in science, agencies, politics, industry, and the public.

scholarly journals The influence of local oil exploration and regional wildfires on summer 2015 aerosol over the North Slope of Alaska

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 555-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie M. Creamean ◽  
Maximilian Maahn ◽  
Gijs de Boer ◽  
Allison McComiskey ◽  
Arthur J. Sedlacek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
North Slope ◽  
The North ◽  
The Us ◽  
Range Transport ◽  
North Slope Of Alaska ◽  
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement ◽  
Arctic Atmosphere

Abstract. The Arctic is warming at an alarming rate, yet the processes that contribute to the enhanced warming are not well understood. Arctic aerosols have been targeted in studies for decades due to their consequential impacts on the energy budget, both directly and indirectly through their ability to modulate cloud microphysics. Even with the breadth of knowledge afforded from these previous studies, aerosols and their effects remain poorly quantified, especially in the rapidly changing Arctic. Additionally, many previous studies involved use of ground-based measurements, and due to the frequent stratified nature of the Arctic atmosphere, brings into question the representativeness of these datasets aloft. Here, we report on airborne observations from the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Fifth Airborne Carbon Measurements (ACME-V) field campaign along the North Slope of Alaska during the summer of 2015. Contrary to previous evidence that the Alaskan Arctic summertime air is relatively pristine, we show how local oil extraction activities, 2015's central Alaskan wildfires, and, to a lesser extent, long-range transport introduce aerosols and trace gases higher in concentration than previously reported in Arctic haze measurements to the North Slope. Although these sources were either episodic or localized, they serve as abundant aerosol sources that have the potential to impact a larger spatial scale after emission.

Outreach and disseminations activities in North Slope of Alaska: how to build trust between local communities and arctic researchers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaare Sikuaq Erickson ◽  
Donatella Zona ◽  
Marco Montemayor ◽  
Walter Oechel ◽  
Terenzio Zenone
Keyword(s):  
Common Ground ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Science Fair ◽  
Methane Cycle ◽  
The North ◽  
North Slope Of Alaska ◽  
The University

<p>The Alaskan Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC) is promoting and financilally supporting, with the contribution of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and local organizations, outreach and dissemination events, in the form of science fair for the local communities in North Slope of Alaska. The science fair is part of a larger effort by UIC Science to bring coordination and collaboration to science outreach and engagement efforts across Arctic Alaska. The purpose is to provide a positive space for Arctic researchers and Arctic residents to meet, eat with each other, spend time, and to inspire the youth of the Arctic by providing fun and educational activities that are based in science and traditional knowledge. The Science Fair 2019 hosted by the Barrow Arctic Research Center (BARC) included three days of youth and family-friendly activities related to “Inupiat Knowledge about Plants” led by the College Inupiat Studies Department, “Eco-chains Activity” hosted by the North Slope Borough Office of Emergency Management, “Big Little World: Bugs Plants, and Microscopes” hosted by the National Ecological Observatory Network, “Microplastics in the Arctic” hosted by the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, “BARC Scavenger Hunt” hosted by UIC Science, “Our Role in the Carbon and Methane Cycle” hosted by the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) and San Diego State University, and “How Permafrost Works” hosted by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute. Each day hundreds of students, from both the local community and the science community came together to take part in mutually beneficial engagement: students from Utqiaġvik were excited about science and now know of the realistic and fulfilling careers in research that takes place in their backyard. The Utqiaġvik community members and elders now have a better idea of the breadth of research that takes place in and near their home. The locals, especially the elders, are very concerned about the drastic changes in our environment: scientists share these concerns, and the discussions during the fair was a chance to recognize this common ground. Breaking the ice between Arctic researchers and residents can lead to endless opportunities for collaboration, sharing ideas, and even lifelong friendships.</p><p> </p><p> </p>

scholarly journals Whales and Men: genetic inferences uncover a detailed history of hunting in bowhead whale

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
TB Hoareau
Keyword(s):  
Population Change ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Population History ◽  
Bowhead Whale ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Seas ◽  
The North ◽  
Time Calibration ◽  
History Of

AbstractAfter millennia of hunting and a population collapse, it is still challenging to understand the genetic consequences of whaling on the circumarctic bowhead whale. Here I use published modern mtDNA sequences from the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population and a new time calibration to show that late–glacial climate changes and whaling have been the major drivers of population change. Cultures that hunted in the Arctic Seas from as early as 5000 years ago appear to be responsible for successive declines of the population growth, bringing the effective size down to 38% of its pristine population size. The Thules and the Basques (year 1000–1730) who only hunted in the North Atlantic had a major impact on this North Pacific population, indicating that bowhead whale stocks respond to harvesting as a single population unit. Recent positive growth is inferred only after the end of commercial whaling in 1915, and for levels of harvesting that are close to the current annual quota of 67 whales. By unfolding the population history of the bowhead whale, I provide compelling evidence that mtDNA yields critical yet undervalued information for management and conservation of natural populations.

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