OCS Study MMS 2001-049 

ALASKA OCS REGION 

EIGHTH INFORMATION TRANSFER MEETING

Proceedings 

April 3, 4, and 5, 2001 

Anchorage, Alaska 

Prepared for: 

U.S. Department of the Interior

Minerals Management Service

Alaska OCS Region

949 E. 36th Avenue

Anchorage, Alaska 99508

Under Contract No. 14-35-01-RC-96-30801 

Prepared by: 

MBC Applied Environmental Sciences

3000 Redhill Avenue

Costa Mesa, California 92626

July 2001 

i 
DISCLAIMER 

This report has been reviewed by the Alaska OCS Region, Minerals Management Service, 

U. S. Department of the Interior and approved for publication. The opinions, findings, 

conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the report are those of the authors, and do 

not necessarily reflect the view of the Minerals Management Service. Mention of trade names 

for commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendations for use. This 

report is exempt from review by the Minerals Management Service Technical Publication 

Unit and Regional Editor. 

REPORT AVAILABILITY 

This document is available to the public through: 

National Technical Information Service

5285 Port Royal Road

Springfield, Virginia 22161

FAX: (703) 605-6900

www.ntis.gov

CITATION 

Suggested citation: 

MBC Applied Environmental Sciences. 2001. Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information 

Transfer Meeting. OCS Study MMS 2001-049. Prepared by MBC Applied 

Environmental Sciences, Costa Mesa, CA. Prepared for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 

Minerals Management Service, Alaska OCS Region, Anchorage, AK. 61 pp. plus 

attachments. 

ii 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Page 

PREFACE ................................................................................................................................................................... vi

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

John Goll ........................................................................................................................................................3

Cleve Cowles, Ph.D......................................................................................................................................5

Vera Alexander, Ph.D. .................................................................................................................................8

PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHIC AND METEOROLOGICAL STUDIES 

Beaufort Sea Nearshore Under-ice Currents: Science, Analysis and Logistics - Thomas J.

Weingartner, Ph.D........................................................................................................................11

Circulation, Thermohaline Structure, and Cross-shelf Transport in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea -

Thomas J. Weingartner, Ph.D. ....................................................................................................12

Synthesis and Collection of Meteorological Data in the Nearshore Beaufort Sea - Brian Hoefler,

P.E...................................................................................................................................................13

Beaufort and Chukchi Sea Seasonal Variability for Two Arctic Climate States - Andrey

Proshutinsky, Ph.D. .....................................................................................................................14

Alaska Sea Ice Atlas - Orson Smith, Ph.D., P.E. and William Lee........................................................15

FATE AND EFFECTS STUDIES 

Revision of the OCS Oil Weathering Model: Phases II and III - Mark Reed ......................................19

Kinetics and Mechanisms of Slow PAH Desorption from Lower Cook Inlet and Beaufort Sea

Sediments - John A. Terschak and Susan M. Henrichs ...........................................................20

Petroleum Hydrocarbon Degrading Microbial Communities in Beaufort Sea Sediments - Joan

Braddock, Ph.D. and Kathleen Gannon ....................................................................................21

A Nowcast/Forecast Model for the Beaufort Sea Ice-Ocean Oil Spill System (NFM-BSIOS) -

Jia Wang, Ph.D. and Meibing Jin, Ph.D....................................................................................22

An Experimental Investigation of the Role of Zooplankton in the Distribution of Hydrocarbons -

Thomas C. Shirley, Ph.D. and Switgard Duesterloh ..............................................................23

INTERDISCIPLINARY AND OTHER STUDIES 

Arctic Nearshore Impact Monitoring in Development Area (ANIMIDA) Program: A Multi-year

Monitoring Program in the Nearshore Beaufort Sea - John Brown, Paul Boehm, and Linda

Cook...............................................................................................................................................27

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ANIMIDA: Hydrocarbon Chemistry of Sediments and Biota in the Nearshore Beaufort Sea -

John Brown, Paul Boehm, and Linda Cook .............................................................................28

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) 

Page 

ANIMIDA: Ambient and Industrial Noise Measurements near the Northstar and Liberty Sites

During April 2000 - G. W. Shepard, P.A. Krumhansl, M.L. Knack, and C. I. Malme .........29

ANIMIDA: Trace Metals in the ANIMIDA Study Area - John H. Trefry, Robert P. Trocine, and

Robert D. Rember.........................................................................................................................30

Alternative Oil Spill Indicators for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas OCS - Fault Tree Approach -

Frank G. Bercha, Ph.D., P.E.........................................................................................................31

Initial Work on a Statistical Approach to Oil Spill Occurrence Estimates for the Beaufort/

Chukchi Sea OCS - Ted Eschenbach, Ph.D., PE. ......................................................................32

BIOLOGICAL STUDIES 

Feeding Ecology of Maturing Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Nearshore Waters of

the Kodiak Archipelago - Albert Tyler, Charles Swanton, and Bruce McIntosh.................35

Seabird Samples as Resources for Marine Environmental Assessment - Deborah Rocque and

Kevin Winkler...............................................................................................................................36

Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Project - Paul R. Becker, Ph.D. and Geoff W. York.........37

The Alaska Frozen Tissue Collection: a Resource for Biotechnology - Joseph A. Cook, Ph.D.

and Gordon H. Jarrell, Ph.D. ......................................................................................................38

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES 

Sociocultural Consequences of Alaska OCS Activities - Data Analysis and Integration -

James A. Fall, Ph.D.......................................................................................................................41

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Cleanup, and Litigation: a Collection of Social Impacts Information

and Analysis - John C. Russell, Ph.D., Michael Downs, Ph.D., Betsy R. Strick, Ph.D ,

and Michael S. Galginaitis .........................................................................................................43

Establishing a Computer Accessible Traditional Knowledge Database on the Alaskan North

Slope - Anne Jensen .....................................................................................................................44

Book/Synthesis of Information on Socioeconomic Effects of Oil and Gas Activities in Alaska -

Stephen R. Braund and Jack A. Kruse, Ph.D. ...........................................................................45

Modeling the Economic Impacts of Offshore Oil Exploration and Development Activities in

the Alaska Arctic - Jonathan Skolnik and Chris Holleyman .................................................46

Reference Manual and GIS Overlays of Oil Industry and Other Human Activity (1979-1995) 

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in the Beaufort Sea - Peter Wainwright.....................................................................................47

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) 

Page 

PROTECTED SPECIES STUDIES 

Bowhead Whale Feeding in the Eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea - William Griffiths, W. John

Richardson, Ph.D., and Denis H. Thomson ..............................................................................51

Minerals Management Service Aerial Monitoring of Fall 1998-1999 Bowhead Whale

Migrations - Stephen D. Treacy..................................................................................................53

Polar Bear Den Research in the Beaufort Sea - Steven C. Amstrup, Ph.D. .........................................55

Monitoring Beaufort Sea Waterfowl and Marine Birds - Richard B. Lanctot.....................................56

Correction Factor for Ringed Seal Surveys in Northern Alaska - Brendan P. Kelly, Ph.D.,

Lori T. Quakenbush, and Brian D. Taras ..................................................................................57

Monitoring Distribution and Abundance of Ringed Seals in Northern Alaska - Kathryn J. Frost,

Grey Pendleton, and Casey Hessinger......................................................................................58

Satellite Tracking of Beluga Whales in the Central Arctic Ocean - Robert Suydam, Lloyd F.

Lowery, and Kathryn J. Frost .....................................................................................................60

ATTACHMENTS 

1 - Agenda 

2 - List of Attendees 

v 
PREFACE 

This Information Transfer Meeting (ITM), sponsored by the Alaska OCS Region of the Minerals 

Management Service, is the eighth major information meeting since 1978. This ITM was focused on the lease 

sale areas of Cook Inlet and the Beaufort Sea. Over thirty speakers presented updates of on-going MMSfunded and other related studies over a broad spectrum of topics, including Physical Oceanography, studies 

of Fates and Effects of Contaminants, Interdisciplinary Studies, other Biological studies, Social and Economic 

studies, and studies of Protected Species 

The ITM was attended by over 100 individuals representing local, state, and federal government 

agencies, universities, industry, the private sector, and the general public. This document includes abstracts 

of presentations, edited summaries of discussions as well as the agenda and a list of attendees. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

JOHN GOLL 

Regional Director

Alaska OCS Region

Minerals Management Service

949 E. 36th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99508

(907) 271-6010  FAX (907) 271-6805  Email: John.Goll@mms.gov

I would like to welcome all of you today. This is our 8th Information Transfer Meeting (ITM) since the 

Environmental Studies Program began in the late 1970s, not including several previous sale-specific Synthesis 

Meetings and Information Update Meetings. 

The specific goals of this meeting include: 

1. Transferring and exchanging openly information obtained by our Environmental Studies 

Program, particularly to the public and our staff, 

2. Sharing information with similar study programs in other agencies, 

3. Meeting with the public, our cooperators, and partner agencies to share technical information 

pertinent to OCS decision making and 

4. Obtaining input from attendees regarding potential study topics useful to MMS decision making. 

MMS Mission and Mandates 

The MMS mission is to manage the mineral resources on the outer Continental Shelf in an 

environmentally sound and safe manner and to timely collect, verify, and distribute mineral revenues from 

federal and Indian lands. 

Under the OCS Lands Act, the MMS is mandated to “preserve, protect, and develop oil and natural gas 

resources of the OCS in a manner that is consistent with the need a) to make such resources available to 

meeting the nation’s energy needs as rapidly as possible; b) to balance orderly energy development with 

protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments; and c) to ensure the public a fair and equitable 

return on the resources of the OCS. . . .” 

Reasons for achieving a Regional balance include the growing dependence of our National economy on 

foreign oil; the importance of Alaska production, approximately 17% of US production; the growing 

international emphasis on environmental protection; and concerns about effects of Arctic climate change 

and cumulative effects. 

MMS implements these mandates through: 1) the preparation of lease-sale schedule; 2) review of 

Development and Production Plans; 2) the preparation of Environmental Impact Statements in accordance 

with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); 3) attention to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Marine 

Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA); 4) conduct of specific lease 

sales; 5) timely responses to industry proposals for exploration or development; and 6) regulatory and 

safety role of Field Operations 

MMS also coordinates with other energy programs such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the 

National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE), state agencies with 

responsibility for nearshore waters and onshore lands, local municipalities, Cook Inlet Regional Citizens 

Advisory Committee (CIRCAC), North Slope Borough (NSB), Native corporation leases, etc. 

MMS stresses careful and participatory planning, given the long lead-times on sales, assessments, and 

public reviews. Conferences such as this help us achieve that balance. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

Highlights of Current MMS Activities 

The Alaska OCS Region in January of this year released a draft EIS for the proposed Liberty 

Development and Production Plan. This is the first development proposed that will be completely on the 

Alaska OCS. If approved, this project would be under construction in 2003 and in production by the end of 

2004. 

The Northstar development is under construction and production is expected in late 2001. While the 

Northstar Island is in State waters, 6 to 7 wells will be directionally drilled into the OCS. This will be the 

first production from the Alaska OCS waters. 

The MMS is currently preparing the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing 

Program 2003 to 2007. This will set the framework for leasing and potential development. 

In conclusion, I would especially like to welcome those attending from other organizations, the public, 

and all the invited speakers. For the invited speakers I wish to express my thanks for your work towards 

making this meeting a success. We look forward to your presentations. 

CLEVE COWLES, PH.D. 

Chief, Environmental Studies Program

Alaska OCS Region

Minerals Management Service

949 E. 36th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99508

(907) 271-6617 _ FAX (907) 271-6805 _ Email: Cleve.Cowles@mms.gov

Good Morning, everyone. It is pleasure to see so many familiar faces again, not only of our Principal 

Investigators, but also those of you representing diverse groups and agencies who follow the progress of 

the OCS program in Alaska. 

As our Regional Director, John Goll, mentioned, the purpose of this meeting is to provide an 

opportunity for our Environmental Assessment staff and you to become more up-to-date on the status of 

ongoing studies. 

Now, I'd like to take a few minutes to give a brief overview of the Alaska Environmental Studies 

Program. 

Goals and Objectives 

The goals and objectives of the Alaska Environmental Studies Program are to: 1) obtain information for 

environmental impact assessment, 2) enhance decision processes and information transfer, and 3) in the 

event of offshore development, to conduct monitoring of any potential environmental changes. 

These goals and objectives are derived from the framework set forth in the OCS Lands Act, as amended 

in 1978, section 20. 

Regarding item 1, our high priority information needs include information that might be needed to 

accomplish specific lease sale assessments, development plan reviews, or determined necessary under 

consultation with other agencies such as under legislation such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA) or 

Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). 

Major MMS Activities 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

Studies we initiate are intended to provide information to key steps of decision processes related to 

major activities such as the Northstar Development where production will be starting soon (2001). We 

expect the final EIS for the Liberty Prospect (just to the east of Prudhoe Bay on the federal offshore), to be 

released this fall. Construction for the Liberty site is scheduled for 2002-2003. We are now in the process of 

preparing the draft Five Year Program for 2003 to 2007. 

MMS Planning Process 

There are three main areas of focus in our planning process. First, we are a mission-oriented agency. We 

try to keep our studies defined and focused on information related specifically to the pending decisions. 

Second, the MMS planning process is participatory. We seek input from more than 200 organizational 

entities in Alaska, including federal, state, and local agencies and government; environmental groups, 

industry, academia, advocacy groups, village and tribal organizations, and subsistence organizations. We 

also discuss our plan with the MMS Scientific Committee and our counterparts at our national 

headquarters. 

Third, the planning process is an annual cycle that entails obtaining input, preparing drafts of proposed 

studies by March or April, seeking comments on the plan from stakeholders, revising and updating the 

plans by about June, and a final review by national headquarters. Our plans are usually developed one to 

two fiscal years in advance. By November, our Scientific Committee discusses the plan with us, and by 

January a final plan is ready for distribution. In order to stay on target for such diverse, long range 

activities, we must plan our studies well in advance. 

Our current annual Studies Plan - Fiscal Year 2001-02 - is the plan we are implementing this year. A 

portion of the proposed studies in this plan are being procured as new starts this year. There are copies of 

this plan available for your review. We also have released a FY 2002-03 plan for which funding decisions 

(FY 2002) are pending. 

Plan Implementation and Coordination 

MMS study plans are implemented via three main pathways. 

One method of initiating an approved (funded) study is via direct contracting or interagency 

agreements for specific studies. We follow procedures for competitive bidding as outlined in the Federal 

Acquisition Regulations. A Technical Proposal Evaluation Committee made up of MMS scientists, and, 

frequently, scientists from other agencies will review bidder’s capabilities and technical proposals. 

We also collaborate with US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division (BRD) (Western 

Region/Alaska Biological Science Center). There are a series of steps that are followed in which BRD 

reviews MMS study plans and biological studies profiles, and MMS reviews BRD draft implementation 

plans and proposals. 

In addition, we have a Cooperative Agreement with the University of Alaska Fairbanks for the Coastal 

Marine Institute (CMI). Through the CMI, there is an annual solicitation of letters of intent for proposals on 

key issues, followed by full proposals. A key feature of the CMI is the collaborative selection of funded 

projects, done jointly by MMS, State, and University representation on the Technical Steering Committee. 

Another unique feature of the CMI is that matching funds are required. Matching funds must be nonfederal, thereby leveraging the federal dollar. Other in-kind resources have been utilized as well, such as 

logistics platforms. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

Another payoff of the CMI is the educational contribution we make through these studies by providing 

opportunities for university students to pursue advanced degrees or other participation as part of the 

research. 

A final means of plan implementation, in a few cases, is via what we call in-house studies, where MMS 

will actually perform the research itself, such as the Bowhead Whale Aerial Survey Project (BWASP). 

On-going Program 

Our current program includes 38 studies in multiple disciplines. About 60% of those studies are 

cooperatively funded through programs such as CMI. About 79% of the studies are focused on the central 

Beaufort Sea near the development projects just mentioned. About 29 % have a “monitoring” role such as 

the Arctic Nearshore Impact Monitoring in Development Area (ANIMIDA) Study, BWASP, and others. 

Geographically, the Beaufort and Chukchi seas region currently receives the largest funding allocation, 

about 86%. About 14% of our funding is allocated to region-wide or generically applicable studies. A very 

small amount (less than 1%) are studies for the Cook Inlet Region. 

From a discipline standpoint, Protected Species studies receive 39% of the total. Fate and Effects studies 

and Physical Oceanography comprise about 21% of allocated funds. Multi-disciplinary studies such as 

ANIMIDA receive about 21%. Another important discipline is Socio-economic studies which receives about 

10%, followed by Biological studies which receive about 5%. 

Other Environmental Studies Plan Functions 

There are a number of other activities in the program that we do besides just planning and 

implementing studies. We sponsor Information Transfer Meetings such as this, or synthesis projects such as 

the preparation of reports or books that collect a larger body of information. We attempt to integrate studies 

in such a way that one product of a study can move into another to avoid duplication and to maximize the 

sharing of information between studies. We support logistics and equipment sharing among studies. A very 

important function is information management and retrieval. There has been over $260 million spent on 

hundreds of studies in the Alaska OCS Region over the past twenty-some years. MMS maintains an 

Environmental Studies Program Information System or ESPIS, which is accessible on the World Wide Web. 

There one can do key word searches and obtain information on MMS studies. 

In conclusion, our program has been quite successful over the years and part of that is due to our basic 

foundations and philosophy of managing the program. MMS tries to stay focused on our mission, we seek 

to do quality science, and we consider and respect the local communities and their role in the studies 

process. We are always interested in product delivery, as many of our contractors and principal 

investigators know. We also attempt to coordinate and cooperate with other programs as much as possible. 

Substantial evidence of the intent of these foundations can be found as we listen to the presentations in 

the next few days. There have been many scientific accomplishments over the years. I would like to 

mention a few examples: 

As many of you are aware, MMS recently moved into Phase II of ANIMIDA. This multidisciplinary 

study has recently developed some sensitive techniques capable of detecting very low levels of 

hydrocarbons and trace metal contamination. 

A CMI study recently conducted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks has provided the first 

continuous measurements of under-ice currents in the coastal Beaufort Sea waters less than 40 meters in 

depth. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

A four-year study of bowhead whale feeding in the eastern Beaufort Sea will be completed this year, 

within which local input has been very instrumental. From this study we will have a much improved 

understanding of the use of the eastern Beaufort Sea by bowhead whales. 

Similarly, a multi-year study by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, one of our cooperative studies, of 

the social consequences of the Alaska OCS activities is near completion. 

Recent efforts by the Biological Resources Division of the USGS for censusing polar bears dens using 

remote techniques are showing increased promise. These finding may be useful in mitigating a variety of 

potential disturbances to this important species. 

Before I conclude, I would like to once again welcome one and all. Also I would like to thank Tim 

Holder, Geraldine Taylor, Dick Newman all of MMS, and MBC Applied Environmental Sciences for all of 

their excellent support in organizing and conducting the meeting. I would also like to add a special 

welcome to Dr. Scott Goldsmith and Dr. Will Schroeder, who are attending as representatives of the MMS 

Scientific Committee, and to Dr. Rodney Cluck from our headquarters office. 

VERA ALEXANDER, PH.D. 

Director, Coastal Marine Institute

School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences

University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775

(907) 474-6824 · FAX (907) 474-7386  Email: vera@sfos.uaf.edu

The Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) exists under a cooperative 

agreement between the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the University. The Center supports research 

projects which are of interest to the MMS in support of offshore oil and gas exploration and development, but which 

also are of interest to the University and to the State of Alaska. Under this cooperative arrangement the University is 

required to match the $1 million which the MMS contributes with a one-to-one contribution from non-federal sources. 

This provides for significant financial leverage. 

Management of the Institute if under a technical steering committee, which is composed of two representatives 

from MMS, two from the University and two from the State of Alaska (appointed by the Governor). Recently, a 

non-voting member has been added from the Alaska Science and Technology 

Foundation, although that is not included in the Cooperative Agreement. The Technical Steering Committee 

establishes the areas for proposal solicitation in the form of framework issues, and conducts the evaluation of 

pre-proposals and final proposals. The administrative support for the Institute lies within the School of Fisheries and 

Ocean Sciences, and the Dean of the School serves as its Director. A small staff manages the day to day business. The 

Institute is now in its 8th Award Cycle, and will soon be approaching its decadal anniversary. Currently there are 

nineteen projects underway. 

A brief description of the current projects was presented. These include arctic work on ringed seals and on 

Beaufort Sea currents, circulation and structure, an Alaska Sea Ice Atlas, on two Beaufort and Chukchi Sea climate 

states, and satellite tracking of beluga whales. There is also work on hydrocarbon desorption, microbial hydrocarbon 

degradation, and the role of zooplankton in hydrocarbon distribution. Much of the work is conducted off the north 

coast of Alaska, although there are several projects in the Cook Inlet and Kodiak area. 

Physical oceanography is receiving 72% of the support, with chemical oceanography and marine biology at 3% 

and 19% respectively. Graduate student involvement has between an important component of most projects. Matching 

comes from a number of sources, which include State agencies, the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation, 

British Petroleum Exploration, Cominco Alaska, the Japanese Marine Science and Technology Center, other 

universities, the Canadian Coast Guard and various units of the University of Alaska, among others. This brings many 

parties into the work of the Institute.Further details can be found at the CMI web page at http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/cmi/. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHIC AND 

METEOROLOGICAL STUDIES 

BEAUFORT SEA NEARSHORE UNDER-ICE CURRENTS: 

SCIENCE, ANALYSIS, AND LOGISTICS 

Thomas J. Weingartner, Ph.D.

Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska

Fairbanks, AK 99775-1080

(907) 474-7993  FAX (907) 474-7204  Email: weingart@ims.alaska.edu

The purpose of this study was to measure under-ice currents and water property parameters useful in evaluating 

oil-spill risks and sedimentation processes in the nearshore environment of Prudhoe Bay. We collected hourly 

estimates of velocity, temperature, salinity, and transmissivity (a proxy for suspended sediment load) for one year 

(Sept. 1999 – Sept. 2000) within the landfast ice zone of Stefansson Sound. The measurements were made from three 

instrumented moorings deployed at sites up to 40 km apart. There are two seasonal circulation regimes that are defined 

by the presence or absence of the landfast ice. In the absence of ice, the nearshore currents are highly correlated with 

the local winds, often very strong (50 – 100 cm s-1) and strongly sheared in the vertical. Once the landfast ice is 

established, the flow is uncorrelated with the winds, very weak (typically current speeds are 5 cm s-1), and with little 

vertical shear. Current speeds seldom exceed 20 cm s-1 under the landfast ice. In all seasons the current field is highly 

coherent over the 40-km range of the measurements. The suspended sediment load is also seasonal, with high turbidity 

in the open water season when currents are strong and low turbidity beneath the ice. However, there was a large threeweek turbidity event in early June, before the landfast ice broke up and when the currents were weak. The exact cause 

of this event is uncertain, but we believe it is related to the under-ice spread of Sagavanirktok River water, which 

reaches its peak discharge in mid-June on average. 

Discussion: 

A question was asked about the depth at which the current meters are deployed. Dr. Weingartner explained they 

are between 7 and 8 m on the bottom, though they may be one meter above the bottom. Dr. Eschenbach pointed out to 

Dr. Weingartner that bottom scouring from strudel holes could lead to the observed turbidity, as observed at Northstar. 

Dr. Weingartner inquired about detecting strudel scours, and Dr. Eschenbach explained you can do bottom and aerial 

surveys. However, bottom features tend to persist until a major storm levels everything out, so there can be large 

numbers of relict scours. There is additional data from satellite imagery to map the boundaries of the overflight, but 

that data will not show individual holes. Strudel hole data are available for the last three years from the Liberty 

Project, and some data are contained in MMS reports. Dr. Kelly asked if there are seal holes where river water drains, 

and Dr. Weingartner did not know. 

Dr. Will Schroeder asked if anyone has looked at biological turbidity, such as plankton blooms or swarms of 

animals, particularly in spring. Dr. Weingartner explained that during the last year of monitoring, they will add 

fluorometry measurements. Algal mats can fall from the underside of ice in a matter of days. Dr. Alexander added that 

the only comprehensive work on blooms was done by Hornisch, and she found that algae dropped from the ice and 

formed bloom that lasted longer than a few days. In the marginal ice zone, material goes to the bottom quickly, but this 

may not be the case in the arctic. Dr. Ken Dunton (University of Texas at Austin) will be doing some more work in the 

Boulder Patch, and he will be using PAR sensors. Dr. Schroeder reiterated that their focus was/is current 

measurements. Dr. Andrey Proshutinsky asked about tidal and wind components. Dr. Weingartner explained there is a 

tidal component (about 2-3 cm/s). And while wind appears to be a factor, sometimes the currents are opposite the wind 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

direction. Lastly, a question was asked if there was significant biofouling on the instrument packages—-Dr. 

Weingartner said there was not. 

CIRCULATION, THERMOHALINE STRUCTURE, AND CROSS-SHELF TRANSPORT 

IN THE ALASKAN BEAUFORT SEA 

Thomas J. Weingartner, Ph.D.

Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska

Fairbanks, AK 99775-1080

(907) 474-7993  FAX (907) 474-7204  Email: weingart@ims.alaska.edu

The objectives of this program are to provide a kinematical and dynamical description of the circulation and 

temperature/salinity fields along the Beaufort Sea shelfbreak and slope. The observations will be useful in model 

evaluation and development. We deployed 6 current meter moorings along the Beaufort continental slope between 

Barrow and the Mackenzie shelf between August 1999 and October 1999. The mooring data are supplemented with 

temperature and salinity data collected from a U.S. Navy submarine throughout the mooring array in April 1999. The 

measurements were made to determine: 1) the mean transport and the vertical and cross-shore scales of the mean flow 

field, 2) the magnitude of the flow variations and the associated temporal and spatial scales, 3) the relationship between 

variations in temperature and salinity and variations in the flow field, and 4) how these variations are related to the 

regional wind field. All of these characteristics can be easily compared with numerical model results. 

The along-slope scales of spatial variability are ~20 km and possibly reflect the effects of flow interacting with 

bottom topography. The along-slope flow field is weakly eastward on average at a few cm/s-1, but highly variable; 

current speeds range from 40 cm/s-1 eastward to 30 cm/s-1 westward on synoptic and seasonal time scales. The current 

variations were uncorrelated with the local wind field and horizontally incoherent over an along-slope distance of 200 

km. Eastward currents (between 150 and 250 m depth) were strongest from October through March when westward 

winds were strongest. Atlantic Water predominates at about 150 m depth along the Alaskan Beaufort slope while 

fresher, colder upper halocline water occurs at this depth along the Mackenzie Beaufort slope. The reason for these 

differences is not known but there are several implications that this might have for the Alaskan Beaufort shelf. 

Discussion: 

A question was asked about the eddies. Dr. Weingartner explained slope flow was not correlated with the wind 

field. Dr. Jia Wang pointed out these observations are very similar to his modeling work that will be presented later. 

SYNTHESIS AND COLLECTION OF METEOROLOGICAL DATA IN 

THE NEARSHORE BEAUFORT SEA 

Brian Hoefler, P.E. 

Hoefler Consulting Group 

701 Sesame Street Suite 200, Anchorage, AK 99503 

(907) 563-2137  FAX (907) 563-2164  E-mail: bhoefler@hoeflernet.com 

The goals of this study are to collect new meteorological data from the deployment of meteorological stations and 

to collect historical meteorological data from the Beaufort Sea locations that could be subject to immediate 

development. Four new meteorological monitoring stations have been installed and became operational on January 1, 

2001. These new stations are located at Badami, Endicott, Northstar, and Milne Point. The observed parameters are 

wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, and solar radiation. Water 

temperature will be observed during the ice-free season. All parameters are monitored continuously. Collected data is 

processed and downloaded every working day to an Anchorage-based server. The data are then scanned for obvious 

errors and posted to a web site that is available for public access. The web site address is www.resdat.com/mms/. A 

quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) review of the data is conducted quarterly. The QA/QC data is also posted to 

the web site. Analysis of the data are also performed quarterly and posted to the web site. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

Discussion: 

Mr. Tim Holder asked if high wind speeds caused failure of the Endicott wind generator and Mr. Hoefler said 

presumably, but the instruments have dampening mechanisms. When asked by Dr. Weingartner what the power 

demands are for the towers and instruments, Mr. Hoefler replied about 2.5 amps, though the cellular phone draws 5 or 

6 amps. Dr. Tom Weingartner asked if Hoefler’s platforms are available for ancillary instrumentation, such as a PAR 

sensor. Mr. Hoefler said he is willing to discuss that request. Dr. Jia Wang asked where the station locations are, and 

Mr. Hoefler presented a map with the locations of Badami, Endicott, Northstar, and Milne Point. Dr. Andrey 

Proshutinsky asked about the duration of the project. Mr. Hoefler explained the contract is for two years, but Mr. 

Warren Horowitz added there is a strong possibility that after two years, MMS will reassess the program and possibly 

add stations. Mr. Hoefler clarified the project is logistically difficult, especially with no service roads to the east, and it 

is not an inexpensive project to operate. Getting everything up and running is the largest expense. When asked about 

frosting problems by Ms. Anne Jensen, Mr. Hoefler stated the instruments have bearing heaters to keep the instruments 

warm. Still, frosting could pose problems. When asked about hoar frost on the solar radiation meters, Mr. Hoefler said 

that has not been an issue. 

Data are available at http://www.resdat.com/mms/ 

BEAUFORT AND CHUKCHI SEA SEASONAL VARIABILITY FOR 

TWO ARCTIC CLIMATE STATES 

Andrey Proshutinsky, Ph.D.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

360 Woods Hole Road, MS 29, Woods Hole, MA 02543

(508) 289-2796  FAX (508)457-2181  Email: pandrey@whoi.edu

There is a significant lack of data for the environmental parameters in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. Our goal is 

to use coupled ice-ocean models and available data for reconstruction of oceanic, atmospheric, and ice characteristics 

for the anticyclonic (1946-1952, 1958-1962, 1972-1979, 1984-1988, 1998-present) and cyclonic (1953-1957, 

1963-1971, 1980-1983, 1989-1997) climate states. Analyses of observational data and results of numerical experiments 

reveal significant differences in atmospheric, ice, and oceanic parameters during these two arctic climate regimes. 

During anticyclonic circulation regime, "winter" conditions with a cold and dry atmosphere, increased ice thickness 

and ice concentration, and a saltier and colder upper ocean water prevail during seasonal cycle. 

Both wind and water density gradients maintain winter and summer anticyclonic ice drift and surface currents 

during years with the anticyclonic circulation regime. 

During cyclonic circulation regime, "summer" conditions dominate with a relatively warm and wet atmosphere, 

and a fresher and warmer upper ocean than during anticyclonic regime. During cyclonic circulation regime wind and 

thermohaline circulation act in opposition because winds tend to be more cyclonic, and resulting circulation is weaker 

than during anticyclonic climate state or it becomes 

cyclonic. 

As a result of the dynamic-thermodynamic processes, we expect that the rate of land-shelf and shelf-basin 

interactions (transport of ice, fresh water, sediments, and pollutants) is increased during the cyclonic circulation regime 

and decreased during the anticyclonic climate state. 

Based on analysis of simulated storm surges we conclude that our models under estimate (about 30%) of the 

observed sea level rise during storm surges. Detailed studies show that this is a result of under-estimation of the 

atmospheric pressure gradients in the polar cyclones in the NCEP/NCAR sea level pressure reanalysis data. Studies of 

the storm-related processes will be carried out during 2001 in order to obtain statistics of sea level variability and 

coastal erosion rates for the anticyclonic and cyclonic circulation regimes in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

Discussion: 

Dr. Jia Wang wondered if only a seven millibar difference between the cyclonic and anticyclonic regimes reflects 

anomalous behavior of climatology. Dr. Proshutinsky explained they have not looked at wind-driven circulation. 

ALASKA SEA ICE ATLAS 

Orson Smith. Ph.D., P.E.

1

 and William Lee2

1

University of Alaska Anchorage, School of Engineering, Dept. of Civil Engineering

3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508

(907) 786-1910  FAX (907) 786-1079  E-mail: afops@uaa.alaska.edu 2

University of Alaska Anchorage, School of Engineering, Dept. of Geomatics

3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508

(907) 786-1106  FAX (907) 786-1079  E-mail: aswjl3@uaa.alaska.edu

The GIS-based Alaska Sea Ice Atlas is being compiled with a view toward risk assessment for navigation and 

mineral developments in ice-covered continental shelf waters of Alaska. The Atlas will include a comprehensive 

collection of georeferenced digital historical data on Alaska sea ice conditions and other environmental factors that 

bear on ice processes, updating previously printed ice atlases. Historical weekly average ice reports of the National Ice 

Center, from 1972 to 2000, form the foundation of the database of ice conditions. National Weather Service ice reports 

and other ice information are applied to refine ice descriptions and to compile related regional climatological 

summaries. Areas of uniform ice concentration, stage, and form are portrayed as polygons and superimposed on a 

5-km-square grid. Grid cell statistics over the period of record for each week of the calendar year include distribution 

parameters, reported extremes, and combined probabilities of concentration, stage, and related atmospheric variables. 

Hindcast wind stress divergence is applied as an analog of ice compression and ridge formation. These statistics allow 

derivation of a navigability index for assessing difficulties in navigating ice-covered waters in various classes of 

vessels. 

The Alaska Sea Ice Atlas will incorporate tools for user-defined analysis and mapping of sea ice effects on ships and 

fixed structures. These products will be delivered via a customized implementation of GIS tools at a public web site. 

Discussion: 

Mr. Warren Horowitz asked about the possibility of having one day of training so that people who are interested in 

using this database can learn how to use it, and Dr. Smith replied that could be done, and on-line help is critical. When Dr. 

Frank Bercha asked which GIS software Dr. Smith was using, Dr. Smith said they are currently using ArcInfo, though 

ArcIMS for Windows 2000 will soon be available. Dr. Bercha then asked if they had considered adding some high-level 

overlays which would provide probability of exceedance of ice loads, or linking up to a voyage simulator. Dr. Smith 

explained ice forces are not in the reports, though the closest derived parameter they intend to provide is the compression 

index. Dr. Smith has looked at modeling North Sea navigability, but it is beyond the scope of the current project. A parallel 

project is beginning now with CRREL and UAA looking at mobility indices. 

FATE AND EFFECTS STUDIES

REVISION OF THE OCS OIL WEATHERING MODEL: PHASES II AND III 

Mark Reed

SINTEF Applied Chemistry

Environmental Engineering

S.P. Andersonsvei 15B, Trondheim, Norway N7465

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _

011-47-73-59-12-32  FAX 011-47-73-59-70-51  Email: mark.reed@chem.sintef.no

The purpose of this study is to provide and augment information needed to support development of environmental risk 

assessments, Environmental Impact Statements, review of contingency plans, and oil-spill response for offshore gas and 

oil leasing. 

The MMS OCS Oil-Weathering Model (OWM) is a heavily used tool in the environmental assessment process for 

MMS. In the Alaska OCS Region, numerous estimates of oil-spill fate and behavior are derived from the OWM. The model 

provides analysts with a common, quantitative set of spill scenarios. The OWM is used to estimate whether State and 

Federal water quality standards and criteria would be exceeded by a spill, over what area, and for how long. The model 

calculates the area covered by a slick through time and the persistence of a slick. The model calculates how long the lighter, 

but most toxic components remain in the oil slick. The model is used to distinguish the effects of larger and smaller spills, 

for example between the effects of an average tanker spill versus an average pipeline spill. The in situ viscosity and degree 

of emulsification provided by the model are used in assessing the mitigation by and effectiveness of oil spill 

countermeasures such as mechanical recovery, dispersants, and in situ burning. 

In the Gulf of Mexico Region, the OWM is more frequently used in environmental assessments to evaluate oil-spill 

contingency plans and the reliability of associated oil-spill models. The OWM is critical to the latter evaluation because, 

unlike most oil-spill models, the OWM incorporates specific chemistry of individual crudes. 

SINTEF Applied Chemistry completed the Phase I review "Revision of MMS Offshore Continental Shelf 

Oil-Weathering Model: Evaluation," OCS Study MMS 98-0031 for MMS. 

The objectives of Phases II and III of this study are: 1) to adapt the SINTEF Oil Weathering Model (OWM) to MMS 

needs, 2) to expand the OWM oil library to include oils of interest to MMS, and 3) to develop and collate data sets 

identified in Phase I from experimental oil spills for validation testing of algorithms and weathering models. 

Discussion: 

A question was asked about how prevalent the high-paraffin content oil (Norne) is, and if other fields are producing 

similar oils. Dr. Reed stated this oil shows up world-wide, but that he did not know how common it really is. Also, there 

are oils with less wax, say 5%, but after evaporation they may end up being 7% to 9% wax. Dr. Cleve Cowles asked if 

autocorrelation in the variables posed any problems in the final weathering model. Dr. Reed explained that the 

autocorrelation is accounted for in the multivariate analysis. Mr. John Brown asked if there were any correlations between 

metal concentrations and weathering behavior, to which Dr. Reed replied metals appear to play a role in the stability of 

emulsions. One theory is that the metals, waxes, and the asphaltines tend to collect around interfaces, thereby stabilizing 

the interface between the oil and the water droplets in the emulsion. Mr. Brown asked if this is apparent in parts per billion 

concentrations. Dr. Reed explained that in the multivariate analysis they do come out as a significant variable. 

KINETICS AND MECHANISMS OF SLOW PAH DESORPTION FROM 

LOWER COOK INLET AND BEAUFORT SEA SEDIMENTS 

John A. Terschak and Susan M. Henrichs

School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks

P.O. Box 757220, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220

(907) 474-7807,  FAX (907) 474-7204  E-mail ftjat@uaf.edu, henrichs@ims.uaf.edu

Adsorption to sediment particles is a key process in determining the transport and fate of PAH (polycyclic aromatic 

hydrocarbon) contaminants in the marine environment. Previous Coastal Marine Institute-funded studies of lower Cook 

Inlet sediments have shown that some adsorbed PAH are not desorbed when sediments are suspended in clean seawater. 

Hence, adsorption could contribute to the persistence of PAH contamination of marine sediments. We are studying the rates 

of adsorption and desorption of the PAH phenanthrene in order to understand these processes and, thus, be able to predict 

how they will influence the environmental behavior of PAH. A variety of humic acids, components of sediment organic 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

matter, were synthesized in the laboratory and extracted from marine sediments collected from the Beaufort Sea, Lower 

Cook Inlet, and Port Valdez. The proportion of aromatic structural units (aromaticity) and the initial PAH concentration 

were measured for each synthetic and natural humic substance. The humic substances were coated on a standard clay 

mineral for use in the adsorption studies. The natural humic acids adsorbed more phenanthrene than the laboratory-prepared 

humic acids. Neither the aromaticity of the humic materials nor their initial PAH content explained the variations in 

adsorption among the different humic acids. The concentration of phenanthrene did not influence the extent of adsorption, 

indicating that all adsorption sites of a given material were approximately equivalent. The presence of a limited number 

of very strong adsorption sites did not appear to explain the incomplete desorption of phenanthrene. Adsorption was at 

steady state after a reaction time of one week, up to reaction times of 30 days or more, indicating that slow diffusion was 

probably not the major reason for incomplete desorption of PAH from sediment particles. 

Discussion: 

Dr. Mark Reed inquired about the uncertainty associated with the measurements. Dr. Henrichs explained 

measurements were made in triplicate. In one of the plots, the error bars overlap. However, the range of the error bars is 

similar to the range between the three means, with an error of about 20%. Dr. Reed said it is hard to discern if there is a 

trend or not, and error bars would help visually. Dr. Henrichs added that error bars would be in the final report, but for this 

presentation, error bars make it difficult to view the figure. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON DEGRADING MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES 

IN BEAUFORT SEA SEDIMENTS 

Joan Braddock, Ph.D.1 and Kathleen Gannon2

1

Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775

(907) 474-7991  FAX (907) 474-6967  E-mail: ffjfb@uaf.edu 2

Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775

(907) 474-6601 FAX (907) 474-6967  E-mail: ak-penguin@gci.net

There have been no published studies on hydrocarbon degrading populations and activities of microorganisms in 

Beaufort Sea sediment since the 1970s when oil reserves were first developed. In samples collected in 1999 and 2000, we 

enumerated populations of total bacteria, viable heterotrophs, and hexadecane (a linear alkane) and phenanthrene (a 

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) degraders in Chukchi and Beaufort Sea sediments. In addition, we used 

radiorespirometry to measure mineralization potentials for phenanthrene and hexadecane, and examined the partition 

coefficients, Kp, for phenanthrene in sediments with different physical and chemical properties. We found that even though 

the total bacterial counts were relatively similar between the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, all of the other microbial 

populations measured were significantly higher in the Beaufort Sea around Prudhoe Bay than they were in the Chukchi 

Sea around Barrow. Despite the location, mineralization potentials for both hexadecane and phenanthrene were low with 

hexadecane exhibiting slightly higher potentials at most locations. These results indicate that the populations present are 

not acclimated to use of these hydrocarbons. As expected, we found the partition coefficients for phenanthrene increased 

as the organic carbon content of the sediment increased, but for the organic poor sediments, other properties of the sediment 

also affected adsorption. These data provide a useful monitor of the populations of microorganisms occurring in these 

sediments as oil development has progressed since the 1970's. The study also provides information that will help assess 

the fate and effects of petroleum hydrocarbons in this environment if a spill were to occur. 

Discussion: 

Mr. John Brown asked about the bioavailability of hydrocarbons present in Prudhoe Bay sediments compared with 

sediments from Shelikof Strait or Exxon Valdez Oil Spill studies. Dr. Braddock explained that in Cook Inlet sediments, 

adding sediment particles almost always led to a 50% or 75% reduction in the utilization of phenanthrene. This was not 

looked at specifically at Prince William Sound; however, they did use a cut-off of 104

 oil degraders as an indicator of a 

hydrocarbon-polluted site. Interestingly enough, the sites around Prudhoe Bay, likely for different reasons, had populations 

approaching 103 oil degraders per gram of sediment, which in Prince William Sound would be considered a polluted site. 

Dr. Braddock clarified that she did not mean to imply that the Prudhoe site was contaminated. Mr. Don Hansen asked if 

natural oil seeps have been sampled. Dr. Braddock said she would like to, but it has been logistically difficult getting to 

those sites. Also, anecdotal information is available on natural oil seeps, but there has been some difficulty thus far finding 

out exactly where these sites are. Mr. Hansen added one location along the coast near Kaktovik was pointed out in an Outer 

Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP) publication in conjunction with a study done by Dr. Paul 

Becker. Dr. Braddock said the most accessible areas she could find were terrestrial areas. It was also mentioned by Dr. 

Becker that these sites may have changed drastically since the OCSEAP work was reported. 

A NOWCAST/FORECAST MODEL FOR THE BEAUFORT SEA ICE-OCEANOIL SPILL SYSTEM (NFM-BSIOS) 

Jia Wang, Ph.D. and Meibing Jin, Ph.D.

International Arctic Research Center-Frontier and Institute of Marine Science

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775

(907) 474-2685  Email: jwang@iarc.uaf.edu

This MMS/CMI sponsored project was kicked off last May. We first started with the large-scale (27 km resolution) 

coupled ice-ocean model in the pan Arctic-North Atlantic Ocean, because this model will provide the boundary conditions 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

to the NFM-BSIOS with 3 km resolution that is eddy-resolving. Therefore, the correctly simulated large-scale circulation 

is a necessary condition to a possibly successful implementation of the NFM-BSIOS. Nevertheless, it does not promise 

the small-scale model taken granted if the nested numerical schemes are not physically sound and not accurate. 

With boundary conditions (surface elevation, 2D-averaged velocities, 3D velocities, and T and S, presented by a 

switch with 1 being on and 0 being off) provided by the pan Arctic-North Atlantic Ocean model, we conducted a series 

of tests of nested schemes and came out with the following three being our candidates: 1) 1111, 2) 0111, and 3) 1000. Test 

1 means we prescribed all the boundary conditions. Test 2 prescribed all the boundary conditions except for surface 

elevation. Test 3 only prescribed the surface elevation. All three cases can produce the Beaufort Sea coastal current (10-20 

cm/s) along the slope and mesoscale eddies. This eastward coastal current was observed by current meter mooring in the 

region conducted by Weingartner (MMS project). However, test 2 seems to be the best because it produced less noise along 

the boundaries, compared to the two others. Physically, we found that test 1 over-specified the boundary conditions with 

no degree of freedom for the model to adjust, while test 3 only specified the surface elevation and therefore, the boundary 

conditions were under-specified with no volume transport conservation. Only test 2 can conserve the volume transport and 

allow surface elevation to radiate out of the model. 

Based on the experiments on the nested schemes, we came out with the following criteria. The optimal nested scheme 

must comply with the conservation of volume transport and must allow fast waves and noises/computation errors to freely 

leave (radiate out of) the model domain. The next step is to simulate the ocean circulation and sea ice flow in the 3 km-grid 

domain using the optimal nested scheme for both ocean and sea ice. Then, a trajectory model (Wang 2001) will be applied 

to the same region. The model results will be validated using the observations in the region. 

Reference 

Wang. J., 2001. A nowcast/forecast system for the coastal ocean circulation using simple nudging data assimilation. J. 

Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 18(6): 1037-1047. 

Discussion: 

Ms. Pam Miller suggested that for presentation purposes, it would be helpful to present geographical names on maps 

to better orient the audience. 

AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE ROLE OF ZOOPLANKTON 

IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF HYDROCARBONS 

Thomas C. Shirley, Ph.D. and Switgard Duesterloh

Juneau Center, School of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks

11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, AK 99801

(907) 465-6449  FAX: (907) 465-6447  Email: Tom.Shirley@uaf.edu and ftsd@aurora.alaska.edu

The role of zooplankton in distributing polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and the effects of PAH on copepod 

reproduction are poorly known. Copepods may contribute to the distribution of PAH in three ways: 1) through the food 

chain, 2) through sedimentation of carcasses and feces laden with PAH, and 3) through incorporation in reproductive tissue 

and delayed release of eggs. Due to their seasonally high biomass, the copepods Neocalanus, Calanus, and Pseudocalanus 

are important prey for various fish and birds. Bioaccumulation of oil by plankton is expected to vary with lipid content and 

size of the organism; this correlation will be tested with a series of experiments in 2001. Development of a method to 

expose live plankton to a constant concentration of sublethal doses of the water soluble fraction of oil over an extended 

period of time was a major accomplishment of the first year of the project. 

Two aspects of the ongoing research are highlighted in our presentation: "Reproduction of copepods in culture 

experiments" and "Effects of photoenhanced toxicity of oil on copepods." In summer, 2000 a study to determine the 

variability in egg production of Pseudocalanus spp. and Calanus marshallae was conducted. The experiments revealed 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

two distinctly different reproductive strategies by the two species. However, low female abundance in the study area and 

high variability in egg production rates precluded a comparison between oiled and unoiled specimens. 

New evidence suggests increased oil toxicity to copepods in the presence of ultraviolet radiation. In preliminary 

experiments, both increased mortality and impairment of mobility were observed in low dose oil exposures followed by 

exposure to ambient daylight. These effects may alter hydrocarbon distribution by copepods via changes in the proportion 

of lethal and sublethal effects on the population. Increased mortality may increase the proportion of oil being transported 

to the benthos by sedimentation of corpses, but alternately, may decrease oiled prey availability for fish that depend on 

these resources for early life stage survival. 

INTERDISCIPLINARY AND OTHER STUDIES 

ARCTIC NEARSHORE IMPACT MONITORING IN 

DEVELOPMENT AREA (ANIMIDA) PROGRAM: 

A MULTI-YEAR MONITORING PROGRAM IN THE NEARSHORE BEAUFORT SEA 

John Brown1

, Paul Boehm2, and Linda Cook1 

1

Arthur D. Little

20 Acorn Park, Cambridge, MA 02140

(617) 498-5387  FAX (617) 498-7296  E-mail: brown.john@adlittle.com 2

Battelle Ocean Sciences, Duxbury, MA 02332

Offshore oil and gas development and production activities have been initiated at Northstar Island and are planned for 

the coming years at the Liberty prospect site in the nearshore Beaufort Sea. There is concern about the long-term effects 

of these developments, as well as, the long-term effects of any development associated with future offshore lease sales. 

Historical data in the region have been collected over several decades. Nevertheless, the sensitivity of the region adjacent 

to Northstar and Liberty, and the highly variable and complex environmental conditions, make further monitoring 

necessary. In response to interagency reviews of related environmental impact statements (EISs) and development and 

production plans, the U.S. Department of Interior, Minerals Management Service (MMS) initiated the ANIMIDA Program 

as a long-term study for monitoring potential impacts of the Northstar and Liberty developments. ANIMIDA Phase I was 

started in June 1999 and included hydrocarbon and metals chemistry measurements in sediment and tissue samples, as well 

as acoustic measurements adjacent to the Northstar and Liberty sites. Phase II of the ANIMIDA Program was initiated in 

July 2000 and incorporates seven tasks including hydrocarbon and metal chemistry studies, suspended sediment studies, 

an assessment of subsistence whaling at Cross Island, biota contaminant assessment, and a study of the "boulder patch" 

area. 

Discussion: 

Mr. Tom Brower asked what the scope of Task 4 was going to be. Mr. Brown replied Michael Galginaitis has 

permission to go to Cross Island to get more information on how whaling there affects Nuiqsut, but the study will not 

extend to Barrow or Kaktovik. Mr. Brower was surprised that some aspects of this study were not done in Phase I, to which 

Mr. Brown replied this is the beauty of this study, it allows for annual changes. Mr. Paul Stang asked what changes have 

been made to the program as a result of Liberty delays. Mr. Brown explained delays with Liberty have allowed for more 

design changes. For example, some Liberty sediment chemistry stations have been relocated to Northstar. Dr. Cleve Cowles 

added the delays gave people more time to get things together. 

ANIMIDA: HYDROCARBON CHEMISTRY OF SEDIMENTS AND BIOTA IN THE NEARSHORE 

BEAUFORT SEA 

John Brown1

, Paul Boehm2, and Linda Cook1 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

1

Arthur D. Little, 20 Acorn Park

Cambridge, MA 02140

(617) 498-5387  FAX (617) 498-7296  E-mail: brown.john@adlittle.com 2

Battelle Ocean Sciences, Duxbury, MA 02332

Hydrocarbon chemistry is one component of the multidisciplinary MMS ANIMIDA Program. The hydrocarbon 

chemistry study has focused on sediments and biota (clams and amphipods) from the nearshore Beaufort Sea. During the 

1999 and 2000 summer field seasons, sediments and biota were collected from stations throughout the study area, including 

site-specific stations adjacent to the Northstar and Liberty prospects. The samples were analyzed for a full suite of 

hydrocarbons which are useful in determining petroleum contamination, including: saturated hydrocarbons, polynuclear 

aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and chemical biomarkers (steranes and triterpanes). The hydrocarbon data will be used to 

develop a database that can identify potential trends and inputs of petroleum contamination in the region and the 

development areas. The 1999 hydrocarbon data serve as an important pre-development baseline for the Northstar and 

Liberty area. The 1999 results reveal that the area sediments generally contain low levels of naturally occurring background 

hydrocarbons, consistent with historical data from 1989 and earlier Beaufort Sea Monitoring Programs. However, there 

are two stations where small increases in petroleum hydrocarbons, likely due to anthropogenic inputs, were identified in 

the 1999 data set. In addition, the hydrocarbon data can be compared to sediment quality guidelines to gain a preliminary 

assessment of potential adverse effects to biota. No exceedances of petroleum hydrocarbon sediment quality guidelines 

have been noted thus far. 

Discussion: 

A question was asked if identified geochemical biomarkers from oil sources and source rocks versus triterpanes from 

river sediments produced a small signal from the development versus natural sources. Mr. Brown replied they did not have 

access to source rocks (drill cuttings), which tend to be contaminated with other drilling fluids. They have collected field 

oils, but that is beyond the scope of this project. 

Mr. Craig Nicolson asked about the scale on the different plots presented. Mr. Brown explained the plots are not on 

the same scale. Crude oil is naphthalene-enriched, and it is important to look at relative abundances. Dr. Joan Braddock 

asked what weathered North Slope crude would look like. Mr. Brown said it would lose the light components 

(naphthalenes), then fluorenes, phenanthrenes, dibenzothiophenes, and chrysenes. Dr. Braddock then wondered how you 

could distinguish weathered versus terrigenous material. Mr. Brown suggested looking at biomarkers. 

Dr. Paul Stang asked if each field could be identified, and how accurately stations are located. Mr. Brown explained 

some fields could be identified, but field oils change with time. Stations were sited using GPS, not differential GPS, so 

accuracy is 20 to 50 m. There is also some hit-or-miss patchiness with the data (e.g., outlier Station 5D). 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

ANIMIDA: AMBIENT AND INDUSTRIAL NOISE MEASUREMENTS NEAR 

THE NORTHSTAR AND LIBERTY SITES DURING APRIL 2000 

G. W. Shepard1, P.A. Krumhansl2, M.L. Knack3, and C. I. Malme

4 

BBN Technologies, 70 Fawcett St., Cambridge, MA 02138 1

(617) 873-3593  FAX (617) 547-8918  E-mail: gshep@bbn.com 2

(617) 873-4158  FAX (617) 547-8918  E-mail: pkrumhansl@bbn.com 3

(617) 873-3560  FAX (617) 547-8918  E-mail: mlknack@bbn.com 4

Charles I. Malme Engineering and Scientific Services

25 Rockwood Rd., Hingham, MA 02043

(781)749-1661 FAX (617) 547-8918  E-mail: cimalme@worldnet.att.net

As part of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) program entitled "Arctic Nearshore Impact Monitoring in the 

Development Area," a winter field survey was conducted from 25 April to 30 April, 2000. Measurements of site-specific 

underwater noise, in-air noise, and ice vibrations were made at eight locations near and between the Northstar and Liberty 

prospects. Both prospects are located in the nearshore portion of the outer continental shelf in the Beaufort Sea near 

Prudhoe, Alaska. 

The goal of this effort was to characterize noise and vibration conditions near the Northstar site which was under 

construction and near the Liberty site which is planned for development in the near future. 

Analysis results are presented that document the underwater noise at two water depths, the airborne noise conditions, 

and the ice vibration levels at ranges varying from 0.15 km to >4 km from Northstar. The results present measured levels 

caused by construction activities at Northstar including sheet pile driving using a vibrahammer, plowing operations, general 

truck movement on and near the island, island mounted machinery generated noise, and trench backfilling operations. 

Similar measurements were made at and near the Liberty site which document the conditions with minimal, if any, 

man-made noise present. 

Discussion: 

Dr. Scott Goldsmith asked if, based on these results, he is comfortable with standard models. Mr. Shepard explained 

acoustic propagation is site-dependent and depends on local conditions. A model needs to be validated at the site. Dr. 

Goldsmith also wondered if permafrost is a big problem. Mr. Goldsmith said permafrost and water column depth are 

important variables. Dr. Will Schroeder asked if the model could be validated. Mr. Shepard stated you would have to 

characterize the variability expected in the environment, and if it is too varied, you could not do it. Mr. Warren Horowitz 

asked if radial measurements were taken all around the developments, and Mr. Shepard said that they were not able to do 

all of the radials, it was too expensive. Mr. Shepard went on to describe how complex it is to do modeling in the arctic, 

because it is so site-dependent. 

ANIMIDA: TRACE METALS IN THE ANIMIDA STUDY AREA 

John H. Trefry, Robert P. Trocine, and Robert D. Rember

Department of Marine & Environmental Systems, Florida Institute of Technology

Melbourne, FL 32901

(321) 674-7305  FAX (321) 674-7212  E-mail: jtrefry@fit.edu

Our component of the ANIMIDA program is quite diverse and includes the following areas of investigation: (1) 

Distribution of trace metals in sediments, biota, water, and suspended particles from water and sea ice, (2) Concentrations 

of organic carbon and values for stable carbon isotopes in bottom and suspended sediment, and (3) Concentrations of 

suspended sediment and turbidity throughout the study area including under ice and in open water after a storm event. The 

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evolving data base and interpretation are most developed for trace metals in sediments and this topic will be the focus of 

our presentation. Sediments were collected from throughout the study area during 1986, 1989, 1999 and 2000 and analyzed 

for total concentrations of seventeen metals including barium, cadmium, lead and mercury. These data have been used to 

develop a procedure for identifying natural concentrations of metals in area sediments and thereby enabling us to recognize 

sediments that have been contaminated from anthropogenic inputs of metals. Overall, the area is relatively pristine with 

respect to metal contamination in sediments; however, we can easily discern minor barium contamination in Harrison Bay 

for sediments collected during 1989 and minor anthropogenic loadings of cadmium, lead and mercury near West Dock for 

sediments collected during 1999. When the sediment data are cross referenced with various sediment quality guidelines, 

we can make a preliminary assessment of potential adverse biological effects; none are predicted from metals at this time. 

The real power of the data base and the approach for identifying metal contamination is that we now have a useful tool for 

carefully monitoring area sediments in the future. 

Discussion: 

A question was asked if tracking year-to-year changes is complicated by spatial variability, and if there would be an 

advantage to re-navigating to the same site and taking replicates during the same year or period to try to get three truly 

independent samples that are representative of variability due to navigation. Dr. Trefry said that explaining what is going 

on everywhere in the ANIMIDA area is virtually impossible, so taking samples throughout the area and using the 

normalization technique should help with interpretation of results. Since the water column is well-mixed, analysis of 

suspended sediments is a way to look at things on a very fine scale. Dr. Will Schroeder asked how critical clay species are, 

and if Dr. Trefry has an archive set for analyses thus far. Dr. Trefry has archived wet and cold samples for clay mineralogy, 

and some analysis will be done on trace metals. Dr. Trefry is assuming the suite of clays coming in over a period of years 

is similar from year to year. Dr. Scott Goldsmith asked for some clarification on ERL (Effects Range Low) and ERM 

(Effects Range Median) levels. Dr. Trefry defined these levels, explaining how they attempt to relate the potential for 

biological effects with chemical and toxicity data. If several elements are present at concentrations above the ERL the 

effects are compounded versus having just one element above the ERL. These ranges should be used as indicators in 

conjunction with other measurements. 

ALTERNATIVE OIL SPILL INDICATORS FOR THE BEAUFORT 

AND CHUKCHI SEAS OCS - FAULT TREE APPROACH 

Frank G. Bercha, Ph.D., P.E.

Bercha International, Inc.

2926 Parkdale Blvd., NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 3S9

(403) 270-2221  FAX (403) 270-2014  E-mail: berchaf@berchagroup.com

This paper focuses on the approaches and preliminary results from the application of fault trees to the estimation of 

oil spill indicators associated with future exploration and production activities in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas Offshore 

Continental Shelf (OCS). Because no significant empirical history exists for such operations, and leases have not been 

developed and in some cases still remain to be sold, methods predicting the behavior of systems without history need to 

be applied. The most feasible method for the current application is believed to be the fault tree method, a probabilistic 

network method perfected by the U.S. Regulatory Commission in the late 1960s and early 1970s for the prediction of risks 

associated with civilian nuclear reactor power plants. In the current application, a two-step fault tree approach will be made. 

First, based on the most relevant historical data for offshore oil spills (such as the Gulf offshore and Alaska onshore data), 

fault trees emulating these data to as great a level of detail as is available in terms of causal factors will be constructed and 

populated with available historical values. We call these the baseline fault trees. Second, scenarios based on conceptual 

engineering for the future offshore developments will be formulated and corresponding fault trees will be constructed in 

a form directly comparable with the baseline fault trees. The input data for these future scenario fault trees will be restricted 

to the lowest levels of causal events, and will be based either on comparative historical values (e.g., offshore and onshore 

blowouts) or on direct inputs based on probabilities developed elsewhere (such as scour probabilities for given water/burial 

depth locations). Finally, these future scenario fault trees thus evaluated will be used to generate predictions of oil spills 

for the future offshore facilities for different locations and water depths. This presentation will focus on subsea pipelines, 

and cover the preliminary baseline spill data identified, baseline fault trees, future scenarios developed for shallow, 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

medium, and deep water locations, and the future scenario fault trees and sample results. Both the qualitative and 

quantitative details should be viewed as only illustrative of the approach due to the current early stage of this project. 

Discussion: 

Mr. Tom Bucceri asked if Dr. Bercha’s estimates tie-in favorably to MMS estimates for oil spills. Dr. Bercha replied 

this was an illustrative example, but as far as he can see, the spills per barrel produced are similar, realizing this is only 

one component of a whole system. 

Mr. James Craig noticed the primary component on Dr. Bercha’s diagram was the third party problem related to oil 

spills and wondered if that was from the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. Bercha clarified that the biggest component was actually the 

corrosion and defect problem. Furthermore, some of these areas are hard to quantify. Mr. Craig commented third party 

problems don’t seem applicable to the Beaufort Sea, where there are relatively few pipelines and there is less confusion 

overall. Mr. Craig asked what kind of methodology was employed to produce subjective reliability probabilities. Dr. Bercha 

agreed with Mr. Craig’s observations, and explained he reduced third party effects on pipelines by 50%, but realistically 

it could be reduced more. No scour was included in baseline data, but there is now since scour data is readily available. 

Corrosion and defect problems are the main cause at over 50% of the attributable failure cases. These will all be looked 

at with time, but at this point baseline data are not in appropriate shape yet. 

INITIAL WORK ON A STATISTICAL APPROACH TO OIL SPILL OCCURRENCE ESTIMATES 

FOR THE BEAUFORT/CHUKCHI SEA OCS 

Ted Eschenbach, Ph.D., P.E.

TGE Consulting

4376 Rendezvous Circle, Anchorage, AK 99504

(907) 333-7817  FAX ( 907) 337-2928  Email: matbach@alaska.net

As this project is still in an early phase, this presentation will describe the problem being addressed, but it will not 

present the final model or results. When estimating the probability of an event, such as an oil spill, the statistically ideal 

case is that there is a large data set gathered under the same environmental conditions and with the same operating 

techniques. 

As there has been no OCS production in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, there is no direct data. Thus, the existing 

MMS approach for estimating the risk of a large oil-spill (> 1,000 bbl) relies on data from operations in the OCS areas of 

the Gulf of Mexico and California. Fortunately, from 1964-92 there is not a large data set, rather there are 10 platform and 

12 pipeline spills (Anderson and Labelle 1994). Especially for pipeline spills, the observed causes come from different 

environmental conditions than in the Alaskan OCS areas. Anchor, trawl, and hurricane damage are the three leading causes. 

However, marine traffic, trawl fishing, and hurricanes are not significant hazards in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. New 

hazards include moving pack ice, ice keel gouging, and strudel scours. In addition over 40 years of operation, there have 

been continuing efforts to reduce the chance of spills through better materials, design, monitoring, and operations. 

In addition to data from other OCS areas, there is over 20 years of data on North Slope operations (Hart Crowser 

2000). While onshore, it is an arctic environment, and the operators and regulators are similar to that expected for the OCS 

areas. In addition there has been significant work on estimating the risk for near-shore operations with buried marine 

pipelines for the Northstar and Liberty projects (for example MMS Alaska OCS Region 2001). There is also data from 

other areas of the world. 

The expected result of this work is a spill risk per barrel of oil produced or per well-drilled and per pipeline-mile-year. 

In either case, the result can be used for estimating the risk for spills in the OCS areas of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. 

References:

Anderson, Cheryl McMahon, and Robert P. LaBelle. 1994. Comparative Occurrence Rates for Offshore Oil Spills. Spill

Science & Technology Bulletin 1(2):131-141. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

Hart Crowser Inc. 2000. Estimation of Oil Spill Risk from Alaska North Slope, Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and Arctic Canada 

Oil Spill Data Sets. MMS 2000-007. 

MMS Alaska OCS Region. 2001. Liberty Development and Production Plan: Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 

Volumes I – III. MMS 20001-001. 

Discussion: 

Dr. Dick Prentki clarified that MMS identified one oil spill which was not in the Hart Crowser report, and that is why 

numbers between the two do not match. Dr. Eschenbach added there are some discrepancies on numbers of spills between 

MMS and trend analysis numbers from LaBelle and Anderson. He is working on discriminating between old data and new 

data. Mr. John Goll explained that Anderson and LaBelle looked at discrete time segments to see if there was a change, 

and that is why their numbers changed. Mr. Goll asked if they will be looking at buried pipelines versus surface pipelines 

and pigging. Dr. Eschenbach affirmed they would look at those factors, and explained pigging allows you to watch 

pipelines age. Mr. Goll stated many of the Gulf of Mexico pipelines cannot be pigged. 

BIOLOGICAL STUDIES

FEEDING ECOLOGY OF MATURING SOCKEYE SALMON (ONCORHYNCHUS NERKA) IN 

NEARSHORE WATERS OF THE KODIAK ARCHIPELAGO 

Albert Tyler1

, Charles Swanton2 and Bruce McIntosh3

1

 University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences

P.O.B. 757220, Fairbanks, AK 99775

(907) 474-6732 E-mail: ffavt@uaf.edu 2

 Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1300 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99701

(907) 459-7225  E-mail: charles_swanton@fishgame.state.ak.us 3 University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences

P.O.B. 757220, Fairbanks, AK 99775

(907) 474-7594  E-mail: fsbcm1@uaf.edu

Of the five species of Pacific salmon commercially harvested in Kodiak Archipelago waters sockeye salmon 

(Oncorhynchus nerka) landings accounted for approximately 65% ($137,320,000) of the total ex-vessel value for salmon 

in the Kodiak area during the period 1994 to 2000.The North Shelikof Strait lease area, adjacent to Kodiak waters, is 

important for maturing sockeye salmon of Kodiak origin, as well as from other regions. Prevailing currents in lower Cook 

Inlet and Shelikof Strait potentially extend impacts from oil and gas development throughout the inshore areas of the 

Kodiak Archipelago and the eastern Alaska Peninsula. Perturbations from human activities can increase metabolic 

demands, decrease prey diversity and reduce prey abundance, adversely affecting the growth and available energy stores 

of pre-spawning fish. Evaluation of the food web dynamics and feeding habits of maturing salmon are necessary to 

understand potential ingestion pathways for hydrocarbon contamination, especially in areas swept by currents from 

potential oil exploration and drilling. 

During 1998 and 1999 the stomach contents of commercially caught sockeye salmon, migrating through the nearshore 

marine waters of the Kodiak Archipelago, were examined to determine the level of feeding activity in the population and 

the taxa of dominant prey items. Representative samples were collected throughout the majority of the migration (early 

June to late August) from areas known to be principally migration corridors, and from areas proximate to several natal 

streams. Feeding levels and dominant prey varied both among areas and within areas over time. Higher percentages of 

actively feeding sockeye and greater stomach content weights were associated with increasing distance from natal streams. 

Feeding activity diminished gradually, rather then ceasing abruptly, as sockeye prepared to re-enter freshwater. The 

dominant prey of sockeye salmon were decapod larvae, Pacific sandlance (Ammodytes hexapterus), and the pteropod 

Limacina helicina. Diminished feeding activity and smaller meal size suggests that local stocks of sockeye would be at 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

lower risk of contamination via ingestion than non-local stocks occupying the same area. 

Discussion: 

Mr. Tom Brower asked if there was any consideration on taking liver and fatty tissue samples on the sockeye and 

chinook or just stomachs. Mr. McIntosh explained the study was limited to stomach contents, from the esophagus to the 

start of the intestines. One could look at other organs, though. However, most processing plants today use mechanical 

evisceration. But at the plant where Mr. McIntosh’s salmon came from, everything is still done by hand so it was possible 

to obtain the samples. 

SEABIRD SAMPLES AS RESOURCES FOR MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 

Deborah A. Rocque1

 and Kevin Winker2 

University of Alaska Museum

907 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960 1

 (907) 474-6727 FAX (907) 474-5469  E-mail ftdar@uaf.edu 2

 (907) 474-7027 FAX (907) 474-5469  E-mail ffksw@uaf.edu

The Arctic marine ecosystem is one of the most productive in the world. Monitoring the long-term impact of climate 

change, fishing, and pollution on the health of marine ecosystems is often logistically and financially unrealistic. However, 

sentinel species can be used to assess the marine environment. The variety of trophic positions and marine systems that 

seabirds occupy as a group makes them ideal environmental monitors. As top predators, seabirds can be used to monitor 

perturbations in lower trophic levels. Species that specialize on single prey species are potentially more sensitive indicator 

species and can be used to monitor the health of specific food webs. 

Assessing long-term trends in the marine environment requires historical samples. Environmental trace metals and 

stable isotopes are incorporated into feather keratin during growth and then remain inert. Elements bound in these feathers 

can be used in retrospective studies to document changes in contaminant concentrations and, in the case of stable isotopes, 

changes in diet or food web structure. 

Recognizing the need for long-term data in assessing changes in marine ecosystems, the University of Alaska Museum 

received support from MMS and the Coastal Marine Institute to archive seabird specimens. Seabird studies are the main 

source of donated specimens, but by-catch from long-line fisheries has also provided many salvaged birds. In an attempt 

to anticipate future capabilities and needs for seabird specimens, the museum is archiving as much of the bird as practical. 

Presently, we are filling growing requests for tissues and feathers by fellow researchers. The increasing number of studies 

depositing samples at the museum demonstrates the success of this project. We anticipate the continued growth and use 

of this resource as the need to assess human impact on the marine environment continues. 

Discussion: 

Dr. Cleve Cowles asked if the present project is linked to the previous project MMS had with the museum, which was 

to develop an electronic database for frozen tissues oriented towards mammals. Dr. Rocque said Dr. Gordon Jarrell will 

cover that project later, but presently this database is not. Dr. Joel Hubbard asked if Dr. Rocque could explain the 

geographical and taxonomical extent of the collection. Dr. Rocque stated CMI wants them to concentrate on bird/seabird 

samples from the North Slope area or the Bering Sea. However, they never turn away birds that people bring in. Over half 

of the collection is salvaged specimens, whether they are window kills or bycatch from longline fisheries. The majority 

of the seabird specimens are coming in from the Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea. Taxonomically there are a lot of 

murres, kittiwakes, and different gull species, and it usually depends on what researchers are studying at any given time. 

We are actively collecting cormorants for a contaminants study. These specimens are being loaned to a fellow researcher 

who is attempting to describe a new species. 

ALASKA MARINE MAMMAL TISSUE ARCHIVAL PROJECT 

Paul R. Becker, Ph.D.1

 and Geoff W. York2 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

1

NIST, 219 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412

(843) 762-8503  FAX (843) 762-8724  E-mail: paul.becker@nist.gov 2

USGS Biological Resources Division, Alaska Biological Science Center

1011 E. Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503-6199

(907) 786-3928  FAX (907) 786-3636  E-mail: geoff_york@usgs.gov

The Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Project (AMMTAP) began in 1987 as an MMS funded project of the 

Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP). Presently, USGS/BRD, NMFS, and NIST are 

the principal federal partners conducting this project in collaboration with numerous State and local organizations. The goal 

of the AMMTAP is to archive a representative collection of Alaska marine mammal tissues for retrospective chemical 

analyses and documentation of long-term trends in environmental quality. These tissues are archived in the National Marine 

Mammal Tissue Bank (NMMTB) at NIST. The NMMTB presently holds 1,000 duplicate samples collected from animals 

in Alaska, primarily during Alaska Native subsistence hunts. The majority of these samples are from ringed seals, belugas, 

bowhead whales, and polar bears; however, other species are also represented. Aliquots of some of the archived samples 

have been analyzed for persistent organic pollutants, metals, and nutrients. These data have contributed to several marine 

mammal studies and to the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). An offshoot of the AMMTAP is the 

Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) which is conducted by USGS/BRD, USFWS, and NIST. This 

project is presently collecting egg samples from murre colonies in the Alaska Maritime NWR for archival and contaminant 

analyses. Aliquots of these egg samples are presently being analyzed for persistent organic pollutants in a study on the 

geographical patterns of these compounds in the murre colonies of the refuge. In addition to specimen banking, NIST 

conducts an analytical quality assurance (QA) program specifically designed for marine mammal research. The AMMTAP 

is an important partner in this QA program. Recent results from the AMMTAP and STAMP are presented and the marine 

mammal analytical QA program is briefly reviewed. 

Discussion: 

Dr. Joel Hubbard referred to a slide presenting contaminant data on common murre eggs from St. Lazaria Island, near 

Sitka, where there were higher concentrations of PCBs and DDEs than murre eggs from two colonies in the Bering Sea 

(Little Diomede and St. George Island). Dr. Hubbard asked if this is correlated with the cruise ship industry. Dr. Becker 

did not know, stating that the results are preliminary. Dr. Becker also clarified that the levels of PCBs and DDEs are similar 

to what is seen in ringed seal blubber, so the levels are not relatively high. Emergence of patterns such as these is a good 

reason to expand studies to other colonies in the Gulf. Mr. Steve Treacy asked if Dr. Becker could summarize heavy metal 

analyses, and where they are headed with the PAH and PAH metabolite analyses. Dr. Becker listed barium and vanadium, 

but they need to find out what some of the constituents of the new drilling fluids are. All samples are available for PAH 

analysis, but they don’t do that. Contractors wishing to do PAH analyses are welcome to use samples that are already 

homogenized. Mr. Bud Rice inquired about sample sizes necessary for persistent organic pollutants and heavy metal 

analyses. Dr. Becker explained the typical size sample in the archive is 300 grams, though seabird eggs average 80 grams. 

For organic analyses, 6 grams is required for replicated analyses for PCBs and pesticides, and for heavy metals using 

ICP/MS, you could probably get away with 3 grams. Large sample volumes were collected so there would be materials 

available for a long period of time. 

THE ALASKA FROZEN TISSUE COLLECTION: A RESOURCE FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY 

Joseph A. Cook, Ph.D.1

 and Gordon H. Jarrell, Ph.D.2 

University of Alaska Museum

907 Yukon Drive, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960 1

(208) 282-3765 FAX (208) 282-4570  E-mail: cookjose@isu.edu 2 (907) 474-6946 FAX (907) 474-5469  E-mail: fnghj@uaf.edu

The Alaska Frozen Tissue Collection (AFTC) has become the primary regional archive for frozen zoological samples 

and a major contributor to regional biotechnology studies under six years of CMI/MMS sponsorship. The collection now 

contains over 30,000 samples from mammals and is the official repository for marine mammal specimens from two Alaska 

Native commissions for the co-management of marine mammals. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

The online database has been upgraded to a full enterprise system using the Oracle database engine on a Sun server. 

This means that essentially all specimen data is available to World Wide Web clients. The database model is being 

expanded to include the Museum's plant, insect, bird, and fish collections. Migration of data from these additional 

collections is underway and we will probably incorporate about one collection per year over the next three years. In 

addition, the database model can be extended to include environmental samples that have not been taxonomically 

described; e.g., "unsorted lots" such as oceanographic samples, soil samples, etc. 

The AFTC played a signal role in attracting National Science Foundation support for the Museum's new (July 2000) 

Arctic Archival Observatory, an initiative to archive environmental samples for future and ongoing work primarily related 

to global warming. This grant is now supporting extension of the database, the development of an insect collection, and 

increased sampling effort in several existing collections. The Museum is now seeking to establish a separate, new, 

tenure-track position for a Curator of the AFTC. 

Discussion: 

A question was asked if when this database reaches out across the web and touches another database, for example to 

get a publication citation, the people who make the publication database need to be contacted. Dr. Jarrell replied no, those 

publications are in the database. Someone asked if when someone looks at these web pages, if all this information is 

controlled in some way. Dr. Jarrell affirmed at that point they are controlling all the information. The only parameter 

outside of their system is latitude/longitude, which is sent to the XEROX PARC map viewer. But from there, you can click 

back to their web site. 

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES

SOCIOCULTURAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALASKA OCS ACTIVITIES -

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTEGRATION 

James A. Fall, Ph.D.

Division of Subsistence, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99518

(907) 267-2359 FAX (907) 267-2450  E-mail: jim_fall@fishgame.state.ak.us

The primary goals of this project were to analyze and integrate subsistence, economic, and sociocultural data from two 

previous cooperative agreements between ADF&G and MMS regarding sociocultural and socioeconomic consequences 

of the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS), and to collect new ethnographic information about cultural continuity and change 

in communities of the EVOS area. Five ethnographic reports were produced, focusing on Nanwalek/Port Graham (lower 

Cook Inlet), Ouzinkie/Old Harbor (Kodiak Island Borough), Chenega Bay/Tatitlek (Prince William Sound), Cordova, and 

Valdez. In collaboration with the communities of Nanwalek, Port Graham, Tatitlek, and Chenega Bay, a series of oral 

histories was developed and combined with maps, photographs, and other texts into an interactive, multi-media program 

in a CD-ROM format, called a "Jukebox." 

The final report is a comprehensive, comparative analysis drawing upon the project's quantitative and qualitative 

information. It acknowledges the disparate claims that arose about the spill's effects on human communities that contribute 

to alternative social constructions of the meaning of the event and in turn shape responses to it. It also details changes after 

the EVOS to subsistence harvests and the cash sector of local economies. The litigation that followed the spill is described, 

as is the role of the EVOS Trustee Council in directing restoration efforts. 

The report concludes that the EVOS was a determinant event for the Alutiiq that elaborated and accelerated 

sociocultural, economic, and sociopolitical trends. Alutiiq communities adapted to the EVOS in ways that protected family 

members and preserved traditional cultural elements of the communities' way of life. Households reduced wild food 

harvests because of food safety uncertainties but limited harvests were channeled to those families most in need. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

Subsistence harvests rebounded during the second or third years after the spill, although harvesters reported scarcities of 

resources and consequent greater effort to achieve harvests. Initially, while subsistence harvests declined, cash incomes 

rose due to cleanup employment, indicating flexibility and short-term adjustments by households between sectors of the 

local economy. After settlement of civil claims against Exxon by the state and federal governments, $900 million became 

available for spill restoration. As a result of lobbying by Alutiiq communities, subsistence restoration projects for 

community involvement, resource enhancement, and cultural revitalization were funded. Through the Trustee Council's 

habitat protection program, over 450,000 acres of mostly Alaska Native lands have been purchased. The sales have created 

controversies in Native communities concerning the wisdom of selling Native lands and how to manage and distribute the 

money obtained from the sales. Damage settlement money has been invested in community-based restoration programs. 

Co-management and tribal initiatives are occurring. But new sources of cash also provide the means for people to leave 

the villages. And the sale of Native lands raises uncertainties about future access to resources and a future role for tribes 

in land and resource management decisions. 

Discussion: 

A question was raised by Dr. Scott Goldsmith on what portion of the $400 million that resulted from the sale of native 

lands went directly to individuals as transfers and how much of it went to communities and other institutions. Dr. 

information on this topic is contained in the report. Mr. Bud Rice asked if ADF&G will revisit these communities in 

another ten years to investigate changes and lingering effects from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Dr. Fall thinks the 

communities will be revisited. Many of the communities have taken an interest in collecting information and monitoring 

things themselves. During the last project done in 1998, 60% to 70% of the interviews held were done by local residents 

trained by the Division of Subsistence, compared with 40% to 50% during MMS projects in the mid-1990s. 

A comment was made that the title of the presentation encompasses more than the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, and if this 

implied further work was being done on the North Slope. Dr. Fall explained that the final report is more focused on the 

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Ms. Anne Jensen asked if the training of hunting skills to young people was affected by the scarcity 

of resources. Dr. Fall explained communities responded to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in different ways, and the response 

is mixed. 

EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL, CLEANUP, AND LITIGATION: 

A COLLECTION OF SOCIAL IMPACTS INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS 

John C. Russell, Ph.D.,1

 Michael Downs, Ph.D.,2 Betsy R. Strick, Ph.D.,3 and Michael S. Galginaitis4 

All authors originally with Impact Assessment Inc., 2166-F Avenida de la Playa, La Jolla, CA 92037

Current contact information: 1,2 EDAW/KEA 1420 Kettner Blvd., Suite 620, San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 233-1454 FAX (619) 233-0952

E-mails: downsm@edaw.com, russellj@edaw.com, 3

 bstrick@earthkam.ucsd.edu 4

 Applied Sociocultural Research, P.O. Box 101352, Anchorage, AK 99510

(907) 272-6811 FAX (907) 222-6023  E-mail: msgalginaitis@gci.net

The product of this work is a CD-ROM that contains two types of information. The first type of information is found 

in summary reports of the social impacts associated with the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) and the social factors involved 

in shaping the nature and magnitude of those social impacts. These reports include: (1) a Final Comprehensive Report that 

provides a community by community summary of social impacts, sections on "lessons learned" and "recommendations" 

for natural resource managers, observations about the interaction of community impacts and litigation, and a stand-alone 

summary of findings; (2) a Final Analysis on Social Factor by Social Factor Basis, that analyzes several key social factors: 

culture, social organization, social health, economics, and subsistence and their environmental and event-related contexts; 

(3) a Final Social Factors report that identifies and defines the types of social factors examined for analysis; (4) an 

Introduction to the Final Annotated Bibliography and Abstracts that includes background on the effort, the bibliographic 

style used, and a layout of the bibliography itself, including contents of all of the keyword fields; and, (5) the Final 

Annotated Bibliography and Abstracts that contains the major sources of information regarding the EVOS and community 

social factors. The second type of information contained on the CD is a searchable database of the final annotated 

bibliography and abstracts. This is an AskSam file that is organized in a multi-document format to facilitate search 

capabilities of the AskSam database program. For example, the reader can easily search for data by using the CITATION 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

field (e.g., by author, date, or words in the title), or by any of the other predefined fields that are organized by types of 

keywords. The original CD-ROM was completed in 1999; and an expanded CD-ROM containing additional full-text public 

domain sources sponsored by MMS and ADF&G is expected in mid-2001. 

Discussion: 

Ms. Vivian Kinnaird asked where this work is available. Mr. Tim Holder explained that another report will be added 

to this CD, and it should issued at the end of May. Mr. Steve Braund asked if there is a bibliography in this work, and if 

documents were scanned in or transformed to PDFs. Dr. Downs affirmed the inclusion of a bibliography, and the text 

includes an abstract and an annotation, but full text is not necessarily there for all reports. Full text of MMS Exxon Valdez 

Oil Spill technical reports and ADF&G Exxon Valdez Oil Spill technical papers is included. 

ESTABLISHING A COMPUTER ACCESSIBLE TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE 

DATABASE ON THE ALASKAN NORTH SLOPE 

Anne Jensen

Science Division, Ukpeagvik Iñupiat Corporation

Box 577, Barrow, AK 99723

(907) 852-3050 FAX (907) 852-4882  E-mail: ajensen@nuvuk.net

The North Slope Iñupiat Traditional Knowledge Project is a contract from MMS to Ukpea_vik Iñupiat Corporation 

(UIC). The project began in early 1999 and is scheduled to finish in late 2001. Other participants besides UIC and the MMS 

include the North Slope Borough (NSB) Department of Wildlife Management (DWM), the NSB Commission on Iñupiat 

History, Language and Culture (IHLC), KEA Environmental, Inc., and Applied Sociocultural Research 

The main goal of the project is the construction of a traditional knowledge database (TKDB) framework containing 

North Slope Iñupiat traditional knowledge. This TKDB will be used by individuals and entities within and outside of MMS 

seeking to combine the information contained in the database with other types of information. 

The project has several parts. These include: an Iñupiaq epistemology to be used with the TKDB that is directed to 

specific uses (e.g., MMS and other federal agency environmental baseline and impact assessment types of NEPA 

documents) to which it will be applied by non-Iñupiaq users; a listing of keywords; an annotated bibliography; and a 

lessons-learned final report. The main product is the TKDB itself. 

The Traditional Knowledge Database 

The structure of the TKDB is such that it is both an annotated bibliography and also a container of actual documents. 

The documents constitute a deeper, narrower portion of the information assembled during the course of the project. The 

numbers and types of documents included at this time are limited by funding. Currently, plans are to include documents 

that can be scanned or are already on computers, and that have no restrictions as to distribution. The priority is on translated 

material at this time (i.e., material already suitable for immediate MMS use). Locational information at the area level is 

included. Optix, the document management program being used, will let us include pictures, sound, video and other formats 

when funds are available to obtain the necessary data storage. The final TKDB to be produced under this contract will be 

available to MMS and perhaps other users on CD-ROM. 

A web-accessible solution is being utilized to produce the TKDB. The number of keywords MMS wished to use is 

quite large; in fact, 50% larger than the Optix team had previously dealt with. It took some time to find and implement a 

solution, but this has been done. Data entry screens corresponding to the major subdivision of data (Land, Ocean, 

Sociocultural and Technological) have been developed, tested and are being used. Records for hundreds of documents, 

with annotation and keywords have been entered, and this process continues. The records for the IHLC audiotape database 

(1715 records) will be created shortly. Actual transcript documents will be attached to many of these records once they are 

created. The underlying database being used is Oracle, which is compatible with ESRI’s range of ArcView/ArcInfo GIS 

products. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

UIC is looking for ways to keep this database growing in the future once the current MMS project is complete. It is 

hoped that this can be a living document. The Optix Vault web-based option, which is being used for preparation, makes 

this goal fairly simple to implement, provided that some means can be found to cover the on-going Vault rental costs. Vault 

allows direct access over the World Wide Web, while allowing access restrictions as desired. The use of Oracle as the 

underlying database means that implementing a GIS front end for this data will be straightforward. 

BOOK/SYNTHESIS OF INFORMATION ON SOCIOECONOMIC EFFECTS OF 

OIL AND GAS ACTIVITIES IN ALASKA 

Stephen R. Braund1

 and Jack A. Kruse, Ph.D.2

1

Stephen R. Braund & Associates

P.O. Box 1480 Anchorage, AK 99510

(907) 276-8222 FAX (907) 276-6117  E-mail: srba@alaska.net 2

Professor Emeritus

Public Policy Institute of Social & Economic Research University of Alaska Anchorage

(413) 367-2240 FAX (413) 367-0092  E-mail: afjak@uaa.alaska.edu

Since 1973, the Alaska OCS Region has supported a socioeconomic component in its Environmental Studies Program 

that has resulted in the publication of 162 Technical Reports at a cost of over $19 million. These reports are often lengthy, 

use different methodological approaches, and have different study objectives. In addition, many authors have also published 

journal articles, monographs, and books based on their MMS sponsored work. MMS is sponsoring a synthesis of its 

socioeconomic studies with the objective to produce a single-volume, scientific reference book that synthesizes selected 

Alaska social and economic research findings in a series of peer-reviewed chapters. This presentation discusses the status 

of this project. 

As MMS proposed 25 topics organized under cultural, economic, cumulative, and decision, regulatory and monitoring 

issues, the first task of this project was to conduct a literature review to assess whether there was adequate peer-reviewed 

literature to support a synthesis of 25 separate socioeconomic topics. The literature review resulted in 10 peer-reviewed 

chapters organized around the following topical themes: oil development in Alaska; petroleum and the statewide Alaska 

economy; the regional and community effects of oil development; an overview of subsistence in Alaska; subsistence and 

oil development on Alaska's North Slope; the long-term consequences of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill on subsistence uses 

of fish and wildlife; the community effects of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill; cultural persistence and change on the North 

Slope of Alaska; and a discussion of potential future social and economic research directions related to management of oil 

and gas activities on the Alaska OCS. 

To date, the literature review, topic refinement, and chapter outlines have been prepared and reviewed by MMS. 

Currently, the contractor is working with authors to respond to MMS comments on chapter outlines and draft chapter 

preparation. 

Discussion: 

Mr. John Goll asked when the publication date for this project is, and Mr. Braund explained he is trying to coordinate 

writing schedules with the ten authors. He hopes to have draft chapters completed by August. Dr. Cleve Cowles joked that 

if page limitations arise, the MMS shortcomings section could be cut back! 

MODELING THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF OFFSHORE OIL EXPLORATION AND 

DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN THE ALASKA ARCTIC 

Jonathan Skolnik1

 and Chris Holleyman2 

Jack Faucett Associates, 4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 300N, Bethesda, MD 20912 1

 (301) 961-8834, 2 (301) 961-8763  FAX (301) 469-3001 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

Email: skolnik@jfaucett.com, holleyman@jfaucett.com 

Production of oil and gas in the offshore Alaskan Arctic relies upon a set of technologies unlike those used anywhere 

else in the world. Remote locations, temperatures of -60°, and shifting ice flows that rule out traditional platforms, 

waterborne craft and sea-floor pipelines are just a few of the challenges that must be overcome from the rest of the United 

States. The solutions include roads and islands built of ice, man-made gravel islands, pipelines buried below the ocean 

floor, and cold weather retrofitted vehicles and equipment that are run for years without ever being turned off. 

Economic impact modeling of these activities also requires a set of methods that are unique. Readily available regional 

economic impact models contain production functions that are based on national averages. These national-level input 

coefficients cannot accurately reflect the unique arctic production function. These models are also unable to accurately trace 

the regional distribution of purchases made by the industry or the workers who commute to the site. Finally, these readily 

available models do not have enough detail to accurately model the differing impact of specific projects. 

This presentation describes the development of a first step model that can be combined with a readily available 

regional model to produce more accurate estimates of economic impacts. The first step model utilizes vectors of purchases 

disaggregated by both geographic area and activity to allow a more accurate accounting of the inputs required by area for 

a specific project. The vectors are constructed by coding detailed engineering estimates of inputs to the individual activities. 

These direct inputs can then be used to stimulate the standard regional impact models. 

Discussion: 

Dr. Scott Goldsmith asked how complicated it would be to break out the Alaska portion of the model into submodels. 

Mr. Holleyman explained it depends on the variable you want to look at. Variables like transportation margins and retail 

and wholesale margins would be difficult to allocate to specific areas. Dr. Goldsmith also wondered if they were able to 

take into account the harsh conditions of the Arctic into their model. Mr. Holleyman said yes, where they could take that 

into account they did. Mr. Tim Holder clarified that the consultants tried to determine the origin of the equipment, whether 

it was Alaskan, from the United States, or from foreign sources, and he is impressed with the level of detail contained in 

this model. Dr. Richard Lanctot asked if there is a similar model being funded for socioeconomic issues. Mr. Tim Holder 

explained this is solely an economic model, but since the 1970s MMS has done 166 socioeconomic studies at a cost of 

about $20 million (not adjusted for inflation). He went on to explain most were either monitoring studies or baseline 

studies, not necessarily EISs looking at impacts. 

Mr. Tom Brower asked if the model will extend out from Fairbanks and Anchorage to include villages throughout the 

state. Mr. Holleyman explained the model will look at the North Slope Borough (NSB) in its entirety, as opposed to the 

rest of Alaska. Mr. Brower commented the NSB did a two-year economic study looking at workers at Prudhoe Bay and 

negative and positive impacts on the villages pertaining to subsistence and culture. Mr. Holder noted Mr. Sverre Pederson, 

Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, is currently studying this at Kaktovik and Nuiqsut, seeing how cash and subsistence 

economies are related. There is an older study that looked older residents of the NSB working in the oil industry and how 

that affected their motivation to move in or out. Dr. Goldsmith asked if the current study summarizes the percentage of 

workers coming from Alaska versus out-of-state. Mr. Holleyman said this is a simulation model, so that was not in their 

scope of work. 

REFERENCE MANUAL AND GIS OVERLAYS OF OIL INDUSTRY AND 

OTHER HUMAN ACTIVITY (1979-1995) IN THE BEAUFORT SEA 

Peter Wainwright

LGL Ltd., environmental research associates

9768 Second Street, Sidney, British Columbia, CanadaV8L 3Y8

(250) 656-0127  FAX (250) 655-4761  Email:pwwright@lgl.com

Presented by: Bill Wilson, LGL, Alaska 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

We have incorporated all available information from daily drilling reports and geohazard studies at proposed drilling 

locations into the database and compiled information from sources such as side-scan sonar surveys, aerial surveys of 

whales, and vessel locations recorded in aerial surveys. 

However, only one oil company has authorized access to proprietary information about seismic surveys conducted 

under permit. If we were to rely on publicly available information, there would be significant data gaps for the seismic 

surveys conducted under permit. Typically, the best publicly available information identifies a large geographic area 

(sometimes the entire Beaufort Sea) and a wide time period (often the entire open water season). 

An important objective is the ability to use this database to analyze whether noise and disturbance associated with 

drilling, seismic surveys, and ice-breaking is affecting the bowhead whale migration route. Such an analysis requires an 

adequate level of detail. As a consequence, it was decided to restrict access to the database for MMS staff use only and 

to incorporate proprietary permit information. 

With the exception of ice-breaking activity, the information for the period 1990 to 1998 is complete and adequate. 

However, there are significant gaps in the data for the period 1979 to 1989. 

It was deemed appropriate to confirm the ability to use the database to perform the desired statistical analyses before 

proceeding with an elaborate GIS application and acoustic model. Therefore, project effort was reallocated towards an 

assessment of the feasibility of using the human activities database and the BWASP/NOSC data to analyse potential effects 

on the fall bowhead whale migration. 

PROTECTED SPECIES STUDIES

BOWHEAD WHALE FEEDING IN THE EASTERN ALASKAN BEAUFORT SEA 

William Griffiths1

, W. John Richardson2

and Denis H. Thomson2

1

 LGL Ltd, environmental research associates

9768 Second Street, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada V8L 3Y8

(250) 656-0127  FAX (250) 655-4761  E-mail: bgriff@lgl.com 2 LGL Ltd, environmental research associates P.O.B. 280, 22 Fisher Street

King City, Ontario, Canada L7B 1A6

(905) 833-1244 FAX (905) 833-1255  E-mail: wjr@lgl.com

The 1998-2000 bowhead whale feeding study was inaugurated to compile existing traditional and scientific knowledge 

about feeding by bowhead whales in the eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea, and to integrate those results with data from three 

more years of field research. This project was to be done in collaboration with subsistence hunters and other local 

stakeholders. A similar MMS-sponsored study was conducted in the same area during 1985 and 1986. The North Slope 

Borough's Science Advisory Committee had expressed concerns about the short duration of the 1985-86 study, and about 

some methodological limitations. The current project, although similar in scope and purpose to the previous study, contains 

changes and refinements. These changes include more involvement by North Slope residents and other stakeholders in the 

planning, conduct, and interpretation of the study, and use of a Scientific Review Board to review project plans and reports. 

Also, results are now based on five seasons of fieldwork specifically concerning feeding (1985-86 and 1998-2000), plus 

an 14 additional years of bowhead whale distribution data collected primarily by MMS. Thus, the present study 

encompasses data from a wider range of years and field situations. 

LGL Ltd. is conducting several parts of the present study, including boat-based sampling of zooplankton via nets and 

an echosounder; aircraft-based studies of whale distribution, numbers, activities, residence times, and sizes; and 

development of an energetics model. Subcontractors carry out other aspects of the study. Applied Sociocultural Research 

gathers traditional ecological knowledge on bowheads from local whalers, and participates (with local residents) in surveys 

for bowheads that arrive in the Kaktovik area before the onset of the main westward migration. The University of Alaska 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

Fairbanks conducts isotopic analysis of whale tissue and zooplankton to assess regional feeding dependencies. The Alaska 

Department of Fish and Game studies prey types based on the stomach contents of harvested bowheads and fatty acid 

analysis of whale tissue vs. zooplankton. All of these data, along with related data from the 1985-86 study, are being 

combined to assess the importance of the eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea to feeding bowhead whales. 

One aspect of the boat-based zooplankton study was to use a sonar system with digital acquisition and processing to 

estimate zooplankton biomass. This requires the establishment of a relationship between the acoustic signal ("echo 

strength") and the biomass of zooplankton as estimated by net sampling. The resulting relationship can then be used, in 

conjunction with continuous echosounder data, to provide continuous information on the horizontal and vertical distribution 

of zooplankton biomass along transects. In 1999, 63% of the observed variation in the zooplankton biomass was accounted 

for by the backscattering data from the 430 kHz transducer. Based on this relationship, we estimated the zooplankton 

biomass along acoustic transects across the study area. A strong relationship is sometimes difficult to obtain because of 

several biotic and abiotic factors that can influence the quality of the acoustic data. 

Fieldwork for this study was completed in the autumn of 2000, and analysis of the data from all years of the project 

is underway. A final report on all aspects of the study will be completed later in 2001. 

Discussion: 

Mr. Bill Wilson asked if appears that the eastern Beaufort Sea is an important area for bowhead whale feeding. Mr. 

Griffiths explained the eastern Beaufort can be important for individual whales, but not necessarily the entire population, 

keeping in mind there is only five years of data on an animal that probably lives to be 100 to 150 years. Mr. Craig Nicolson 

asked for an explanation on the design and operation of the bongo net. Mr. Griffiths showed slides of the bongo net, and 

clarified there is one plankton net on each side, and that suspended sediment will pass through the net. In 1998 they sent 

a video camera down and saw large clouds of suspended sediments. More sophisticated instrumentation has produced 

similar values. Mr. Ken Coyle did work in the Chukchi and Bering Seas using multiple frequencies and sophisticated 

analysis, and there was a good relationship with euphausids and fish, but not with copepods or chaetognaths, which 

unfortunately are the prime component of this community. Mr. Nicolson asked if suspended sediments could be corrected 

for by collecting samples, and Mr. Griffiths said possibly, but you might need to know more that just the amount of 

suspended sediment in the water. Mr. Mike Wofford asked for some clarification on one of the figures presented. Mr. 

Griffiths replied darker colors corresponded to higher zooplankton concentrations, and the transects ranged from 15 to 25 

km out. Mr. Wofford wondered if these data say anything about feeding habits, and Mr. Griffiths illustrated higher 

concentrations (about 700 mg/m3

) seen in the figure are concentrations where whales start to feed--they will actually go 

down and probe, to see if concentrations are high enough to feed. Mr. Warren Horowitz asked how these concentrations 

compare to other areas, for example the Mackenzie. Mr. Griffiths explained similar work has not been performed elsewhere 

in the Beaufort Sea. Dr. Richard Lanctot asked about the variability among the transects as you move from one area to 

another. Mr. Griffiths explained transects were not sampled parallel to the coast, so there will be variability in the 

extrapolations as you move from east to west. Mr. Nicolson asked about year-to-year variability, and Mr. Griffiths replied 

results from this survey look similar to data from 1985 and 1986, with less zooplankton near the surface, and large 

subsurface bands that extend 10 to 15 km. 

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE AERIAL MONITORING 

OF FALL 1998-1999 BOWHEAD WHALE MIGRATIONS 

Stephen D. Treacy

Alaska OCS Region

Minerals Management Service

946 East 36th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99508

(907) 271-6603  FAX (907) 271-6805  E-mail: Steve.Treacy@mms.gov

Each year since 1987, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) Bowhead Whale Aerial Survey Project has used 

MMS personnel to monitor the fall migration of bowhead whales across the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

During Fall 1998, general ice cover during September and October was the third-mildest open-water season 

(1979-1999), with the 5-tenths ice-concentration boundary 240 nm north of Point Barrow in September. The very high 

number of sightings of bowhead whales (n=383) as well as the very high number of individual bowhead whales counted 

(n=1,045) likely resulted from favorable open-water conditions along with some potential repeat counting between days 

of large aggregations of feeding and/or milling whales that appeared to remain in the same area for several days. A total 

of 1,045 bowhead whales, 5 gray whales, 306 beluga whales, 38 bearded seals, 938 ringed seals, 3 Pacific walrus, 20 

unidentified pinnipeds, 235 polar bears, and 26 sets of polar bear tracks were observed during 180.64 hours of survey effort 

that included 93.79 hours on randomized transects. 

During Fall 1999, general ice cover across during September and October was considered light overall, with high 

concentrations of ice by mid-October. There were 214 sightings of bowhead whales, for a total of 397 individual whales 

counted. A total of 397 bowhead whales, 446 beluga whales, 2 gray whales, 1 unidentified cetacean, 81 bearded seals, 

1,325 ringed seals, 10 unidentified pinnipeds, 37 polar bears, and 70 sets of polar bear tracks were observed during 114.16 

hours of survey effort that included 60.15 hours on randomized transects. 

The axis of the bowhead whale migration in the West Region during Fall 1998 was closer to shore than in any other 

year (1982-1999). The Tukey HSD test of randomized sightings of bowheads between pairs of years showed that the 

Fall-1998 migration corridor was significantly nearer to shore in both the East and West Regions of Alaskan Beaufort Sea 

than in 1999, a year with no offshore seismic exploration or drilling activity during September or October. The relatively 

small median distances from shore and median water depths at bowhead sightings in Fall 1998 and 1999 in the West 

Region are consistent with a tendency for bowheads to migrate closer to shore and in shallower water during years of light 

general ice cover. Power analyses of the ANOVA for distance from shore (a = 0.05, b = 0.01) have shown a minimum 

detectable difference of 4.8 statute miles in the East Region of the study area and 6.03 miles in the West. 

Discussion: 

Mr. Bill Wilson wondered if there is a relationship between the effort and success of the hunt to the position of the 

mean migratory corridor from year to year. Mr. Treacy explained they haven’t examined that, but that data are presumably 

available to those who might wish to do so. Mr. Brian Havelock asked about the apparent lower density between the 

Colville and Canning rivers, and if it is related to the barrier islands or industry infrastructure. Mr. Treacy said that 

industry-funded site-specific studies, incorporating BWASP data with their own, have shown a 20-km radius of avoidance 

around certain active seismic vessels, but that the apparent uneven distribution of whales in 1998 was likely due to certain 

large aggregations of feeding bowheads in particular areas. Mr. Brian Havelock asked if there have been any problems 

double- and triple-counting whales. Mr. Treacy explained they minimize that problem by not flying transects twice in the 

same survey block on the same day, by having transects fairly far apart, and by attempting to spread survey effort over the 

entire study area between days. There would be a potential for multiple counts if the same whales aggregated in a specific 

area over several days, which might have been the case near Cape Halkett in 1998. Dr. Joel Hubbard wondered if there 

is any correlation with feeding activities observed and the high-density plankton lenses observed by Mr. Griffiths. Mr. 

Treacy hopes Mr. Griffiths’ group will look at that. Mr. Griffiths added that photogrammetry in his study allows tracking 

of individual whales to see if they spend extended periods in a single area. Mr. David Shield asked where flight effort is 

directed on a daily basis. Mr. Treacy explained weather conditions most often determine the target area for flight operations 

on a particular day, although they try to end up with relatively even coverage from east to west over the field season. 

POLAR BEAR DEN RESEARCH IN THE BEAUFORT SEA 

Steven C. Amstrup

USGS, Biological Resources Division, Alaska Biological Science Center

1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503

(907) 786-3424  FAX (907) 786-3636  Email: steven_amstrup@usgs.gov

Presented by Geoff York 

Pregnant female polar bears occupy dens from early November to early April in order to provide a mild microclimate 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

for neonates. Between 1980 and 1992 (hereafter called the early period of den studies), over half of the population occupied 

dens on drifting pack ice. The remainder denned in widely scattered areas on land. Preliminary evaluations suggest that 

after 1992 (hereafter called the later period), numbers of bears denning on land may have increased. During early den 

studies, significantly more land dens were found in the eastern Alaskan Arctic than in points west. Coincident with 

increased numbers of dens on land, in the later period, has been an increase in the proportion of bears denning in more 

westerly locations. An explanation for the apparent increase of denning in more westerly locales has not yet been apparent. 

We plan to analyze data from the later period of den studies this summer and update the analyses published in 1993. During 

the last year, we finished a digital map showing the highest probability denning habitat in the central portion of Alaska's 

north slope. Although we still cannot predict where any individual may choose to den; we can now highlight areas where 

denning is most likely to occur. We used characteristics of previously observed dens and aerial photos to identify 1,782 

km of bank habitats suitable for denning. These habitats comprised 0.18% of the coastal study area between the Colville 

River and the Tamyariak River in northern Alaska. Final testing of the ability of forward looking infrared (FLIR) to detect 

polar bears in their dens was again hampered by poor weather. We hypothesized that clear and cold weather, early in the 

winter when the snow pack is thin should be ideal for detection of the heat signature of a den. Unfortunately, we never saw 

those conditions in the winter of 2000-2001. 

Our tests did show, however, that FLIR has promise for detecting dens even in less than ideal conditions. Final 

analyses of data collected will be performed at a workshop in May of this year, and recommendations for use of the FLIR 

system will be made in a final report prepared thereafter. 

Discussion: 

Mr. Brian Havelock asked about three instances where polar bears were in close proximity to infrastructure. Dr. York 

explained one was beneath the Badami pipeline, one denned in an abandoned staging area pad, and the third one denned 

at Flaxman Island. There was successful denning there and the bear has since exited the den. Mr. Bill Griffiths inquired 

about how close the aircraft has to be to recognize a den with FLIR. Dr. York said about 800 feet within a fairly narrow 

field, but the habitat they survey is fairly restricted. When asked about future Biological Resources Division plans by Mr. 

Steve Treacy, Dr. York hinted the direction they are tentatively planning a five year mark-recapture effort in the Beaufort 

Sea. Dr. Joel Hubbard wondered why there is only offshore denning off Alaska, and if it is a result of a lack of telemetry 

data in other areas. Dr. York explained the Canadians have considerable telemetry and satellite data, and their bears tend 

to den on high Arctic islands and not on the ice. Dr. Will Barber inquired if efforts have been focused around the Arctic 

National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Dr. York clarified that ANWR is where a lot of bears chose to den, but capture efforts 

were spread equally between Barrow and Demarcation Point. Prior to 1991, 46% of known land dens were in ANWR, but 

since that time there has been an increase in dens on land to the west and in the central area of the Beaufort Sea. 

MONITORING BEAUFORT SEA WATERFOWL AND MARINE BIRDS 

Richard B. Lanctot

U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Biological Science Center

1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503

(907) 786-3609  FAX (907) 786-3636  E-mail: Richard_Lanctot@usgs.gov

Offshore industrial development in the Beaufort Sea began in the winter of 2000 at Northstar Island. This and other 

proposed offshore developments have the potential to significantly increase human-related activities, such as helicopter 

overflights and barge traffic, in the lagoons and offshore waters of the Beaufort Sea. Consequently, there are concerns 

about how these activities and the potential for oil spills may impact breeding, molting, and migrating waterfowl and 

marine birds. Our objectives in this project are to: 1) document and compare present abundance/distribution patterns of 

sea ducks and other marine birds within and among 'industrial' and 'control' (i.e., undeveloped) areas in a manner that 

allows comparisons with earlier surveys, 2) monitor breeding Common Eiders and molting Long-tailed Ducks using the 

lagoons and associated barrier islands, and 3) examine life-history parameters of these species to enhance interpretation 

of disturbance. We chose the Jones and Return Island complexes in Simpson Lagoon as our industrial study area and the 

Stockton, Maguire, and Flaxman island complexes as our control study area. Statistical analysis of aerial survey data for 

long-term trends is pending. Summary analyses from 1999 and 2000 indicated Long-tailed Ducks and Common Eiders used 

barrier island habitat extensively, whereas abundance and densities of these species was relatively low in other near-shore 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

habitats. In contrast, Spectacled and King Eiders were distributed in offshore waters, generally West of Oliktok Point. 

There were few differences in Common Eider productivity between study areas in terms of nest initiation dates, clutch size, 

nesting success, or duckling survival. We are currently developing a population model that will indicate current population 

trends for this species. Foraging behavior and body composition of molting Long-tailed Ducks varied across study areas. 

However, the patterns of variation were inconsistent with disturbance being a causative factor, and may be explained by 

a virus outbreak in the Eastern study area. Long-tailed Ducks have a fairly consistent diurnal pattern of roosting on or along 

the barrier islands at night, and foraging out in the lagoon during the day. Experimental disturbance appeared to have little 

influence on this pattern. 

Discussion: 

Dr. Will Barber asked if there were differences in habitat between eastern and western regions, and between industrial 

and non-industrial regions. Dr. Lanctot explained there are more islands in the west than in the east. As far as industrial 

effects, data are preliminary and should not be summarized yet, but there doesn’t seem to be any noticeable negative 

effects. Dr. Joel Hubbard wondered if predation by glaucous gulls is a problem for common eiders. Dr. Lanctot emphasized 

that glaucous gulls depredate nests and are definitely a problem. The gulls nest within feet of the eider nests, so to avoid 

predation, the gulls literally have to sit on the eggs all the time. This complicates research efforts, since trapping the birds 

can lead to depredation events. This is minimized, though, by injecting eiders with a mild anesthetic (propoflo), then 

returning them in front of their nests so when they wake up there are no humans nearby. They are disoriented, but their nest 

is right in front of them when they waken. Dr. Susanna Blackwell asked about the low frequency of créching observed. 

Dr. Lanctot listed a potential reason as birds in a difficult body condition, such as emaciated females may give up their 

young to others if there is another female around. Most of the ducklings don’t make it, they still have to get to open water 

and forage, which is hard with all the gulls flying around. 

CORRECTION FACTOR FOR RINGED SEAL SURVEYS IN NORTHERN ALASKA 

Brendan P. Kelly, Ph.D.1

, Lori T. Quakenbush2, and Brian D. Taras3

1

Juneau Center, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Biology Program, University

of Alaska Southeast

11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, AK 99801

(907) 465-6510  FAX (907) 465-6447  Email: ffbpk@uaf.edu 2

School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775

(907) 474-7662 FAX (907) 474-7204  Email: loriq@ims.alaska.edu 3

School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775

(907) 474-7026  FAX (907) 474-7204  Email: btaras@ims.alaska.edu

Ringed seals, the most numerous seal in the northern hemisphere, are an important resource to Native people and the 

most frequent prey of polar bears. Aerial surveys have been used intensively and extensively to relate seal numbers to 

ecological variables and industrial activities. Much of the uncertainty in estimates of ringed seal numbers is associated with 

the unknown proportion of seals visible during aerial surveys, because they are concealed under water or within subnivean 

lairs. We are investigating the proportions visible and the environmental influences on those proportions. Eight and ten 

ringed seals were live-captured in 1999 and 2000, respectively, and the time spent concealed in lairs and resting visibly 

in the open was monitored by radio telemetry. Over a 7-day period in 1999, 75% of the tagged seals left their lairs and 

began resting in the open. That same transition took place over 24 days in 2000. The midpoint of the transition period was 

31 May in both years. Tagged seals spent approximately 20% of the time out of the water before basking began and 

approximately 30% of the time out of the water after basking began. The transition from lair use to basking appeared 

related to measurable characteristics of the snow. In 2001 - 2003, we will relate the proportion of seals visible on the ice 

to snow conditions determined in real time using satellite-borne radar and snow temperature profiles. We also shall 

investigate the use of historical snow temperature records from tundra sites as proxies for snow conditions on the ice. The 

findings of this study will be used in a reanalysis of past ringed seal surveys 

Discussion: 

Dr. Cleve Cowles asked a question regarding the radar techniques in use. Dr. Kelly explained that a collaborator at 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

JPL in California has been using K-U band radar from satellite to look at snow conditions in the tundra. One of Dr. Kelly’s 

co-principal investigators realized they were seeing a bright signal, a large change in the return on this band of radar that 

laboratory personnel correlated with the onset of the snow melt. Last year Dr. Kelly asked JPL to look at his study site 

when they were sampling, and using this technique, JPL picked the same date when the snow pack became isothermal as 

Dr. Kelly’s group. More measurements will be done between the two groups. Dr. Chuck Monnett asked about the 

upcoming field season and new collaborators. Dr. Kelly is now collaborating with the Cold Regions Research Laboratory 

of the U.S. Army to make snow and weather measurements more regional instead of focusing in the area around Prudhoe 

Bay. Monitoring this year will occur at Barrow, Prudhoe Bay, and Kaktovik. Seal behavior will remain focused at Prudhoe 

Bay, but data on seals basking at Kaktovik will be collected with help from Kaktovik High School. 

MONITORING DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF RINGED SEALS 

IN NORTHERN ALASKA 

Kathryn J. Frost1

, Grey Pendleton2,

and Casey Hessinger 3

1

University of Alaska Fairbanks

1550 Coyote Trail, Fairbanks, AK 99709

(907)455-6885  E-mail: kjfrost@eagle.ptialaska.net 2

Alaska Dept. Fish and Game, Box 240020, Douglas, AK 99824

(907) 465-4634 FAX (907) 465-4272 3

University of Alaska Anchorage

Aerial surveys of ringed seals (Phoca hispida) were conducted in the Beaufort Sea from Point Barrow to Barter Island 

during late May-early June 1996-1999 using previously established survey protocols. We surveyed approximately 13,100 

linear km of transects covering an area of 10,776 km2

, and sighted 9,935 seals in 5,833 groups. Estimated observed 

densities ranged from 0.36 seals/km2

 in sector B1 (1996) to 1.54 seals/km2 in sector B4 (1999). Sector B4 had the highest 

density of total seals on both fast and pack ice in all four years, except for pack ice in 1996 where B2 was higher but based 

on a very small sample. 

Only sectors B3 and B4 were surveyed in all four years, making among-year comparisons possible. In sector B3, the 

raw density of ringed seals on fast ice, based on standard strip transect analysis, was highest in 1999 (0.98 seals/km2

) and 

lowest in 1996 (0.57 seals/km2

). In sector B4, the density on fast ice was also lowest in 1996 (0.67 seals/km2), similar in 

1997 (1.17 seals/km2

) and 1998 (1.16 seals/km2), and highest in 1999 (1.77 seals/km2). On pack ice, the estimated densities 

were similar from 1996-98 in sector B3 (0.81 to 0.92 seals/km2) and higher in 1999 (1.16 seals/km2

). Seal density on pack 

ice was quite variable in sector B4 (1.17 seals/km2

 in 1996; 2.37 seals/km2 in 1997; 1.57 seals/km2 in 1998; 1.35 seals/km2). 

Densities for sectors B3 and B4 in 1996-1999 generally fell within the range of estimated densities for 1985-1987. 

During 1997 surveys, an additional observer collected data using line transect methods. Line transect analysis 

produced an overall density estimate of 0.90 seals/km2

 (SE=0.072, CV=7.96), with a 95% confidence interval for estimated 

density of 0.77 to 1.05 seals/km2. This was not significantly different than the strip transect density estimate of 0.89 

seals/km2

 (SE=0.067). 

Covariate analyses were conducted to examine the effects of weather and habitat variables on seal counts. Date, ice 

deformation, water depth, distance from shore and from the fast ice edge, and longitude were all found to affect the 

observed density. Seal counts increased with date, from May 24th through June 3rd. Estimated density decreased as ice 

deformation increased. Both observed and predicted density increased from shore to about 15-25 m water depth, then 

decreased in water deeper than 25 m. Density was higher in the eastern part of the survey area than in the west, and 

increased with distance from shore. However, the model also indicated that density was highest near the fast ice/pack ice 

edge, decreasing both shoreward and seaward of the edge. Distance from shore, distance from the fast/pack edge, and water 

depth are all inter-related to some extent, and this complicates interpretation of the model. 

Comparison of data from this project with aerial survey data collected in a similar manner in the mid 1980's indicates 

that relative ringed seal densities in the central Beaufort Sea were 2-3 times higher ten years ago than they are now. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

We recommend that future surveys be conducted using standard strip transect methods described in the previous 

MMS-ADF&G protocol. We further recommend that surveys be analyzed using a covariate approach which takes into 

account the effects of habitat variables on relative seal densities. 

This is a cooperative project funded primarily by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, 

with additional support being contributed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the National Marine Fisheries 

Service, the University of Alaska, and the North Slope Borough. 

Discussion: 

Dr. Chuck Monnett brought up recent evidence suggesting aerial surveys at 300 feet might cause seals to dive after 

the aircraft has passed, and asked if Ms. Frost had any information on whether flying higher might affect the survey. Ms. 

Frost stated flying at 500 ft would have a dramatic effect. At that elevation, about one-third fewer seals are counted, which 

may not be a problem if you are looking at a relative index. However, in the Beaufort Sea, the average ceiling in June is 

about 310 ft. In Kotzebue, the ice is relatively smooth, whereas in the Beaufort there is dirty ice and deformation, which 

makes counts difficult. Seals are more sensitive to disturbance and more likely to dive while flying during calm and bright 

days in the Beaufort Sea. Flying during foggy and overcast days the seals are less sensitive. Adding to the complications 

are other factors seals are responding to, such as those mentioned by Dr. Brendan Kelly previously. 

Dr. Kelly explained it appears the transition period, when seals give up their lairs and rest in the open, actually happens 

to 75% of the population in about a one-week period just before the snow goes isothermal. This suggests that if flights 

occur as they have traditionally been flown, comparisons over time are confounded by these rapid changes in proportion 

of seals visible. Ms. Frost stated another problem was influx of seals from other areas. There are so many variables 

involved, you can get some good data and information on relationships of seals to ice and bathymetry, but it may not have 

answered MMS’ question—“Is there a quick and simple way to index how many seals are out there?”. 

SATELLITE TRACKING OF BELUGA WHALES 

IN THE CENTRAL ARCTIC OCEAN 

Robert Suydam1

, Lloyd F. Lowry2, and Kathryn J. Frost2 

1

 North Slope Borough Dept. Wildlife Management, P. O. Box 69, Barrow, AK 99723 

(907) 852-0350  FAX (907) 852-0351 E-Mail: rsuydam@co.north-slope.ak.us 2

 University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1550 Coyote Trail, Fairbanks, AK 99709, 

(907) 455-6885  E-mail: llowry@eagle.ptialaska.net or kjfrost@eagle.ptialaska.net 

In Alaska, there are five stocks of beluga whales, which are identified based on traditional summering areas. Two of 

these stocks, the eastern Beaufort Sea and the eastern Chukchi Sea stocks, occur seasonally in the Beaufort Sea. The 

Beaufort Sea stock migrates along the spring lead in April and May from the Bering Sea to the eastern Beaufort Sea and 

returns west through the Beaufort Sea in September and October. The eastern Chukchi Sea stock occurs off northwestern 

Alaska in late June and early July and, as discovered recently, travels into the Beaufort Sea for the remainder of the 

summer. 

Beluga whales are important to Alaskan Native hunters for subsistence; more than 300 belugas are harvested annually 

in Alaska. These same belugas migrate through both Alaskan and Canadian offshore oil and gas leasing areas and are a 

subject of increasing international discussion regarding cooperative population management for stocks shared by Alaskans, 

Canadians, and Russians. Concerns about potential effects of offshore oil and gas exploration and development on beluga 

whales exist on local, national, and international levels. 

Studies in the early 1980s provided information about beluga reproduction, food habits, and distribution and 

abundance in summer. More recently studies have provided information about harvest levels, stock identity and genetic 

characteristics, and abundance in summering areas. However, despite the importance of belugas as a subsistence resource 

and their protection under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, late summer distribution and fall migration patterns are 

poorly known, wintering areas are effectively unknown, and areas that are particularly important for feeding have not been 

identified. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

Satellite tagging offers a proven cost-effective and technologically sound approach to obtaining information on beluga 

distribution and movements. In 1998 and 1999, the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee, North Slope Borough, Alaska 

Department of Fish and Game, NMFS National Marine Mammal Laboratory, and the village of Point Lay cooperated to 

capture and tag a total of 10 belugas from the eastern Chukchi Sea stock. The belugas were caught by entangling them in 

large-mesh nets set across channels in Kasegaluk Lagoon. One-half-watt satellite-linked depth recorders (SDRs) were 

attached using two nylon pins bolted through the cartilaginous dorsal ridge. The SDRs transmitted data each time the 

beluga surfaced. These data were then received by earth-orbiting satellites. 

The information from these first satellite-tagged belugas in the eastern Chukchi Sea provided new and surprising 

information about their movements and distribution during late summer and autumn. These tagged belugas did not, in 

contradiction to previous assumptions, spend the summer in pack ice of the north central Chukchi Sea. Instead, they moved 

into the Beaufort Sea and Arctic Ocean. Some traveled more than 2,000 km from the tagging location and reached 80°N 

latitude and 133° W longitude almost 500 km northwest of Banks Island. This required travel through 700 km of 9-10/10ths 

ice cover. Several of these whales then returned to the Point Barrow area along different tracks, followed by another trip 

to an area west of Banks Island at approximately 133°N. Movements were similar in 1998 and 1999. 

Eight of the 10 belugas tagged in the eastern Chukchi Sea were large males, one was a large female and one was a 

small female. All the large belugas moved far to the north into the Arctic Ocean pack ice, but the small female only moved 

to approximately 72°N in the western Beaufort Sea. This indicates that there may be some sex or age related differences 

in distribution and movement patterns. 

This study demonstrates the benefits of cooperation between local residents and scientists in conducting research in 

the Arctic. It has provided the first information on where belugas from the eastern Chukchi stock go after they leave coastal 

areas of the eastern Chukchi Sea. Similar cooperative efforts in the future can greatly expand our knowledge about belugas 

in other regions of Alaska. This study by the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee will serve as the foundation for a satellite 

tagging study funded by MMS through the Coastal Marine Institute at University of Alaska. Tagging did not take place 

as scheduled in June 2000 due to poor ice conditions and the scarcity of belugas near Point Lay. Field work has been 

rescheduled for June 2001. 

Discussion: 

When asked by Mr. Tim Holder to differentiate the different colors used in the presentation slides, Ms. Frost explained 

yellow represents 90% to 100% ice coverage, blue is open water, and the two arrows represent two separate animal tracks. 

Mr. Warren Horowitz asked about the time of year tagging took place. Ms. Frost replied the first of July, with the last tag 

coming off in November. The belugas came back towards Barrow and then they lost them. Of interest, though, is what 

happens after they leave Barrow. The speculation is they head over to the Chukchi Sea coast. Mr. Horowitz reported the 

Canadians found they headed to Wrangel Island then followed the ice to the Bering Strait. 

Ms. Frost added that, to their amazement, about the time that Mackenzie Estuary belugas begin to head west in 

August-September, Chukchi Sea animals headed north and east over to their area. So there are two different stocks or 

populations of animals doing opposite things at about the same time of year. That was a surprise to both the Inuvialuit 

hunters and the Alaska hunters. Dr. Ted Eschenbach wondered if the animals are returning to the same areas in subsequent 

years. Ms. Frost explained the stocks are genetically distinct, and there are four different summering concentrations of 

belugas in Alaska. 

A question was asked if all the whales tagged were male. Ms. Frost replied that eight of the ten whales were males, 

one was a large female and one was a small female. Dr. Cleve Cowles asked if the tags give data on dive time and behavior, 

like the past project with the Canadians. Ms. Frost said the information is there, but it hasn’t been analyzed. When the 

animals are over deep water they are diving 600 to 700 meters. In coastal areas they often feed nearshore, diving as shallow 

as 5, 10, or 20 meters to feed, then they go offshore and feed at abyssal depths in the high Canadian arctic, and doing it 

repetitively. In Alaska, the animals may be going back to the same feeding areas year after year. The Canadians have also 

been surprised by movements of their large males—they go through the Northwest Passage backward, leaving the 

Mackenzie Estuary and heading up to the high Canadian arctic islands. 

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_ Proceedings of the Eighth MMS Information Transfer Meeting _ 

When asked by Mr. Steve Treacy what the animals are eating that far north, Ms. Frost said it is unknown at this point. 

In the eastern Arctic, they eat flat-fish. In nearshore Alaska waters, they’re eating echiurid worms, decapod crustaceans, 

and saffron cod, similar to spotted seal feeding habits. Though not part of this CMI project, Ms. Frost is starting to look 

at fatty acid content of the animals. At Point Lay, hunters are providing a sample of fat for every beluga they harvest so 

diet can be analyzed. A positive aspect of this project is the cooperative efforts—not just CMI working with a federal 

agency, but involving the local community. 

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