| Project Detail |
Bringing our best technology to marine studies Advancing our knowledge of the structure and function of the eastern Beaufort Sea marine ecosystem through world-class research The Marine Arctic Ecosystem Study (MARES), funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) through the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, is a five-year research program. The goal? To understand the relationships of biophysical and chemical drivers and their influence on the structure and function of the eastern Beaufort Sea marine ecosystem. On behalf of BOEM, we’re managing a multi-party team of individuals from Indigenous communities, research agencies, universities, and consultants across the US and Canada. The MARES team is employing advanced technologies such as satellite imagery, ship-based bathymetric and water quality surveys, and underwater gliders with biophysical chemical sensors—all to probe the near and offshore environment. They’re also recording conditions at different depths across the continental shelf throughout the year, taking sediment samples, analyzing for benthic invertebrates, and tracking satellite telemetry for four species of ice-associated seals. What does that mean? With this new information, BOEM will better understand how the Eastern Beaufort Sea is responding to climate change and how this impacts human activities in the area. Award National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) Excellence in Partnering Award, 2019 |
