Arctic Coastal Ecosystems: Evaluating the Functional Role and Connectivity of Lagoon and Nearshore Habitats

Personal Author: Vollenweider JJ; Heintz RA; Boswell KM; Norcross BL; Li C; Barton MB; Sousa L; George C

Publication Title: Arctic Coastal Ecosystems: Evaluating the Functional Role and Connectivity of Lagoon and Nearshore Habitats

Subject: Marine Biodiversity
Coastal & Estuarine Habitats;Marine Benthic Communities
near shore fish; Elson Lagoon; EFH; fish habitats

CSE Reference: Vollenweider JJ, Heintz RA, Boswell KM, Norcross BL, Li C, Barton MB, Sousa L, George C (National Marine Fisheries Service, Juneau, AK). 2017. Arctic coastal ecosystems: evaluating the functional role and connectivity of lagoon and nearshore habitats. Anchorage (AK): US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. 269 p. Obligation No.: M12PG00024. Report No.: OCS Study BOEM 2016-066. URL: https://espis.boem.gov/Final%20Reports/BOEM_2016-066.pdf

Abstract: Arctic nearshore habitats are expected to be impacted from the effects of changing sea ice conditions, coastal erosion, increased ship traffic and infrastructure, and oil development. Fish communities have been thoroughly inventoried in the coastal region where fish and their predators are known to be important resources for subsistence gatherers, however it is less well understood how environmental conditions structure their composition. This deeper understanding is critical for evaluating and predicting future scenarios. This study was a collaborative effort from an interdisciplinary group of marine scientists to characterize nearshore fish communities in three converging waterbodies in the area adjacent to Point Barrow, Alaska, including the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, and Elson Lagoon. Fish were sampled using beach seines at 12 sites on a weekly basis throughout the summers of 2013 and 2014, under funding provided by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the North Pacific Research Board. In 2015 the study was augmented with funding provided by the North Slope Borough (NSB) to use a fully integrated ecosystem survey approach, with the additional measurements of offshore oceanography and zooplankton, the results of which are partially included in this study.