"Marine Mammals"

The 2015 Arctic Whale Ecology Study (ARCWEST)/Chukchi Acoustics, Oceanography, and Zooplankton Study-extension (CHAOZ-X) cruise took place on board the F/V Aquila. The cruise began in Nome, AK on 8 September 2015 and ended in Dutch Harbor, AK on 28 September 2015. Chief Scientist was Dr. Catherine Berchok, and the survey team consisted of 11 scientists representing six different laboratories or institutions (for full personnel list, see Appendix 1). In summary, a total of 24 passive acoustic, 24 oceanographic, and 4 combination (oceanographic/passive acoustic) moorings were retrieved, and 20 passive acoustic, 13 oceanographic, and 4 combination moorings were redeployed. A total of 17 CTD casts were conducted, 133 sonobuoys were deployed for 24 hour passive acoustic monitoring, over 600 nm were surveyed for marine mammals, and over 900 nm were surveyed for seabirds.

Ecosystems & Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (EcoFOCI) is an effort by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and associated academic scientists. Eco-FOCI’s goal is to understand the effects of abiotic and biotic variability on ecosystems of the Gulf of Alaska, Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas. This cruise is in support of research sponsored by NOAA’s North Pacific Climate Regimes & Ecosystem Productivity Program, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and PMEL/AFSC base.

Through an Inter-Agency agreement (IAA) between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), NMML is conducting a dedicated multi-year study to determine relationships between dominant currents passing from the Bering Sea into and through the Chukchi Sea and prey resources delivered to the Barrow Arch area (an area of high bowhead whale and prey concentrations between Wainwright and Smith Bay), and to provide information about the dynamic nature of those relationships relative to whale distribution and habitat utilization in the eastern Chukchi and extreme western Beaufort Seas. This study will also provide important baseline data on the occurrence, distribution, and habitat use of large whales in an area that is subject to rapid change in climate and human industrial development. This annual report covers work conducted in 2015, the third year of the study.

NOAA Fisheries scientists research helps fill in the gaps.

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-OPR-50 Published Date: 2015

Arctic Whale Ecology Study (ARCWEST)/Chukchi Acoustics, Oceanography, and Zooplankton Study-extension (CHAOZ-X) 2014 Cruise Plan.

Through an Inter-Agency agreement (IA) between the National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), NMML is conducting a dedicated multi-year study to determine relationships between dominant currents passing from the Bering Sea into and through the Chukchi Sea and prey resources delivered to the Barrow Arch area (an area of high bowhead whale and prey concentrations between Wainwright and Smith Bay), and to provide information about the dynamic nature of those relationships relative to whale distribution and habitat utilization in the eastern Chukchi and extreme western Beaufort Seas. This study will also provide important baseline data on the occurrence, distribution, and habitat use of large whales in an area that is subject to rapid change in climate and human industrial development. This quarterly report covers the period of this study between January and March 2014. The major activities during the first quarter of 2014 consisted of planning for the 2014 Arctic Whale Ecology Study (ARCWEST)/Chukchi Acoustics, Oceanography, and Zooplankton Study-extension (CHAOZ-X) cruise and the analysis of data collected during the 2013 ARCWEST cruise.

Through an Inter-Agency agreement (IA) between the National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), NMML is conducting a dedicated multi-year study to determine relationships between dominant currents passing from the Bering Sea into and through the Chukchi Sea and prey resources delivered to the Barrow Arch area (an area of high bowhead whale and prey concentrations between Wainwright and Smith Bay), and to provide information about the dynamic nature of those relationships relative to whale distribution and habitat utilization in the eastern Chukchi and extreme western Beaufort Seas. This study will also provide important baseline data on the occurrence, distribution, and habitat use of large whales in an area that is subject to rapid change in climate and human industrial development. This quarterly report covers the period of this study from April through June 2014. The major activities during the second quarter of 2014 consisted of planning for the 2014 Arctic Whale Ecology Study (ARCWEST)/Chukchi Acoustics, Oceanography, and Zooplankton Study-extension (CHAOZ-X) cruise and the analysis of data collected during the 2013 ARCWEST cruise.

Through an Inter-Agency agreement (IA) between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), NMML is conducting a dedicated multi-year study to determine relationships between dominant currents passing from the Bering Sea into and through the Chukchi Sea and prey resources delivered to the Barrow Arch area (an area of high bowhead whale and prey concentrations between Wainwright and Smith Bay), and to provide information about the dynamic nature of those relationships relative to whale distribution and habitat utilization in the eastern Chukchi and extreme western Beaufort Seas. This study will also provide important baseline data on the occurrence, distribution, and habitat use of large whales in an area that is subject to rapid change in climate and human industrial development. This quarterly report covers the period of this study from July through September 2014. The major activities during the third quarter of 2014 consisted of planning and beginning the 2014 Arctic Whale Ecology Study (ARCWEST)/Chukchi Acoustics, Oceanography, and Zooplankton Study-extension (CHAOZ-X) cruise. The cruise took place and the chartered research vessel R/V Aquila, left Nome, AK on 7 September, and is due to return to Dutch Harbor, AK on 20 October. Twenty-one scientists, technicians, and observers from nine different laboratories and institutions participated on the ARCWEST cruise.

The 2014 Arctic Whale Ecology Study (ARCWEST)/Chukchi Acoustics, Oceanography, and Zooplankton Study-extension (CHAOZ-X) cruise took place on board the R/V Aquila. The cruise began in Nome, AK on 7 September 2014 and ended in Dutch Harbor, AK on 20 October 2014. Chief Scientist was Dr. Catherine Berchok, and the survey team consisted of 21 scientists representing nine different laboratories (for full personnel list, see Appendix 1). In summary, a total of 20 passive acoustic and 17 oceanographic moorings were retrieved, and 21 passive acoustic and 27 oceanographic moorings were redeployed. A total of 80 hydrographic and 61 zooplankton stations were conducted, 305 sonobuoys were deployed for 24 hour passive acoustic monitoring, over 1,500 nm surveyed for marine mammals and over 450 nm surveyed for seabirds.