This study provided current data, as well as seasonal and interannual comparisons, on the distribution and abundance of marine birds, and secondarily for marine mammals, within BOEM's Arctic planning areas during two integrated ecosystem studies: Arctic Shelf Growth, Advection, Respiration, and Deposition Rate Experiments (ASGARD; two research cruises) and the Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Survey, Phase II; Upper Trophic Level (Arctic IES; two research cruises). We conducted seabird surveys for a total of 14,247 km within the Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (AIERP) study area from June 2017 through September 2019. We observed high abundance of both seabirds and marine mammals in the Chirikov Basin and Bering Strait, and in the eastern Chukchi Sea in Hope Basin, over Barrow Canyon, and Hanna Shoal. We integrated environmental and prey data from the ASGARD and Arctic IES projects to examine seabird distribution with respect to annual conditions, We include an analysis of Aethia auklet diets from birds nesting on St. Lawrence Island, in the northern Bering Sea.

USD: $1,000,000

2016-10-01 → 2021-12-31