BOEM Science Notes includes articles aimed to keep our community of stakeholders informed on our ongoing research as it is taking place in the field. Each issue features a BOEM study or other item of interest.
In this issue:
- Science team to study biological hot spots in U.S. Arctic waters
Hanna Shoal in the Chukchi Sea known as biological hotspot - Often called a biological oasis, the Hanna Shoal ecosystem in the Chukchi Sea northwest of Alaska contains abundant marine life, in part because of the warm Bering Sea water that flows north during the summer. The richness of that ecosystem is the subject of a BOEM-sponsored science expedition taking place this August aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy.
In this issue:
- Largest Survey of Marine Protected Species on East Coast Begins 4th Year
How are the various species of whales, dolphins and porpoise distributed along the Atlantic coast ? How many are there? How many species of sea birds and sea turtles co-exist with them and where are they generally found? What is important to their survival?
In this issue:
- Scientists Discover New Marine Life in Atlantic Canyons
A team of federal and university scientists exploring the Norfolk Canyon on a month-long expedition discovered an expansive, "bustling field of chemosynthetic mussels" and the presence of gas seeps in the canyon about one mile below the ocean surface. Chemosynthetic animals have internal microorganisms that ingest and convert molecules such as methane or hydrogen sulfide to produce energy and biomass.