North Slope Rapid Ecoregional Assessment

Intermediary results on human footprint and social and economic MQs

Update to the AMT and TechteamOctober 20, 2014

Institute of Social and Economic ResearchUniversity of Alaska Anchorage

This presentation will cover…

Updates on• Human footprint, including all anthropogenic activity in the region

• Communities• Transportation• Mining, oil, and gas infrastructure• Communication• Recreation• Subsistence

• Few Management Questions • Process models as they are now• Preliminary results

Human footprint: Communities, Camps and Cabins in the North Slope

Federal (NPS, USFWS, BLM): 180,000 sq. km. State (selected, patent): 53,000 sq. km.Native (selected and patent): 25,000 sq. km.

Human footprint: Linear features

Pipelines: 2,500 Km.Electrical transmission lines:75 Km.Trails: 10,000 Km.Rivers: 4,500 Km.Roads: 1,700 Km.

Human footprint: Prudhoe Bay infrastructure and development

Human footprint: Recreation

Human footprint: Renewable Energy

What are the measurable and perceived impacts of development on subsistence harvest of caribou? (Fish)?

Source Dataset

Intermediate ResultsFinal Result

Operator

Acronyms:NOS: North Slope

Content

Analysis

Extract

Extract

Targeted search

Review and assessment

Clip

Oil and gas infrastructures shape files

and tabular data

Map identifying location of oil and gas infrastructures

Summary report identifying perceived

impacts of development on subsistence harvest of

caribou

Literature(Reports, Peer-reviewed

articles, ADF&G, NSB, MMS/BOEM)

Themes (Areas of concerns used as

key terms)

Perceived impacts of development on subsistence

harvest of caribou

Subsistence Advisory Panel (Meeting minutes, Issues and

recommendations)

Literature

Work definitions of subsistence and development

Measurable dimensions of ‘development’ that impact

‘subsistence’ harvests of caribou

Model identifying the measurable dimensions of development that impact subsistence harvests of

caribou

Data Discovery for variables(ADF&G, AKDOL, BEA, AEDG)

Relationships between variables and total

harvest

Management Questions: TF3; (AF2)

Management Questions: TF3Measuring impacts on subsistence harvest

Access to subsistence area Subsistence Harvest

Transportation Infrastructure

moderator

Access to subsistence area Subsistence Harvest

Legal restriction

moderator

Access to subsistence area Subsistence Harvest

Physical barrier, i.e. pipeline, wellhead, or other

infrastructuremoderator

How does water withdrawal from lakes for oil and gas activities (year-round industrial and domestic use and winter operations) affect lake water quantity and water quality, outflow/stream connectivity, and down-basin stream habitat?

Source Dataset

Intermediate Results

Final Result

Operator

Acronyms:NOS: North Slope

extract

overlay

Oil and Gas Water Permits

Map identifying locations of water withdrawal from

oil and gas activities

Define “domestic” vs “industrial” water use

Oil and gas infrastructures shape files

and tabular data

NOS water bodies shape files

Location of water bodies used by the oil and gas

industry

Management Questions: AC1

Data required: Location data on lakes used for water withdrawal

What physical and perceptual limitations to access to subsistence resources by local residents are caused by oil/gas activities?

Source Dataset

Intermediate Results

Final Result

OperatorAcronyms:NOS: North Slope

Overlay

Content

Analysis

Targeted search

Review and assessment

Extract

Overlay

Summary report identifying the perceptual limitations to

access to subsistence resources by local residents

are caused by oil/gas

Literature(Reports, Peer-reviewed

articles, ADF&G, NSB, MMS/BOEM)

Themes (Areas of concerns used as

key terms)

Perceptual limitations to access to subsistence

resources

Subsistence Advisory Panel (Meeting minutes, Issues and

recommendations)

Literature(Peer-reviewed articles,

Reports)

Physical limitations to access to subsistence resources

caused by oil and gas activities

Map identifying physical limitations caused by oil

and gas activitiesDistribution models

Community locations shape files

Oil and gas infrastructures shape files

and tabular data

Land Status shape files and tabular data

Relative locations of subsistence resources with

communities

Management Questions: AP1

What additional contaminants baseline data are needed for fish, birds, marine and terrestrial species, particularly those that affect the health and safety of subsistence foods?

Management Questions: AT3

• Department of Environmental Conservation tracks a long list of contaminants across the state• Their data is not linked to any biological data

• Department of Fish and Game conducts assessments of impacts on specific contaminants on specific species• These assessments are conducted in response to specific requests

To answer this question, we started from the subsistence species on the CE list and reviewed the literature on contaminants that impact any of the species.

• Several contaminants per each species were identified• Available data (attributes) were identified• Additional attributes are now being identified

Sources of Data

Erosion

Population

Employment

Energy

Income

Language

Vital Statistics

Education

State

Federal

Local/Regional

Location

US Army Corps of Engineers

UA Census Bureau

Alaska Department of Labor

Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics

Alaska Department of Education

North Slope Borough Planning Department

Alaska Housing Finance Commission

Institute of Social and Economic Research

Linear features

Block features

Bureau of Economic Analysis

National Center for Education Statistics