UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS

1

USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Assessment

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS

2

Highly complex interplay of physical, chemical, biological and social processes.

Peeling Back the Onion – Understanding the Arctic System

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS

3

Dramatic Change in Sea Ice Extent

Rapid ecosystem changeIncreased access to energy, hard minerals and fishery resourcesIncreased shipping, tourism, and community access

National Snow and Ice Data Center

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS

4

Circum-Arctic Non-Petroleum Resources

Lawson BrighamAMSA 12 August 2008

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS

5

Diverse Sources of Spill Risk Needs Diverse Response Capacity

Crowley Marine

Anchorage Daily News, 21 Sept 2011/14 Nov 2012

Tugboat runs aground on Alaska Peninsula, stranding crew and barge. ADN : November 14, 2012

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS

6

Ice-Ocean Modeling of the Bering Sea 10-km grid 30-year hindcast for model evaluation 50-year climate scenario forecast for Bering Sea fisheries Captures ice variations and currents

Ice ExtentObservedModeled

Supported by: BOEMREE. Curchitser (Rutgers), K. Hedstrom, T. Weingartner, S. Danielson (UAF)

6