Chukchi Sea research results published

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, has announced the publication of the results of BOEM-funded environmental research conducted in the northern Chukchi Sea during the open water seasons of 2009 and 2010. The results appear in a series of 13 papers in a special edition of the Deep Sea Research Part II journal. The papers focus on the biological and chemical characteristics of the sea floor community, with the goal of establishing benchmark environmental data for assessing future environmental change in response to oil and gas activities, or to the impacts of climate change on the ocean.

With heightened interest in oil exploration in the Chukchi Sea in recent years, there has been a parallel interest in gaining a better understanding of the natural environment of this remote region. Baseline environmental data are required both to better understand the potential impacts of industrial activities on the environment, and to enable objective measurement of the impacts of activities that have been carried out.

- Alan Bailey