BOEM joins National Science Foundation to study impacts of development in the Arctic
The National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and international partners, has made the first round of awards under a program that supports interdisciplinary science important to understanding the sustainability of the Arctic. The research will examine the impacts of the changing natural environment and socio-economic conditions on the region.
Six projects have been funded as part of the NSF Arctic Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (ArcSEES) program. They are located at 12 institutions and include collaborative investigators from the U.S., France, Canada, Russia, Finland, Germany, and the UK. ArcSEES grants support academic, management, indigenous, and industry scientists.
BOEM will focus its funding, combined with NSF funds, on two ArcSEES studies related to the bureau’s offshore energy management decisions for the Alaskan Outer Continental Shelf:
- The first study,Cumulative Effects of Arctic Oil Development – planning and designing for sustainability, will measure and assess long-term cumulative impactsofincreases in the oil-and-gas-industry infrastructurein thePrudhoe Bay area of Alaska, with the goal of reducing the impacts of future development in the region.
- The second,Walrus Adaptability and Long-term Responses; Using multi-proxy data to project sustainability, will examine the vulnerability and resilience of the walrus population off Alaska’s North Slope. This willenhance the bureau’s understanding of the complex interplay between climate change; walrus population dynamicsandstructure; health, habits,feeding ecologies and foraging locations; and subsistenceharvesting by Alaska Native hunters.
For additional information about the six research grants, please visit theNSF news release site and theoriginal solicitation.
Source: BOEM
