developing a literature database for the north aleutian basin of alaska elisabeth ann stull north...
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Developing a Literature Database for the North Aleutian Basin of Alaska
Elisabeth Ann Stull
North Aleutian Basin Information Status and Research Planning Meeting
Minerals Management Service
Anchorage, Alaska
November 28—December 1, 2006
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Purpose
To identify recent literature to support an assessment of the impacts of oil and gas development on natural, cultural, and socioeconomic resources in the North Aleutian Basin
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Many Types of References were Identified and Collected
Workshop and symposium proceedings
Personal Web pages
Web pages of non-governmental organizations
Web pages of governmental organizations
Environmental impact studies
Books and articles reporting research results
Regulatory documents
Technical reports
Newspapers and newsletters
Theses and dissertations
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The Database was Organized into Eleven Topical Areas
Oceanography (Biological, Chemical, and Physical) and Other
Physical Sciences
Marine Mammals
Birds
Fish and Shellfish
Other Biota and Community/Ecosystem Studies
Effects of Oil/Gas and Other Development
Fisheries
Subsistence, Traditional Knowledge, and Other Related Topics
Socioeconomics
Resource and Research Planning
Studies Related to Regulatory Requirements
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1278 References were Found; 63% in Electronic Formats
278
125
142
325
254
224
184
80
105
38
143
Birds
Fish
Fisheries
Marine Mammals
Oceanography
Oil and Other Development
Other Biota
Planning
Regulatory Documents
Socioeconomics
Subsistence
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References were Collected for the Years 1996 through 2006
92
145
83
103
124
117
129
124
122
99
102
38
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
other
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Oceanography (Biological, Chemical, and Physical) and Other Physical Sciences
Major Topics:
– Dynamics of the Bering Sea, the Bering Sea ecosystem
– Interactions between oceanographic regions (Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea)
– Currents in and around the Aleutian Chain
– Effects of global warming.
Little information was found on:
– Bristol Bay nearshore
– Benthic and intertidal areas
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Marine Mammals Major Topics included:
– Surveys, distribution, abundance, migration and movement
– Diet and food supply
– Impact of human activities
– Population trends
– Subsistence use and traditional knowledge Species most studied:
– Right, fin, bowhead whales
– Walrus
– Sea otter
– Polar bear Geographic Area: Bering Sea and North Pacific Little Information was found on:
– Populations in the immediate vicinity of potential oil/gas development activities.
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Birds
Major topics:
– Waterfowl abundance, distribution, breeding
– Seabird by-catch
– Seabird colonies
– Effects of petroleum spills
– Contaminant concentrations and effects
– Subsistence harvest
Species most studied:
– Eider species
– Kittlitz’s murrelet
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Fish and Shellfish
Major topics
– Population dynamics
– Migration
– Abundance and distribution
– Recruitment
Major species studied:
– All salmon species
– King and tanner crabs
– Pacific herring
– Walleye pollock
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Other Biota and Community/Ecosystem Studies
Community and ecosystem studies:
– Phytoplankton and plankton productivity of the Bering Sea
– Relationships of groups of organisms to habitats
– Cumulative impacts
– Factors structuring communities and ecosystems
– Benthic organisms
– Wildlife studies
– Impact of oil spills on communities and ecosystems
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Effects of Oil/Gas and Other Development
Oil spill history and impacts
– Selendang Ayu
– Exxon Valdez Assessments of oil development impacts Population abundance after oil spills for birds and mammals Effects of disturbance from development activities Collisions, both with respect to birds and mammals Pollutant concentrations in biota Effects of fishing on biota, including birds and mammals
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Fisheries
Major topics are:
– Stock assessments and recruitment and escapement predictions
– Fish and shellfish diseases and contamination
– Effect of other activities on commercial fishing
– Effect of commercial fishing on birds and mammals
– Fishery management
– Regulations
– Fishery economics
Major stocks of interest are:
– Salmon
– Crabs (king and tanner)
– Pacific herring
– Groundfish
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Subsistence, Traditional Knowledge, and Other Related Topics
Major topics include:
– Subsistence harvest of plant products, fish, birds, and mammals
– Wild foods: identification and use
– Surveys of subsistence practices
– Native management of resources important in subsistence
– Traditional knowledge of resource abundance, trends, and ecology
– Regulations
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Socioeconomics
Major topics include:
– Community descriptions, including population, education, income, housing, government
– Resource economics
– Infrastructure development (i.e., harbors, community services)
– Borough and Native governments and corporations
– Community planning
– Developing industries
– Mineral resources
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Studies Related to Regulatory Requirements
Types of documents include:
– Regulations
– Regulatory analysis
– Environmental assessments and impact statements
– Endangered Species Act determinations
– Critical habitat determinations
– Recovery plans for endangered species
– Biological Opinions prepared pursuant to the Endangered Species Act
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Research and Planning
Examples include:
– North Pacific Research Board
– Bering Sea impacts study (BESIS)
– Western Arctic shelf-basin interaction study (SBI)
– Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Monitoring and Research Plan
– Eastern Bering Sea (BASIS) coastal research
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Conclusions
There are many recent studies of the Bering Sea area.
– Research emphasis has been placed on:• Wider regional issues• Global climate change• Marine mammal species• Waterfowl and protected bird species• Fishery biology and fishery economics
There is less research activity in certain areas, such as
– In areas adjacent to proposed oil/gas development locations
– Benthic and coastal communities and ecosystems
You will be able to identify areas which should high priorities for future research related to oil/gas development in the North Aleutian basin.