The boulders and cobbles are part of a quaternary deposit that is unique to the beaufort sea inner shelf, which is otherwise composed of silty clays and mud in relatively shallow water 47 m that is estuarine in character dunton et al. Animida task 1 core contractor program management, logistics. Posted by christinabonsell july 20, 2017 july 20, 2017 posted in beaufort sea, blog, boulder patch, field season, methods, prudhoe bay, science leave a comment on lost and found. The boulder patch north alaska, beaufort sea and its benthic algal flora r. Usgsboem fisheries sampling simpson lagoon, stefansson sound, and camden bay. Distribution and abundance of kelp in the alaskan beaufort sea. Monitoring the boulder patch as part of the arctic nearshore impact monitoring in the development area animida program phase ii 7 task 7. The boulder patch is characterized by a surface veneer of pebbles cobbles and boulders up to 2 m in diameter and supports a rich and varied benthic community. In most hard substrate environments, space is a limiting resource for sessile organisms. Trophic relationships, spatial patterns, and isotopic changes over time were examined within the boulder patch using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. Finally, population genetics suggest beaufort sea l. While the silty and muddy benthos of the surrounding alaskan beaufort sea has relatively low biomass, in the boulder patch boulders and cobbles of varying sizes and densities allow for the dense growth of sessile invertebrates and macroalgae dunton et al. Sep 22, 2005 in most hard substrate environments, space is a limiting resource for sessile organisms.
This project evaluates and monitors the benthic diversity associated with several boulder fields in the alaskan beaufort sea. Geology report for proposed beaufort sea ocs sand and gravel. Report for the beaufort sea shelf, northern alaska fig. Spatial variability of kelp growth in the stefansson sound. The boulder patch in stefansson sound, beaufort sea, of alaska harbors a diverse arctic kelp community in areas where rock cover exceeds 10%. Research on kelps in this area are from the boulder patch 71 n, where l. Ocean conservancy has done that in the past for comments submitted to the bureau of ocean energy management, which oversees offshore oil. She also made collecting trips to the beaufort sea and was one of the research divers assigned to work on an area of boulders and cobbles located off the coast of prudhoe bay, alaska, called the boulder patch. It extends from barrow, alaska, to the southwestern edge of prince patrick island, then south along the western edges of banks island to the coast of canadas northwest territories. Western arctic environmental studies is a portal into projects funded by the bureau of ocean energy management boem to establish. The purpose of this proposal was the taxonomic identification of epilithic community samples from two locations boulder patch and camden bay in the beaufort sea that were available from 2003 2005 collections. The initial scale did not have wind speeds, but listed a set of qualitative conditions from 0 to 12 by how a naval vessel would act under them from just sufficient to give steerage to. The small marginal reduction in impacts to the boulder patch associated with alternatives 3a and 3b as compared with alternative 1 are illustrated in the table below. Geographically isolated from other areas of hard rock substrate in the arctic ocean, the boulder patch is a regional biodiversity hotspot dominated by the kelp laminaria solidungula.
The boulder patch kelp bed community of the beaufort sea lies in stefansson sound off the northern coast of alaska. In the alaskan beaufort sea, kelps are found in scattered rocky habitats in shallow waters 510 m depth along the mainly sedimentary coast. Chukchi and beaufort seas contribute to ecological integrity, some are especially vital to the health of that ecosystem. In this paper, we present the first complete and exhaustive compilation of the benthic flora in the alaskan beaufort sea. There, in a 160squaremile area between the shore and cross and narwhal islands, is a group of boulder patches.
Map of beaufort sea beaufort sea map location facts. Triangle denotes the location of the boulder patch, east of prudhoe bay. Citeseerx document details isaac councill, lee giles, pradeep teregowda. A basic premise of this report is that an understanding of the quaternary geology of the arctic coastal plain and beaufort sea shelf is fundamental to an understanding of the potential sources of sand and gravel. The effects of the endicott development project on the. Arley muth arley muth is a doctoral student studying ocean acidification in the beaufort sea. Western arctic environmental studies is a portal into projects funded by the bureau of ocean energy management boem to establish an integrated knowledge of arctic ecosystems. The boulder patch is a shallow 47 m high arctic kelp community containing 78 benthic algal species, all.
Considered a biodiversity oasis, this area provides habitat for many organisms. Beaufort sea boulder patch, nearshore fish, long term ecological research 2019 cruise plan rv proteus, central and eastern alaskan beaufort sea july 1015. Competition for space is often high and is a structuring force within the community. This research determined if coralline algae were competitively dominant over other sessile organisms. Updates to the marine algal flora of the boulder patch in. The one known exception is just east of prudhoe bay in the shallows of stefansson sound. Dec 14, 2015 the company building an island off alaska to extract oil. Beaufort lagoon ecosystems lter is a new long term ecological research site.
Arctic an arctic kelp community in the alaskan beaufort sea. The alaska beaufort sea coast, showing the linked riverestuarinelagoon system of the eastern shelf. The alaska beaufort sea coa st, showing the lin ked riverest uar inel agoon system of the easte rn shelf. Lgl ecological research associates standard alaska production company a study of the stefansson sound boulder patch kelp community conducted in order to assess the effects of the endicott development project constructed in the. The sea is named after sir francis beaufort, a hydrographer. We describe the benthic algal flora within the boulder patch, a unique and relatively isolated assemblage of. Pdf an arctic kelp community in the alaskan beaufort sea. Jul 20, 2017 posted by christinabonsell july 20, 2017 july 20, 2017 posted in beaufort sea, blog, boulder patch, field season, methods, prudhoe bay, science leave a comment on lost and found. Arctic ocean must include an understanding of how its marine ecosystems function. No density gradient from the boulder patch was found within the study area. Renewed interest in nearshore oil exploration and production in the central beaufort sea has created a general need to advance understanding of the existing wind, wave, current, storm, and sediment dynamics conditions in this beaufort sea coastal region. Our records are largely based on the relatively unique and isolated marine algal flora in an area designated as the boulder patch in stefansson sound, near prudhoe bay fig. Named for british rear admiral sir francis beaufort, the beaufort sea, on the far edges of the arctic ocean, is positioned to the north of alaska and canada.
Most of the alaskan beaufort sea bottom is soft substrate and can, at least in the highly dynamic nearshore environments, harbor very low benthic diversity of macroorganisms. The boulder patch north alaska, beaufort sea and its benthic algal flora. She is part of a long term ecological research lter project led by ken dunton at the university of texas looking lagoons in the arctic and ecosystem change over time. The stefansson sound boulder patch is a kelp bed community located in the central alaska beaufort sea coast at water depths ranging from 57 m. Longterm monitoring of the kelp community in the stefansson. Partitioning of potential contaminants between dissolved and particulate phases in waters of the coastal beaufort sea 7.
Updates to the marine algal flora of the boulder patch in the beaufort sea off northern alaska as revealed by dna barcoding. Updates to the marine algal flora of the boulder patch in the beaufort sea. We use diverse methods to study lagoons and other aquatic sites along the northern alaskan arctic coast. The discovery of the boulder patch, an area of cobbles and boulders with attached kelp and invertebrate life, is reported from stefansson sound, near prudhoe bay, alaska.
Dec 01, 2017 the boulder patch kelp bed community of the beaufort sea lies in stefansson sound off the northern coast of alaska. We describe the benthic algal flora within the boulder patch, a. The boulder patch, a high arctic kelp community, is a rarity in the alaskan beaufort sea. Eskimos contest sale of alaska oil and gas leases the new. The boulder patch north alaska, beaufort sea and its. Geophysical surveys using sidescan sonar and lowfrequency recording fathometers reveal that cobbles. The boulder patch is an area of cobbles and small boulders generally interview.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the authors and do not necessarily. Boem north slope shorezone survey, in the beaufort sea, alaska. Encourage your child to discuss what they see in each picture. A tale of firstyear folly, chance, and the nature of field work. Jan 25, 2019 ocean conservancy is planning to make an inventory of biologically important areas in the region, like the hanna shoal in the chukchi and the stefansson sound boulder patch in the beaufort, he said.
In the beaufort seas boulder patch, crustose coralline red algae are major space occupiers. Kelp may exist over additional areas of the beaufort sea in suficient numbers to affect faunal diversity and biomass. The boulders and cobbles are part of a quaternary deposit that is unique to the beaufort sea inner shelf, which is otherwise composed of silty clays and mud in relatively shallow water 47 m that is estuarine in character. Subbottom profiler records indicate that shallow gas may be present as indicated by typical anomalies. Ocean conservancy is planning to make an inventory of biologically important areas in the region, like the hanna shoal in the chukchi and the stefansson sound boulder patch in the beaufort, he said. Jun 01, 2016 sound decisionmaking about the future of the u. Beaufort sea boulder patches geophysical institute. Factors that influence the distribution of the arctic endemic. Results in both regions, boulders are covered primarily with macroalgae. The company building an island off alaska to extract oil. Triangle denot es the location of the boulder patch, east of pr udhoe bay. Pdf the boulder patch north alaska, beaufort sea and.
Central beaufort sea wave and hydrodynamic modeling study. The boulder patch is an area of cobbles and small boulders generally boulder patch is a unique feature of the alaskan beaufort sea shelf, which is otherwise characterized by finegrained sediments of silty sands or mud. The mackenzie river, the longest in canada, empties into the canadian part of the beaufort sea west of tuktoyaktuk, which is one of the. At the workshop, objectives for the beaufort sea monitoring program bsmp were established as follows. Endicott beaufort sea boulder patch monitoring program 19861987. The proposed liberty project drilling island adjacent to the boulder patch, a unique. The boulders and cobbles are part of a quaternary deposit that is unique to the beaufort sea inner shelf, which is otherwise composed of silty clays and mud in relatively shallow water 4 7 m that is estuarine in character. In 1985, the endicott development project, the first major offshore oil development in the alaskan arctic, was. Boem boulder patch studies in stefansson sound july 1631. The boulder patch kelp bed community of the beaufort sea.
Unlike the softsediment bottom present throughout most of the north alaskan coast and the beaufort sea in general, the boulder patch bottom is a rare occurrence of localized gravel, cobbles, and small boulders generally boulder patch kelp bed community of the beaufort sea lies in stefansson sound off the northern coast of alaska. April 30, 1979 dave norton for the most part, the shallows of the beaufort sea have a mud and silt bottom. Oct 28, 1979 a second worry is the potential of oil spills, which would disrupt the sensitive food chain in the boulder patch, a sub stantial area of the sea floor littered with huge rocks. Posted by christinabonsell november 2, 2014 november 2, 2014 posted in beaufort sea, blog, boulder patch, field season, north slope, prudhoe bay, science leave a comment on welcome to the boulder patch. Competitive dominance among sessile marine organisms in a. Endicott beaufort sea boulder patch monitoring program. The elevated interchannel areas of this boulder unit crop out at me sea floor forming the boulder patch seen on side scan sonographs. The scale was created in 1806 by sir francis beaufort, a british naval officer.
Updates to the marine algal flora of the boulder patch in the. Oil and gas development along the coastal beaufort sea 6 task 6. Boulder patch lies on top of promising offshore oil reserves, as indicated by the fact that some tracts in this area received the highest bids in the joint statefederal beaufort sea. These projects sample and study benthic and pelagic biota and chemistry, physical oceanography, and food webs. Jul 28, 2017 posted by christinabonsell november 2, 2014 november 2, 2014 posted in beaufort sea, blog, boulder patch, field season, north slope, prudhoe bay, science leave a comment on welcome to the boulder patch. Factors that influence the distribution of the arctic. Pdf the boulder patch north alaska, beaufort sea and its. The boulder patch is a shallow 4 7 m high arctic kelp community containing 78 benthic algal species, all.
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