Long-Term Research Studies Climate Change Effects on the Arctic

The Alaska Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center’s Stephanie Jump recently returned from three weeks of field work on Alaska’s North Slope, where she and a team of researchers from the University of Texas and Oregon State University collected data through the sea ice. The data collected is for the ongoing Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystem Long Term Ecological Research project. The National Science Foundation-funded project started in 2017 and currently studies the influence of natural climate cycles on Arctic coastal ecosystems and how climate affects these systems.

The researchers loaded up snowmachines and sleds with sampling equipment in three locations across the Arctic — Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Deadhorse and Kaktovik — to sample water, ocean floor sediments, and benthic and water column biota, among many others. One week spent at each location allowed researchers time to collect valuable data during a time of year for which they lacked sufficient data. Additional information about this project can be found at https://ble.lternet.edu/.

 

Stephanie Jump prepares to drop a sensor that continuously samples conductivity, temperature, depth and turbidity as it is lowered to the ocean floor, providing a profile of the water column. Photo by Nathan McTigue, University of Texas.