Climate change (reflected by Arctic sea ice decreasing by approximately 9% per decade) and increased human use of the region influences ocean circulation and ecosystem dynamics, impacting biological productivity, marine mammals, and fish stocks. Sikuliaq has accommodations for up to 26 scientists and students per cruise, including those with disabilities, to conduct multidisciplinary studies on these complex issues, and to facilitate broadband real-time virtual participation of classroom students in expeditions, including remotely operated underwater vehicles.
News
Sikuliaq to embark on limited research cruise in May
April 30, 2020
Special permission has been granted for a small team of researchers from the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to collect water samples in the northern Gulf of Alaska.
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UAF researcher to discuss Arctic processes
April 10, 2019
A University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher will talk about a research program geared at understanding variables that influence spring productivity in the Arctic from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, on the Fairbanks campus.
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Sikuliaq researchers find odd, abundant animal-plant plankton
August 15, 2018
The ability to conduct this procedure on a ship like Sikuliaq, to isolate these cells and preserve them quickly after they have come out of the ocean, allows researchers like Western Washington University’s Suzanne Strom to make some pretty radical observations about life at the bottom of the food web in the Gulf of Alaska.
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Sikuliaq improves analysis of phytoplankton’s nutrient needs
August 14, 2018
While Ana Aguilar-Islas always sets up a small clean-lab on cruises, the ability to bring her own specialized clean sampling instruments onto Sikuliaq dramatically increased the amount of water she could collect on the ship. And that increased her ability to do complex experiments onboard.
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