Collaborative Research: The Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) – A Change Detection Array in the Pacific Arctic Region, 2025-2030

The Pacific Arctic region (PAR) has had the most spatially extensive loss of seasonal sea ice of any of the Arctic marginal seas. The northern Bering and Chukchi Seas are among the most productive marine ecosystems in the Arctic and are important carbon sinks and seasonal sources of organic materials. The recent shifts in sea ice cover are having profound consequences for seasonal phytoplankton production as well as affecting upper trophic level species, including species harvested locally for subsistence. In short, many organisms (from microzooplankton to top predators) are changing their distribution, migration routes and foraging patterns. However, key uncertainties remain as to how the marine ecosystem will respond to seasonal shifts in the timing of spring sea ice retreat and/or delays in fall sea ice formation. This continuing long-term project will focus on the following questions: (1) Will an earlier sea ice retreat and changes in seawater hydrographic properties influence the composition of pelagic and benthic prey species, and how will that affect the resiliency of the system and upper trophic level organisms? (2) How do seasonal changes in hydrography (salinity, temperature, and nutrients) affect the distribution of primary production and export production to the benthos? (3) What will be the ecosystem responses to changes in environmental drivers, and can we forecast the biological response in the food web through ecological modeling? (4) How will biophysical changes in the PAR impact upper trophic level species and thereby disrupt food security for coastal communities?