Bering Strait 2018-2022: Quantifying the changing Pacific inflow to the Arctic Ocean- a critical component of the Arctic Observing Network

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Part A: The core of this work will be the installation and annual servicing of three oceanographic moorings in the Bering Strait, at sites (all in US waters) which have been shown to provide an effective quantification of the oceanic fluxes through the strait. These moorings measure (hourly, year-round) water velocity, water temperature and salinity, and the thickness and motion of the seasonal sea ice in the region. The installations are available also to support instrumentation from other studies, e.g., marine mammal research. The project will provide data products of oceanic fluxes and water properties at various timescales (including hourly, monthly, and annual), interacting with stakeholders to provide the most relevant products. Combining these data with satellite data sets, modeling results, and indigenous knowledge, the researchers will quantify long-term change and the changing drivers of the properties of the inflow. The project also trains students in oceanographic techniques; brings western science to the classroom through a ?5-year journey in science? outreach project to native communities in Alaska and Hispanic/Latino-dominated schools in Seattle; and connects the Arctic and the public through university classes, various public talks, and the annual Polar Science Weekend at Seattle?s major Science museum. Part B: The Pacific inflow to the Arctic Ocean (which is via the Bering Strait) is critical to the oceanic systems of the Alaskan seas and western Arctic Ocean. Recent years are showing dramatic increase and early warming in this inflow. This has consequences regionally, in the Arctic, and (models suggest) also globally. Consider some examples. The inflow impacts nutrient supply to the nationally crucial Bering Sea, source of ~ 50% of the US fish catch. Heat carried by the inflow (increasing in recent years) is a trigger of early Arctic sea-ice retreat. Water properties of the inflow control how the ocean interacts with sea ice over roughly half the Arctic Ocean. Nutrients carried by the inflow feed Arctic ecosystems, both in the Arctic Ocean and in the US and Canadian northern coastal regions. It is thus vital to assess the changing Pacific inflow to the Arctic - for local native communities; for the new focus on pan-Arctic access, global shipping and resource exploitation; and for understanding (and predicting) how the Arctic is changing and the impacts of that change. To date, the only effective way of making this assessment is through year-round in-water measurements. The US started such measurements in 1990, allowing us now to quantify in context the remarkable transitions currently in progress. This new research will continue these measurements to 2022, also seeking understanding of the drivers of recent change. Crucially, the work will provide oceanic information in useful forms to the many stakeholders, including local and global science, local native communities, the public, and industry (e.g., oil/gas exploration, shipping, tourism). Internationally, the project is a substantial US contribution to global cooperation in the Arctic. Educationally, the project brings science and the Arctic to school and public communities, including role modeling success of diversity in STEM fields.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.