1. Introducing the Bering Strait Research Consortium: coordination and integration Jessica Cherry, IARC/INE@UAF Peter Schweitzer, EPSCoR/Anthro @UAF

2. Mission The Bering Strait Research Consortium, otherwise known as BSRC, is a voluntary group of academic, government, private sector, and other researchers who are interested in better coordinating data and research in the Bering Strait Region, as well as improving the communication of research results to the public and among themselves. Projects coordinated by BSRC encompass physical, biological, and human observations, including indigenous knowledge of the society, culture, land, ocean and atmosphere. Currently our office is based out of Fairbanks, Alaska, but we are looking to establish a home near the Bering Strait in Nome, Alaska.

3. National Priority Area

4. Increased Ship Traffic

5. Partners & ‘Board members’ University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Northwest Campus, the International Arctic Research Center, Kawerak Native Corp, Nome Eskimo Community, National Park Service. Potential: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (new Western LCC)

6. Web Portal: www.beringstraitresearch.org

9. Plan for improved communication

10. Ship activity, moored + cabled Observatories Transect lines proposed to be occupied by ships transiting Bering Strait, including research vessels of Canada, China, Korea, the United States and Russia

11. StakeholderEarth SystemRelevant data Norton Sound Economic Development Corp (Fisherman)Ocean/coastalWeather forecasting, wave height, sea ice Traditional sea mammal huntersOcean/coastal Sea mammals, sea ice, shipping traffic, pollution, ecosystem health Reindeer Herder's AssociationTerrestrialVegetation, climate, snow hydrology National Park ServiceTerrestrial/coastal Vegetation, climate, weather, hydrology, geology, paleoclimate, fire science MinersTerrestrial/coastalWeather, hydrology, vegetation, geology Shipping industryOcean/coastal Sea ice and weather forecasting, marine mammal safety Subsistance hunting/trappingTerrestrialWeather, river ice, snow depth Tourism (birders)Terrestrial/riparianWeather, storm surges State of Alaska, Village governmentsTerrestrial Infrastructure stability, weather, permafrost state, storm surges US Coast GuardOcean/coastal Native CorporationsTerrestrial/coastal Traditional knowledge, human health and safety, cultural resources Stakeholder data needs: Bering Strait area

12. Hundreds of Projects Including Arctic Water Resources Vulnerability Index (Kliskey, Alessa, et al.) Bering Strait Freshwater Ethnography (Schweitzer, Yamin- Pasternak, et al.) Climate monitoring (Cherry, NPS, etc) Village-based Permafrost Monitoring (Yoshikawa) State of the Permafrost (Romanovsky, Grosse, Marchenko, B. Jones, et al.) Sea Ice Monitoring (Eicken) Paleohydrology from Peat Cores (M. Jones, NPS) Ungulate research (Finstad, Ihl, Kawerak Reindeer herders assoc.) Physical and biological oceanography (Cooper, Grebmaier, Woodgate, Weingartner, etc) Fire/permafrost interactions (JAMSTEC/JAXA)

13. Seward Peninsula Hydrometeorological Station Network: Inherited from ATLAS project, 5 full met towers w/shallow boreholes & snow sensors, 2 repeater met towers, 2 hydrologic stations, 2 mothballed hydrologic stations, 6 partner permafrost stations (Romanovsky group), 2 partner DOT stations (GWS)

14. Modeled Permafrost Stability, Seward Peninsula Alaska Early 20 th and Present Comparison Present to Late 21 st century, Max Planck ECHAM 5 GCM SRES A1.B Scenario Comparison Busey et al., 2008

15. EPSCoR Pilot Project/Now NSF Funded Comiso, 2006 Attributing the source of observed temperature & precip changes can help determine future impacts

16. Data Rescue Digitized 1970s NOS aerial photography for use in change detection (SP flight lines) Digitizing early 20 th century daily climate records and mid-late 20 th century water data Assembling station histories We are hoping to produced a gridded product (this part unfunded) Supported by UAF’s Nx2020 project (Thanks, Hajo!) CD

17. Climate Stations on/near the Seward Peninsula 1900 1925 1953 1919 1897 1953 1922 1917 1941 1920 1943 1937 Cherry, in prep 1895 1901

18. Example of NOS Color image (Elim/Moses Point) on SP

19. Future for BSRC Increase community participation in BSRC, particularly on Russian side Make it a community resource Enhance website content Find funding for physical space and a staff Use BSRC as an instrument for coordination and integration

21. Permafrost characteristics of AK Jorgenson, et al., 2008

22. Thermokarst Jorgenson, et al., 2008

23. Ground ice Jorgenson, et al., 2008