Arctic Whale Ecology Studies in Alaska

The objectives of the Arctic Whale Ecology Study (ARCWEST) is to determine the relationship between dominant currents passing from the Bering Sea into and through the Chukchi Sea and prey resources delivered to the Barrow Arch area (an area of high bowhead whale and prey concentrations between Wainwright and Smith Bay) and to provide information about the dynamic nature of those relationships relative to whale distribution and habitat utilization in the eastern Chukchi and extreme western Beaufort Seas. This study will also provide important baseline data on the occurrence, distribution, and habitat use of large whales in an area that is subject to rapid change in climate and human industrial development. ARCWEST is a multi-year study (2012-2017, with field research cruises in 2013-2015) funded through an Inter-Agency agreement between the National Marine Mammal Laboratory and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.