Understanding Ecosystem Processes in the Bering Sea

Following warm years from 2001 to 2005, the eastern Bering Sea subsequently cooled with a sequence of very cold years from 2008 to 2010.  In 2007, the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) entered into a historic partnership to support a comprehensive $52 million investigation of the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem to understand how climate change and associated changes in sea-ice is impacting the Bering Sea ecosystem and the consequences of these changes on lower trophic levels for fish, seabirds, marine mammals, and ultimately people. The “Bering Sea Project” integrates two research programs, the NSF Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST) and the NPRB Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (BSIERP).  This six-year study of the Bering Sea ecosystem links nearly a hundred principal scientists through a vertically integrated process and modeling program. Field research began in 2007 and reached full speed the following year, with at-sea sampling conducted over three years from February through October of 2010. With the conclusion of field sampling, multiple efforts are now underway to integrate and synthesize the substantial data collection and information collected.  In our presentation, we will use a series of vignettes that begin to describe the synthesis of the study results.