1. COSA Committee Meeting
June 23, 2017
Heather A. Crowley
Oceanographer
Alaska OCS Region /

2. Environmental Resource Areas: Using Habitat-Based Density Models and Tagging Data for Analysis of Biological Resources
BOEM Information Need:
A consistent method for developing and refining Environmental Resource Areas (ERAs) used for BOEM’s OSRA.
Date Information is Required:
The tools or analyses are needed to assist BOEM in NEPA analyses for potential future lease sales, EPs, and DPPs

3. Background
To facilitate analysis of the vulnerability of different species to contact from a potential oil spill BOEM identifies Environmental Resources Areas (ERAs), which are areas of concern relating to social, environmental, or economic resources, including critical habitat or use areas for different species of concern. Currently, various methods are used to define the location and geographical extent of ERAs, depending on the availability of data.

4. Environmental Resource Areas in the Chukchi Sea
ERA
Name
Map
Vulnerable
General Resource
Specific Resource
Reference 1
Kasegaluk Lagoon Area
A-2f
May-October
Birds, barrier island, seals, whales
Birds: BLBR, LTDU, eiders (STEI, COEI), loons (all 3 species)
Dau and Larned, 2004; Johnson, 1993; Johnson, Wiggins, and Wainwright, 1993; Laing and Platte, 1994; Lehnhausen and Quinlan, 1981. 2
Point Barrow, Plover Islands
A-2d
Birds, barrier island
Birds: SPEI, LTDU
Fischer and Larned, 2004; Troy, 2003. 8
Maguire, Flaxman Islands
Birds: nesting COEI, molting LTDU, PALO
Fischer and Larned, 2004; Flint et al., 2004; Johnson, Wiggins, and Wainwright, 1993; Johnson, 2000; Johnson et al., 2005; Noel et al., 2005. 9
Stockton Islands, McClure Islands
A-2e
Birds: nesting COEI, molting LTDU, staging SPEI
Fischer and Larned, 2004; Flint et al., 2004; Johnson, Wiggins, and Wainwright, 1993; Johnson, 2000, (Table 2); Johnson et al., 2005; Noel et al., 2005; Troy, 2003. 10
Ledyard Bay SPEI Critical Habitat Unit
A-2b
July-November
Birds
Birds: seabirds, molting/staging SPEI, staging YBLO
66 FR ; Laing and Platte, 1994; Petersen, Larned, and Douglas, 1999; Piatt and Springer, 2003. 14
Cape Thompson Seabird Colony Area
A-2a
Birds: seabirds, gulls, shorebirds, waterfowl, staging YBLO
Piatt et al., 1991; Piatt and Springer, 2003; Springer et al., 1984; Stephenson and Irons, 2003. 15
Cape Lisburne Seabird Colony Area
Birds, marine mammals
Birds: seabird breeding colony, staging YBLO
Oppel, Dickson and Powell, 2009; Piatt et al., 1991; Piatt and Springer, 2003; Roseneau et al., 2000; Springer et al., 1984; Stephenson and Irons, 2003. 17
Angun and Beaufort Lagoons
Birds: molting LTDU, scoters, staging shorebirds
Johnson and Herter, 1989. 18
Murre Rearing and Molting Area
Birds: murre foraging, rearing, and molting area
Piatt and Springer, 2003; Springer et al., 1984. 19
Chukchi Sea Spring Lead System
April-June
Birds, whales
Birds: seabird foraging area; spring migration area for LTDU, eiders (KIEI, COEI), loons
Connors, Myers, and Pitelka, 1979; Gill, Handel, and Connors, 1985; Johnson and Herter, 1989; Oppel, Dickson, and Powell, 2009; Piatt et al., 1991; Piatt and Springer, 2003; Sowls, Hatch, and Lensink, 1978; Swartz, 1967. 64
Peard Bay Area
Birds: eiders (all 4 species), loons (all 3 species)
Fischer and Larned, 2004; Laing and Platte, 1994. 65
Smith Bay
Birds, marine mammals, whales
Birds: eiders (SPEI, KIEI), YBLO
Earnst et al., 2005; Powell et al., 2005; Ritchie, Burgess, and Suydam, 2000; Ritchie et al., 2004; Troy, 2003. 67
Herschel Island (Canada)
Birds: LTDU, BLBR, scoters, eiders, loons, shorebirds
Johnson and Richardson, 1982; Richardson and Johnson, 1981. 68
Harrison Bay
Birds: eiders (KIEI, COEI), scoters (BLSC, SUSC), geese (BLBR, CANG, GWFG), loons, shorebirds
Connors, Connors, and Smith, 1984; Dau and Larned, 2004, 2005; Fischer and Larned, 2004. 69
Harrison Bay/Colville Delta
Birds: geese (BLBR), eiders (KIEI, COEI), LTDU, scoters (BLSC, SUSC), loons (all 3 species)
Bergman et al., 1977; Dau and Larned, 2004, 2005; Fischer and Larned, 2004; Johnson and Herter, 1989.

5. Environmental Resource Areas in the Chukchi Sea

6. Background
Relationship with Previous Work/Efforts: This study will utilize large datasets amassed by BOEM and others in the last forty-plus years documenting habitat and oceanographic parameters as well as spatial presence and other information for a wide range of species.

7. Background
Relationship with Concurrent/Future Efforts: The tools and methods developed in this study will allow for routine update of ERAs as additional data becomes available.

8. Study Objectives
Assess the utility of different techniques to evaluate distribution, abundance and timing of behaviors of marine mammals or birds
Identify one or more representative species or population(s) for assessing methodologies
Investigate seasonal patterns of movement of the identified species in Cook Inlet, the Beaufort Sea, or the Chukchi Sea
Evaluate spatial variations in seasonal density of identified species in the focus area.

9. Methods
This study will assimilate available monitoring information derived from aerial and ship surveys, satellite tags, monitoring buoys, remote sensing, ocean models, etc.
Researchers will develop methods to analyze the biological resource densities to help develop a documented method for refining ERAs to support the OSRA process.

10. Methods
Methodologies considered may include development habitat-based models similar to those used by Roberts et al. (2016) in the Atlantic or estimation of biological resource densities, such as those developed by Citta et al. (2015) to identify core-use areas for bowhead whales.

11. Relationship to Strategic Science Questions
This study is most directly relevant to these questions:
How can BOEM best assess cumulative effects within the framework of environmental assessments?
How can BOEM better use existing or emerging technology to achieve more effective or efficient scientific results?
What affected resources, measures, and systems are best used for long-term monitoring?
How are ocean currents and biota affected by reduced sea ice conditions?