This dataset contains aerial survey data from the surveys described below. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), formerly the Minerals Management Service (MMS), and its precursor, the Bureau of Land Management, funded aerial surveys in the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering seas from 1979 to 2019. In 2008, through an Interagency Agreement between MMS and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]), the Marine Mammal Laboratory (MML, a division of AFSC), formerly the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, assumed co-management responsibilities for these surveys. Throughout the history of the surveys, they were referred to as the Bowhead Whale Aerial Survey Project (BWASP) and the Chukchi Offshore Monitoring in Drilling Area (COMIDA) marine mammal aerial surveys, both of which are described in more detail below. The surveys were conducted under the auspices of a single study, Aerial Surveys of Arctic Marine Mammals (ASAMM). In 2020 and 2021, aerial line-transect surveys for bowhead whales and other marine mammals were funded and co-managed by the North Slope Borough (NSB) through contract 2021-069 with the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies, a part of the University of Washington, with collaboration from AFSC, NOAA Fisheries. Consistent survey protocol has been in effect on surveys conducted since 1982. WESTERN BEAUFORT SEA Aerial surveys in the western Beaufort Sea (south of 72 degrees N, 140-157 degrees W) have been conducted each year since 1979. MMS personnel and contractors conducted the surveys from 1979 to 2007. From 2008 to 2019, the surveys were conducted by MML. In 2020 and 2021, surveys were conducted by NSB. The primary goal of the project, also known as BWASP through 2010, ASAMM from 2011 to 2019, and NSB Autumn Aerial Surveys in 2020 and 2021, was to document bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) during their fall migration through the western Beaufort Sea, although data were also collected for all other marine mammals that were sighted during the surveys. The surveys were typically conducted during the months of September and October, when offshore drilling and geophysical exploration are feasible and when the fall subsistence hunt for bowhead whales takes place near Kaktovik, Cross Island (village of Nuiqsut), and Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska. Additional surveys were conducted in the Beaufort Sea during spring and summer 1979-1986, and during summer 2011 to 2019, and from approximately 15 September to 15 October 2020 to 2021. EASTERN CHUKCHI SEA Aerial surveys in the eastern Chukchi Sea (68-73 degrees N, 157-169 degrees W) were conducted by MMS (now BOEM) contractors from 1982 to 1991. From 2008 to 2019, the surveys were conducted by MML. In 2020 and 2021, the surveys were conducted by NSB in collaboration with CICOES and MML and used a similar methodology to the surveys conducted in previous years. Starting in 2014, surveys were expanded south to 67 degrees N. The goal of the surveys, also known as the Chukchi Offshore Monitoring in Drilling Area (COMIDA) through 2010, ASAMM from 2011 to 2019, and NSB surveys in 2020 and 2021, was to investigate the distribution and relative abundance of marine mammals in the Chukchi Sea Planning Area (CSPA) during the open water (i.e., ice-free) months of June to October, when various species are undertaking seasonal migrations through the area. However, from 1979 to 1984, surveys were also conducted during spring. In 2020 and 2021, NSB Autumn Aerial Surveys in the Chukchi Sea from approximately 15 September to 15 October, were prioritized only when weather conditions were not conducive to surveying the western Beaufort Sea. NORTHERN BERING AND SOUTHERN CHUKCHI SEAS Aerial surveys in the northern Bering and southern Chukchi seas (63-68 degrees N, east of the International Date Line) were conducted by MMS (now BOEM) contractors from 1979 to 1985. The goal

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), formerly the Minerals Management Service (MMS), and its precursor, the Bureau of Land Management, funded aerial surveys in the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering seas from 1979 to 2019. In 2008, through an Interagency Agreement between MMS and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]), the Marine Mammal Laboratory (MML, a division of AFSC), formerly the National Marine Mammal Laboratory assumed co-management responsibilities for these surveys. Throughout the history of the surveys, they were referred to as the Bowhead Whale Aerial Survey Project (BWASP) and the Chukchi Offshore Monitoring in Drilling Area (COMIDA) marine mammal aerial surveys, both of which are described in more detail below. In 2011, a new Interagency Agreement between BOEM and NMML was established to authorize NMML to continue the BWASP and COMIDA studies under the auspices of a single study, Aerial Surveys of Arctic Marine Mammals (ASAMM). In 2020 and 2021, aerial line-transect surveys for bowhead whales and other marine mammals were funded and co-managed by the North Slope Borough (NSB) through contract 2021-069 with the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES), a part of the University of Washington, with collaboration from AFSC, NOAA Fisheries. Consistent survey protocol has been in effect on surveys conducted since 1982. Data collected from 1979 to 1981 were not vetted as carefully as data from 1982 to 2021, and should generally not be used for most analyses. WESTERN BEAUFORT SEA Aerial surveys in the western Beaufort Sea (south of 72 degrees N, 140-157 degrees W) have been conducted each year since 1979. MMS personnel and contractors conducted the surveys from 1979 to 2007. From 2008 to 2019, the surveys were conducted by MML. In 2020 and 2021, surveys were conducted by NSB. The primary goal of the project, also known as BWASP through 2010, ASAMM from 2011 to 2019, and NSB Autumn Aerial Surveys in 2020 and 2021, was to document bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) during their fall migration through the western Beaufort Sea, although data were also collected for all other marine mammals that were sighted during the surveys. The surveys were typically conducted during the months of September and October, when offshore drilling and geophysical exploration were feasible and when the fall subsistence hunt for bowhead whales takes place near Kaktovik, Cross Island (village of Nuiqsut), and Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska. Additional surveys were conducted in the western Beaufort Sea during spring and summer 1979-1986, during summer 2011-2019, and from approximately 15 September to 15 October in 2020 and 2021. The emphasis of surveys in the Beaufort Sea was to conduct broad-scale surveys to assess shifts in the migration pathway of bowhead whales, and to coordinate effort and manage data necessary to support seasonal offshore drilling and seismic exploration regulations. The selection of survey blocks to be flown on a given day was nonrandom, based primarily on criteria such as observed and predicted weather conditions over the study area and offshore oil industry activities. From 2016 to 2019, to incorporate the area near Liberty prospect, all transects in survey block 1 were extended inshore of the barrier islands to the shoreline. From 19 July through 20 August 2016, transects extended north beyond the usual BWASP study area into study blocks 8, 9, and 10, and north of blocks 11 and 12 (beyond 72 degrees N) to survey Eastern Chukchi Sea (ECS) beluga habitat. In 2017, a coastal transect 1 km offshore between Point Barrow and Demarcation Bay in the Beaufort Sea was added. Otherwise, the project attempted to distribute effort evenly east-to-west across the entire study area. Aerial coverage favored inshore survey blocks because bowhead whales were rarely sighted north of blocks 2, 6, and 7

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires the description and identification of essential fish habitat (EFH) for species included in federal fishery management plans (FMPs). NMFS Alaska Region provides a collection with EFH maps, supporting data, and supplemental habitat datasets. Alaska EFH maps are developed by species’ life history stages within the spatial extent of the fishery management units of the FMPs. The data included varies by FMP, representing EFH based on species survey distribution maps developed through analysis of species distributions from fishery independent surveys and fishery observer data (Scallop FMP), cumulative frequency distribution model maps developed through analysis of species survey data and environmental covariates (Salmon FMP), and species distribution model maps developed through analysis of species data from fishery independent surveys or fishery observer data and environmental covariates (Groundfish, Crab, and Arctic FMPs). The EFH mapping data available in this collection include GIS files (geodatabases, shapefiles, raster files) that are organized by FMP with supporting documents. The EFH maps and supporting data are updated with the completion of an EFH 5-year Review. One of the challenges for understanding EFH in Alaska’s nearshore is the extensive and complex coastline (~55,000 km) with a diversity of estuarine and marine habitats. Supplemental datasets in this collection are Alaska ShoreZone, Shore Station, and the Nearshore Fish Atlas of Alaska (NFAA). ShoreZone is an aerial imaging, coastal habitat classification and mapping system used to inventory alongshore and across-shore geomorphological and biological attributes of the shoreline. The georeferenced, oblique, low altitude aerial imagery is acquired during the lowest tides of the year and then used to classify habitat attributes into a searchable database. Alaska ShoreZone data in this collection include videos, video still images, photos, GIS files (geodatabase and shapefiles), data dictionary, protocol, and flight plans. Shore Station is a compilation of data collected during low tide surveys from hundreds of intertidal sites throughout coastal Alaska. Survey data include observed species, species assemblages, geomorphic features (e.g., sediment, substrate, bedform), beach length, slope, specific elevation profiles. Shore Station data in the collection include photos, GIS files (geodatabase and shapefiles), and supporting documentation. The NFAA is a centralized, relational database of nearshore fish surveys, providing data on the distribution, relative abundance, and habitat use of nearshore fishes in Alaska. This dataset includes numerous nearshore surveys collected by various agencies and organizations over the past several decades with different objectives and gear types (e.g., beach seines, purse seines, and trawls). NFAA data in the collection include photos, GIS files (geodatabase and shapefiles), and supporting documentation.

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Status of Stocks and Multispecies Assessment (SSMA) Programs Fishery Interaction Team (FIT) conducted a fish survey in the marine offshore waters of the Beaufort Sea during the month of August, 2008. The Mineral Management Service (MMS) provided funding for the survey. The results of the survey provided estimates of abundance, species composition and biological information of marine fish and invertebrates, oceanographic properties and information on the macro- and micro- zooplankton communities.

As part of an inter-agency agreement between the National Marine Mammal Laboratory and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, aerial surveys of the North Aleutian Basin and sourtheastern Bering Sea were conducted from 24 July to 28 August 2008 and 14 July to 25 August 2009. Both surveys were conducted from an Aerocommander 690A. In 2008, the survey design consisted of broadscale transects covering the waters from Bristol Bay west to the Pribilof Islands. The survey covered a total of 5,821 nmi (10,782 km) on-effort, 471 nmi (872 km) transit and crosslegs, and off-effort accounted for 837 nmi (1551 km). There were a total of 263 sightings (755 individuals) of 11 confirmed marine mammals species; these included right, humpback, fin and sei whales as well as killer whales, Dall's, and harbor porpoise, Pacific white-sided dolphins, fur seals, sea lions, walrus and sea otters. There were 10 sightings (12 individulas) of right whales recorded on 3 separate days. Six unique individuals were photo-identified and 4 matches were made between the aerial and vessel surveys. In 2009, the survey consisted of finescale transects over the critical habitat and an acoustic component was added to complement the visual survey. The survey covered a total of 2,590 nmi (4,800 km) on effort . There were a total of 124 sightings (213 individuals) of 3 confirmed marine mammal species, right, humpback and fin whales. There were 23 sightings (28 individuals) of right whales documented on 9 separate days. Seven unique individuals were photo-identified. Three matches were made to the 2008 survey. In all, the 2 year survey documented 10 unique North Pacific right whales.

In 1991, NMML initiated cetacean studies with vessel coverage throughout inland waters of Southeast Alaska. Between 1991 and 1993, line-transect methodology was used to: 1) obtain population estimates of both harbor porpoise and Dalls porpoise, 2) establish a baseline for detecting trends in porpoise abundance, and 3) define porpoise distributional patterns and seasonality. Three line-transect surveys were carried out each year spanning spring, summer, and fall. To update abundance and trends for both harbor porpoise and Dalls porpoise, NMML once again initiated line-transect surveys in 2006 (spring and summer), 2007 (spring, summer and fall), 2010 (summer and fall), 2011 (summer and fall), and 2012 (summer) using methods comparable to those used in the early 1990s.

These time-series data sets consist of Current Profiler data and biophysical data from moored instruments at 2 locations in Southeast Alaska in 2005 and 2006. A Cross Sound (CS-11) mooring was deployed August through November 2005 at 58.17 N, 136.57 W. In 2006 moorings were deployed in August at both Cross Sound (CS-11, 58.17 N, 136.57 W) and Chatham Strait (CH-1, 56.50 N, 134.39 W), and recovered in March of 2007. Data from these moored instruments include current speed and direction, calculated current components U and V, temperature, conductivity, salinity, pressure, water depth and calculated Sigma-T values. Instrumentation included Teledyne-RDI Long-Ranger 75khz ADCP (LRCP) and SeaBird SBE-37 (Microcat). Instruments were deployed and recovered from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game ship R/V Medeia. The cruise was funded by NOAA, EcoFOCI (Ecosystems and Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations) and NPCREP (North Pacific Climate Regimes and Ecosystem Productivity) programs. Operations on these cruises were managed by EcoFOCI personnel from NOAA/PMEL. Mooring time series data were processed at PMEL using standard techniques. Time is recorded as UTC. Data contacts: Phyllis Stabeno, Shaun Bell, Ryan McCabe, Peggy Sullivan. Collected with participation from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), ; Ecosystems and Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (EcoFOCI); University of Washington, Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES). Data are in NetCDF. Longitudes are in degW.

Moored instrument time series data include current velocity, temperature, salinity, oxygen, fluorescence, transmissivity, turbidity, and particle capture of carbon, nitrogen, and silicon as well as sediment trap, ice drift and ice draft data. These data were collected by researchers from the Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, BC, from locations ranging from the North Pacific, the Beaufort Sea, and across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago to Baffin Bay.

This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for whales, seals, walruses, and polar bears for the North Slope of Alaska. Vector polygons in this data set represent marine mammal distribution and locations of haul-out sites. Species-specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information are stored in relational data tables (described below) designed to be used in conjunction with this spatial data layer.This data set comprises a portion of the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) data for North Slope, Alaska. ESI data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil. The ESI data include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources.

Aerial surveys were conducted during the spring-summer of 2010 and seasonally during 2011-2012 to assess the abundance and spatial distribution of marine mammals and sea turtles within the region impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Surveys were conducted in high-winged twin engine aircraft flying at altitudes of 600-750 feet. Visual observations of marine mammals, sea turtles, birds, and other species are recorded including species identifications, counts of animals. Surveys are conducted along line transects oriented perpendicular to the shoreline and follow protocols consistent with analysis using Distance approaches to estimate detection probability and abundance. These data have been used to evaluate the potential impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on protected species.