This dataset contains seabird survey and associated environmental conditions data collected in the Chukchi Sea during the 9 August - 3 September 2015 Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) research cruise. Seabirds were surveyed using line transect methods. Seabird observations were recorded directly into a laptop computer using software which logged the geographic coordinates of each sighting. Incidental sightings of marine mammal were also recorded. Supplementary environmental data are included for the beginning of each survey period. The dataset is two comma-separated values (csv) files. The file named dlog_2015_dwc_core.csv contains the count of observed marine birds and mammals by species, their behavior, and the environmental conditions recorded during the surveys for the 2015 research cruise. The file named taxon_codes_2015.csv is an associated taxon code list of the observed species. This dataset was transformed from the native format into a table structure using Darwin Core term names as column names.

This dataset contains fish haul and specimen information collected during the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) research cruise in 2017. During the cruise, demersal fishes were collected with a plump-staff beam trawl, identified to species, and their length was measured while onboard. A subset of specimens was frozen or preserved in ethanol for laboratory analyses to contribute to this and other datasets. Juvenile and pelagic fishes were also captured with an Isaac-Kidds midwater trawl. The final dataset consists of 3 comma separated values files (csv), one lookup table as a comma separated values file (csv), and two ISO 19110/19115 metadata records in xml form. The data files are presented in a table structure using Darwin Core OBIS-GBIF form (https://obis.org/manual/dataformat/#emof), using Darwin Core term names as column names and in keeping with that metadata standard (https://dwc.tdwg.org/). They are: AMBON2017_fish_Event_DWC.csv, AMBON2017_fish_MoF_DWC.csv, AMBON2017_fish_Occurrence_DWC.csv. This dataset also contains the file AMBON2017_Fish_data_HaulInfo_lookupTable.csv, describing details of sampling efforts such as stations and date and comments/notes of sampling efforts.

This dataset contains marine mammal observation data conducted during shipboard transects in the Chukchi Sea during the 5 August - 25 August 2017 Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) research cruise. The dataset is two comma-separated values (csv) files exported from the marine bird and mammal observation software WinCruz from the entire survey. One data file contains the dates, times, latitude, longitude, species and best-high-low estimates of numbers for cetacean (whales) and pinniped (seals, seal lions, and walrus) sightings. The second data file contains the track of the ship (as geographic coordinates) and the Beaufort sea state at two minute intervals as a measurement of effort. This dataset was transformed from the native format into a table structure using Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A, occurrence core) term names as column names.

This dataset contains marine mammal observation data conducted during shipboard transects in the Chukchi Sea during the 9 August - 3 September 2015 Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) research cruise. The dataset is three comma-separated values (csv) files exported from the marine bird and mammal observation software WinCruz from the entire survey. Two data files contain the dates, times, latitude, longitude, species and best-high-low estimates of numbers for each cetacean (whales) and pinniped (seals, seal lions, and walrus) sightings. A third data file contains the track of the ship (as geographic coordinates) and the Beaufort sea state at two minute intervals as a measurement of effort. This dataset was transformed from the native format into a table structure using Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A, occurrence core) term names as column names.

This dataset contains zooplankton species biomass and abundance data collected in the Chukchi Sea during the 11 August through 3 September, 2015. Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) research cruise on the vessel Norseman II. This dataset contains three comma separate values (csv) files. The data were collected from zooplankton samples caught with traditional 150µm plankton nets and taxonomically identified. Each data file include the location, date, time, depth, and identification of zooplankton taxa collected during the 2015 AMBON cruise. The data in the file named AMBON2015_Zooplankton_Abundance_150_DC.csv and AMBON2015_505_Zooplankton_Abundance_DWC.csv consists of abundance per taxon of zooplankton. The data in the file named AMBON2015_Zooplankton_Biomass_150_DC.csv and AMBON2015_505_Zooplankton_Biomass_DWC.csv consists of biomass per taxon of zooplankton. These data files are presented in a table structure using Darwin Core term names as column names. This dataset also contains the file AMBON_station_masterlist.csv, describing stations sampled during AMBON cruises.

This dataset contains fish haul and specimen data collected in the Chukchi Sea, U.S. Arctic during the 11 August - 3 September 2015 Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) research cruise. The dataset is one comma separated values (csv) file containing the length, weight, and life stage of the fish collected using a plump-staff beam or Isaac-Kidds midwater trawl. This dataset was used to derive catch per unit effort (CPUE) by weight and species richness (number of taxa per haul) using analyses generated in the R software environment. The data was transformed from the native format into a table structure using Darwin Core term names as column names.

This dataset contains zooplankton species distribution and abundance data collected in the Chukchi Sea during the August 2017 Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) research cruise. The dataset is a comma separate values file (csv). The data include the location, date, time, depth, abundance and biomass of zooplankton collected during the 2017 AMBON cruise. Zooplankton were caught with traditional 150µm plankton nets and taxonomically identified. Each data file include the location, date, time, depth, and identification of zooplankton taxa collected during the 2017 AMBON cruise. The data files are presented in a table structure using Darwin Core OBIS-GBIF forms, using Darwin Core term names as column names and in keeping with that metadata standard. They are: AMBON2017_zooplanklton_Event_DWC.csv, AMBON2017_zooplankton_MoF_DWC.csv, AMBON2017_zooplankton_Occurrence_DWC.csv. This dataset also contains the file AMBON_station_masterlist.csv, describing stations sampled during AMBON cruises.

This dataset contains summary measurements of surface sediment collected at fixed stations in the Chukchi Sea during the 12 August - 3 September 2015 and 6 August - 22 August 2017 Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) research cruises. A Van Veen grab was used for collection of sediment samples at AMBON sampling stations. Sediment grain size was then determined in the laboratory after removal of organics and iron oxides. This dataset contains two comma-separated values (csv) files containing summary measurements of surface sediment collected at each station for AMB15 and AMB17 by Station Number, Station name, Date (YYYYMMDD), latitude (dec deg N), longitude (dec deg E), and Station Depth (m). The following parameters are listed in this data file for surface sediment values: grain size percentage (≤0 phi, 1 phi, 2 phi, 3 phi, 4 phi, sand 1-4 phi, ≥5 phi, and modal phi size), percent total organic carbon (TOC), percent total organic nitrogen (TON), C/N ratio, del-13 carbon (per mil), del-15 nitrogen (per mil), surface sediment chlorophyll (chl a; mg/m2), and stable isotope values of 13C and 15N (per mil vs VPDB and air, respectively).

This dataset contains vessel- and aircraft-based mammal sightings data and associated environmental data collected in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas during the open water season 2006-2010. The aerial data are derived from marine mammal observers aboard aircrafts flown at 1000 ft to 1500 ft. The data contains marine mammal sightings data and associated environmental data collected during the open water season 2006-2010 (excluding 2009) in Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea. In addition, this metadata describes aerial navigational GPS data recorded during observations. Data collection methods changed slightly between years. The metadata for each attribute should be studied carefully before these data are used for analyses.

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