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 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 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 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 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.

This data set contains vessel- and aircraft-based marine mammal surveys in the Chukchi Sea collected from 1989 to 1991. The aerial marine mammal surveys were conducted by EBASCO to determine the response of walrus to drilling operations in the northern Chukchi Sea at the Crackerjack, Burger and Popcorn prospects between June 29 and October 11, 1990 and at the Crackerjack and Diamond prospects between July 29 and October 8, 1991. The vessel-based marine mammal observations data were collected in the Chukchi Sea in 1989 - 1990. Monitoring efforts were implemented in 1989 by Shell to determine effects of exploratory drilling operations on walrus and polar bears. Results were submitted to regulatory agencies in 1990.

This data set contains vessel- and aircraft-based marine mammal surveys in the Chukchi Sea collected from 1989 to 1991. The aerial marine mammal surveys were conducted by EBASCO to determine the response of walrus to drilling operations in the northern Chukchi Sea at the Crackerjack, Burger and Popcorn prospects between June 29 and October 11, 1990 and at the Crackerjack and Diamond prospects between July 29 and October 8, 1991. The vessel-based marine mammal observations data were collected in the Chukchi Sea in 1989 - 1990. Monitoring efforts were implemented in 1989 by Shell to determine effects of exploratory drilling operations on walrus and polar bears. Results were submitted to regulatory agencies in 1990.

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.

Three marine mammal observers participated on a cetacean survey from 26 June to 15 July 2003, aboard NOAA Ship Miller Freeman as a piggyback project during a RACE acoustic-trawl survey for pollock (see RACE's Midwater Assessment and Conservation Engineering report here: http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/Quarterly/jas2003/divrptsRACE2.htm). A total of 2,242 km of trackline were surveyed with 364 cetacean sightings (1,079 individuals). An additional 28 cetacean sightings were made (175 individuals) during off effort periods. Species included harbor porpoise, Dall's porpoise, Pacific white-sided dolphins, killer whales, minke whales, fin whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, Baird's beaked whales, and Cuvier's beaked whales. See link for details: http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/Quarterly/jas2003/divrptsNMML2.htm.

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