Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Observatory - Alaska Ocean Observing System
Original (non-English) name
Acronym
Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Observatory - AOOS
Citation
Abstract
AOOS’s plan to establish sentinel ecosystem moorings in each of the Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) in Alaska designates moorings in the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea and the Eastern Beaufort Sea. The general location for each observatory is selected based on the biological, economic, and cultural importance associated with each region and is founded on how each site is positioned to document the effects of shelf-canyon exchanges that regulate biological production, biodiversity, and community structure (see map). Establishing this modern-era observing consortium is at the forefront of expanding the Alaska-region marine observing capacity, providing the research and resource and fisheries management communities with unparalleled, long term datasets for discovery and improvements in ecosystem modeling.
The GEO sits near the shelf-break along the Seward Line, which supports a long time-series shipboard survey line that dates back to the 70’s.