NSSI Information Needs Assessment

1. NSSI Information Needs Assessment Robert Edson Altarum January 2004

2. Map courtesy of North Slope Borough Outline • Background • Data Requirements • Remote Sensing • Animals/Plants • Traditional Knowledge • National Academy Cumulative Impacts Study • Assessment Support Tools

3. Ice wedge polygons, image courtesy of USWFS NSSI Information Needs Project • Goal • To do a high level assessment of scientific information needs for the North Slope of Alaska. • To establish infrastructure and communication pathways to support the continued exchange of information. • Definition: • Need - assessed based on both information availability as well as accessibility. • Process • Interviews • Literature surveys • Limited site visits

4. North Slope Context • The North Slope is a region found in the far north of Alaska, bordered by the foothills of the Brooks Range to the south and the Arctic Ocean to the North. • The region encompasses 89,000 miles2 (~230,500 km2) - area slightly bigger than Minnesota. • Three major regions: Arctic Coastal Plain, Arctic Foothills, and the Brooks Range. • Area dominated by arctic fen (mineral-rich, sedge-covered wetlands), thaw lakes, and tussok tundra. • Home to approximately 24 species of terrestrial and marine mammals and 240 species of birds - many of both migrate. Most abundant invertebrate are insects. • 3 endangered or threatened species. • Spectacled Eider • Stellars Eider • Bowhead Whale

5. Caribou, image courtesy of USFWS Bowhead whales, image courtesy of NOAA Mammals Some of the mammals in the North Slope include: Land Mammals • Caribou • Muskoxen • Moose • Grizzly Bear • Wolf • Wolverine • Arctic Fox • Red Fox • Ground Squirrels • Hares • Lemmings • Voles • Shrews Marine Mammals • Ringed Seal • Bearded Seal • Spotted Seal • Pacific Walrus • Polar Bear • Beluga Whale • Bowhead Whale • Gray Whale • Harbor Porpoise • Killer Whale • Narwhal • Hooded Seal

6. Common Eider, image courtesy of USFWS Spectacled Eider, image courtesy of USFWS Birds Some of the bird species found in the North Slope include: • Loons and Waterfowl • Pacific Loon, Red-throated Loon, Yellow-Billed Loons, Tundra Swan, Brant, Greater White-fronted Geese, Canada Geese, Snow Geese, Northern Pintail Duck, Long-tailed Duck, King Eider, Common Eider, Spectacled Eider • Shorebirds • Black-bellied Plover, Lesser Golden-Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope, Red Phalarope, Long-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Dunlin, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper • Passerines • Lapland Longspur, Savannah Sparrow, Redpoll, Snow Bunting, Yellow Wagtail, American Tree Sparrow • Raptors • Arctic Peregrine Falcon, Gyrfalcon, Rough-Legged Hawk, Merlin, Golden Eagle, Snowy Owl, Short-eared owl, Northern Harrier • Seabirds • Glaucous Gull, Sabine’s gull, Ross’s gull, Arctic Tern, Black Guillemot, Jaeger • Ptarmigan • Willow ptarmigan

7. Arctic Cisco, image courtesy of USFWS Fish • Over 70 types of fish have been identified in the North Slope, only 29 are common • 17 species are major parts of the subsistence harvest, such as arctic cisco and broad whitefish • Other species of fish found in the North Slope include: • Freshwater fish • lake trout, arctic grayling, Alaska blackfish, northern pike, longnose sucker, round whitefish, burbot, ninespine stickleback, and slimy sculpin • Anadromous and Amphidromous Fish • arctic cisco, least cisco, Bering cisco, rainbow smelt, humpback whitefish, broad whitefish, Dolly Varden, salmon, and inconnu • Marine fish • arctic cod, saffron cod, twohorn and fourhorn sculpins, Canadian eelpout, arctic flounder, capelin, Pacific herring, Pacific sand lance, and snailfish

9. North Slope Oil and Gas Fields

11. Agencies/Organizations Active in the Region(representative list) • Federal • Environmental Protection Agency • Department of Agriculture • Department of Energy • Department of the Interior • Bureau of Land Management • Fish and Wildlife Service • Minerals Management Service • National Science Foundation • Department of Defense • National Park Service • US Geological Survey • Army Corp of Engineers • National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency • National Aeronautics and Space Agency • National Marine Fisheries Service • National Geospatial Intelligence Agency • US Arctic Research Commission • State • Department of Environmental Conservation • Department of Fish and Game • Department of Transportation • Department of Natural Resources • Non-Governmental • Barrow Arctic Science Consortium • National Audubon Society • The Wilderness Society • The Nature Conservancy • Sierra Club • Ducks Unlimited • Resource Development Council • Alaska Center for the Environment • ARCUS • Industry/Consultants • ConocoPhillips • BP Alaska • Tesoro Alaska Company • Unocal • ExxonMobil • Chevron/Texaco • Anadarko Petroleum Corporation • Alyeska Pipeline Services Company • Petro Star, Inc. • Alaska Oil and Gas Association • Total E&P USA • Pioneer Natural Resources • Braund and Associates • ABR, Inc. • AeroMap, Inc. • Alaska Research Associates, Inc. • Enxtrix • ENSR International • Encana • Local • North Slope Borough • Arctic Slope Regional Corporation • Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope • Alaska Federation of Natives • Academic • University of Alaska • University of Tennessee • University of Washington • Barrow Arctic Science Consortium • The Ecosystem Center, Marine Biological Laboratory • Many other Universities and Institutes

12. Required Baseline Data with Desire Temporal and Spatial Scales (Draft) Goal of Workshop is to improve/validate these charts and expand.

13. Required Baseline Data with Desire Temporal and Spatial Scales (cont.) (Draft) Goal of Workshop is to improve/validate these charts and expand.

14. Required Baseline Data with Desire Temporal and Spatial Scales (cont.) (Draft) Goal of Workshop is to improve/validate these charts and expand.

15. Representative Data Sources

16. Representative Data Sources (cont.)

17. Representative Data Sources (cont.)

18. Toolik Lake, image courtesy of Arctic LTER Milepost 0 of Trans-Alaska Pipeline and gravel pad, Prudhoe Bay, image courtesy of NAS Strong Local GIS/Data Collection Efforts(Representative Listing) • Alaska Geospatial Data Clearinghouse • Links to data holdings of government agencies • Barrow Area Info Database-IMS • Excellent framework for an IMS - Site specific • Alaska DNR – Division of Oil and Gas • Updated GIS layers of oil tract leases • Comprehensive access database • Alaska Geobotany Center • Data across entire slope, but at a small scale • UAF/International Circumpolar Land Cover Atlas • Toolik Field Stations GIS • Bureau of Land Management – Northern Field Office and State Office • USGS Arctic Science Center • USGS - Alaska Digital Geologic Map Database • The Nature Conservancy - Ecoregion Study • Fish and Wildlife Service • US Geological Survey • Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) • North Slope Borough – Planning and General Slope information • UAA/CRREL – Sea Ice Atlas • ConocoPhillips (Proprietary) • BP (Proprietary) • LGL – Oil industry and Human activity in Beaufort Sea (Proprietary) • Numerous Research Specific Activities

19. North Slope GIS Efforts - Summary • Good Attributes • Site specific data available • Highly detailed data available • Local in Nature • Some proprietary third party • Many data layers are constantly updated • Abundance of GIS related activities in the North Slope • Problems • Incomplete coverage across slope • Slope-wide data is often at a small scale • Many datasets are difficult to access • Sites refer to them, but do not have obvious links directly to data • Websites have broken links or looping links (lead back to the original page or to another GIS data reference page) • Many of the IMS sites do not have a download feature • Major Deficiencies • Metadata missing, incomplete, or in a format not easily imported in ArcCatalog • Makes data extremely hard to identify • Many layers are over 10 years old with no plan to update • e.g. - Landsat mosaic which the FWS vegetation raster was derived from • The NSSI needs a comprehensive GIS for planning and research which is accessible and user friendly. • Targeted at archive and analysis. • Note last question of workshop.

20. Major Slope Data Layers- Current Status • Infrastructure • Metadata on the available infrastructure maps is incomplete, and it is likely that the digital maps of pipelines and transmission lines are at a relatively coarse scale. We have good maps of roads, as of 2002, from the TIGER files. It is unknown if the roads layer has been adequately validated. • Topography • Current DEMs are available from the USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) (http://gisdata.usgs.gov/NED/default.asp) based on USGS DLGS. The data is a low resolution source grided to a 2-arc-second resolution, which equals about 30 meters in northern Alaska. The precision of the source data determined the NED data precision. In northern Alaska, the data is not well resolved. Some areas of the North Slope have had some additional data collections. Also, some NSF projects have acquired airborne IFSARE data for specific areas. • Hydrology • The current maps are from standard USGS mapping procedures. Much of the NS has been mapped at the coarser 1:250,000 scale. Some areas are mapped at the 1:63,360 scale (inch to a mile). Map updates may not be recent. No validation. • Land Cover • A comprehensive, slope-wide mapping of land cover has been done previousy in the late 1970’s using Landsat MSS. Updated in 1990’s but not readily accessible. • Lake depth/freezing • Lake depth and freezing has not been done for the North Slope, aside from a few studies of individual lakes for algorithm development. • Snow cover • Snow cover maps may be available from 2000 to the present from NASA (MODIS Land program). The status and validity of the product is unknown. Historic snow cover (pre-2000) may be derived from passive microwave imagery (SSMI), but the accuracy would be less than MODIS-derived maps. • Freeze/thaw • Freeze/thaw maps derived from SAR may be available from NASA JPL. The status and validity of the product is unknown. • Vegetation/greenness (NDVI) • 15-day composite NDVI products would be the desired product for April to September. Many years of composite data are avail, and a product is currently being made using MODIS. Approx 20 years of 8-km data are not difficult to obtain. 1 km resolution could be compiled, but with some missing years.

21. North Slope Remote Sensing Summary • Landsat –16-17 scenes required for full coverage of North Slope (see figure). • Landsat MSS from mid 1970’s to 1980 – limited available – mosaic is better • Landsat TM from early 1980’s to 1990’s – limited coverage • Landsat 7 (ETM+) 1999 to 2003 – very good coverage, but sensor problems beginning in 2003 continue at present. • Landsat MSS Mosaic Circa 1978 – Covers entire North Slope, three spectral bands (green, red, near-ir); 50 m pixel spacing. 2 scenes from 1987. • Landsat TM – 4-scene mosaic of Prudhoe Bay and east. 30 m resolution • Landsat ETM+ images of portion of NPRA-northwest – 2 adjacent scenes from 2002 • AVHRR – one or two scenes required for full coverage. Composite data more useful than raw images. • AVHRR composite images – bi-monthly composites of Alaska for summers 1990 to 1992. 1 km resolution. May be available for 1993/4. • AVHRR imagery – available at least 2X per day from 1981 to present – difficult to use “raw” data (see composite images above) • Synthetic Aperture Radar – many data collections from each sensor • ERS-1/2 SAR – 300+ scenes needed for full NS coverage 1991 to present. • JERS SAR – 300+ scenes needed for full NS coverage 1994 To 1998 • Radarsat standard beam – 300+ scenes needed for full coverage • Radarsat ScanSAR – 4 to 6 scenes needed to cover NS 1995 to present • TERRA/AQUA sensors: • MODIS – multi-spectral system – data collected on 2 satellites – at least one morning and one afternoon collection each day. 250m to 1km resolution. Many data products being created (see below). • MISR & ASTER – multi-spectral sensors with small coverage per scene (smaller than Landsat). Targeted collections can be requested as a NASA investigator. • Specific Products • Vegetation index (NDVI/EVI) – MODIS-derived 16-day composite; 250 or 500 m resolution; global product for 2000 to present. • Vegetation index (NDVI) – AVHRR-derived; 15-day composite; 8-km resolution; global product for 1982 to 2000 available. • Snow cover – MODIS-derived; 8-day composite; 500 m resolution; global product, composite used to eliminate clouds. Algorithm is well tested and robust. Combination of MODIS snow cover product with passive microwave (AMSR on AQUA) can yield snow-water equivalent. • Active layer/thaw depth – Data from the CALM project – may not be RS-derived

24. Animal/Plant Studies (summary) • Significant work has been done. • Studies predominately development region specific or very local in nature. • Concentrated on individual species snap shot in space and time. • Ecosystem/system perspective not obtained. • Few landscape scale studies.

25. Traditional Knowledge • Traditional knowledge (from Patricia Cochran, AKNSC) • Practical common sense based on teachings and experiences passed on from generation to generation. • Knowing the country - knowledge of the environment - snow, ice, weather, resources - and the relationships between things. • Holistic.  It cannot be compartmentalized and cannot be separated from the people who hold it.  It is rooted in the spiritual health, culture and language of the people.  It is a way of life. • Several excellent projects to make traditional knowledge more available and to incorporate into decision making. Examples include: • Alaska Native Knowledge Network • MMS Hearing Testimony Transcripts • Projects by Native Science Commission and Institute for Social and Economic Research • Northern Contaminants Program • Difficulties still exist in the application of Traditional Knowledge: • Eliciting and gathering the information • Long term commitment to the collection and collation of the information • Development of applications and methods for efficient information storage and access • Development of tools for the western scientist and manager to use and understand the information

26. Prudhoe Bay drill rig, image courtesy of Alaska DNR Aerial view of Prudhoe Bay, image courtesy of Alaska DNR National Academy of ScienceCumulative Environmental Effects of Oil and Gas Activities The Committee on Cumulative Environmental Effects of Oil and Gas Activities on Alaska's North Slope was formed by the National Academies in response to a request from the United States Congress. The committee was formed to review information about oil and gas activities on the North Slope, and assess the known and possible cumulative impacts of those activities. The committee looked at impacts on the physical, biotic, human and marine environments. The committee also looked at future cumulative effects by evaluating a variety of possible scenarios, such as the impact of improved technology.

27. NAS Study Key Findings • Climate Change • The report touches on the issue of the interaction of climate change and oil development. In particular, the point is made that the source of change in the region is not well understood. Climate change and the special impacts in this region requires additional research. • Need for Comprehensive Planning • Currently decisions on industrial activities in the North Slope are made by multiple agencies on a case-by-case basis, without a comprehensive plan to guide the process. A comprehensive plan is needed to ensure that decisions are made that match the overall goals for the region, in all phases of development. • Ecosystem Research • There is currently a lack of ecosystem-level research in the North Slope. Research needs to increase, and be focused on ecological processes that can be altered by industrial activities. • Offshore Oil Spills • The potential for a large offshore oil spill in the North Slope requires additional research directed at the effects of such a spill, how marine life could be protected, and the effectiveness of various cleanup activities, especially in broken ice. • Zones of Influence • Industrial activities can impact the actual footprint of activity, as well as areas outside of the footprint. More research is required to understand the true zone of influence from industrial activities. • Human Communities • Not enough research has involved the communities of the North Slope. Traditional and local knowledge could be of great benefit to researchers. More research is needed that looks at the benefits and threats from industrial activities to the way of life of North Slope communities. • Human-Health Effects • Currently there is a lack of data on the exact impact of industrial activities on human health in the North Slope. More research is needed to examine if the improvement in health care, paid for by increased financial resources from industrial development, balances out with any adverse effects caused by that development.

28. NAS Study Key Findings (cont.) • Air Contamination and its Effects • Limited historical data prevents an analysis of trends in air quality over long periods of time for the North Slope. More research is needed to examine the impact of air pollution on the residents of the North Slope, especially in regards to public health. • Off-Road Traffic and the Tundra • The effects of off-road traffic, including the impact of new technology, have not been studied enough to be completely understood. More studies are needed that examine how much snow is needed to protect tundra from off-road traffic and exploration. New development areas must be studied to fully understand their characteristics and the impact that off-road traffic will have based on these characteristics. • Caribou and Bowhead Whales • More research is needed to fully understand the impact of development on caribou on the North Slope, especially in regards to their habitats and reproductive activities. Studies are needed that examine the effects of noise from offshore activities, especially from multiple noise sources, on the behavior of bowhead whales. • Consequences of Water Withdrawals • As development increases, more water will be needed from deeper lakes in the North Slope for the development of ice roads and pads. Deeper lakes provide a habitat for more fish because lakes in the North Slope shallower than 1.8m (6 ft) freeze to the bottom in winter. More research is needed to understand the effects of an increase in the use of water from deeper lakes, as well as the effects of the removal of water from lakes that may not contain fish, but are used by other biota. • Dealing with Uncertainty • There will always be uncertainty associated with research in the North Slope, because it is impossible to collect enough data to fully understand the impact of industrial activities, and it is difficult to study certain animal species. Any uncertainties in research need to be provided to decision makers to improve the decision making process.

29. Trans-Alaska Pipeline, image courtesy of BLM Trucks spraying water in the construction of an ice road, image courtesy of Alaska Oil and Gas Reporter Assessment and Planning Tools • NSSI Composite Planning GIS • NSSI Portal • Online Citation Database • Online Project Database

30. Political/Admin. Demographic Infrastructure Cadastral Landmarks Env./Pub. Health Imagery Climatic Topographic Geologic Hydrologic Landuse/Landcover Ecologic NSSI Composite Planning GIS • State Lines • County Lines • Municipality Boundaries • City Boundaries • Native Allotments • Census Tracts, Block Groups, Blocks • 2000 Census Data • Airports/Airstrips • Pipelines • MIRIS (transportation & utilities) • TIGER Line Files • Pump stations • Available for a fee • TIGER Line Files (schools, hospitals, religious centers, etc.) • National Cancer Atlas • Landsat MSS (50m and 100m) • Landsat TM (50m) • SeaWiFS phytolankton chlorophyl concentrations GIS Data • Annual Average Precipitation (1961 – 1990) • Real-Time Weather Stations • USGS DEMs • Elevation Contours • Coastline Bathymetry • Exploratory Oil Wells • Oil and Gas fields • Surficial Geology • Coal Fields • Real-Time Stream Gages • Detailed lakes • TIGER Hydrology • USGS Hydrology • Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map • NPRA land cover raster • STATSGO Soils • Ecoregions • Wildlife Data

31. Political/Admin. Demographic Infrastructure Cadastral Landmarks Pub. Health Imagery GIS Data Climatic Topographic Geologic Hydrologic LULC Ecologic NSSI Composite Planning GIS Summary • 29 datasets • 13 layers • 10 datasets • 10 layers • 18 datasets • 5 layers • need more oil infrastructure • 0 datasets • 0 layers • 3 datasets • 1 layer Total: 258 Datasets 63 Layers >1 gb of data • 1 dataset • 0 layers • no TRI sites in North Slope • 5 datasets • 5 layers • still completing conversion • 2 datasets • 1 layers • need more met sites • 8 datasets • 4 layers • still mosaicing DEMs • 11 datasets • 8 layers • 10 datasets • 6 layers • 8 datasets • 3 layers • 153 datasets • 7 layers • need complete metadata

32. “One-Stop Shop” for the casual or serious user. Brings together large numbers of disparate data. Prevents loss of data. Tool to organize and standardize information. Invaluable for communication, education, and outreach. Provides enhanced research and collaboration environment. NSSI Portal A unified front end/entry point for all aspects of the initiative… • Online Project Database • Emphasis on Industry and Agency Projects • Online Citation Database • Emphasis on gray and non-traditional literature

33. Summary • The extent and cause of change in the North Slope region is not well understood. • Baseline data for the region, from species population and dynamics to ecosystem assessments, is incomplete from a spatial and temporal standpoint. • Data management is not sufficiently organized or coordinated to maximize and leverage data use. • Coordination and exchange between researchers is difficult or lacking because there is no user friendly process in place. • Sufficient support infrastructure is not available to fully address these issues.