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Barrow Environmental Observatory

Introduction

The Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) is a contribution by the Ukpeagvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC, the Barrow village corporation) to the long scientific research tradition on Alaska’s North Slope that is exemplified by the former Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL), now the UIC-NARL Facility. The BEO research preserve consists of 7,466 acres of arctic tundra near Barrow, Alaska permanently set aside for arctic research projects. The BEO currently plays host to several important investigations. The goals of the BEO are: 1) to provide for the long-term year around study of natural phenomena and their variation on a 7,466 acre preserved site and the surrounding arctic terrestrial, marine and atmospheric environments, and 2) to provide opportunities for long-term interaction in the Arctic among scientists, the indigenous community, and national and international organizations. The objectives of the BEO are listed below.

The BEO is a unique testament to the commitment of North Slope residents to the advancement of science and to collaboration between local people and scientists. The Iñupiat Eskimo people of Barrow have taken a sizable portion of their own land and dedicated it to research as an example of their long time support of arctic science. Such an action by these Native people is certainly a rare event in a world where other long-term ecological research stations have only been established by national governments or multinational agencies.

The timing of the BEO’s founding (1992) coincides with increasing scientific acknowledgment that the key to our understanding of global climate change may lie in the Earth’s high latitudes. Seminal work on climatic warming was staged out of NARL, using data from oil exploration drill holes in the permafrost. Ongoing projects that are currently addressing these issues on or adjacent to the BEO include the Global Monitoring Division (GMD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) project of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX), projects of the Global Change Research Group of San Diego State University, the annual BEO Snow Survey, and the Spectroradiometer Network (Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer Ground Station). Numerous other single-season scientific projects take place throughout the year, including institutional activities from the U.S. and from abroad, such as Japan’s Earth Science and Technology Organization (ESTO) and China’s Institute of Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. On lands and waters adjacent to the BEO there are significant ongoing research activities by organizations such as the North Slope Borough’s Department of Wildlife Management, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The BEO has a long history of experimentation, and that is one of the reasons that UIC chose the specific grounds that are now protected. Some scientists will benefit by working with data gathered in these previous projects. For instance, some plots of ground in the BEO were once enriched with nutrients and observed for a period. Now new sets of observations can be added to see long-term effects.

The Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to scientist/community collaboration, has been designated by UIC to manage the BEO. Recently, the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs has signed a Cooperative Agreement with BASC to support management of the BEO. The North Slope Borough (northern Alaska’s regional government) also supports the BEO. To facilitate BEO research efforts, BASC is undertaking a variety of projects: improvement of an all-weather access road to the BEO, "recapturing" and making available scientific data generated by previous researchers, and providing electronic access to Geographic Information System-linked mapping and overlay data for the BEO region. BASC also facilitates logistics for research teams, and provides background information to researchers who are writing proposals.

Elson Lagoon forms the eastern border of the BEO. Point Barrow, Alaska’s northernmost point of land, lies 5 miles from the BEO.

Goals of the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO)

1. To provide for the long-term year around study of natural phenomena and their variation on a 7,466 acre preserved site and the surrounding arctic terrestrial, marine and atmospheric environments.

2. To provide opportunities for long-term interaction in the Arctic among scientists, the indigenous community, and national and international organizations.

Objectives of the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO)

1. To preserve and manage a significant area of arctic tundra (7,466 acres) near Barrow, Alaska for long-term use by scientists, educators, and others interested in better understanding natural processes in the Arctic.

2. To assist scientists in establishing and conducting research projects in the BEO and surrounding terrestrial and marine areas.

3. To provide sites for long-term baseline and monitoring studies (contaminants, permafrost, soils, vegetation, wildlife, etc.).

4. To encourage use of the region as a global monitoring observatory open to scientists of all nations.

5. To provide opportunities for residents of the Arctic to participate in all aspects of research and monitoring relevant to their own well-being and future.

6. To encourage and assist BEO researchers; a) in locating appropriate aspects of Eskimo Traditional Knowledge (TK) that may be helpful in their research, and b) in transferring research findings to the people who live in the U.S. Arctic.

7. To help stimulate an increase in the number of graduate students and scientists involved in arctic research.

Some important points to consider regarding the BEO (important information for researchers)

1. The BEO (7,466 acres) has been set aside for research and educational purposes by the land owner, Ukpeagvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC) of Barrow, Alaska.

2. The Ukpeagvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC) is a corporation owned by the Native people of Barrow and was founded under authority of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. UIC has designated the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC) as the organization to manage the BEO.

3. The BEO and surrounding area allow for study of a wide range of facets of the arctic environment including; tundra, permafrost, streams, lakes, lagoons, ocean, atmosphere, people of the Arctic, and wildlife (ranging from microbes and invertebrates to fish, waterfowl, lemmings, caribou, whales, etc.).

4. Researchers working in the BEO and/or surrounding areas, while being in the Arctic, will still enjoy good access to logistical support such as jet air service, reliable electrical supply, housing and dining facilities, laboratory space, access to e-mail, local availability of aircraft and boats, and local people to assist and/or serve as guides.

5. Many BEO researchers should benefit from the long history of science in the Point Barrow area. This obviously includes work that was done at the former Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL) and the long-term work at the National Weather Service site and at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) site for monitoring climate change (Global Monitoring Division, GMD). Scientists should be aware that research in the Barrow area enjoys the strong support of the local people.

6. Some BEO researchers should benefit from the extensive research activities already going on in the Point Barrow area. Obvious examples of major research activities already underway in the area include; climate monitoring (NOAA GMD), atmospheric radiation measurement (U.S. Department of Energy), and wildlife and archeological studies conducted by the North Slope Borough, Ukpeagvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC), and various federal and state agencies. Wildlife studies conducted in the Barrow area by the North Slope Borough are staged out of the Borough’s small Arctic Research Facility (ARF) located at the UIC-NARL Facility. Although its facilities are limited, the ARF regularly provides a modest level of logistical support to visiting arctic scientists.

7. Scientists working in the BEO and/or surrounding areas have an excellent opportunity to directly involve arctic residents in arctic research. Local people are available to participate in the design and conduct of appropriate studies. This also allows researchers to take into account appropriate aspects of the traditional knowledge (TK) held by the Native people of the U.S. Arctic.

8. In the general area of the BEO there are excellent opportunities to directly transfer research findings to the people of the Arctic. Although this is often spoken about, most research programs in the Alaskan Arctic make little if any effort to transfer information to the people who live in the Arctic. In the Barrow area research findings can be provided to local people through public meetings, local public radio station (KBRW), local cable television system, North Slope Borough (NSB) School District, the NSB government, the local center for higher education (Ilisagvik College), and local Native organizations such as the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) and the Arctic Slope Native Association (ASNA). Facilitation of this transfer is supported by the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

Atqasuk Research Center

About Atqasuk, Alaska

The Community

Atqasuk is located inland from the Arctic Ocean on the Meade River, about 60 miles southwest of Barrow. Atqasuk has long been established as a hunting and fishing ground. Abandoned sod houses, an old cellar and gravesite near the village provide evidence of an early settlement here.

During World War II, coal was mined in the community and freighted to Barrow. During the next 10 years, the village existed under the name of Meade River.

Although the population dwindled in the 1960s, former residents from Barrow moved to the community in the 1970s and re-established the village under the name of Atqasuk. The village was incorporated as a second- class city in 1982.

Population And Economy

In 2003 Atqasuk had a population of about 250 residents and a work force of 72. Inupiat Eskimos comprise approximately 91.4 percent of the population. Atqasuk's economy is largely based on subsistence caribou hunting and fishing. Fish in the Meade River include grayling, burbot, salmon, and whitefish. Local game includes seals, walruses, ptarmigan, ducks and geese.

The North Slope Borough, City and School District employs 57 percent of the working population. Thirty Seven percent of the labor force works for the private sector or corporations. Some residents also produce arts and crafts for sale including masks, mittens, dolls, yo-yos, ulus and parkas.

Quality Of Life

The North Slope Borough provides Atqasuk with public electricity at minimum cost. Eighty five percent of the homes in Atqasuk have water piped to their house and 13 percent still receive their water by truck. Most households have access to running water. The North Slope Borough also provides trash and sewage pick-up services free of charge.

Atqasuk has a police station and a fire station equipped with two fire engines and an ambulance. A health clinic, staffed by community health aides, is open during the day and is available 24 hours a day for emergencies.

The Meade River School offers public education from pre-school to 12 and adult basic education. Communications include phone, mail, public radio, and cable television.

The village corporation, Atqasuk Corporation, owns a grocery and merchandise store which sell groceries, clothing, first-aid supplies, cameras, film and hardware. Propane, gas, diesel and motor oil fuel are also available. Atqasuk bans the sale, importation, and possession of alcoholic beverages.

Scheduled daily airline services from Barrow provides passenger and cargo service to Atqasuk.

courtesy of the North Slope Borough Mayor's Office

About the Atqasuk Research Center

Located c.60 miles south of Barrow, Atqasuk (population about 225) provides an inland contrast to the Barrow coastal marine setting in the American Arctic. Atqasuk is adjacent to the Meade River and has been a research location for many decades. BASC is responsible for logistics in the Atqasuk area under the National Science Foundation/BASC Cooperative Agreement. In Atqasuk, the village corporation has waived permit applications on an ad hoc basis as long as BASC keeps that corporation informed of planned scientific activities.

Atqasuk is on the Arctic Coastal Plain about half way between Barrow and the foothills of the Brooks Range, the mountain range that isolates the North Slope from the rest of Alaska. Its climate is much more continental than that of Barrow. Terrain relief between Barrow and the foothills consists of bluffs along the coast and rivers ranging from a few to as much as 50-100 feet.

Travel to Atqasuk is typically by scheduled bush airline. There are at least four scheduled flights to and from Atqasuk from Barrow each day. A round trip ticket is about $140. Knowledgeable local people also go by snow machine. That takes 3-4 hours, depending upon speed.

The Atqasuk community infrastructure includes a store, a gas station, a very impressive school, a health clinic, a firehouse, a community center, a power plant, a water plant, and of course, the airport. The airstrip is 4400 feet long, designed to accommodate C130s.

BASC maintains the Atqasuk Research Center (ARC) in the village. The ARC also has several workstations, high-speed internet access (StarBand Satellite Service), and a printer/copier/facsimile machine. Adjacent to the fully equipped housing unit is a wet laboratory and a storage unit. A truck, an ATV and a snowmachine are available for researcher use.

Two long-term National Science Foundation research groups work out of Atqasuk, the Michigan State University team under Dr. Patrick John Webber (International Tundra Experiment and other projects) and the San Diego State University Global Change Research Group under Dr. Walter C. Oechel. The U.S. Department of Energy sponsors the long-term Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) project at Atqasuk. Dr. Bernard Zak is the ARM Site Program Manager.

Research in Chukotka, Russia

Scientists wishing to conduct scientific research in Chukotka (Russia) are now able to call upon BASC for logistical support and for assistance with obtaining all necessary local, regional and federal (Russian) permits for their projects. With the active support of Chukotka’s new Governor, the Honorable Roman Abramovich, and in conjunction with the Chukotka Science Support Group (CSSG), BASC is beginning to offer "one stop shopping" for science support in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (equivalent to a state in the U.S.).

CSSG has been formed by two Chukotka-based Native organizations that have provided logistical support to science projects in Chukotka for the past decade. These organizations are the Naukan Production Cooperative (headquarters in Lavrentiya) and the Yupik Eskimo Society (headquarters in Provideniya). CSSG has been formed to work directly with BASC in support of scientific projects in Chukotka. CSSG is funded through BASC's Cooperative Agreement with the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs.

BASC and CSSG are currently facilitating several NSF projects in Chukotka as well as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research project and an Environmental Protection Agency education project. In 2001, BASC's Executive Director, Glenn W. Sheehan, toured CSSG facilities in Provideniya and Lavrentiya. While in Russia, Dr. Sheehan met with Chukotka Governor Roman Abramovich to discuss planned science activities in Chukotka.