Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST) Related Programs

To ensure that the available resources for marine research in the sub-arctic seas are used in the most effective way possible, the BEST Project Office (PO) has lead outreach efforts to national and international research and funding organizations active in the North Pacific and sub-arctic seas. The objective of these efforts is to coordinate BEST activities with other ongoing and future research plans for the Bering Sea, the North Pacific, and other sub-Arctic Seas. These collaborative efforts have addressed three partners: (i) domestic and international research and funding organizations working in the Bering Sea, (ii) synergistic activities of BEST within the framework of SEARCH, and (iii) contributions of BEST to the international Ecosystem Studies of Sub-Arctic Seas (ESSAS) program, under the GLOBEC (Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics) project.

Learn about other GLOBEC programs, by country (U.S., Japan) and region (Southern Ocean, NE Pacific)

Learn about other NSF programs in the Arctic: NPOE , SEARCH , SBI , SnowSTAR

Interagency Collaboration:

The BEST PO, in collaboration with seven domestic partners [North Pacific Research Board (NPRB), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Alaska Ocean Observing system (AOOS), the U.S. Arctic Research Commission (USARC), the U.S. fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)] established the Bering Sea Interagency Working Group (BIAWG) to promote collaborative research in the Bering Sea. This working group met quarterly during the winter - summer of 2005, and assembled a white paper outlining the recommendations for developing a multi-institutional approach to climate change research for the Bering Sea. This white paper, published in February 2006 as Alaska Fisheries Science Center report 2006 - 01, entitled"Climate Change and the Bering Sea Ecosystem: An Integrated, Interagency / Multi-Institutional Approach".

Download a pdf of this white paper from NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center

Learn more about the partnerships and collaborationsbeing developed to ensure the efficient use of research resources:

Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS): Draft Strategic Draft (May 2006)

North Pacific Research Board (NPRB): Draft Bering Sea and Aleutians Integrated Ecosystem Research Plan (July 2006)

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Bering Sea Overview and Climate

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS): Bering Sea research / news

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Bering Sea research / news

Dr. George Hunt attended a meeting of the SEARCH (Study of Environmental Arctic Change) SSC in May 2006 in Arlington (VA), to discuss synergies between BEST and SEARCH. These collaborative efforts are reinforced by the programmatic synergies between BEST and the research activities planned for the International Polar Year (IPY).

BEST Synergies with ESSAS and PICES:

BEST is envisioned as a major U.S. contribution to the GLOBEC regional program Ecosystem Studies of Sub-Arctic Seas (ESSAS). Thus, developing programmatic synergies between both research programs has been a major priority of the BEST Project Office.

As a member of the ESSAS SSC, Dr. George Hunt has been involved in discussions to integrate the BEST and ESSAS research programs. During the last year, Dr. George Hunt attended two international workshops held in Victoria, B.C. (GLOBEC / PICES, May 2005) and Vladivostok, Russia (PICES, September, 2005). These efforts have established a strong partnership between BEST, ESSAS, and the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES).

PICES organized and co-sponsored the GLOBEC symposium on "Climate Variability and Sub-Arctic Marine Ecosystems", and has indicated that future collaborations with ESSAS and BEST are one of PICES' highest priorities (PICES Annual Report 2005, SB Endnote 7, Page 89). PICES will play a vital role helping to organize future international symposia and regional comparative workshops. GLOBEC and the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) have also supported BEST and ESSAS activities, and also contributed funds to organize the 'Climate Variability and Sub-Arctic Marine Ecosystems' symposium. The ability to leverage funding from domestic and international organizations illustrates the strong support of the scientific community for the BEST and ESSAS programs.