Oil Industry Benthic Ecology Data [Blanchard]

Prior work in the Chukchi Sea has been broadly focused and smaller-scale information is needed. Thus, invertebrate organisms dwelling in sediments (macrofauna including marine worms, clams, snails, and other small animals) and larger, mobile animals on top of the sediments (megafauna including brittle stars, sea stars, sea cucumbers, crabs, and shrimps) are sampled to understand the ecology of the benthic fauna in the study areas.

The study is investigating relationships between invertebrate community composition and environmental characteristics to understand what factors influence community structures. The benthic team is also evaluating invertebrate food-web structure through tissue isotope analysis. Compared to other studies in the area, the smaller scale of the Chukchi Sea Environmental Studies Program (CSESP) allows for stronger insights into the geologic and oceanographic factors structuring and influencing benthic animals in the region.