 The
MMS has an extensive Environmental Studies Program (ESP) that supplies
the scientific and technical information needed to manage OCS
activities. To date, the Environmental Studies Program has
funded studies totaling about $265 million in the Alaska Region, on
topics including physical, chemical, biological oceanography,
atmospheric studies, whales and other marine mammals, seabirds, and
sociology and economic factors. Studies Program marine environmental data are archived at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, National Oceanographic Data Center on-line at http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/
THE PUBLIC AND OTHER ALASKA AGENCIES PARTICIPATE IN THE ESP
Public input and partnerships with other
agencies are important components of the Alaska ESP. All environmental studies are completed
with submission of a final report and eventual publication of
peer-reviewed journal articles. The reports are disseminated to
the public, libraries, coastal communities, and other interested
parties
MMS BOWHEAD WHALE AERIAL SURVEY
PROJECT (BWASP)
Each year, in coordination with Inupiat
subsistence hunters, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the
oil industry, members of the MMS BWASP locate and count bowhead and
beluga whales and other incidental subsistence mammals found in the
bowhead migration corridor. In addition to determining whether changes
have occurred in the migration pattern of the bowhead whales, the
whale-migration data is also provided to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling
Commission for use in managing their fall subsistence hunt.
Other studies, including MMS social and
economic research projects, coordinate closely with local stakeholders
during design, conduct, and information dissemination phases.
COASTAL MARINE INSTITUTE -
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA, FAIRBANKS (UAF) SCHOOL OF FISHERIES AND OCEAN
SCIENCES
In 1993, the MMS developed the Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) to take advantage of
environmental scientific expertise at local levels. Under a 5-year Cooperative Agreement,
the MMS committed $1,000,000 per year for studies to be conducted by the CMI, if
CMI can
obtain matching funds. The
University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, nationally
renowned for its coastal/marine expertise, manages the CMI.
In recognition of the quality science contributed to
the OCS Program, the cooperative agreement was renewed for another 5
years in 1998. The MMS, State of Alaska, and the University
participate in the CMI Technical Steering Committee which reviews
research proposals and helps to assure mission relevance and
scientific quality.
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