OGP Arctic Response Consequence Analysis Tables (ARCAT): Arctic Environmental Compartments (AECs) Prepared by 4103 S. Texas Avenue, Suite 211 Bryan, TX 77802 USA for ENVIRON Port Gamble, WA FA0016-01 November 2014 Suggested format for citation: LGL Ecological Research Associates Inc. 2014. OGP Arctic Response Consequence Analysis Tables (ARCAT): Arctic Environmental Compartments (AECs). Rep. by LGL Ecological Research Associates, Inc., Bryan, TX, for Environ, Port Gamble, WA. 77 p. Table of Contents Page List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii 1.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Description of GIS Metadata .............................................................................................. 3 3.0 Description of the Arctic Environmental Compartments ................................................... 4 3.1 Atmosphere ............................................................................................................. 4 3.2 Air-Water Interface (Surface Micro-layer) ............................................................. 4 3.3 Pelagic Open Water ................................................................................................ 5 3.3.1 <1 m Stratum ...............................................................................................5 3.3.2 1 to <10 m Stratum ......................................................................................5 3.3.3 10 to <100 m Stratum ..................................................................................6 3.3.4 100 to 1,000 m Stratum ................................................................................6 3.4 Ice-Water Interfaces ................................................................................................ 7 3.4.1 Ice-Water Edges ...........................................................................................8 3.4.1.1 Annual Ice ..................................................................................8 3.4.1.2 Multi-year Ice.............................................................................9 3.4.1.3 Polynyas and Leads....................................................................9 3.4.2 Under Ice ....................................................................................................10 3.4.2.1 Annual Ice ................................................................................10 3.4.2.2 Multi-year Ice...........................................................................11 3.4.3 Within Ice...................................................................................................11 3.5 Water-Water Interfaces ......................................................................................... 11 3.5.1 Surface Currents.........................................................................................12 3.5.2 Estuarine Areas ..........................................................................................13 3.5.3 Areas of Upwelling and Downwelling ......................................................13 3.6 Water-Sediment Interfaces .................................................................................... 14 3.7 Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS) ................................................ 15 3.7.1 Chukchi Sea Sub-area ................................................................................16 3.7.1.1 Northeast Coastal Area (Alaska)-ASBS #1 .............................16 3.7.1.2 Southeastern Chukchi Sea (Chukchi Bight, Kotzebue Sound Area)-ASBS #2 .............................................................17 3.7.1.3 Northern Chukchi Peninsula-ASBS #3 ....................................19 3.7.1.4 South-Central Chukchi Sea (including Bering Strait region)-ASBS #4 ......................................................................20 3.7.1.5 Wrangel/Herald Islands Area-ASBS #5 ..................................20 3.7.1.6 Chukchi Shelf (Northern and Central Parts)-ASBS #6............21 3.7.2 Beaufort Sea Sub-area (Figure 4.13 in Section 4.0) ..................................22 ii 3.7.2.1 Amundsen Gulf Area-ASBS #1 ...............................................22 3.7.2.2 Mackenzie Estuary and Shelf-ASBS #2 ..................................22 3.7.2.3 Northeast Alaska and Yukon Coasts and Shelves-ASBS #3 .....................................................................24 3.7.2.4 North Alaskan Coast and Shelf-ASBS #4 ...............................25 3.7.2.5 Offshore Pack Ice-ASBS #5 ....................................................26 3.7.3 Central Arctic Ocean Sub-area (Figure 4.14 in Section 4.0) .....................26 3.7.3.1 Pack Ice-ASBS #1....................................................................26 3.7.3.2 Chukchi Plateau (Chukchi Rise Area)-ASBS #2 .....................27 3.7.3.3 Chukchi Shelf (Northern and Central Parts)-ASBS #3............27 3.7.3.4 Wrangel/Herald Islands Area-ASBS #4 ..................................27 3.7.3.5 Arctic Basin Multi-year Pack Ice-ASBS #5 ............................28 3.7.3.6 Svalbard Archipelago-ASBS #6 ..............................................28 3.7.3.7 Franz Josef Land-ASBS #7 ......................................................29 3.7.3.8 Northwestern Laptev Sea (including polynyas north and northeast of Severnaya Zemlya)-ASBS #8 ..............................29 3.7.3.9 Great Siberian Polynya System-ASBS #9 ...............................29 3.7.3.10 Ice Zone on the Northern Shelf-ASBS #10 ...............................29 3.7.4 Canadian Arctic Archipelago Sub-area (Figure 4.15 in Section 4.0) ........30 3.7.4.1 Amundsen Gulf Area-ASBS #1 ...............................................30 3.7.4.2 Western Victoria Island Inlets-ASBS #2 .................................31 3.7.4.3 Viscount Melville Sound-ASBS #3 .........................................31 3.7.4.4 Coronation Gulf/Queen Maud Gulf-Coasts and Inlets-ASBS #4 ........................................................................32 3.7.4.5 King William and Southern Victoria Islands-ASBS #5 ..........32 3.7.4.6 Lancaster Sound and Adjacent Inlets-ASBS #6 ......................33 3.7.4.7 Prince Regent Inlet and Gulf of Boothia-ASBS #7 .................34 3.7.4.8 Peel Sound-ASBS #8 ...............................................................34 3.7.4.9 Wellington Channel-ASBS #9 .................................................34 3.7.4.10 Cardigan Strait-Hell Gate-ASBS #10 .......................................34 3.7.4.11 Northern Archipelago/Norwegian Bay-ASBS #11 ...................35 3.7.4.12 Ellesmere Island ASBS #12 ......................................................35 3.7.4.13 Northern Foxe Basin-ASBS #13 ..............................................36 3.7.5 Baffin Bay Sub-area (Figure 4.16 in Section 4.0) .....................................36 3.7.5.1 North Water-Northern Baffin Bay-ASBS #1 ...........................36 3.7.5.2 Eastern Baffin Island Coast and Shelf-ASBS #2 .....................37 3.7.5.3 Melville Bay-ASBS #3 ............................................................38 3.7.5.4 Northwest Greenland Shelf-ASBS #4 .....................................38 3.7.5.5 Central Baffin Bay and Mouth of UUmmannaq Fjord- ASBS #5...................................................................................38 iii 3.7.5.6 Ellesmere Island-ASBS #6 ......................................................38 3.7.5.7 Lancaster Sound and Adjacent Inlets-ASBS #7 ......................39 3.7.6 Davis Strait Sub-area (Figure 4.17 in Section 4.0) ....................................39 3.7.6.1 Eastern Baffin Island Coast and Shelf-ASBS #1 .....................39 3.7.6.2 Southern Baffin Bay-ASBS #2 ................................................40 3.7.6.3 Disko Bay and Store Hellefiske Banke-ASBS #3 ...................40 3.7.7 Greenland Sea Sub-area (Figure 4.18 in Section 4.0) ................................41 3.7.7.1 Northwest Iceland-ASBS #1 ....................................................41 3.7.7.2 Denmark Strait-ASBS #2 .........................................................41 3.7.7.3 North Iceland-ASBS #3 ...........................................................42 3.7.7.4 Northeast Water Polynya-ASBS #4 .........................................42 3.7.7.5 Scoresby Sund Fjord/Blosseville Coast-ASBS #5 ...................42 3.7.7.6 Sirius Water/Young Sund Polynya-ASBS #6 ..........................42 3.7.7.7 Sea Ice in Western Greenland Sea-ASBS #7 ...........................42 3.7.7.8 Southeastern Greenland and Denmark Strait-ASBS #8...........43 3.7.7.9 Jan Mayen Island-ASBS #9 .....................................................43 3.7.7.10 Svalbard Archipelago-ASBS #10..............................................43 3.7.8 Norwegian Sea Sub-area (Figure 4.19 in Section 4.0) ...............................44 3.7.8.1 Lofoten Area-ASBS #1 ............................................................44 3.7.8.2 Jan Mayen Island-ASBS #2 .....................................................44 3.7.8.3 Norwegian and Murman Coasts-ASBS #3 ..............................44 3.7.9 Barents Sea Sub-area (Figure 4.20 in Section 4.0) ....................................44 3.7.9.1 Pechora Sea (off Russia