Sustained, integrated observations for Arctic maritime domain awareness in a hybrid research-operational setting in Northern Alaska

Rapid environmental change and increasing maritime activities in the Arctic present a major challenge to the hazard assessment and emergency response community. As illustrated by a case study in northern Alaska, the presence of sea ice, in particular, is a key element of incidents requiring emergency response in Arctic U.S. waters in recent years. With a majority of sustained observations in U.S. Arctic waters conducted by U.S. and foreign academic and research institutions, there is significant potential for the establishment of a hybrid observing system that serves both research and operational needs, such as those relating to hazard assessment and emergency response. Drawing on specific examples of ice hazard tracking near Point Barrow, Alaska, we present a framework for Arctic domain awareness (ADA) that draws on a variety of data sources. The establishment of an ADA testbed to further evaluate the utility and refine the quality of different data streams would be of particular value in addressing challenges associated with increases in maritime activity against a background of rapid change. Establishing such a testbed would both benefit from and contribute to table-top and live exercises aimed at refining hazard assessments and response efforts.