Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Chukchi and East Siberian Surveys (ChESS): Joint U.S.-Russian Aerial Surveys for Ice-Associated Seals and Polar Bears, 2016

Published by Alaska Fisheries Science Center | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: August 03, 2026 at 12:03 AM | Dataset Last Updated: January 01, 2019 at 12:00 AM
The Chukchi and East Siberian Surveys (ChESS) were a joint U.S.-Russian effort to enumerate ice-associated seals and polar bears in the Chukchi and East Siberian seas. ChESS is a component of the Loss of Sea Ice (LOSI) initiative, which is a multi-disciplinary effort led by the Habitat and Ecological Processes Research (HEPR) Program at NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Fisheries Science Center. The focus of this project was to provide baseline distribution and abundance data for breeding populations of bearded and ringed seals in the Chukchi Sea and to provide additional polar bear population estimates. Russian colleagues conducted aerial surveys in the western Chukchi and east Siberian seas while U.S. colleagues conducted surveys in the eastern Chukchi Sea. These surveys were designed to occur concurrently using similar methodology.

Resources

3 resources available

  • https://lilablobssc.blob.core.windows.net/arcticseals/TrainingAnimals_WithSightings.csv

    CSV
  • GCMD Keyword Forum Page

    TEXT/HTML
  • Full Metadata Record

    TEXT/HTML

Find Related Datasets

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov