The goal of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) project is to build an operational marine biodiversity observation network (AMBON) for the US Chukchi Sea continental shelf. The purpose of a MBON is to gather new and continued biodiversity information, provide open access to data, and to facilitate decision making by a large variety of stakeholders. The AMBON projects covers marine biodiversity from microbes to whales. The project builds on existing data and time series with the goal to continue sampling and also to close current gaps in taxonomic coverage (e.g. microbes) in biodiversity observation on the Chukchi shelf. The project also will integrate with past and ongoing research programs on the US Arctic shelf to develop an Arctic biodiversity observation network of shared information and open data access. Beyond the Chukchi Sea, AMBON will network across the pan-Arctic and on a global scale with other biodiversity observing networks. As a demonstration project, AMBON aims to develop good practices of a biodiversity network that can be translated on a national level to other regions and ecosystems.

• Alaska
• GOOS Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs)
  • Marine birds abundance and distribution
  • Fish abundance and distribution
  • Invertebrate abundance and distribution
  • Phytoplankton biomass and diversity
  • Zooplankton biomass and diversity