The nprb integrated ecosystem research program (ierp) supports multi-disciplinary research to examine important processes in marine ecosystems to better understand how food webs are structured and how…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the North Pacific Research Board $2.5 million on October 1, 2026, under the Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469).

The award augments three multi-disciplinary research projects examining marine ecosystem processes in the Northern Bering Sea. The three approved projects are: Food Web Effects on Species Distribution and Interactions in the Northern Bering Sea (led by NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center); Lower Trophic Responses to Warming: Impacts of Sea Ice Loss on Productivity in a Heterogenous Northern Bering Sea (led by NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center); and Stratified-NBS: Stratification and Fronts Influencing Ecosystem Dynamics in the Northern Bering Sea (led by University of Alaska Fairbanks). The research supports the Integrated Ecosystem Research Program's broader objective to examine how food webs are structured and how changing environmental conditions influence species that humans rely upon.

The period of performance runs from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2030. Place of performance is Anchorage, Alaska. The award is classified as a Project Grant, with funding contingent upon recipient performance and availability of program funds in subsequent fiscal years.

The nprb integrated ecosystem research program (ierp) supports multi-disciplinary research to examine important processes in marine ecosystems to better understand how food webs are structured and how changing environmental conditions may influence species that humans rely upon. The community funding will augment three multi-disciplinary projects that were approved under the north bering sea integrated ecosystem research program funded by the north pacific research boards base federal funding and received board approval: food web effects on species distribution and interactions in the northern bering sea (lead institution: NOAA alaska fisheries science center), lower trophic responses to warming: impacts of sea ICE loss on productivity in a heterogenous northern bering sea (lead institution: NOAA alaska fisheries science center) and stratified-NBS: stratification and fronts influencing ecosystem dynamics in the northern bering sea (lead institution: university of alaska fairbanks).