Large Vessel Charter for Surveys in the Arctic

AMENDMENT NUMBER A0003 to this solicitation extends the hour and date for receipt of offers and Past Performance Questionnaires to 12:00 PM (PT) on April 14, 2017.

[NOTE:  ALL CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING THIS SOLICITATION MUST BE DONE VIA EMAIL.  PLEASE DO NOT CALL.]

As a changing climate and sea-ice retreat progressively expose the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas to a longer open water season, society will confront new resource management issues, including the future of the cultures and subsistence lifestyles of local indigenous communities; potential impacts of industrial activities (e.g. commercial fishing, oil and gas extraction); potential changes to regional ocean carrying capacity; and resilience of the arctic marine ecosystem.

To address these issues, the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) --- which was created by Congress and established in 2001 to recommend marine research to the U.S Secretary of Commerce --- in cooperation with multiple organizations, has funded integrated ecosystem research, the Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (Arctic IERP). Its goal is to better understand the mechanisms and processes that structure the ecosystem and influence the distribution, life history, and interactions of biological communities in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) is one of the partners in this program and will conduct the investigative ecosystem research portion for both the upper and lower trophic levels.

The objective of the work is to provide a platform to conduct seasonal observations and investigations in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas for the Arctic IERP. The principal mission requirements, along with key research themes, are as follow:

1. Transport, seasonal composition, distribution, and production of phytoplankton, particulate matter, zooplankton, fishes, benthic invertebrates, seabirds, and marine mammals.

2. Timing, magnitude and fate of the primary and secondary productivity.

3. Partitioning/flux of energy between pelagic and benthic realms.

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