North Slope Science Catalog Centralizes Arctic Environmental Data for Local Researchers

Researchers, wildlife managers, and community members across the North Slope now have a single destination for environmental data spanning caribou migrations, ocean conditions, oil and gas activity, and subsistence resources: the North Slope Science Catalog, a centralized, searchable collection of datasets, reports, maps, and information products focused on the Alaska North Slope.

The catalog currently lists 2,431 datasets, drawn from more than two dozen contributing organizations. The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management leads all contributors with 1,106 records, followed by the US Geological Survey at 129, the US Bureau of Land Management at 83, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service at 80. The North Slope Borough itself has contributed 67 datasets, matching the count from Alaska state agencies. ABR, Inc. accounts for 39 records, the National Park Service 34, ConocoPhillips 15, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution entries appear twice in the contributor list. Federal agencies collectively account for 1,986 of the catalog entries, academic institutions for 832, and industry and consulting firms for 399.

Biota is the most heavily represented subject category, with 605 datasets tagged under that topic. Geoscientific information accounts for 210, oceans for 180, environment for 172, and climatology and meteorology for 139. Of the catalog's geo-tagged entries, 1,591 carry the Alaska keyword, 979 are tagged specifically to the North Slope, and 252 are tagged Arctic.

The catalog's collections feature dedicated groupings for ConocoPhillips environmental records (57 entries), the North Slope's Nearshore Environmental Impact Workgroup (45), Shell data and reports (30), air quality reports (19), and Hilcorp records (3).

Among the entries available for browsing: caribou monitoring reports for the Alpine Satellite Development Program and Greater Moose's Tooth Unit cover 2005 through 2025, tracking herds on the Arctic Coastal Plain. A 2021 ConocoPhillips field study summary documents work conducted along the Colville River and in northeastern NPR-A, covering eiders, king eiders, yellow-billed loons, air quality, fish and local fisheries, caribou, hydrology, cultural resources, and subsistence. A separate avian study from the Willow Project area logged helicopter surveys of 301 lakes between 2017 and 2020, recording nesting and brood-rearing yellow-billed loons alongside incidental observations of glaucous gulls, Sabine's gulls, Pacific loons, and red-throated loons.

Older records have also been made more accessible. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management historical environmental research reports spanning 1975 to 2010 were updated to allow direct download through ESPIS, the Electronic System for Publications Internet Service. The Alaska Division of Oil and Gas contributed an updated map describing oil and gas activities across the North Slope. The Arctic Strategic Transportation and Resources project, a collaboration between Alaska Department of Natural Resources and the North Slope Borough, used the catalog framework to document infrastructure planning work that prioritized community and cultural connectivity, reduced cost of living, and increased safety across North Slope communities.

The catalog's Arctic Science Resources section links to companion tools including the ARMAP Arctic Research Mapping Application, an interactive mapping suite supporting Arctic science; the BAID Barrow Area Information Database, which covers research at the Barrow Environmental Observatory; and Arctic Stories, an NSF-funded site by children's author Peter Lourie featuring video interviews with arctic scientists, Inupiat hunters, and local residents. The North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management's Studies and Research Projects page is also listed, alongside the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's education and outreach hub, the Alaska Native Health Consortium, Audubon Alaska, and a University of Alaska Fairbanks-sponsored program helping rural Alaskans and Alaska Natives pursue careers in fisheries and marine science.