In this Strategic Environmental Study Plan for the Greenland Sea the three key questions above have are addressed in eleven interlinked themes covering 19 projects.
1. Programme lead, integration and management - update of strategic EIA with integrated analysis, and data centre activities
1.1. Programme lead, integration and management - update of strategic EIA with integrated analysis, and data centre activities
2. Offshore hot spots, diversity, productivity and food chain
2.1. Identification of offshore hot spots; an integrated biological oceanographic survey focusing on biodiversity, productivity and food chain relations
3. Fish
3.1. Fish fauna in the Greenland Sea
4. The ice community
4.1. Productivity and biodiversity in the sea ice
5. Benthic flora and fauna; biodiversity, productivity, food chain
5.1. Tidal and subtidal macro-algal communities
5.2. Benthic macro-fauna and habitats in the Greenland Sea
5.3. Macro-fauna identification support system
6. Seabirds; top predators, offshore hot spots and coastal abundance
6.1. Offshore seabird concentrations in the Greenland Sea
6.2. Population size and habitat use of breeding seabirds in Northeast Greenland
7. Marine mammals (seals, whales, walrus, polar bear); abundance, hot spots, top predators
7.1. Seasonal Occurrence of marine mammals and the effect of seismic activities, based on PAM
7.2. Visual aerial surveys of marine mammals and seabirds in the Greenland Sea
7.3. Winter survey of marine mammals in the Northeast Water
7.4. Migrations and concentration areas of bowhead whales in East Greenland
7.5. Assessment of short-term effects of seismic exploration on narwhals
7.6. Distribution and habitat use of harp seal pups off Northeast Greenland
7.7. Distribution and habitat use of ringed seals off Northeast Greenland
7.8. Polar bear movements and abundance in Northeast Greenland
8. Drilling mud and cuttings
8.1. Development of methodology for evaluating chemicals in drilling fluids and mud used and potentially discarded in high Arctic waters
9. Oil toxicity: Baseline for assessing ecotoxicological effects
10. Microbial degradation of oil, including evaluation of dispersant and nutrient application
10.1. Potential for natural degradation of oil in Northeast Greenland
11. In situ burning (ISB) of oil spills in high arctic ice infested water
11.1. Impacts of in situ burning residues
11.2. In situ burning of oil trapped under the sea ice after release
12. Oil spill sensitivity atlas
12.1. Extension of the Greenland coastal zone oil spill sensitivity atlas to cover Northeast Greenland