OpportunityTitle: Mapping Snow Habitat for Polar Bears along Beaufort Coast of Alaska
Description: The US Fish and Wildlife Service, Headquarters Region 7 intends to award a single source Cooperative Agreement as authorized by 505 DM 2.14 (B) to Interworks Consulting, in Loveland, CO. This notice is not a request for proposals and the Government does not intend to accept proposals. Award will be made 15 days after this notice. PURPOSE: The purpose of this project is to provide better information to industry and regulatory agencies regarding the likely locations of polar bear dens. This project will integrate snow physics, high-resolution digital terrain models, and bear biology to produce more refined and accurate maps predicting suitable polar bear den habitat than are currently available. The work will consist of data gathering, consultation between snow and bear scientists, modeling, and sensitivity studies to determine the impact of changing atmospheric conditions on den location and evolution along the Beaufort Coast. This research is directed toward refining predictive models of den distribution, by incorporating &#239;&#191;&#189;real-time&#239;&#191;&#189; weather data into a snow drift model. The GIS products will be designed for use in the permitting process for ice road construction and other winter activities that may impact denning polar bear and will be available for integration into the Department of Energy&#239;&#191;&#189;s North Slope Decision Support System (NSDSS) for ice road planning (under development). REASON FOR SINGLE SOURCE: Unique Qualifications &#239;&#191;&#189; Staff of Interworks Consulting are the leading experts on snow modeling for the North Slope, and have numerous publications in the peer-reviewed literature on this topic. To model potential sites for polar bear dens on land, a number of analytical tools are available (Liston and Sturm, 1998; Liston and Sturm, 2002; Liston, et al., 2006; Liston and Elder, 2006a, b; Liston et al., 2007; Liston and Hiemstra, 2008), all authored by Interworks Consulting Staff. These tools, basically numerical models that mimic the physical interaction of snow and wind, determine when, how far, and how much snow will be transported and deposited in response to topographic variations. These are the best tools available for simulating snow-drift accumulations and the associated potential bear denning sites. This work utilizes the data and knowledge obtained from the investigators unique expertise in modeling drifting snow as it pertains to formation of suitable polar bear dens, which feeds into planning for development-related activities in the oil fields of the North Slope.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Work
GrantorContactText: Richard Primmer &lt;br/&gt;Contract Specialist &lt;br/&gt;Phone 907-786-