Partners developed a simulation model to better show how various projections associated with increased marine traffic in the Bering Sea might look in the coming decades. These simulations are able to help communities and managers better understand future patterns of traffic in the Bering Sea region as a whole, and look more specifically at possible changes in key areas of concern like the Bering Strait.
Following vessel activity analysis and considering vessel type, transit routes, route timing, routing speed, and ports of call, we developed a novel agent-based, spatially-explicit, baseline model of current marine vessel traffic patterns. We then applied projections about changes in traffic volume from a report by the US Committee on the Marine Transportation System detailing the 10-year projections of traffic through the Bering Strait to develop a possible future scenario of vessel activity.
Partners include the National Park Service, Geodimensions LLC, Wildlife Conservation Society.
