What are we doing?

What are we doing up here anyway? Here it is as I understand it, which is
probably mostly correct, but don't cite me as an expert in the field. I
will add corrections when (not if ) I find errors.

There is an ocean current that comes north out of the Pacific, loaded with
nutrients, and it comes right through the Bering sea. Algae grow on the
underside of the sea ice in the winter, taking advantage of that nutrient
load. This algae is fed upon by zooplankton and other grazers, forming
the base of the food web here. When the ice melts or when zooplankton
die, the algae and zooplankton fall to the bottom, which is 50-90 meters
deep in this area. This provides food for clams, brittle stars, crabs,
worms, and other critters on the sea floor. Living zooplankton are also
eaten by other animals in the water column like fishes and diving birds.
The bottom critters, mostly the clams) are eaten by Diving ducks, walrus,
whales, and seals. It's more complicated than that, but you get the idea.

If there is less sea ice in the winter, there will be less algae forming
the base of the food web, and you know where that goes from there. Many
animals also use the ice to rest between feedings and as a nursery to
raise their young, which could also be worse with less ice. We're just
trying to figure out what's going on.

So we are up here, looking at the amount of algae on and in the sea ice,
counting zooplankton in the water column, counting critters from the sea
floor, measuring isotopic oxygen concentrations, looking at layers in the
sea ice, counting endangered birds, and freezing. And probably some other
things that I don't know about.

Steve