Robert Suydam
Hot Water in the Arctic
About the Speaker
Things are changing fast in the Alaskan Arctic. The sea ice extent was exceedingly low during winter in the Bering Sea and near its lowest in the Arctic during the summer of 2019. What does this mean for bowheads, belugas, seals, fish and Inuit people? The real answer is we don't really know. Throughout this talk Dr. Robert Suydam will discuss mysteries and possible impacts, good and bad, from a rapidly changing climate to the critters and people of the Arctic. Dr. Suydam has lived in Utqiaġvik (formerly known as Barrow), Alaska and worked as a Wildlife Biologist for North Slope Borough since 1990 and a Senior Wildlife Biologist since 2009. His research interests have focused on monitoring population trends, documenting natural history traits of bowhead whales, beluga whales, eiders, geese and other Arctic species and a variety of other projects. He has served on several recovery teams and a variety of advisory groups concerning the research and management of subsistence resources in northern Alaska. He is currently on the Committee of Scientific Advisors for the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. He also serves as the Chair of the International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology from California State University Fresno in 1986, a Master’s degree in Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1995, and a Ph.D. in Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences from the University of Washington in 2009.