The Arctic Ocean ecosystem is changing with warming temperatures and declining sea ice. The Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) project will observe these changes in the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas. Sampling locations are biologically important and are in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Other investigators from the USA and several partner countries will sample the same locations multiple times a year on a cooperative basis. This will provide expanded and cost-effective data collection during different seasons and conditions. Data collected will include environmental conditions such as the water column characteristics and the sea floor animals that are food for whales, seals, walrus and seabirds. Data will be shared and available for public use as soon as is practical. The project will contribute to the current U.S. National Ocean Policy and the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee’s 5-year plan. The data will be of value to U.S. and international science and management agencies, private industry, and local communities as they try to understand and adapt to changes in the Arctic. The project will also support training for three graduate students and opportunities for undergraduate research experiences. DBO observations will be collected annually through an array of strategies deployed via shipboard, autonomous, laboratory, and satellite platforms. An annual transit of a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker will serve as the core flagship for DBO sampling. The