Published by he A c ic Resea ch Conso ium o he Uni ed S a es • 3535 College Road • Sui e 101 • Fai banks, AK 99709
Ch onicles o he NSF A c ic Sciences Di ision Sp ing 2007, Volume 12 Numbe 2
ARCTIC
The upcoming In e na ional Pola Yea
(IPY) 2007–2008 is he ou h ime
scien is s ha e planned a coo dina ed in e -
na ional campaign o ad ance unde s and-
ing o he pola egions and hei in e ac-
ions wi h he global sys em. The his o ies
o he h ee p e ious pola yea s show he
de elopmen o science and echnology
o e he pas 125 yea s. Science, once he
occupa ion o only a ew educa ed indi id-
uals, is now a la ge-scale endea o in ol -
ing p o essional socie ies, in e na ional ini-
ia i es, and go e nmen agencies. Mode n
communica ions and anspo a ion now
allow in es iga o s o con ol ins umen s
and collec obse a ions emo ely; mem-
be s o he i s IPY expedi ions spen mo e
ime on hei own su i al han ga he ing
da a. Abo e all, hese his o ies show sci-
ence as a human endea o se in a spec ic
social and economic con ex , whose success
depends on he beha io o he indi iduals
and g oups in ol ed in i s planning and
implemen a ion. Ou cu en unde s and-
ing o he Ea h’s poles, awa eness o hei
unique ea u es, and app ecia ion o hei
global impo ance has been made possible
by he cumula i e e o o gene a ions o
explo e s and in es iga o s.
Fi s IPY: 1882–1883
Ka l Weyp ech (1838–1881), who is
c edi ed wi h he idea o he i s IPY, was
a na al o ice who led he Aus o-Hunga -
ian No h Pole Expedi ion o 1872–1874.
The expedi ion was conside ed a success:
he c ew spen wo win e s in he pack ice
o he Ba en s Sea, disco e ed and explo ed
F anz Jose Land, collec ed housands o
me eo ological, oceanog aphic, and bio-
logical obse a ions, and eached 82°N.
Weyp ech , howe e , ealized ha hei
esul s, and hose o simila explo a o y
expedi ions, we e o limi ed scien i ic use:
The key o many sec e s o Na u e... (I
need only e e o magne ism and elec ic-
i y, he g ea es p oblems o me e ology) is
ce ainly o be sough o nea he Poles.
Bu as long as Pola Expedi ions a e looked
upon me ely as a so o in e na ional s ee-
plechase, which is p ima ily o con e hon-
ou upon his lag o he o he , and hei
main objec is o exceed by a ew miles he
la i ude eached by a p edecesso , hese
mys e ies will emain unsol ed…Deci-
si e scien i ic esul s can only be a ained
h ough a se ies o synch onous expedi-
ions, whose ask i would be o dis ibu e
hemsel es o e he A c ic egions and o
ob ain one yea ’s se ies o obse a ions
made acco ding o he same me hod.
F us a ed wi h he inadequa e scien-
i ic yield o pas expedi ions, Weyp ech
became an ad oca e o sys ema ic explo a-
ion o pola egions h ough in e na ional
collabo a ion. His e o s coincided wi h
he subs an ial economic bene i s om he
p e ious cen u y o apid p og ess in sci-
ence and enginee ing and he associa ed
Indus ial Re olu ion. Impo an ad ances
in science du ing his pe iod included:
• inc eased accep ance o Da win’s 1859
heo y o e olu ion by na u al selec ion;
• imp o ed unde s anding o physics, cul-
mina ing in James Cle k Maxwell’s 1864
equa ions desc ibing he beha io o
elec ic and magne ic ields;
• in en ions such as he eleg aph (1844),
elephone (1876), and elec ic ligh (1879).
These ad ances we e accompanied by
g ow h in in e na ional scien i ic o ganiza-
ions, as scien is s ealized ha hey needed
o sha e hei esul s and pu sue hei
in e es s collec i ely. In 1873, o example,
he wea he se ices o se e al na ions
o med he In e na ional Me eo ological
O ganiza ion (IMO), which la e became
he Wo ld Me eo ological O ganiza ion
(WMO). Be ween 1875 and 1879, Wey-
p ech add essed se e al scien i ic socie ies,
including he IMO, on “Fundamen al
P inciples o A c ic Resea ch,” u ging hem
o es ablish obse a o ies a a minimum
o eigh loca ions in he A c ic o ga he
simul aneous me eo ological and magne ic
measu emen s o a leas one yea .
IPY His o y Re lec s P og ess in Science and Socie y
The co e page o he Illus ie es Wiene Ex abla
(Viennese Illus a ed Special Edi ion) o 25 Sep embe
1874 he alding he iumphan e u n o he leade s o
he Aus o-Hunga ian No h Pole Expedi ion, Julius
Paye (le ) and Ka l Weyp ech ( igh ). Weyp ech was
o mula ing his ideas o coo dina ed pola esea ch expe-
di ions a his ime.
con inued nex page
2
Recognizing he impo ance o Wey-
p ech ’s p oposal, he IMO endo sed his
plan a i s second cong ess in 1879; a he
u ging o Geo g Neumaye , di ec o o
he Deu sche Seewa e (Ge man Na al
Obse a o y), hey also discussed including
obse a ions om high sou he n la i udes.
La e ha yea , he i s In e na ional Pola
Con e ence me in Hambu g o plan a
campaign ha included wo k in bo h pola
egions and o es ablish a new In e na ional
Pola Commission o o e see i . The U.S.
joined he g oup a i s hi d mee ing in
1881.
The i s IPY began in Augus 1882
and con inued o Sep embe 1883, wi h
12 na ions pa icipa ing in 15 coo dina ed
expedi ions o he A c ic and An a c ic.
Each expedi ion was led by a single na ion.
Me eo ological s a ions and na al and
me chan ships also eco ded geomagne ic
obse a ions on p ede e mined da es o
each mon h, inaugu a ing he p ac ice o
“wo ld days,” now used by many in e -
na ional science p og ams. Funding was
p o ided by he pa icipa ing go e nmen
agencies, in mos cases he mili a y, supple-
men ed by p i a e suppo . The expedi-
ions collec ed da a acco ding o a hand-
book by Weyp ech , who died in 1881,
be o e seeing his plan ully ealized.
The U.S. A my Signal Co ps, which
was esponsible o ede al me eo ologi-
cal se ices, o ganized he wo Ame ican
expedi ions: one o Ba ow, Alaska, and
one o Lady F anklin Bay on no heas e n
Ellesme e Island. Wi h he help o he local
Iñupia popula ion, he Ba ow expedi ion
success ully comple ed i s scien i ic mis-
sion and amassed conside able in o ma ion
abou he egion and i s people. The Lady
F anklin Bay expedi ion, led by Adolphus
G eely, was no so o una e. G eely’s expe-
di ion es ablished a s a ion and collec ed
obse a ions acco ding o he IPY plan bu
decided o e ea sou h a e wo successi e
esupply ships did no a i e as expec ed.
The pa y was s anded o eigh mon hs,
s ill on Ellesme e Island, and 19 o he 25
c ew membe s died wai ing o escue.
Al hough he IPY expedi ions ga he ed
hei da a acco ding o Weyp ech ’s speci i-
ca ions, ins ead o he coo dina ed analysis
he en isioned, each na ion published i s
obse a ions independen ly. Be o e dis-
sol ing in 1891, he In e na ional Pola
Commission was no able o unde ake a
syn hesis o he esul s bu did di ec ha
copies o all IPY publica ions be a chi ed
a he Cen al Physical Obse a o y in S .
Pe e sbu g, Russia. The simul aneous me e-
o ological da a om he i s IPY we e only
ecen ly colla ed and analysed o o m he
synop ic iew Weyp ech o iginally sough
(Wood and O e land 2006). This analysis,
which o e s a unique glimpse in o he ci -
cumpola en i onmen be o e he cu en
e a o clima e wa ming. clea ly shows he
in luence o la ge-scale a mosphe ic ci cu-
la ion pa e ns such as he No h A lan ic
Oscilla ion on clima e a iabili y. Fo mo e
in o ma ion on he analysis o da a, see:
www.a c ic.noaa.go /a o/ipy-1/index.h m.
The i s IPY ended wi h many success-
ul expedi ions ha ing amassed conside -
able da a, bu i s scien i ic alue su e ed
om a disjoin ed publica ion e o and
lack o ins i u ional commi men . Bo h les-
sons would be emembe ed 50 yea s la e .
Second IPY: 1932–1933
The second IPY also o igina ed wi h
he e o s o an indi idual whose a c ic
esea ch ac i i ies con inced him o he
need o in e na ional collabo a ion. While
conduc ing high-al i ude wea he bal-
loon obse a ions in no he n Iceland in
1926–1927, Johannes Geo gi, me eo olo-
gis o he Deu sche Seewa e, de ec ed
ex emely s ong winds a a heigh o 10 o
15 km. O he s had obse ed hese s a o-
sphe ic wes e ly winds, which seemed o be
independen o su ace p essu e condi ions,
a ound he same ime. In Japan, Wasabu o
Ooishi had no ed he same phenom-
enon while moni o ing wea he balloons
nea Moun Fuji, and a ia o Wiley Pos
epo ed a “s ong i e o ai ” encoun e ed
du ing a high-al i ude ligh ac oss Sibe ia.
A a 1927 mee ing o he Deu sche
Seewa e, Geo gi called o a pan-a c ic
s udy o his phenomenon, known oday
as he je s eam, p oposing a coo dina ed,
in e na ional esea ch e o o s udy his
and o he subjec s ha would commence
on he 50 h anni e sa y o he i s IPY. In
1929, he IMO endo sed he e o and
o med a commission o unde ake plan-
ning o a second IPY.
The ime was ipe o a e i al o Wey-
p ech ’s ision. Public in e es in he pola
egions had been main ained by he h ill-
ing s o ies o Ame icans Robe Pea y and
Ma hew Henson eaching he No h Pole
in 1909 and No wegian Roald Amund-
sen bes ing Robe Sco o B i ain in he
ace o he Sou h Pole in 1911. Eins ein’s
wo k had e olu ionized physics. The
mechanized wa a e used du ing Wo ld
Wa I con inced go e nmen s ha scien-
i ic esea ch had mili a y alue. The wa
also ended he old impe ial wo ld o de
( wo o he i s ou na ions o commi o
he i s IPY— he Aus o-Hunga ian and
Russian Empi es—no longe exis ed), and
pos -wa go e nmen s sough in e na ion-
alis oppo uni ies such as he League o
Na ions o imp o e ela ions and p e en
u u e con lic s. The in e nal combus ion
engine, used in he au omobile, ai plane,
and mo o ized sea anspo , enabled
people and goods o mo e on a he e o o e
unknown scale, while adio made com-
munica ion possible o e as dis ances.
Mys e ious dis up ions in adio ansmis-
sions, as well as in elec ic and elephone
lines, indica ed ha s udies o he newly
desc ibed ionosphe e we e needed.
In o ming he Commission o he
Pola Yea , he IMO w o e ha :
magne ic, au o al and me eo ological
obse a ions, o be unde aken a a ne -
wo k o s a ions in he A c ic and An a c-
ic… o one whole yea , would ma e ially
ad ance he knowledge and unde s and-
ing…no only wi hin he pola egions,
bu in gene al…and…ha e p ac ical appli-
ca ion in… e es ial magne ism, ma ine
and ai na iga ion, wi eless eleg aphy and
wea he o ecas ing.
When he second IPY o icially began
in Augus 1932, a o al o 44 coun ies
we e pa icipa ing, 16 o which had o med
hei own special commi ees and 22 o
which o ganized expedi ions o es ablished
s a ions beyond hei own bo de s. This
le el o pa icipa ion, howe e , had been
scaled back om he o iginal IPY p oposal
due o he se e e wo ldwide economic
dep ession ha began in 1929. In 1931,
as i became clea many coun ies would
be unable o p o ide unds p omised o
he IPY e o , he Commission o he
Pola Yea deba ed whe he o pos pone
he en i e en e p ise inde ini ely. Belie ing,
howe e , ha a pos ponemen would i e-
ocably s all momen um o IPY and ha
he al eady secu ed pa icipa ion would
con inued nex page
3
ad ance many scien i ic ields, he com-
missione s o ed unanimously o p oceed.
Scien i ic associa ions and philan h opic
o ganiza ions subsequen ly p o ided some
unding; six mon hs be o e he s a o IPY,
o example, he Rocke elle Founda ion
con ibu ed $40,000 o pu chase equip-
men o magne ic and elec ical measu e-
men s and p o ided la e g an s o suppo
da a analysis and publica ion.
The main esea ch a eas o he second
IPY included me eo ology, he au o a and
i s ela ionship o e es ial magne ism,
and a mosphe ic science, pa icula ly s ud-
ies o he ionosphe e. The numbe o mag-
ne ic s a ions no h o 60˚ inc eased om
7 o 30. A o al o 94 esea ch s a ions
we e main ained in he A c ic du ing he
second IPY, 40 o which emained in use
ollowing he conclusion o he p og am.
B i ain e-es ablished i s Fo Rae esea ch
s a ion on Canada’s G ea Sla e Lake, while
he U.S. sen ano he eam o scien is s o
Ba ow, Alaska; bo h loca ions had been
esea ch si es in he i s IPY. Cong ess
app op ia ed $30,000 o und an obse a-
o y in Fai banks, Alaska. In An a c ica,
he U.S. es ablished he i s inland s a ion
on he Ross Ice Shel , 125 miles om he
coas . O he s a ions es ablished in lowe
la i udes included me eo ological s a ions
in equa o ial A ica and magne ic obse a-
o ies in India, Japan, and Pe u.
F om i s incep ion, he Commission o
he Pola Yea emphasized coo dina ed col-
lec ion and publica ion o da a and esul s
om he a ious IPY ac i i ies. The com-
mission es ablished an o icial eposi o y
o IPY ma e ial a he Danish Me eo o-
logical Ins i u e in Copenhagen. Despi e
limi ed unds and he dis up ions o Wo ld
Wa II (including he loss o some me eo-
ological eco ds), he Copenhagen o ice
published he Bibliog aphy o he Second
In e na ional Pola Yea in 1951. This
e o , a conside able imp o emen o e
he e y limi ed a chi ing e o s o he i s
IPY, se ed as a o e unne o he Wo ld
Da a Cen e s ha would be es ablished o
a chi e da a o he 1957–1958 IGY.
The esea ch p og ams o he second
IPY, unde aken o bo h scien i ic and
p ac ical pu poses, p oduced oluminous
da a and esul s, pa icula ly in magne ism
and me eo ology, ha imp o ed ai and
ma ine na iga ion, adio ope a ions, and
wea he o ecas ing. The second IPY ended
wi hou de ini i e explana ions o Geo gi’s
obse a ions o high-al i ude winds,
hough he pan-a c ic esea ch p og am
he ini ia ed se he ounda ion o such
an unde s anding. In 1939, he name “je
s eam” was gi en o he phenomenon; by
he 1950s, scien is s s ill wo king collab-
o a i ely unde he IMO desc ibed he je
s eam’s o igin in he a mosphe ic p essu e
and empe a u e di e ences be ween pola
and equa o ial egions. These ad ances in
me eo ology became a i al componen
o wea he o ecas ing and e olu ionized
comme cial and mili a y ai a el, again
demons a ing he social, economic, and
poli ical impac s o science.
Thi d IPY: IGY 1957–1958
The beginning o he hi d IPY can be e y
p ecisely da ed. On 5 Ap il 1950, James
Van Allen, hen a he Applied Physics
Lab a Johns Hopkins Uni e si y, in i ed
se e al Ame ican physicis s o his home
o mee Sydney Chapman, isi ing om
Ox o d Uni e si y. All o he gues s had
been deeply in ol ed in esea ch o mili-
a y applica ion du ing Wo ld Wa II and
ecognized ha he echnologies hey had
helped o de elop, including ocke s and
ada , had signi ican po en ial o ad ance
basic geophysical esea ch. Lloyd Be kne
o he Ca negie Ins i u ion o Washing-
on sugges ed ha he ime was igh o
ano he IPY on he 75 h and 25 h anni e -
sa ies o he p e ious IPYs, which would
all in 1957–1958 and coincide wi h an
expec ed sunspo maximum.
The In e na ional Council o Scien i ic
Unions (ICSU) endo sed he p oposal and
appoin ed a special o ganizing commi ee
headed by Chapman. By 1952, he com-
mi ee had b oadened he p ojec ’s scope
o include s udies o he whole Ea h and
e med i he In e na ional Geophysical
Yea (IGY). The subjec s s udied du ing
he p e ious IPYs—wea he , he au o a,
he Ea h’s magne ic changes, and he iono-
sphe e—we e also b oadened o include
in es iga ions o cosmic adia ion and
de ailed obse a ions o he sun.
The o ganiza ion o IGY coincided
wi h he ma u ing capabili ies o he
ins i u ions ounded in he pos -wa yea s
o ad ance public in e es issues such as
in e na ional coope a ion and scien i ic
esea ch. IGY p o ided a speci ic ocus o
he e o s o o ganiza ions such as ICSU
and he Uni ed Na ions (UN). In he U.S.,
he Na ional Science Founda ion (NSF),
es ablished in 1950 o suppo all ields o
undamen al science and enginee ing, led
he campaign o IGY unding; be ween
1953 and 1958 Cong ess app op ia ed a
o al o $43.5 million o IGY, which was
“The wo younge chaps, S ua McVeigh and John Rae, ook ca e o mos o he me eo ological wo k, which included
balloon ligh s and ki e ligh s wi h me eo og aphs. They lew a se ies o ou ki es on piano wi e in o he cloud le el, and
hen we all had o ge oge he o wind hem in, especially i he wind picked up…McVeigh would y o ca ch one o he
ki es wi h a me eo og aph on i as i came down. I he could no ca ch i , i would c ash on he ocks and he would ha e
o epai i be o e he could use i again. We had a machine wi h a winde o incoming wi e when we we e pulling in
he ki e...A majo equi emen o any expedi ion hen was i ness: you had o be p epa ed o do physical wo k mos o he
ime, and o squeeze scien i ic wo k in o abou 10 pe cen o he ime le o e .” - F ank Da ies
Membe s o he Canadian eam a Ches e ield Inle on Hudson Bay
du ing he second IPY. Pho os cou esy Uni e si y o Saska chewan
A chi es, Depa men o Physics onds, Bal ou W. Cu ie collec ion.
con inued nex page con inued nex page
4
conside ably augmen ed by ope a ional
and logis ical suppo om many o gani-
za ions. Addi ional unding o he IGY
came om ICSU membe ins i u ions
(mos ly na ional academies o science),
na ional go e nmen s, and in e na ional
o ganiza ions such as he UN Educa ional,
Scien i ic and Cul u al O ganiza ion
(UNESCO).
Mo e han 10,000 scien is s om 67
na ions pa icipa ed in he highly success ul
IGY p og am om July 1957 o Decembe
1958. Highligh s included:
• he So ie Union’s launch o Spu nik,
he i s a i icial sa elli e, ollowed ou
mon hs la e by he i s U.S. sa elli e;
• he beginning o he long- e m eco d o
a mosphe ic ca bon dioxide collec ed a
Mauna Loa, Hawaii;
• delinea ing he sys em o mid-ocean
idges and con i ming he heo y o pla e
ec onics; and
• disco e y o he Van Allen adia ion
bel s, a o us o cha ged pa icles a ound
Ea h ha a e apped by he plane ’s
magne ic ield.
The IGY ook ad an age o he logis-
ical capabili ies de eloped du ing and
a e Wo ld Wa II o emphasize in ensi e
esea ch in An a c ica; 12 na ions wo ked
a 40 s a ions on he con inen and 20 on
he sub-An a c ic islands. The con inen ’s
s a egic alue and economic po en ial
could easily ha e de ailed in e na ional
scien i ic coope a ion in a o o ad anc-
ing e i o ial claims, bu in spi e o Cold
Wa ensions, he IGY e o in An a c ica
was conside ed a success. This posi i e ou -
come led o he a i ica ion o he An a c ic
T ea y in 1961, se ing aside he con inen
o in e na ional esea ch.
The IGY also es ablished he cu en
sys em o Wo ld Da a Cen e s (WDCs).
Cold Wa conside a ions led bo h he U.S.
and USSR o es ablish hei own WDCs
o each o he 14 IGY disciplines; hese
we e iden i ied as WDC-A and WDC-B,
espec i ely. O he coun ies hos ed WDCs
(known as WDC-C) o speci ic disci-
plines. Since 1968, a special ICSU panel
has coo dina ed he e ol ing WDC sys em.
As o 2003, 52 WDCs a e ope a ing in
Aus alia, China, Eu ope, India, Japan,
Russia, and he U.S.
In addi ion o i s scien i ic and poli ical
b eak h oughs, IGY b oke new g ound in
science educa ion and ou each. The popu-
la media p o ided ex ensi e co e age o
IGY ac i i ies. Specially de eloped ma e i-
als, including ilms, pamphle s, and comic
books we e widely used in schools and had
a b oad impac in spa king s uden s’ in e -
es in science.
The success o he IGY despi e i s
daun ing scale and complexi y p o ided
a model o subsequen science p og ams
ha is s ill widely ollowed oday.
IPY 2007–2009
Fi y yea s ha e passed since IGY; once
again he esea ch communi y is o ganiz-
ing an in e na ional science campaign
o imp o e unde s anding o he pola
egions. The planning o IPY 2007-2008
has e ol ed in a bo om up ashion, using
mode n communica ions echnologies
o in eg a e ideas and de elop a b oad
base o suppo . The ICSU and WMO
appoin ed an IPY planning g oup in 2003
and an IPY join commi ee in 2004 o
coo dina e in e na ional e o s. ICSU and
WMO es ablished he IPY In e na ional
P og amme O ice (IPO) in 2004 a he
B i ish An a c ic Su ey (BAS), wi h sup-
po om he UK Na u al En i onmen
Resea ch Council. In es iga o s om 63
na ions ha e submi ed mo e han 1,100
exp essions o in en o pa icipa e in IPY
o he IPO since No embe 2004. Funding
o IPY ac i i ies is expec ed o come om
in e na ional o ganiza ions and h ough
na ional science unding mechanisms.
U.S. E o s
NSF is designa ed as he lead U.S. agency
o he IPY. A se ies o cong essional hea -
ings in 2006 explo ed plans o U.S. con-
ibu ions o he campaign. The NSF bud-
ge eques ed $62 million o IPY in FY
2007 and $59 million in FY 2008 (see page
9). NSF has eleased wo p og am solici a-
ions o IPY ac i i ies; he i s , eleased in
Janua y 2006, iden i ied wo educa ion and
h ee esea ch emphasis a eas. Awa ds o
nine educa ion p ojec s we e announced
in Sep embe 2006 (see page 24). Resea ch
awa ds a e cu en ly being made and a e
expec ed o o al abou $12 million (see
page 12). The second solici a ion, eleased
in Decembe 2006, seeks p oposals empha-
sizing unde s anding en i onmen al change
in pola egions, human and bio ic sys ems
in pola egions, and educa ion and ou -
each. P oposals we e due 16 Ma ch 2007;
NSF an icipa es unding up o 70 p ojec s
o alling abou $40 million.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he U.S.
IPY si e: www.us-ipy.go , o he IPY In e -
na ional P og amme O ice si e: www.ipy.
o g.
This a icle was de eloped by membe s o he
ARCUS s a : Sa ah Beh , Ross Coen, Wendy K.
Wa nick, Helen Wiggins, and Alison Yo k.
Re e ences
Ko smo, F.L., and S aga, M.P. 2003. F om
in e wa o Cold Wa : Selling ield science
in he Uni ed S a es, 1920s h ough 1950s
Ea h Sciences His o y 22: 55–78.
Luedecke, C. 2004. The i s In e na ional Pola
Yea : A big science expe imen wi h small
science equipmen . P oceedings o he In e na-
ional Commission on His o y o Me eo ology
1: 55–64.
Wood, K.R., and O e land, J.E. 2006. Clima e
lessons om he i s In e na ional Pola Yea .
Bulle in o he Ame ican Me eo ological Socie y
87: 1685–1697.
Compa ed o p e ious IPYs, women will be mo e p omi-
nen du ing he 2007–2008 campaign. Abo e, Agne a
F ansson and Melissa Chie ici o Gö ebo g Uni e si y
in Sweden collec da a on ca bon dioxide le els in wa e
samples om he Ross Sea. F ansson and Chie ici we e
pa o an in e na ional eam o scien is s and eache s
sailing aboa d he Swedish iceb eake Oden in Decem-
be 2006 on one o he i s expedi ions o he ou h IPY,
sponso ed by NSF. Pho o by Allan Mille , Pola TREC.
5
A c ic Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics
VECO Pola Resou ces (VPR) o e s
a ange o logis ical suppo se ices
o p ojec s unded by he NSF O ice o
Pola P og ams Di ision o A c ic Sciences.
This yea , in addi ion o p o iding di ec
esea ch suppo , VPR wo ked wi h pe -
sonnel a he Uni e si y o Texas a El Paso,
Nuna Technologies, and he Uni e si y o
Colo ado o de elop he A c ic Resea ch
Mapping Applica ion (ARMAP; www.
a map.o g). ARMAP is an online ool ha
allows use s o na iga e o a eas o in e es
in he A c ic, iew a a ie y o map laye s,
and explo e NSF esea ch p ojec s by loca-
ion, yea , unding p og am,
discipline, keywo ds, and o he
a iables. P ojec in o ma ion
is displayed in he applica ion
wi h links p o iding mo e
de ails. ARMAP also iden i-
ies IPY p ojec s and is use ul
o science planne s, scien is s,
educa o s, and he public.
In 2006, VPR suppo ed
app oxima ely 125 esea ch
p ojec s a ield si es ac oss
he A c ic by p o iding a wide ange o
se ices such as cha e ing ai c a , boa s,
and ehicles; a anging a el and lodging;
pu chasing and anspo ing supplies and
equipmen ; p o iding echnical, cons uc-
ion, medical, and ope a ional suppo ; and
se ing up camps, s a ions, and ou pos s
wi h pe sonnel who p o ide on-si e assis-
ance o esea che s.
VPR suppo ed 49 p ojec s in G een-
land, which in ol ed making ligh
a angemen s wi h 12 di e en helicop e
and ixed-wing con ac o s. Fo s udies
in ol ing he massi e Jakobsha n Glacie
in sou hwes e n G eenland, VPR ou i ed
esea che s wi h necessa y gea , anspo ed
hem and hei equipmen o ield si es,
and la e esupplied he science eams wi h
ood and uel be o e mo ing hem onwa d
o he nex s udy si e.
VPR also ope a es Summi S a ion,
loca ed a he peak o G eenland’s ice cap,
wi h esea ch guidance om he Summi
Science Coo dina ion O ice (see Wi ness
Win e 2004/2005). Peak popula ion a
he s a ion las summe inc eased by one-
hi d o abou 60 people, due in pa o
esea che s wo king a ound- he-clock o
es a d ill o he Wes An a c ica Ice Shee
(WAIS) Di ide Ice Co e P ojec . VPR sup-
po ed hese esea che s by e ec ing he
d ill s uc u e, adjus ing s a ion ope a ions
and in as uc u e o suppo 24-hou
se ices o he d ill eam, and shipping
he p ojec ’s ca go o and om he s a ion.
The An a c ic co e, which will be ex ac ed
o e he nex ou yea s, will be compa ed
wi h deep co es p e iously ob ained om
G eenland o be e unde s and global cli-
ma e pa e ns o e he pas 100,000 yea s
(www.waisdi ide.unh.edu).
and agency scien is s. The p ojec websi e
includes a webcam and cu en in o ma-
ion on empe a u e, wind speed, humid-
i y, and ba ome ic p essu e and is accessed
by a a ie y o use s, including bush pilo s
in e es ed in wea he condi ions (h p://
anspo .s i.com/i o uk).
In Alaska, VPR suppo ed 62 p oj-
ec s. Fligh coo dina ion o 26 o hose
p ojec s in ol ed 510 helicop e and 230
ixed-wing hou s. VPR designed, buil ,
and s a ed a ield camp a op King Island,
loca ed o he wes e n coas o Alaska, o
suppo a mul i-ins i u ional collabo a i e
p ojec on he island’s cul u al
geog aphy, biogeog aphy, and
adi ional ecological knowl-
edge. VPR comple ed an
ex ensi e isk assessmen and
implemen ed sa e y p ecau-
ions; cha e ed helicop e s,
boa s, and ucks; and p o ided
camp ood and gea , commu-
nica ions, sa e y, and powe
equipmen .
VPR suppo ed six p oj-
ec s in Russia in 2006. Ac i i ies included
iden i ying and nego ia ing wi h Russian
logis ics p o ide s o secu e suppo , han-
dling pe mi ing equi emen s, a anging
o shipmen o samples in o he U.S. and
o app op ia e ins i u ions, as well as a el
coo dina ion and p o ision o gea . VPR
also wo ked wi h he Russian logis ics p o-
ide , Polus, which ope a es he No h Pole
D i ing S a ion, o u nish use days, ai
suppo , medical ki s, and uel o a eam
in es iga ing en i onmen al change. Sci-
ence eam ac i i ies included deploying and
e ie ing moo ing and d i ing s a ions
and conduc ing CTD and hyd og aphic
su eys, and ai bo ne sampling ansec s.
VPR suppo ed 12 p ojec s in Canada.
Fo scien is s in es iga ing a se ies o small
ice caps on Canada’s Ba in Island, VPR
ou i ed he esea ch eam wi h snowma-
chines, camping consumables, and ield,
communica ions, and sa e y equipmen ;
p o ided local guides; and a anged o
shipmen o ozen samples o he U.S.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, go o: www.
ecopola .com, o con ac Kip Ri hne
([email p o ec ed]; 303-621-4658).
VPR O e s a Wide Range o Logis ical Suppo Se ices
Ca ibou in he I o uk Hills, loca ed in no he n Alaska, in Augus 2006. VPR main ains a
hyb id communica ion and powe sys em o esea che s a U.S. ins i u ions conduc ing ca -
bon lux and o he expe imen s a he si e. Pho o by Roy S ehle.
In addi ion o suppo ing one- ime
campaigns and ongoing expe imen s,
VPR is de eloping a p oo -o -concep ,
enewable, low-emission powe -gene a ion
sys em a Summi S a ion o educe he
impac o local pollu an s on expe imen s
a he si e and o educe he en i onmen al
oll o wo king on he ice cap. VPR has
begun o build and es he in as uc u e
needed o suppo wind-powe gene a ion
sys ems, which, along wi h sola sys ems,
could augmen o eplace adi ional powe
sys ems.
The Summi upg ades a e pa o a
la ge unde aking by VPR o use enew-
able and al e na i e ene gy sou ces in
suppo o a c ic esea ch. VPR wo ks con-
inuously wi h esea che s o de elop ligh
and po able sola ene gy sys ems o powe
hei expe imen s in emo e loca ions
(www.pola powe .o g). Sola and wind
ene gy sou ces a e used a Camp Ra en,
he Ai Na ional Gua d’s aining acili y in
G eenland. A I o uk, loca ed in no he n
Alaska, VPR main ains a hyb id powe and
communica ions sys em used o ansmi
ca bon lux and o he da a o academic

6
A c ic Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics
The egions abo e he Ea h’s mag-
ne ic poles, called he pola caps, a e
ex emely suscep ible o he in e ac ions
be ween he sola wind and he Ea h’s
magne ic ield, whose ield lines con e ge
a he poles. The mos amilia esul o
hese in e ac ions is he au o a. Resea ch
in o he mechanisms o hese in e ac ions
is mo i a ed by he need o imp o e unde -
s anding o uppe a mosphe ic p ocesses
and p edic ion o space wea he e en s,
which can dis up mode n communica-
ions and powe sys ems (see Wi ness
Au umn 2001 and Sp ing 2003). In 2003,
he NSF Di ision o A mosphe ic Sciences
awa ded $44 million o e ou yea s o SRI
In e na ional o lead he design and con-
s uc ion o a new sys em o suppo hese
s udies, known as he Ad anced Modula
Incohe en Sca e Rada (AMISR).
Incohe en Sca e Rada (ISR) is he
mos powe ul g ound-based echnique
o obse ing he uppe a mosphe e, mag-
ne osphe e, and sola wind. The elec o-
magne ic ene gy o he ISR ada signal is
sca e ed by elec ons in a a ge egion,
e u ning a weak e lec ion ( e med “inco-
he en ” in compa ison o he cohe en
e lec ion om a solid a ge ). The e u n
signals’ cha ac e is ics can be used o de i e
empe a u e, composi ion, densi y, and
eloci y o elec ons and ions om he op
o he a mosphe e o housands o kilome-
e s in o space.
When comple e, he new AMISR sys-
em will consis o h ee “ aces,” each o
which can a y in size and be con igu ed
sepa a ely o oge he , depending on he
science objec i e. Each ace con ains up
o 128 panels, wi h each panel holding 32
iden ical An enna Elemen Uni s (AEU)
o o m a phased a ay an enna. A phased
a ay is a g oup o an ennas in which he
phase o he signal om each an enna can
be elec onically adjus ed o “s ee ” he sig-
nal in a desi ed di ec ion. Each comple ed
128-panel ace o AMISR will measu e
abou 32 m x 32 m.
The implemen a ion o AMISR will
signi ican ly imp o e obse a ional capa-
bili ies in high la i udes, which he uppe
a mosphe ic esea ch communi y has
long iden i ied as an impo an p io i y.
In he ea ly 1990s, a Pola Cap Obse a-
o y (PCO) was p oposed as a c ucial link
needed in a chain o exis ing NSF ISR
obse a o ies in Pe u, Pue o Rico, Mas-
sachuse s, and G eenland. The plans called
o he PCO o be loca ed in Resolu e,
Canada, close o he magne ic no h pole,
whe e sola plasma ene gy has pa icu-
la ly in ense e ec s on he Ea h’s a mo-
sphe e and magne ic ield. Al hough NSF
eques ed unds o he PCO in FY 1998
and 1999, Cong ess did no app o e he
eques . The communi y e ised i s plans
o he pola obse a o y, aking ad an age
o a new concep o de elop a modula
ada sys em ha could be eloca ed as
needed.
The AMISR design has h ee majo
unc ional ad an ages o e he exis ing
ixed ada s ope a ed by NSF:
• he solid-s a e design elimina es he
need o la ge klys ons (high- equency
ampli ie s o gene a ing mic owa es),
acili a ing emo e ope a ions and mo e
lexibili y in scheduling and conduc ing
expe imen s;
• he ada beam can be s ee ed almos
ins an aneously in esponse o apidly
changing condi ions; and
• he sys em can be disassembled and
mo ed wi h ela i e ease; all componen s
can be placed in s anda d 40 con ain-
e s. Reloca ion o he sys em, which is
expec ed o equi e abou six mon hs,
will enable obse a ions almos anywhe e
hey a e needed.
In 2005, wo AMISR p o o ype
sys ems, each consis ing o eigh panels,
we e es ed a he Jicama ca Radio
Obse a o y in Pe u and he High
F equency Ac i e Au o al Resea ch
P og am S a ion nea Gakona, Alaska.
The i s 32-panel ace o he AMISR
was e ec ed in No embe 2005 a he
Uni e si y o Alaska’s Poke Fla Resea ch
Range nea Fai banks. Scien is s om SRI,
Co nell Uni e si y, and he Uni e si y o
Alaska p esen ed da a om all h ee si es
a he Ap il 2006 Ionosphe ic In e ac ions
Wo kshop in San a Fe, New Mexico.
The i s comple e ace o he sys em
was e ec ed a Poke Fla in No embe
2006. Ope a ions began in Janua y 2007
when he ada ook measu emen s coo -
dina ed wi h se e al sounding ocke
campaigns unded by he Na ional Ae o-
nau ics and Space Adminis a ion. The
emaining wo aces will be ins alled a
Resolu e by summe 2008. In la e 2005,
NSF announced ou awa ds o aling abou
$350,000 pe yea o h ee yea s o sup-
po g adua e s uden esea ch using he
new AMISR sys ems; his oppo uni y will
be epea ed in 2009.
Wi h suppo om NSF, SRI o ganized
a wo kshop in Oc obe 2006 o explo e he
science objec i es ha can be achie ed wi h
he new sys em a Poke Fla . Six y in es-
iga o s a ended he mee ing in Asiloma ,
Cali o nia. Annual AMISR wo kshops a e
planned o add ess u u e science goals as
he ada is deployed o new loca ions.
Fo mo e in o ma-
ion, see: www.amis .
com, o con ac John
Kelly ([email p o ec ed];
650-859-3749) o Bob
Robinson ( m obins@ns .
go ; 703-292-8529).
New Modula Rada is Designed o Obse e Pola Cap
The i s comple e ace o he
AMISR sys em a Poke Fla in
Oc obe 2006. Since each ace o
AMISR can unc ion indepen-
den ly, when he sys em is com-
ple ed i can be deployed in up
o h ee sepa a e loca ions a he
same ime. The i s AMISR ace
is expec ed o emain a Poke
Fla un il a leas 2010. Pho o
cou esy C aig Heinselman.
7
A c ic Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics
A
majo mul i-use a c ic esea ch acil-
i y is unde cons uc ion in Ba ow,
Alaska, unde he auspices o Ukpeag ik
Iñupia Co po a ion (UIC) and he Ba -
ow A c ic Science Conso ium (BASC).
Loca ed sou h o he o me Na al A c ic
Resea ch Labo a o y (NARL) acili y,
which is now owned by UIC, he Ba ow
Global Clima e Change Resea ch Facili y
(BGCCRF) p ojec comp ises i e phases:
• Phase I: Resea ch and Educa ion Facil-
i y. 20,930 squa e ee . 7 labo a o ies, 9
o ices, an 80-pe son class/mee ing oom,
elec onics wo kshop, and IT spaces.
• Phase II: S aging, Main enance, and
Wa ehousing Space. 16,000 squa e ee .
5 s aging bays, 4 s o age bays, 2 main-
enance bays, gene al and all- e ain
ehicle s o age, and science suppo .
• Phase III: Resea ch and Suppo Spaces.
20,000 squa e ee . Labo a o ies, suppo
a eas, con e ence a eas, dining acili ies,
and shipping and ecei ing.
• Phase IV (second loo o Phase III):
Resea ch Labo a o ies. 20,000 squa e
ee . Labo a o ies and suppo spaces.
• Phase V: Housing. 12,000 squa e ee .
Single, double, and quad ooms ( o al 40
beds), ec ea ion and laund y ooms.
Mul iple agencies conduc a c ic
esea ch in he a ea, and each phase o he
new BGCCRF will signi ican ly imp o e
science suppo capabili ies a ailable o
hem in Ba ow. The acili y’s g and open-
ing, en a i ely scheduled o June 2007,
will coincide wi h he beginning o he
In e na ional Pola Yea (see page 1). Phase
II cons uc ion is expec ed o begin la e in
2007. Cong ess au ho ized up o $61 mil-
lion o BGCCRF design and cons uc ion
in he FY 2005 Ene gy Bill (HR 6), and
he cons uc ion schedule o subsequen
phases will depend on con inued Cong es-
sional suppo and unding.
App op ia ions o Phase I cons uc-
ion o al $17 million and we e p o ided o
UIC h ough a coope a i e ag eemen wi h
he Na ional Oceanic and A mosphe ic
Adminis a ion. Local o ganiza ions ha e
also suppo ed he p ojec , including
he No h Slope Bo ough, UIC and i s
subsidia ies, BASC, and he A c ic Slope
Regional Co po a ion. UIC subsidia y
companies BTS P o essional Se ices LLC
and LCMF LLC ha e p o ided plan-
ning and design se ices o he p ojec
since 2003. UIC Cons uc ion p o ided
cons uc abili y e iew and cos es ima es
du ing he design phase and is cu en ly
comple ing cons uc ion o Phase I. As pa
o i s con ibu ions o he acili y’s de elop-
men , NSF is p o iding abou $450,000 o
UIC o IT imp o emen s, including addi-
ional da a cabling and upg aded secu i y
and access con ol, and BASC has submi -
ed a p oposal o NSF o o he IT suppo
eques ed by he science communi y o
enable wi eless connec i i y o he nea -
sho e en i onmen and o e he Ba ow
En i onmen al Obse a o y (BEO).
Wi h suppo and inpu om NSF, he
esea ch communi y ga he ed a se e al
wo kshops o ensu e ha he BGCCRF
will mee a ange o science needs while
aking ad an age o he excep ional
oppo uni ies o e ed by i s loca ion in
Ba ow (ARCUS 1999, BASC 2002).
UIC will own and main ain he new
acili y, and BASC will manage and
acili a e i s use. Financial and logis i-
cal a angemen s will be modeled a e
cu en BASC policies o esea ch use
o exis ing UIC-NARL acili ies. Use by
NSF- unded esea che s will be co e ed
unde he BASC coope a i e ag eemen
wi h NSF. O he in es iga o s will pay
o access on a nego ia ed basis. BASC
expec s ha use s will p o ide mos o
hei own scien i ic equipmen .
O he de elopmen s in science in a-
s uc u e in Ba ow include:
• UIC and BASC a e seeking unding
o de elop a mas e plan o he UIC-
NARL campus;
• NSF is unding ins alla ion o ails,
ins umen owe s, and elec ici y in he
BEO in suppo o a und a manipu-
la ion p ojec suppo ed by he NSF
Biocomplexi y and he En i onmen
p og am; and
• NSF is suppo ing con inued de elop-
men o he Ba ow A ea In o ma ion
Da abase (www.baidims.o g), a sou ce o
in o ma ion on o e 5,000 esea ch si es.
The his o y o collabo a ion be ween
he Iñupia Eskimo people o no he n
Alaska and scien is s began du ing he i s
In e na ional Pola Yea wi h a U.S. A my
Signal Co ps expedi ion o Ba ow om
1881 o 1883 (see page 2) and con inued
h ough ope a ions a NARL om 1947
o 1980 (see Wi ness Au umn 1997). In
keeping wi h his long adi ion o local
suppo o science, se e al Ba ow-based
o ganiza ions es ablished BASC in 1995 as
a non-p o i logis ical suppo and commu-
ni y coo dina ing o ganiza ion. BASC has
p o ided logis ical suppo since 1997 o
NSF- unded esea che s h ough a coope -
a i e ag eemen and o o he s on a ee- o -
se ice basis. BASC pe sonnel assis ed 55
NSF p ojec s in 2005, 29 p ojec s in 2006,
and 44 in he i s pa o 2007. BASC also
manages he BEO, an 11 squa e-mile a ea
dedica ed o esea ch in 1992 by UIC, he
local Alaska Na i e Claims Se lemen Ac
co po a ion.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he BASC
websi e: www.a c icscience.o g, o con ac
Glenn Sheehan ([email p o ec ed];
907-852-4881) o Richa d Reich ( eich@
lcm .com; 907-273-1808).
Re e ences
ARCUS 1999. The Fu u e o an A c ic Resou ce:
Recommenda ions om he Ba ow A ea
Resea ch Suppo Wo kshop. Fai banks, AK.
104 pp.
BASC 2002. A c ic Science in he Ba ow Region:
Recommenda ions o Fu u e Facili ies. Ba ow,
AK. 67 pp.
New Resea ch Facili y in Ba ow Will Open in Ea ly 2007
An ae ial iew showing he loca ion o UIC-NARL and he
i e phases o he new Ba ow Global Clima e Change Resea ch
Facili y (BGCCRF). Cou esy o LCMF LLC. Pho og aph ©
AEROMAP US.
UIC-NARL
Chukchi Sea
BGCCRF
Imikpuk Lake
8
A c ic Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics
Toolik Field S a ion Begins Yea - ound Ope a ions
Toolik Field S a ion (TFS), a esea ch
acili y loca ed on Alaska’s No h
Slope and ope a ed by he Ins i u e o
A c ic Biology a he Uni e si y o Alaska
Fai banks, has begun yea - ound ope a-
ions p o iding con inuous access o a c ic
esea che s o housing, labo a o y space,
and o he logis ical se ices (see Wi ness
Win e 2004/2005).
The mo e o yea - ound ope a ions
a TFS is a key ecommenda ion o Sci-
ence Suppo a he Toolik Field S a ion,
Alaska: Di ec ions o he Nex 10 Yea s,
a epo summa izing he indings o an
NSF- unded s a egic planning wo kshop.
Thi y- i e scien is s a he Decembe 2004
mee ing iden i ied a numbe o long- e m
goals o science based a TFS ha equi e
con inuous s a ion ope a ion. Yea - ound
ope a ion will enable in es iga o s o
expand hei esea ch e o s and en i-
onmen al obse a ions, including hose
ob ained by au onomous ins umen a ion,
in o a long pa o he yea ha has been
unde s udied and in which condi ions a e
changing apidly as clima e wa ms.
Wi h suppo om he NSF A c ic
Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics P og am,
TFS is now s a ed con inuously h ough-
ou he win e mon hs o Oc obe h ough
Ap il and will main ain unin e up ed
powe , hea , and communica ions, includ-
ing In e ne connec i i y, p o iding sci-
ence suppo o up o 20 esea che s. TFS
will main ain i s egula summe schedule
om May h ough Sep embe , u nishing
suppo o up o 125 scien is s and s a .
The e we e 5,017 use days logged a TFS
in summe 2005 and 5,882 in 2006.
O he ecommenda ions om he TFS
planning documen , published in Oc obe
2006, include:
En i onmen al moni o ing and p es-
e a ion o long- e m con ol a eas and
esea ch si es. Wi h he goal o expand-
ing collec ion o baseline en i onmen al
da a and making he da a eadily a ailable
o he esea ch communi y, pa icipan s
ecommended a i e-yea plan o enhanced
en i onmen al moni o ing o complemen
da a collec ed by he A c ic Long-Te m
Ecological Resea ch (LTER; see Wi ness
Sp ing 2002) p og am and o he TFS s ud-
ies, including hi ing a new
en i onmen al moni o ing
echnician. Pa icipan s also
p oposed expanding he
p o ec ed a ea a ound TFS.
Cu en ly he Bu eau o
Land Managemen ecog-
nizes he Toolik Lake wa e -
shed and Kupa uk Ri e
headwa e s as a Resea ch
Na u al A ea o be p o-
ec ed om non-scien i ic
human dis u bance. The
long- e m TFS plan calls o inc easing he
a ea p o ec ed o esea ch o include he
uppe Kupa uk Ri e basin and a eas o
s a e land o he wes h ough coope a i e
ag eemen s wi h he a ious landowne s.
Co e labo a o ies and scien i ic se -
ices. Pa icipan s iden i ied expanded
scien i ic se ices, pa icula ly in analy ical
chemis y and en i onmen al moni o ing,
as p io i ies o TFS. Speci ic ecommen-
da ions include de eloping a h ee-season
analy ical chemis y labo a o y, a modula
sys em o connec ed, gene al-use labo a-
o ies o eplace he cu en s and-alone
labs, mo e ehicles o use du ing summe
mon hs, a sys em o shipping ul a-cold
(-80 °C) samples, and animal ca e acili ies
wi h con olled empe a u e and pho ope-
iod. The ecommenda ions also include
upg ading lab equipmen , p o iding o
i s calib a ion, ouble-shoo ing, epai ,
and ab ica ion, and hi ing wo new s a
membe s esponsible o gene al science
suppo .
Da a managemen and Geog aphic
In o ma ion Sys ems (GIS)/In o ma-
ion Technology (IT) se ices. Wo kshop
pa icipan s ecommended ha TFS p o-
ide enhanced da a managemen se ices,
including a TFS-cen ic da abase, online
da a deli e y, and GIS-in eg a ed ne wo ks
ha link o da a om o he ield s a ions.
In as uc u e equi emen s o hese da a
managemen imp o emen s include yea -
ound powe and communica ions, on-si e
da a s o age backup, and wi eless In e ne
capabili y wi h a leas a 15 km ange
o senso ansmission om he ield.
Repea e owe s o ansmission om
mo e dis an si es may also be equi ed.
In addi ion o yea - ound ope a ions,
TFS is also cu en ly implemen ing he
enhanced en i onmen al moni o ing p o-
g am and will ac on o he ecommenda-
ions as unding becomes a ailable.
The epo also highligh ed po en ial
educa ion oppo uni ies a TFS, p opos-
ing ha academic p og ams be s uc u ed
a ound exis ing esea ch p ojec s, enabling
s uden s o lea n om and con ibu e o
ongoing esea ch. Recognizing he need o
minimize con lic s o space and schedul-
ing, wo kshop pa icipan s ecommended
sepa a e lec u e and lab space dedica ed
exclusi ely o classes and an on-si e cou se
coo dina o so he bu den o ins uc ion
does no all di ec ly on esea che s.
TFS encou ages communi y pa icipa-
ion in decision-making a he s a ion.
This pa icipa o y model esembles one
employed by Zackenbe g Resea ch S a ion
in G eenland whe e scien is s coo dina e
esea ch and moni o ing p ojec s as well
as acili y logis ics. As ecommended by
he communi y, TFS is mo ing owa d a
g ea e in eg a ion o esea ch, moni o ing,
and logis ics along he Zackenbe g model.
The Na ional Ecological Obse a o y
Ne wo k (NEON; see Wi ness Sp ing
2000) ecen ly announced ha TFS is a
co e si e in he ne wo k plan ha will be
submi ed his sp ing o NSF as a p oposed
Majo Equipmen and Facili ies Cons uc-
ion (see page 9) p ojec .
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he TFS
websi e: www.ua .edu/ oolik, o con ac
Mike Abels ( nmaa@ua .edu; 907-474-
5063), B ian Ba nes ( bmb@ua .edu; 907-
474-7649), o Donie B e -Ha e ( msb@
ua .edu; 907-474-5434).
Toolik Field S a ion, loca ed on Alaska’s No h Slope, has begun yea - ound
ope a ions and can suppo up o 20 esea che s du ing he win e mon hs o
Oc obe h ough Ap il. Pho o aken by Sco Hough on in Janua y 2007.
9
A c ic Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics
NSF Re iews Alaska Region Resea ch Vessel P oposals
NSF is e iewing p oposals om o ga-
niza ions o o e see cons uc ion and
ope a ion o an Alaska Region Resea ch
Vessel (ARRV), which has been app o ed
as a Majo Resea ch Equipmen and Facili-
ies Cons uc ion (MREFC) p ojec .
The MREFC accoun was es ablished
by Cong ess in 1995 o p o ide und-
ing o cons uc ion and acquisi ion o
majo in as uc u e so ha la ge pe iodic
expendi u es do no dis up he budge s o
indi idual NSF di ec o a es. Be o e being
included in a budge eques o Cong ess,
p ojec s submi ed by an o igina ing
NSF di ec o a e mus be app o ed by he
MREFC Panel, he NSF Di ec o , and he
Na ional Science Boa d (NSB).
In 2000, NSF unded he Uni e si y
o Alaska Fai banks in collabo a ion wi h
Woods Hole Oceanog aphic Ins i u ion
o de elop he concep , p elimina y, and
cons uc ion designs o an ARRV o
eplace he aging Alpha Helix, which has
limi ed a c ic capabili ies. The Helix was
cons uc ed in 1966 and has been ope -
a ed o NSF by he Uni e si y o Alaska
since 1980. Acquisi ion o an ARRV was
app o ed by NSF managemen and he
NSB as a MREFC p ojec in 2003, and
he design and cons uc ion unds we e
included in he P esiden ’s FY 2007 and
2008 budge eques s (see below). The
cu en unding eques , con ingen upon
Cong essional app op ia ions, is $123
million o e a pe iod o h ee yea s o es-
sel cons uc ion and associa ed ac i i ies.
Annual cos s o ope a ing he essel ollow-
ing cons uc ion will be suppo ed h ough
a sepa a e coope a i e ag eemen .
The essel will be a 236- oo mul ipu -
pose oceanog aphic esea ch ship capable
o yea - ound ope a ion in seasonal sea ice
and open ocean egions a ound Alaska,
p ima ily he Chukchi, Beau o , and Be -
ing seas, Gul o Alaska, coas al sou heas
Alaska, and P ince William Sound.
The ARRV solici a ion, which was
eleased in No embe 2006 by he NSF
Di ision o Ocean Sciences In eg a i e
P og ams Sec ion, sough p oposals o
o e see cons uc ion using he exis ing
design. Once cons uc ion is comple ed,
he con ac ing o ganiza ion will manage
essel ope a ions o suppo NSF and o he
ede ally unded science ac i i ies. P opos-
als we e due 29 Janua y 2007. I unding is
a ailable on schedule, sea ials o he es-
sel would be expec ed in la e 2010.
The con ac ing o ganiza ion mus seek
membe ship in he Uni e si y-Na ional
Oceanog aphic Labo a o y Sys em
(UNOLS), an o ganiza ion o 62 academic
ins i u ions and labo a o ies in ol ed in
oceanog aphic esea ch and joined o he
pu pose o coo dina ing oceanog aphic
ships’ schedules and esea ch acili ies. Use
o he ARRV will be scheduled h ough
he UNOLS scheduling p ocess in o de
o ensu e equal access o he pla o m.
The Helix was ecen ly e i ed om he
UNOLS lee and will be sold wi h p o-
ceeds going owa ds equipping he ARRV.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, con ac Dolly
Die e a NSF (edie e @ns .go ; 703-292-
7586).
FY 2007 NSF R&RA Budge Inc eases $335 Million
Capi ol Upda es
Sho ly a e he elease o he p oposed
iscal yea (FY) 2008 budge in Feb u-
a y, Cong ess and he P esiden inalized
he FY 2007 app op ia ions p ocess le
un inished by he 109 h Cong ess. The
esul ing join esolu ion (Public Law 110-
5) p o ides unding o mos domes ic
p og ams a FY 2006 unding le els bu
p o ides inc eases o selec ed p og ams,
including NSF, which will ecei e $5.916
billion, an inc ease o $335 million (6.0%)
o e cu en yea unding o $5.581 bil-
lion. The inc ease is en i ely alloca ed
o he Resea ch and Rela ed Ac i i ies
(R&RA) budge , which ecei es he ull
amoun eques ed by he adminis a ion
(7.7%), o a o al o $4.666 billion.
Wi hin R&RA, he budge o he
O ice o Pola P og ams will inc ease
12.1% o e FY 2006 o $438 million, wi h
$89.6 million alloca ed o he Di ision o
A c ic Sciences. Funding o suppo In e -
na ional Pola Yea (IPY; see page 1) ac i i-
ies will o al $62 million, sha ed among
se e al di ec o a es ($2 million o Biologi-
cal Sciences [BIO], $5 million o Geosci-
ences [GEO], $300,000 o he O ice o
In e na ional Science and Enginee ing
[OISE], $47 million o OPP, $5 million o
Social, Beha io al and Economic Sciences
[SBE], and $2 million o Educa ion and
Human Resou ces [EHR]).
The FY 2007 budge s o o he NSF
accoun s, including Majo Resea ch Equip-
men and Facili ies Cons uc ion, will
emain a FY 2006 le els. NSF in ends,
howe e , o seek app o al om Cong essio-
nal app op ia ions commi ees o ini ia e
cons uc ion o he Alaska Region Resea ch
Vessel (see page 9) his iscal yea .
FY 2008 Budge Reques
The adminis a ion’s eques o he FY
2008 NSF budge is $6.43 billion, an
inc ease o $510 million (8.6%) o e he
amoun app op ia ed o FY 2007. The
budge o R&RA would inc ease by 7.7%
o $5.13 billion. The budge eques o
OPP is $465 million, an inc ease o 6.1%;
he Di ision o A c ic Sciences eques is
$96.3 million, an inc ease o 7.5%. The
eques o FY 2008 IPY ac i i ies is $59
million, wi h a dis ibu ion simila o ha
in FY 2007, excep ha he IPY unding
o SBE would d op o $2 million.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he NSF
Budge Di ision websi e: www.ns .go /
abou /budge , o he Ame ican Associa ion
o he Ad ancemen o Science websi e:
www.aaas.o g/spp/ d.
16
A c ic Sys em Science P og am
The A c ic Sys em Science (ARCSS)
P og am suppo s bo h ield wo k and
esea ch ha syn hesizes exis ing da a and
knowledge o ad ance unde s anding o he
a c ic sys em and i s ole in he global sys-
em and socie y. The ARCSS Commi ee
(AC) akes a p oac i e app oach on behal
o he esea ch communi y in acili a ing
he de elopmen o he ARCSS P og am.
Appoin ed by ARCUS, which cu en ly
se es as he ARCSS Science Managemen
O ice (SMO), he AC is no an o icial
NSF ad iso y commi ee bu o e s a
mechanism h ough which NSF can s ay
in o med o communi y in e es s. Chai ed
by Josh Schimel (Uni e si y o Cali o nia,
San a Ba ba a), he AC is cu en ly com-
posed o 12 in es iga o s wi h b oad scien-
i ic iewpoin s and expe ise.
ARCSS Commi ee Mee ing
AC membe s me in Sea le, Washing on,
in ea ly No embe 2006 o discuss ARCSS
esea ch and communi y planning ac i i-
ies, including news om NSF, ongoing
ARCSS esea ch, and da a managemen
e o s. No es om he mee ing a e a ail-
able online a : www.a cus.o g/ARCSS/mes-
sage_111606.h ml.
ARCSS Da a Managemen
ARCSS syn hesis equi es da a and model-
ing app oaches o suppo no el modes o
inqui y, such as in e compa ison s udies,
da a in eg a ion and assimila ion, a c ic
and Ea h sys em modeling, and c oss-dis-
ciplina y da a me ging.
Communi y-based planning ac i i ies
o o mula e new ARCSS da a manage-
men s a egies a e unde way. An ARCSS
wo kshop, A c ic Sys em Syn hesis: New
Pe spec i es h ough Da a Disco e y and
Modeling, was held 2-4 Ap il 2007 in
Sea le. 58 ep esen a i es o bo h he da a
p o ide and da a use communi ies me o
iden i y new app oaches o uni ing da a
managemen and assimila ion, de elop-
men s in echnology, and modeling ac i i-
ies ha will ad ance syn hesis s udies o
he a c ic sys em and b oadly dissemina e
knowledge o he A c ic. The wo kshop,
co-chai ed by Cha les Vö ösma y (Uni-
e si y o New Hampshi e) and Da id
McGui e (Uni e si y o Alaska Fai banks),
will esul in a communi y- e iewed epo
summa izing key issues, common chal-
lenges, gene al lessons, and ideas o s eps
o wa d ha eme ged du ing he wo kshop
as well as sugges ions o possible NSF
in es men s in his a ena. The commu-
ni y was able o pa icipa e in discussions
h ough se e al p e-wo kshop eTown
Mee ings, a Town Mee ing a he Fall 2006
AGU mee ing, and li e in e ac i e s eam-
ing o he wo kshop p oceedings.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see: www.a cus.
o g/ARCSS/2007_da a/index.h ml.
Ongoing ARCSS Resea ch Ac i i ies
O ganized esea ch e o s suppo ed by
ARCSS include Syn hesis o A c ic Sys em
Science (SASS), S udy o No he n Alaska
Coas al Sys em (SNACS), F eshwa e
In eg a ion S udy (FWI), Wes e n A c ic
Shel -Basin In e ac ions (SBI), and Human
Dimensions o he A c ic Sys em (HARC;
see page 17).
Syn hesis o A c ic Sys em Science
(SASS) P ojec s. SASS con ibu es o
achie ing an in eg a ed unde s anding
o he a c ic sys em by ocusing on he
in e ac ions occu ing among mul iple
componen s and p ocesses ac oss a ange
o empo al and spa ial scales. NSF has
eleased wo SASS p og am solici a ions.
Nine science p ojec s we e unded h ough
a solici a ion eleased in la e 2004 (see Wi -
ness Sp ing 2006). In esponse o a second
SASS solici a ion in Decembe 2005, NSF
ecei ed 44 p oposals in 20 sepa a e p oj-
ec s o aling $16 million. In 2006, 8 p oj-
ec s we e unded o aling $7.5 million:
• Unde s anding Change in he Clima e
and Hyd ology o he A c ic Land
Region: Syn hesizing he Resul s o he
ARCSS F esh Wa e Ini ia i e P ojec s. E.
Wood (P ince on Uni .), C. Vö ösma y
(Uni . New Hampshi e), J. Cassano
(Uni . Colo ado [CU]), D. Le enmaie
(Uni . Washing on [UW]). $1,237,998.
• The Impac o Changes in A c ic Sea Ice
on he Ma ine Plank onic Ecosys em—
Syn hesis and Modeling o Re ospec i e
and Fu u e Condi ions. Y. Spi z (O egon
S a e Uni .), J. Zhang (UW), C. Ashjian
(Woods Hole Oceanog aphic Ins i u ion
[WHOI]), R. Campbell (Uni . o Rhode
Island). $1,076,734.
• P oducing an Upda ed Syn hesis o
he A c ic’s Ma ine P ima y P oduc-
ion Regime and i s Con ols. M. S eele
(UW), P. Ma ai (Bigelow Labo a o y o
Ocean Sciences), R. Zimme man (Old
Dominion Uni .), L. Codispo i (Uni .
Ma yland). $1,040,088.
• Towa d Reanalysis o he A c ic Clima e
Sys em—Sea Ice and Ocean Recons uc-
ion wi h Da a Assimila ion. J. Zhang
(UW), A. P oshu insky (WHOI),
G. Pan elee (Uni . Alaska Fai banks),
D. Nechae (Uni . Sou he n Missis-
sippi). $987,239.
• The Whi e A c ic: A Snow-Impac s Syn-
hesis o he Te es ial A c ic. M. S u m
(Cold Regions Resea ch and Enginee ing
Labo a o y), G. Lis on (Colo ado S a e
Uni .). $839,616.
• The Roles o Clouds and hei Accom-
plices in Modula ing he T ajec o y o
he A c ic Sys em. S. Va us (Uni . Wis-
consin-Madison), A. Schweige (UW), J.
F ancis (Ru ge s Uni .). $757,806.
• Syn hesis o Sea Ice, Clima e, and
Human Sys ems in he A c ic and Sub-
a c ic. A. Ogil ie (CU), J. Roge s (Ohio
S a e Uni ). $668,021.
• Clima e Response o Fu u e Changes in
A c ic Snow Co e and Sea Ice: A New
Pe spec i e om he High-Resolu ion
NCAR CCSM3. C. Dese (Uni . Co p.
A mosphe ic Resea ch). $477,948.
Fo mo e in o ma ion see: www.a cus.
o g/ARCSS/syn hesis_p ojec s.h ml.
F eshwa e In eg a ion S udy (FWI).
Since 2002, FWI has ocused on unde -
s anding he a c ic hyd ological cycle om
an in e disciplina y pe spec i e. FWI
in es iga o s hope o con ibu e o In e -
na ional Pola Yea (IPY) A c ic-HYDRA,
an in e na ional e o employing obse a-
ions, models, p ocess s udies, and da a
assimila ion echniques o cha ac e ize a i-
abili y in he a c ic hyd ological cycle. In
ea ly No embe 2006, 22 pa icipan s om
nine na ions a ended he 2nd IPY A c ic-
HYDRA In e na ional Planning Mee ing
in S . Pe e sbu g, Russia, o con inue wo k
ARCSS Communi y Add esses Va ied Resea ch Needs
con inued on nex page

17
on he A c ic-HYDRA Science Plan and o
ou line ac i i ies o he IPY pe iod.
FWI in es iga o s held an All-Hands
mee ing in June 2006 in Es es Pa k, Colo-
ado, o discuss syn hesis s a egies and
p oduc s, upda es om FWI wo king
g oups, and opics o ocus on du ing he
inal wo yea s o FWI p ojec s. The nex
FWI All-Hands mee ing will be held in
Cali o nia 6–8 June 2007. Fo mo e in o -
ma ion, see: h p://a c icchamp.s .unh.edu.
S udy o No he n Alaska Coas al
Sys em (SNACS). Funded in 2004, he six
SNACS p ojec s, ocused on unde s and-
ing how in e ac ions and linkages in a c ic
coas al egions a ec a c ic and global sys-
ems, a e en e ing hei hi d and inal yea .
A he 2006 AGU Fall mee ing, 16 pos e s
based on SNACS esea ch we e p esen ed,
and an o al session, Coas al Sys ems and
P ocesses, was a ended by app oxima ely
50 people. An in es iga o mee ing is
planned o mid-2007 o ocus on h ee
majo syn hesis hemes: luxes om i e s
and sho eline e osion as nu ien sou ces
in he coas al zone, impac s o c yosphe ic
changes on he coas , and po en ial apid
egime shi s con olled by a mosphe ic
and me eo ological p ocesses. Ongoing
ou each e o s include p esen a ions o
local o icials and schools in Ba ow and
A qasuk, Alaska. Fo mo e in o ma ion,
see: www.a cus.o g/a css/snacs.
Wes e n A c ic Shel -Basin In e ac-
ions (SBI). SBI esea ch ocuses on physi-
cal and biological linkages be ween a c ic
shel es and adjacen ocean basins owa d
an enhanced p edic i e capabili y o global
change impac s in he A c ic. In Decembe
2006, NSF eleased a solici a ion in ended
o suppo he hi d and inal phase o SBI,
which has accumula ed nea ly en yea s
o ield da a and analyses. The solici a ion
calls o esea ch aimed a unde s anding
how he A c ic Ocean ma gins unc ion
wi hin he a c ic sys em as a whole. P io i y
will be placed on e o s ha ocus on da a
in eg a ion, syn hesis, and modeling ac i i-
ies ha lead o new sys em-le el unde -
s anding, a he han p ojec s ha gene a e
new da a om ield s udies. P oposals we e
due 9 Ma ch 2007. Fo mo e in o ma ion,
see: h p://sbi.u k.edu.
Communi ies o P ac ice
The AC con inues o encou age he sub-
mission o Communi y o P ac ice (Co-
oP) concep pape s. Co-oPs a e g oups o
esea che s o ganized a ound a se o a c ic
sys em science ques ions. Co-oPs wo k
wi h he AC, ARCSS SMO, and b oade
esea ch communi y o de elop science
ques ions ha align wi h and ad ance
ARCSS P og am goals and may ul ima ely
o m he basis o u u e ARCSS esea ch
oppo uni ies.
Se e al Co-oPs a e cu en ly in e ac ing
wi h he AC, including he Nea Su ace
P ocesses Co-oP, chai ed by And ea Lloyd
(Middlebu y College), which submi ed a
p ospec us o explo e how changing su ace
condi ions (ice, snow, ege a ion, in a-
s uc u e, and human pa e ns o popula-
ion) a ec he linkages be ween a c ic sys-
em componen s. This Co-oP wo ked wi h
he AC and communi y o de elop he
p ospec us in o a p oposed implemen a-
ion plan, en i led Su ace T ans o ma ions
in he A c ic En i onmen (STATE), o
ad ance unde s anding o he ajec o ies
and impac s o such changes. The AC is
now de eloping a documen desc ibing
hese ideas o NSF o conside o u u e
unding oppo uni ies. Fo mo e in o ma-
ion on his Co-oP o o submi a Co-oP
concep pape , see: www.a cus.o g/ARCSS/
cop.h ml.
Fo mo e in o ma ion on he ARCSS
P og am, see: www.a cus.o g/ARCSS, o
con ac Josh Schimel ([email p o ec ed].
edu), Neil Swanbe g (nswanbe @ns .go ),
o Helen Wiggins ([email p o ec ed]; 907-
474-1600).
A c ic Sys em Science P og am
HARC Builds Capaci y o Human Dimensions Resea ch
Human Dimensions o he A c ic Sys-
em (HARC) was c ea ed in 1997 as
a componen o he ARCSS P og am o
be e unde s and human in e ac ions wi h
en i onmen al change in he A c ic. Wi h
he guidance o he HARC S ee ing Com-
mi ee, he HARC co e o ice wo ks o
in eg a e human dimensions esea ch in o
he ARCSS P og am. Ma ibe h Mu ay,
an associa e p o esso o an h opology a
he Uni e si y o Alaska Fai banks (UAF),
di ec s he co e o ice, which has been
hos ed a UAF’s Cen e o Global Change
since 2004. Recen co e o ice ac i i ies
ha e expanded he capaci y o human
dimensions esea ch and con eyed esea ch
esul s o scien i ic and public audiences.
The co e o ice hos ed a special session
a he Oc obe 2006 Ame ican Associa ion
o he Ad ancemen o Science mee ing
in Fai banks, Alaska. The session ocused
Pa icipan s a he No embe 2006
ARCSS Commi ee (AC) Mee ing in Sea -
le, Washing on (see page 16), discussed
he con inued desi e o see HARC esea ch
in eg a ed in o ARCSS p ojec s and p o-
posals h ough close coope a ion wi h he
co e o ice. The AC sugges ed ha he
ARCSS P og am suppo he co e o ice o
a leas an addi ional yea .
Cu en membe s o he HARC S ee -
ing Commi ee include: Ma ibe h Mu ay
(UAF), Ba ba a Mo ehouse (Uni . A i-
zona), Ben Fi zhugh (Uni . Washing on),
C aig Nicolson (Uni . Massachuse s),
La y Hinzman (UAF), Alexey Voino
(Uni . Ve mon ), La y Hamil on (Uni .
New Hampshi e), and Hen y Hun ing on
(Hun ing on Consul ing).
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see www.a cus.
o g/ha c/index.h ml, o con ac Ma ibe h
Mu ay ([email p o ec ed]).
on he con ibu ion o human dimensions
esea ch o obse ing and unde s anding
he cu en s a e o he A c ic. Se e al p e-
sen a ions compa ed human dimensions
esea ch in he A c ic and in A ica.
The co e o ice hos ed an open mee -
ing a he Fall 2006 Ame ican Geophysical
Union Mee ing, which included dis-
cussions on eme ging needs o HARC
esea ch, app oaches ha will ad ance
HARC goals, and e o s o in eg a e
HARC esea ch in o la ge ARCSS e o s.
The HARC co e o ice agenda o he
In e na ional Pola Yea (IPY; see page 1)
will be a ailable in Ma ch and includes:
• a numbe o sessions a IPY- ela ed mee -
ings, beginning wi h he A c ic Fo um in
Washing on, DC, 23–25 May 2007; and
• plans o sponso a el awa ds o s u-
den esea ch p esen a ions a mee ings
du ing IPY.
18
A c ic Sys em Science P og am
Fo nea ly i e decades, U.S. Na y and
B i ish Royal Na y subma ines wo k-
ing in he A c ic Ocean ha e used upwa d
looking sona sys ems o ake con inuous
measu emen s o sea-ice d a . D a , he
subme ged po ion o loa ing ice, ep e-
sen s abou 89% o ice hickness.
Because o he scien i ic alue o hese
eco ds, he na ies ha e o e he yea s
declassi ied and eleased ice d a da a om
pas c uises. Digi ally eco ded da a we e
a ailable om 15 c uises be ween 1986 and
1994 and a single c uise in 1976. Mos o
hese eco ds we e eleased be ween 1999
and 2004 and a chi ed a he Na ional
Snow and Ice Da a Cen e (NSIDC) a e
p ocessing a he Cold Regions Resea ch
and Enginee ing Lab. F om 1993 o 1999,
he six c uises o he Scien i ic Ice Expedi-
ions (SCICEX; see Wi ness Au umn 2001)
p og am collec ed and eleased digi al
ice d a da a speci ically o esea ch use.
Du ing 17 subma ine c uises o he A c ic
be ween 1975 and 2000, howe e , ice d a
da a we e collec ed only on analog pape
cha s and equi ed addi ional p ocessing
be o e hey could be added o he public
a chi e.
Wi h unding om he A c ic Sys em
Science (ARCSS) P og am, D ew Ro h ock
and Ma k Wensnahan a he Applied Phys-
ics Labo a o y a he Uni e si y o Wash-
ing on wo ked wi h Diane Ben ley and
o he s a o he A c ic Subma ine Labo a-
o y o eco e hese pape eco ds, digi ize,
and alida e hem (see igu e his page).
The p ocedu e o ex ac ing da a om he
cha s was de ised ca e ully o ensu e ha
he esul s would be consis en wi h he
digi ally eco ded da a; wo c uises wi h
da a eco ded by bo h ypes o media we e
used o compa e analog and digi al eco ds
(Wensnahan and Ro h ock 2005).
The newly digi ized eco ds became
a ailable h ough NSIDC in Sep embe
2006. The NSIDC now holds da a om
o e 120,000 km (abou 75,000 miles) o
37 U.S. Na y and 2 Royal Na y subma ine
c uises. The a chi es co e oughly he cen-
al hal o he A c ic Ocean, a egion ha
is pe ennially ice co e ed, wi h sampling
om bo h he sp ing hickness maximum
and he au umn minimum. Be o e he
analog eco ds we e added, he
a chi e was weigh ed owa d he
sp ing, wi h a sp ing o au umn
a io o nea ly 2 o 1. Wi h he
new da a, he sp ing o au umn
a io o he ull 39 c uises is 1.16
o 1. The new c uises also g ea ly
s eng hen he long- e m pe spec-
i e o a eco d ha was weak
p io o 1986, adding da a om
nine c uises in he decade om
1975 o 1984.
The measu ed ice d a anges
om ze o o o e six me e s. The
mean and median d a bo h
change by abou one me e om
he sp ing maximum o au umn
minimum. Because he s anda d
de ia ion o combined measu e-
men e o s om U.S. subma ines
is only 22 cm (Ro h ock and
Wensnahan, o hcoming), he
much la ge egional, seasonal,
and in e annual a ia ions in d a
can be esol ed wi h easonable
accu acy. The subma ine da a a e
sys ema ically biased abou 30 cm
hicke han he ue d a , due
p ima ily o he ini e beamwid h o he
sona . This bias is impo an o conside
when compa ing d a s om U.S. subma-
ines wi h models and wi h da a measu ed
by o he me hods.
These a chi ed da a p o ide a alu-
able 26-yea eco d applicable o se e al
p oblems in a c ic science and obse a-
ions. Po ions o he da a ha e been used
o look o signs o in e annual change
in ice hickness, o en in limi ed egions
and o e limi ed ime pe iods; he en i e
eco d now p o ides a iche esou ce
o such s udies. The e ha e been a ew
compa isons be ween subma ine ice d a
obse a ions and he hickness p oduced in
sea-ice models; many mo e such checks on
model e icacy a e now possible and would
be a s imulus o model imp o emen .
Al hough his da a se is s ill ela i ely
spa se, he possibili y exis s o assimila -
ing hese da a in o ice models; because ice
hickness changes ela i ely slowly, e en
spa se da a may p o ide a s ong cons ain
on modeled hickness. Las ly, his eco d
can be used o alida ing o he echnolo-
gies o obse ing ice hickness, such as
au onomous ehicles, moo ed sona s,
sa elli e al ime e s, and elec omagne ic
sounding.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he ice d a
da a on he NSIDC websi e: h p://nsidc.
o g/da a/g01360.h ml and h p://nsidc.
o g/da a/g01962.h ml, o con ac D ew
Ro h ock ([email p o ec ed].
edu; 206-685-2262) o Ma k Wensnahan
([email p o ec ed]; 206-685-
7912).
Re e ences
Ro h ock, D.A. and M. Wensnahan. Fo hcom-
ing. The accu acy o sea-ice d a s measu ed
om U.S. Na y subma ines. Jou nal o A mo-
sphe ic and Oceanic Technology.
Wensnahan, M. and D. A. Ro h ock. 2005.
Sea-ice d a om subma ine-based sona :
Es ablishing a consis en eco d om ana-
log and digi ally eco ded da a. Geophysical
Resea ch Le e s 32, L11502, doi:10:1029/
2005GL022507.
Pape Cha s S eng hen Subma ine Reco d o Sea-Ice D a
Sea-ice d a da a om subma ine pape (analog) cha s. (a) Segmen
o a cha , as scanned digi ally o yield a bi map image. (b) Digi al
ans o ma ion o cha image in o ec ilinea coo dina es, showing he
ace om he cha (g ey), and he da a ace (solid line) ex ac ed and
a chi ed. The lines unning om op o bo om o he cha a e ime
ma ks, nominally one minu e apa . Na iga ion da a and ship’s logs p o-
ide he speed by which ime is con e ed o dis ance. A ypical speeds,
he sys em p o ides a spa ial p o ile o d a da a a abou a one-me e
spacing. Figu e cou esy o M. Wensnahan.
01:06 01:05 01:04 01:03 01:02 01:01
40
30
20
10
0
Dep h ( )
Time on Sep 11, 1993 (GMT)
0 -500 -1000 -1500 -2000
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Dep h (m)
Dis ance along ack (m)
A
B
19
A c ic Na u al Sciences P og am
Looking a he bleak landscape o he
A c ic du ing win e , i would be easy
o assume ha und a ecosys ems, caugh
be ween he cold ai abo e hem and he
pe ma os below, a e ozen in o comple e
s asis un il he sp ing haw. Fo many yea s,
ha assump ion guided esea ch on high
la i ude ecosys ems, and in es iga o s s ud-
ied hem p ima ily in he summe .
The assump ion ha und a is bio-
logically inac i e in win e is inco ec ,
howe e . Mic obial ac i i y does no s op
when soils eeze. E en in ozen soil, ilms
o wa e on soil pa icles allow bac e ia
and ungi o emain physiologically ac i e.
Al hough mic obial ac i i y diminishes
wi h dec easing empe a u e and is ai ly
low in ozen soil, he o al amoun o
mic obial ac i i y o e he long a c ic win-
e is ecologically signi ican . As much as
one- hi d o o al annual decomposi ion
and CO2 elease occu s du ing he nine
mon hs o win e . Because his is enough
o shi und a ecosys ems om a ne sink
o a sou ce o a mosphe ic CO2, i is key
o co ec ly assessing he und a’s ole in
he global ca bon cycle. Seasonal changes
in mic obial ecology also appea o ha e
impo an e ec s on nu ien a ailabili y
o plan g ow h.
Josh Schimel o he Uni e si y o
Cali o nia, San a Ba ba a, and his eam
ha e been in es iga ing und a mic obial
ecosys ems since 1998 wi h unding om
he NSF A c ic Sys em Science (ARCSS)
P og am’s A c ic T ansi ions in Land-
A mosphe e Sys ems (ATLAS) p ojec (see
Wi ness Sp ing 2003), he A c ic Na u al
Sciences P og am, an O ice o Pola P o-
g ams pos doc o al ellowship o Ma hew
Wallens ein, and he Mellon Founda ion.
They ha e been e alua ing he na u e
o win e ime mic obial p ocesses, how
ca bon and ni ogen cycling a e coupled
di e en ly du ing summe and win e , he
chemical subs a es mic obes use, and how
mic obial communi ies change h ough he
win e . They ha e conduc ed mos o hese
s udies a Toolik Field S a ion in Alaska
(see page 8) and ha e done some wo k in
he high A c ic a Thule, G eenland (see
Wi ness Au umn 1997).
To desc ibe seasonal changes in mic o-
bial communi ies and hei physiology,
Schimel’s eam has collec ed samples
h oughou he yea , including in No em-
be , a e soil eeze-up, and in May, be o e
snowmel . The wo k uses a combina ion o
app oaches, including:
• DNA-based echniques o analyze he
composi ion o he soil mic obial
communi y;
• labo a o y assays o e alua e mic obial
ac i i y and physiology a empe a u es
down o -10 °C; and
• incuba ions ollowing he low o 13C-
labeled compounds in o speci ic mic o-
bial a y acids o iden i y which o gan-
isms use which subs a es unde di e en
condi ions.
No su p isingly, many aspec s o
mic obial p ocesses change as soil em-
pe a u es dec ease. Du ing he summe ,
soil mic obes p ima ily p ocess plan li -
e , which is ela i ely low in ni ogen and
high in ca bon. The mic obes also limi he
ni ogen supply o g owing plan s in he
summe by compe ing wi h hem o he
a ailable ni ogen in he soil.
Wi h he onse o win e , howe e ,
mic obes acclima e o low empe a u es
wi h a sui e o physiological changes,
including a g ea e eliance on ecycling
ni ogen- ich mic obial de i us as a me a-
bolic uel. On a ni ogen- ich win e die ,
he mic obes elease unused ni ogen o he
soil in a o m plan s can use. This shi o a
win e me abolic mode occu s abo e 0 °C,
be o e soils ac ually eeze and while mic o-
bial ac i i y is s ill ela i ely high. A c ic
soils emain a hese empe a u es o an
ex ended pe iod each all du ing eeze
up. As clima e change esul s in wa ming
ac oss he A c ic, und a soil empe a u es
ho e o a longe ime in his ange whe e
soil mic obes a e bo h in hei win e
mode and ela i ely ac i e. These p ocesses
appea o ie in o he obse ed inc ease in
sh ubbiness o he A c ic wi h a posi i e
eedback: a longe pe iod a nea - eezing
empe a u es causes an inc ease in ni ogen
a ailabili y, which s imula es sh ub g ow h
(pa icula ly bi ch), apping snow and
wa ming he soil u he . This inc ease in
sh ubbiness changes e e y hing abou he
und a, om i s e ec s on clima e o i s
abili y o suppo o aging ca ibou.
Changes in he composi ion o mic o-
bial popula ions a e associa ed wi h,
and pe haps d i ing, he seasonal and
ege a ion changes. Bac e ial and ungal
popula ions di e in he soil o di e en
und a plan communi ies; o example,
in all seasons, mic oo ganisms no mally
associa ed wi h low quali y subs a es (e.g.,
Acidobac e ia) domina e ussock und a
soils bu a e almos absen in sh ub und a
soils. A high axonomic le els (class o
bac e ia, di ision o ungi), hese com-
muni ies seem o be ela i ely s able ac oss
seasons. The pa icula species ound
wi hin hese la ge axonomic g oups, how-
e e , do appea o change om summe o
win e , especially he ungal species. Thus,
he o e lying ege a ion appea s o be he
p ima y con ol on he unc ional g oups
o o ganisms p esen , bu soil empe a u e
con ols which species wi hin hose g oups
a e ac ually dominan . These changes in
communi y composi ion may explain a
leas some o he seasonal shi in me abolic
pa e ns obse ed in hese mic obial
popula ions.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, con ac Josh
Schimel ([email p o ec ed]; 805-
893-7688).
F ozen A c ic Soils Ha bo Ha dy Mic obes
Shawna McMahon (le ) and Josh Schimel ( igh ) ake
a soil co e om ozen und a a Toolik Field S a ion
in No embe 2005 o e alua e mic obial communi y
composi ion and unc ion in win e ime soils. Pho o by
Colin Tucke .
20
A c ic Na u al Sciences P og am
Sea ice p o ides a habi a o many pola
o ganisms. A cold-adap ed commu-
ni y o mic oo ganisms and in e eb a es,
domina ed by sea ice algae, li es in he ice
i sel wi hin b ine- illed po es and chan-
nels. Ice algae p o ide a signi ican ac ion
o yea ly p ima y p oduc ion in pola seas,
and a laye o algae is o en isible nea he
bo om o sea ice co es collec ed du ing
sp ing ime. G ow h o ice algae begins in
ea ly sp ing, as soon as ligh is a ailable,
o en se e al mon hs be o e signi ican
p ima y p oduc ion in he wa e column.
Much o he biomass and o ganic ma e
p oduced by he algae accumula es wi hin
he ice du ing he sp ing and is expo ed o
he unde lying wa e when he ice mel s.
Many algae and bac e ia, including
hose in sea ice, elease ex acellula poly-
me ic subs ances (EPS), a complex mix o
o ganic mac omolecules, domina ed by
polysaccha ides bu also including lipids,
nucleic acids, and p o eins. EPS a e s icky
and o m an ex acellula ma ix ha can
bind mic obes oge he o o m ee- loa -
ing agg ega es o bio ilms on su aces. In
many en i onmen s, mic obes depend
on EPS o a ach o su aces; EPS a e also
known o al e he physical p ope ies o
sedimen s, ocks, aqui e s, and he heo-
logical p ope ies o luids. As e idence
accumula es ha EPS a e impo an in
mic obial physiology and aqua ic ecology,
he NSF A c ic Na u al Sciences (ANS)
P og am has unded h ee s udies o in es-
iga e EPS p oduc ion, unc ion, and a e
in a c ic sea ice. Recen esul s indica e
ha EPS a e ecologically signi ican in high
la i ude ma ine sys ems and essen ial o
ende ing sea ice habi able o algae.
Ch is ophe K embs and Dale
Weinb enne , bo h o he Uni e si y o
Washing on’s Applied Physics Labo a o y,
s udied he e olu ion o EPS in sea ice
nea Ba ow, Alaska. Co es o seasonal sea
ice we e collec ed om Decembe 2003
h ough June 2004 o measu e dissol ed
and pa icula e EPS concen a ions, using
se e al independen colo ime ic me hods,
and a iables such as salini y, chlo ophyll,
nu ien s, and dissol ed and pa icula e
o ganic ma e concen a ions. They ound
ha EPS accoun ed o 20−60% o he
o ganic ma e in sea ice. EPS we e p esen
in he ice as ea ly as Decembe , sugges ing
ha EPS o iginally in he wa e became
inco po a ed in o he ice du ing eezing,
a p ocess ha p obably con inued as he
ice laye hickened each yea . EPS con-
cen a ions wi hin he ice changed o e
he season in esponse o se e al p ocesses,
including in-si u p oduc ion by algae and
bac e ia and inco po a ion o sedimen
pa icles ca ying la ge quan i ies o EPS.
Mel ing snow also ans e ed a signi ican
amoun o EPS, p obably de i ed om sea
wa e ae osols, o he ice su ace.
In addi ion o comp ising a la ge ac-
ion o he o ganic ma e pool, he p es-
ence o EPS undamen ally a ec s he
s uc u e and physical p ope ies o sea ice.
The igu e shows he egula po e s uc-
u e o EPS- ee, sal -wa e ice g own in
he lab (le panel). By con as , po es a e
i egula and con olu ed in ice wi h EPS
( igh panel). EPS inco po a ion in o ice
appea s o inc ease sal e en ion, inc eas-
ing bulk salini y and su ace oughness
and dec easing ice s eng h. The complex,
i egula po e s uc u es illed wi h EPS
c ea e mic ohabi a s and p eda ion e uges
o algal and bac e ial cells and may also
p omo e ancho ing o cells o he ice.
When sea ice eezes, a la ge ac-
ion o he sal s a e excluded om he ice
c ys al s uc u e, p oducing high salini y,
dense b ine ha sinks and
o e u ns he unde -ice
bounda y laye . When
he ice mel s, i eleases
ela i ely low salini y, low
densi y wa e ha ends
o s a i y he uppe wa e
column. In ano he ANS-
sponso ed p ojec , K embs
is collabo a ing wi h
And ew Juhl o Lamon -Dohe y Ea h
Obse a o y o s udy he in e play among
ice physics, biomass expo , and hese
seasonal cycles o sal con en and expo .
By manipula ing snow dep h on he ice
su ace, hey changed he unde lying ligh
a ailabili y and consequen g ow h a e
o ice algae. Ini ial esul s indica e ha
highe algal g ow h esul ed in g ea e EPS
concen a ion wi hin he bo om po ion
o he ice, which, in u n, inc eased bulk
salini y o he ice. By e aining sal wi hin
he ice, EPS om ice mic oo ganisms may
acili a e a achmen o he ozen habi a
and in luence con ec i e exchange and e -
ical ci cula ion nea sea ice.
Wi h suppo om ANS, Michael
Lizo e o he Uni e si y o Wisconsin
Oshkosh is in es iga ing he e ec s o
nu ien s ess on EPS p oduc ion, in
collabo a ion wi h Michel Gosselin o
he Uni e si y o Quebec a Rimouski
and he Canadian A c ic Shel Exchange
S udy (CASES; see Wi ness Sp ing 2004).
Al hough ice algae exc e e a majo po -
ion o hei ca bon p oduc ion, i is no
known how much o he exc e ed ma e-
ial is EPS o ano he o ganic ma e ial.
Lizo e measu ed ca bon ixa ion by ice
algae du ing he sp ing bloom o 2004.
Ea ly in he bloom, nea ly all he pho o-
syn he ic p oduc s emained in cells. As
he bloom peaked, howe e , 25–60% o
pho osyn he ic p oduc ion was exc e ed
as EPS. This seasonal shi coincided wi h
dec eased pho osyn he ic e iciency, which
is o en seen in nu ien limi ed sys ems.
Adding ni ogen o he algae in lab expe i-
men s imp o ed pho osyn he ic a es,
e iciency, and cell g ow h, bu did no
dec ease he ac ion o ca bon exc e ed as
EPS. Con i ming ha exc e ed pho osyn-
he ic p oduc s a e mos ly EPS is impo -
an o unde s anding ca bon low in a c-
ic ood webs, as EPS associa ed wi h cells
a e consumed by di e en o ganisms han
consume dissol ed o ganic ma e ial.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see: h p://psc.
apl.washing on.edu/CK embs/home.h ml,
o con ac Ch is ophe K embs (ck embs@
apl.washing on.edu), And ew Juhl
([email p o ec ed]), o Michael
Lizo e ([email p o ec ed]).
Le . Mic oscopic pho og aph depic ing b ine po es o labo a o y g own EPS- ee
sea ice. Righ . Ice g own in he p esence o dia om EPS illus a ing he e ec on
physical p ope ies o ice. Pho os cou esy C. K embs.
Abundan Mic obial Polyme s A ec Sea Ice S uc u e
21
A c ic Social Sciences P og am
S udy Explo es Ce amic P oduc ion in Coas al Alaska
Al hough a chaeologis s seldom hink
o he Alaskan A c ic when s udying
p ehis o ic po e y, Na i e people in his
egion p oduced clay cooking essels o
some 2,500 yea s, wi h p oduc ion ceasing
in he la e 19 h cen u y.
The p esence o clay cooking po s in
Alaska is su p ising o se e al easons.
Fi s , wi h ew excep ions,
p eindus ial ce amic
p oduc ion was limi ed o
a eas o he wo ld wi h a
wa m and d y clima e o
a leas pa o he yea , due
o he di icul y o making
po e y in cool and we
condi ions. Second, c oss-
cul u al da a indica e ha
he use o ce amic cooking
po s is ypically associa ed
wi h ag icul u al socie ies,
p esumably because o he
leng hy cooking p ocess
needed o ende s a chy
seeds diges ible. Finally, he
shape and ex u es o Alas-
kan cooking po s ( la -
bo omed, open-mou hed,
and hick-walled; see ig-
u e) a e puzzling because
hese cha ac e is ics seem-
ingly would ha e been
poo ly sui ed o mos cooking ac i i ies.
Expe imen al esea ch has shown ha es-
sels wi h hese a ibu es a e slow o hea
and highly suscep ible o c acking du ing
he hea ing and cooling p ocess.
Wi h unding om he NSF A c ic
Social Sciences P og am, Lisa F ink and
Ka en Ha y, bo h o he Uni e si y o
Ne ada, Las Vegas, a e in es iga ing his-
o ic ce amic cooking essels om he
Thule pe iod (beginning in a.d. 1000)
using a chi al, e hnog aphic, and o al his-
o y sou ces and expe imen al esea ch.
Al hough whole cooking essels a e a e
in museum and a chaeological collec ions,
hey we e able o documen wo such
a i ac s om he Nelson Island egion in
wes e n Alaska, which a e now housed a
he Uni e si y o Alaska Museum o he
No h in Fai banks. The esul s o his
e o con i med he speci ic cha ac e is ics
o he a c ic cooking essels. The essels
a e e y small compa ed o mos ce amic
cooking po s used h oughou he wo ld,
capable o holding only abou a pin o
wo o con en s. E hnog aphic and o al
his o y da a we e used o gain insigh in o
he easons behind he po s’ size and shape.
The ield po ion o he p ojec was
ca ied ou in summe 2005 in he illage
o Tununak on Nelson Island and consis ed
o in e iews wi h elde s and he expe i-
men al eplica ion o po e y using adi-
ional echniques and ma e ials. Tununak is
his o ically known o ha e been a p ima y
sou ce o he clay, o qiku , used o p o-
duce po e y along he Yukon-Kuskokwim
del a coas . Al hough none o he Tununak
elde s had e e wi nessed a clay cook-
ing po being used and e y ew o hem
emembe ed e e seeing one p oduced,
hey none heless had impo an knowledge
abou he p ope ies o island clays and
adi ional cooking echniques ha had
been used. Addi ionally, many we e amil-
ia wi h how he cooking po s had been
p oduced because o in o ma ion ha had
been passed down h ough he gene a ions.
Fo example, se e al elde s epo ed ha
A ce amic cook po om Nelson Island, which is loca ed in wes e n Alaska, nex o a s anda d co ee
cup. The po is 18.5 cm all by 16.5 cm in diame e a he im. The walls a e 5–6 cm hick. This po is
housed a he Uni e si y o Alaska Museum o he No h in Fai banks. Pho o cou esy o Lisa F ink.
a e being shaped, he po s would ha e
been coa ed wi h seal blood and slowly
d ied by an open i e.
A e collec ing locally a ailable clays
epo ed o ha e been used in ce amic
p oduc ion, he eam, along wi h expe
hand-mold po e s Clin Swink and Co y
Dange ield, a emp ed o make cooking
po s using he adi ional
echniques. The esul s
sugges ha al hough he
shape and size o he essels
ini ially migh seem poo ly
sui ed o cooking ac i i ies,
hey did in ac wo k well
using indigenous cook-
ing me hods. T adi ional
cooking echniques did no
equi e a leng hy cooking
p ocess. Ins ead, mea s we e
pa boiled o ligh ly hea ed
using a ondue-like ech-
nique. Gi en his cooking
echnique, he small size
and open mou h o he po
would ha e been ad an a-
geous since i equi ed less
uel o hea and allowed he
cook o easily mo e ood
in o and ou o he po .
Addi ionally, hey ound
ha he shape and o he
echnical a ibu es o he po we e neces-
si a ed by he challenges o making po s
unde cool and humid condi ions. Po s
ha ing o he shapes and ex u es p o ed
oo di icul o p oduce in he cool and we
condi ions o coas al Alaska.
Con olled labo a o y expe imen s a e
cu en ly unde way o u he e alua e he
unc ional cha ac e is ics o Alaskan po -
e y and o in es iga e wha pe o mance
cha ac e is ics, i any, migh ha e been
enhanced by he use o adi ional ech-
niques such as he addi ion o seal blood.
A p esen a ion o he p ojec indings was
gi en o he illage in Decembe 2005, and
u u e ou each ac i i ies a e planned upon
comple ion o he p ojec .
Fo mo e in o ma ion, con ac Lisa
F ink (lisa. ink@unl .edu; 702-895-1114)
o Ka en Ha y (ka en.ha y@unl .edu
702-895-2534).

22
A c ic Social Sciences P og am
As Scandina ian (No se) coloniza ion
mo ed wes wa d om app oxima ely
a.d. 800–1000, no he n Eu opean eco-
nomic sys ems and domes ic mammals
we e in oduced o islands in he No h
A lan ic, speci ically he Fa oe Islands,
Iceland, and G eenland. In each place, he
ou come o he e olu iona y in e ac ions
be ween colonize s and hei en i onmen s
p o ed adically di e en . These h ee
con as ing island cases p o ide lessons o
mode n landscape managemen and illumi-
na e he his o y o se lemen in he egion.
As pa o a p ojec unded by he NSF
A c ic Social Sciences P og am, Thomas
McGo e n o he No h A lan ic Bio-
cul u al O ganiza ion (NABO) and Ci y
Uni e si y o New Yo k wo ked wi h an
in e na ional eam o esea che s, also o
NABO, o comple e exca a ion and su ey
wo k on ancien Scandina ian si es in each
o hese a c ic islands. The eam is in es-
iga ing he ecological impac s o human
se lemen in hese a eas o p o ide a be -
e unde s anding o how pas social and
ecological ac o s ha e shaped he cu en
landscape. Wi h logis ical suppo om
VECO Pola Resou ces (VPR; see page 5),
he p ojec has applied a mul idisciplina y
app oach combining zooa chaeology,
a chaeobo any, geoa chaeology, ex ensi e
modeling, and close coope a ion wi h
local communi ies o elucida e he easons
behind land use choices and hei o en
unin ended consequences.
Ea ly in hei coloniza ion o he
Fa oes, he No se achie ed a sus ainable
balance be ween ading economy, pas-
u e p oduc i i y, and clima e a iabili y
ha has been e ec i ely main ained o
he p esen . E idence o hea y use o wild
esou ces, especially pu ins and o he sea
bi ds, ex ends h oughou he eco d o
occupa ion, indica ing educed li es ock
g azing p essu e on he landscape and suc-
cess ul communi y managemen .
In Iceland, humans caused massi e
en i onmen al impac —o e 90% o he
o es co e and 40% o he soils p esen
a he ime o i s se lemen (a ound a.d.
871) ha e been los . NABO esea ch, how-
e e , has unco e ed e idence o success ul
long- e m wa e owl conse a ion a ound
Lake Mý a n, a shallow lake loca ed in
no he n Iceland. Today, Mý a n is a bio-
logical wo ld he i age si e whe e la ge num-
be s o mig a o y wa e owl come om
bo h Eu ope and No h Ame ica o nes
a ound he lake. The eam used his o ical
and e hnog aphic accoun s ex ending back
app oxima ely 150 yea s o show ha local
a me s sus ainably ha es ed up o 40,000
wa e owl eggs pe yea , wi h clea ules o
aking only a ew eggs pe nes and spa ing
adul bi ds.
Six a chaeological si es in he Mý a n
a ea, da ing back o he 9 h cen u y se le-
men , indica e ha hese p ac ices began
ea ly on. Exca a ions e ealed hea y con-
cen a ions o egg shells om ducks, p a -
migan, and some sea bi ds. Few bi d bones
we e eco e ed om hese ea ly Viking age
deposi s, and hose ha we e exca a ed a e
nea ly all p a migan a he han mig a-
o y wa e owl. Al hough se lemen o he
inland Mý a n dis ic e en ually igge ed
la ge scale soil e osion, he sus ainable
communi y le el managemen o his ich
bu agile na u al esou ce now can be
shown o ex end back o e 1,200 yea s.
The esea ch eam also disco e ed
subs an ial quan i ies o ish bone a he
Mý a n basin si es, which a e loca ed 50–
70 km inland om he A c ic Ocean. The
ish, wi hou heads and uppe e eb ae,
included a mix o haddock, cod, sai he,
and ling. The p esence o p ocessed, p e-
se ed ma ine ish loca ed a inland hin s
a a wide economic ne wo k connec ing
mul iple egions in Iceland om he ea li-
es days o he Viking se lemen onwa ds,
p eda ing he ea lies inland dis ibu ion o
d ied ish in B i ain by o e a cen u y. This
e idence o 9 h and 10 h cen u y economic
in eg a ion o coas al and a inland si es
sugges s a la ge scale communi y mig a-
ion han p e iously hough .
Despi e ea ly success in es ablishing
a mixed hun ing and a ming economy
in G eenland, he No se se lemen s
we e mys e iously abandoned by 1450.
Since 2005, NABO has wo ked collab-
o a i ely wi h G eenland Museum and
A chi es (NKA), local museums a Na -
saq and Qaqo oq, and he Danish SILA
A c ic Cen e o sponso a chaeological
exca a ions and su eys. Two seasons o
exca a ion in 2005–2006 cen e ed on
s a i ied midden ( e use) deposi s ou side
a chie ain’s a m a B a ahlið, which
emained a e a 1932 exca a ion o he
s uc u es (see pho o). In 2006, NABO
wo ked closely wi h NKA and VPR in a
escue exca a ion o a si e loca ed inland
om B a ahlið, which was scheduled o
be looded due o hyd oelec ic dam con-
s uc ion. The success ul escue wo k docu-
men ed a Viking-age long hall benea h
he uin. McGo e n and he eam a e s ill
analyzing he indings, bu ea ly esul s
indica e ex ensi e wal us hun ing and i o y
p ocessing a B a ahlið, as well as con-
sump ion o ca le and ca ibou.
The eme ging s o y o long- e m
human esou ce managemen in hese
islands is p o ing unexpec edly ich, wi h
a complex dynamic mix o sus ainable and
e en ually unsus ainable human economic
s a egies se agains luc ua ing clima e.
Fu he desc ip ion o his wo k can be
ound in ecen issues o he jou nal En i-
onmen al A chaeology and in he Ma ch
2007 issue o Ame ican An h opologis .
Fo mo e in o ma ion, con ac Thomas
McGo e n (nabo@ oicene .com;
212-772-5410).
P ojec Unco e s His o y o No se Se lemen
A No h A lan ic Biocul u al O ganiza ion esea ch eam
exca a es a si e a B a ahlið, an ancien No se se lemen
in sou he n G eenland. App oxima ely 250 esiden s li e in
he mode n day communi y o Qassia suk, which is loca ed
igh beside his si e. Pho o cou esy o Thomas McGo e n.
23
Science News
Scien is s and Educa o s Find Uses o Vi ual Globes
Online, in e ac i e 3D models o he
Ea h, o i ual globes (VGs), con-
inue o eme ge as use ul ools o bo h
esea che s and educa o s. VGs enable
use s o mo e eely, o “ ly,” o e a digi al
ep esen a ion o he plane . Models may
include mul iple iews o ea u es such
as opog aphy, a mosphe ic laye s, ocean
ba hyme y, and man-made s uc u es, as
well as isual ep esen a ions o pa ame e s
such as biological di e si y and popula ion
densi y. Scien is s may also o e lay he e -
ain wi h ield da a and links o ex e nal
websi es.
F om a use ’s pe spec i e, no single VG
o se o digi al mapping ools is sui able
o e e y po en ial applica ion. P og ams
such as Wo ld Wind, Ea hSLOT, A cGIS
Explo e , and Google Ea h a e each sui -
able o mul iple unc ions, and which one
a scien is o educa o uses depends on
exac ly wha hey wan o accomplish.
De eloped by NASA, Wo ld Wind
employs sa elli e image y and U.S. Geo-
logical Su ey ae ial pho og aphy o o m
3D models o he Ea h, Moon, Ma s,
and o he bodies in he sola sys em.
Ea hSLOT is an NSF- unded VG ha
ocuses on he A c ic and includes Digi al
Ele a ion Models and science applica ions
no eadily a ailable elsewhe e. A cGIS
Explo e allows display, analysis, and
in eg a ion o da a in 2D and 3D iews.
Google Ea h, a popula VG applica ion
c edi ed wi h spu ing public in e es in
VGs, combines sa elli e image y, maps,
ae ial pho og aphy, and i s own sea ch
engine o c ea e 3D models ha can be
sea ched o add esses o d i ing di ec-
ions. P o ide s o so wa e enabling use s
o c ea e cus om VGs include Skyline,
ESRI, and GeoFusion.
The Fi s Annual Vi ual Globes Scien-
i ic Use s mee ing was held in July 2006
as a i s s ep owa d es ablishing a ne wo k
o use s o discuss and p omo e VG ech-
nology in suppo o Ea h sciences. O e
70 scien is s, educa o s, p og amme s, da a
a chi al expe s, and o he s assembled in
Boulde , Colo ado, o assess he p esen
s a e o VGs and ocus on u u e de elop-
men and po en ial applica ions. O ga-
nized by Ma Nolan o he Uni e si y o
Alaska Fai banks, he mee ing was spon-
so ed by he A c ic Region Supe compu -
ing Cen e and he Na ional Snow and Ice
Da a Cen e (NSIDC).
Resea ch uses o VGs o en in ol e in e-
g a ing a VG in e ace wi h open-sou ce
ools and p ojec -speci ic da a o achie e
cus om isual ep esen a ions. The Alaska
Volcano Obse a o y (AVO), o example,
adds he mal sa elli e image o e lays o a
Google Ea h model o in eg a i e, eal-
ime olcano moni o ing capabili y. AVO
in es iga o s can use his VG o look o
p e-e up ion inc eases in g ound empe a-
u e and c ea e haza d scena io models wi h
3D anima ion o p obable ash plumes and
allou loca ions.
VGs a e also a use - iendly ool o dis-
ibu ing da a. Da a se s can be a chi ed as
Keyhole Ma kup Language iles, he eme g-
ing s anda d, and downloaded and opened
using mos VG applica ions. Da a may also
be embedded di ec ly wi hin he 3D map
window ia links co esponding o he geo-
g aphic loca ions whe e he da a we e col-
lec ed. Fo example, NSIDC a chi es on i s
websi e a numbe o c yosphe ic da a se s
ela ed o glacie s, pe ma os , snow, and
ice ha can be iewed using Google Ea h.
Ea hSLOT simila ly ea u es 3D isualiza-
ions o glacie s and esea ch s a ions wi h
links o co esponding da a (see Wi ness
Win e 2004/2005).
As ools o educa ional ou each, VGs
appea o ha e g ea po en ial o use in
se e al se ings (see box). “Windows on
Ea h,” an NSF- unded museum exhibi
o be ins alled a he Smi hsonian Na ional
Ai and Space Museum and o he loca ions
in he U.S., simula es he expe ience o an
as onau iewing he Ea h h ough a win-
dow on he In e na ional Space S a ion.
The Second Annual Vi ual Globes
Scien i ic Use s Con e ence will be held as
pa o he 5 h In e na ional Symposium on
Digi al Ea h (www.isde5.o g) in San F an-
cisco in June 2007.
Fo mo e in o ma ion on use o VGs in
a c ic applica ions, see: www.ea hslo .o g,
o con ac Ma Nolan (ma .nolan@ua .
edu; 907-474-2467).
Middle School S uden s “Fly” o he A c ic
The isual and in e ac i e na u e o VGs makes hem ideal ools o educa ional
ou each, pa icula ly in helping s uden s comp ehend o he wise complex scien i ic
p ocesses. One hund ed and eigh y middle school s uden s om Boulde , Colo ado,
expe ienced his i s hand a he Ins i u e o A c ic and Alpine Resea ch (INSTAAR)
when William Manley, a ellow o he ins i u e, ook hem on a i ual ou o he A c ic
o lea n abou clima e change.
The s uden s “ lew” in o he No h Ame ican A c ic whe e a se ies o geog aphic
placema ks con eyed key indings om he 2004 A c ic Clima e Impac Assessmen (see
Wi ness Win e 2004/05). An embedded link a each placema k opened a cus om web
page wi h g aphics, pho og aphs, and concise ake-home messages. The b oad ange o
opics included educed sea ice, mel ing glacie s, coas al e osion, and changes in animal
and plan popula ions, among o he s.
The ou ended by zooming om he A c ic all he way o he s uden s’ middle
school, es ablishing o hem a di ec connec ion be ween hei home and he No h.
Manley no ed how he geog aphic s uc u e o he lesson enabled a smoo h isual ansi-
ion be ween in e ela ed opics and ha he in o ma ion became mos ele an when
he s uden s lew o a locale hey knew pe sonally.
The ou was pa o he 2006 INSTAAR Open House, an annual e en held each
sp ing wi h NSIDC o highligh Ea h and en i onmen al esea ch h ough lab ou s
and ac i i ies o K–12 s uden s. VG demons a ions ha e become a egula ea u e o
he open houses, and hei popula i y illus a es he po en ial o VGs in he class oom.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, con ac William Manley ([email p o ec ed]; 303-
735-1300).
24
Educa ion News
NSF Funds Nine IPY Educa ion P ojec s
In esponse o he educa ion heme
wi hin he join O ice o Pola P og ams
and Educa ion and Human Resou ces
solici a ion o he In e na ional Pola Yea
eleased in Janua y 2006, NSF ecei ed
64 p oposals eques ing o e $50 million.
In Sep embe , NSF unded nine p ojec s
o aling $5.8 million in wo ca ego ies:
• in o mal science educa ion, and
• o mal science educa ion o unde -
g adua e o g adua e s uden s o K–12
eache s and s uden s.
In o mal Science Educa ion Awa ds
POLAR-PALOOZA. $1,250,001.
G. Haines-S iles, Geo Haines-S iles
P oduc ions. This wo-yea p ojec , which
is join ly unded by NASA, will suppo
pola scien is s, Alaska Na i es, and o he
expe s and a is s o sha e hei “s o ies
om a changing plane ” a mo e han 25
science cen e s, museums, and lib a ies,
and la ge numbe s o schools ac oss No h
Ame ica. High de ini ion ideo oo age
om he A c ic and An a c ic, audio and
ideo podcas s, and educa ion and ou -
each ac i i ies o a ge ed audiences will
be a ailable online o augmen he li e p e-
sen a ions. See he ini ial websi e a : h p://
passpo oknowledge.com/pola -palooza.
Engaging An a c ica. $1,168,014.
J. Fa ell, Uni e si y o Neb aska-Lincoln.
This h ee-yea p ojec will p oduce a one-
hou Public B oadcas ing Se ice ele ision
documen a y o ai on NOVA in all 2008.
Focusing on ice shee dynamics in An a c-
ica and ea u ing he An a c ic Geologi-
cal D illing and Wes An a c ic Ice Shee
p ojec s, he documen a y will be supple-
men ed by geoscience ou each ma e i-
als accessible ia he In e ne , including
images, ideo and audio iles o scien is s’
s o ies, and inqui y-based ac i i ies.
Li e om he Poles: A Mul imedia
Educa ional Expe ience. $483,955.
C. Linde , Woods Hole Oceanog aphic
Ins i u ion. $97,202. P. Fon aine, Museum
o Science Bos on. This wo-yea collabo a-
i e p ojec will b ing esea che s, science
cen e s, and b oadcas media epo e s
oge he o con ey he s o y o ou pola
esea ch expedi ions o public and class-
oom audiences. Daily webcas s will be
sense o his o y and pu pose, inc eased
unde s anding o each o he s’ wo k, and
insigh in o con eying he essence o pola
egions and esea ch beyond academia. The
e en will also p omo e connec ions among
esea che s du ing IPY and in he u u e.
See: h p://cca .colo ado.edu/ngp .
Adap ing SENCER o he A c ic:
Imp o ing Pola Science Educa ion as a
Legacy. $72,354. L. Du y, Uni e si y o
Alaska Fai banks (UAF). Fo his p ojec ,
UAF will de elop an unde g adua e cou se
en i led En i onmen al Radioac i i y,
S ewa dship, and People in he No h.
The cou se s uc u e will be based on he
Science Educa ion o New Ci ic Engage-
men s and Responsibili ies (SENCER)
model. I will each he science o adio-
ac i i y and i s e ec s on he people and
cul u es o Alaska and inc ease communi y
engagemen h ough se ice p ojec s. The
cou se is being o e ed o he i s ime in
sp ing 2007 and is designed o be ele an
and engaging o Alaska Na i e s uden s.
Pola TREC–Teache s and Resea ch-
e s Explo ing and Collabo a ing.
$372,962. (con inuing g an ) W. Wa nick,
A c ic Resea ch Conso ium o he U.S.
See page 25.
Teache s Domain: Pola Sciences.
$199,893. T. Sicke , WGBH Educa ional
Founda ion. This p ojec will de elop a
p o o ype digi al lib a y collec ion o pola
ideo segmen s, in e ac i e ac i i ies, and
o he mul imedia esou ces om WGBH
a chi es and IPY p ojec s, which will be
accompanied by lesson plans and s uden
ac i i ies ha in eg a e hese esou ces and
add ess cu icula needs a middle- and
high-school g ade le els. This ini ia i e
builds upon and expands he powe , scope,
and use base o WGBH Teache s’ Domain
(www. eache sdomain.o g), a po al p o-
iding mul imedia esou ces o he class-
oom and p o essional de elopmen .
NSF eleased a second IPY solici a-
ion in Decembe 2006. Educa ion and
ou each was an emphasis a ea wi hin he
announcemen , and ull p oposals we e due
16 Ma ch 2007.
Mo e IPY in o ma ion o he educa-
ion and esea ch communi ies is a ailable
a : www.ns .go /od/opp/ipy/ipyin o.jsp.
pos ed on an expedi ion websi e modeled
a e he success ul Di e and Disco e web-
si e o Woods Hole Oceanog aphic Ins i u-
ion, and audiences a museums, science
cen e s, adio and ele ision s a ions, and
s uden epo e s w i ing o Scholas ic
Online will pa icipa e in se e al scheduled
eal- ime phone calls om he ield.
Pole o Pole. $579,087. M. Rankin,
Soundp in Media Cen e , Inc. This wo-
yea p ojec will include adio documen-
a ies and sho adio ea u es on opics
ele an o IPY b oadcas by public and
sa elli e adio s a ions in he U.S., B i -
ish B oadcas ing Co po a ion, Aus alian
B oadcas ing Co po a ion, Deu sche-
Welle, and Radio New Zealand. A clea -
inghouse o he adio p og ams, in e iews,
and sounds will be a ailable online o use
by public and p o essional audiences.
Fo mal Science Educa ion Awa ds
IPY-ROAM: In e na ional Pola Yea
Resea ch and Educa ion Oppo uni ies
in An a c ica o Mino i ies. $452,108.
C. Tweedie, Uni e si y o Texas a El Paso.
This wo-yea p ojec will suppo mino -
i y s uden s and educa o s o pa icipa e in
an An a c ic ield class ocused on sys em
science. Fi een unde g adua es, i e g adu-
a e s uden s, and i e high-school science
eache s will comple e an online lec u e
se ies and a el o he An a c ic Peninsula
o lea n abou explo a ion and his o y, pas
and ongoing esea ch, policy and ou ism,
and o conduc hands-on esea ch. Li e
ideo eeds will con ey he ield expe ience
o adio and class oom audiences.
Fos e ing Collabo a i e In e disci-
plina y Rela ionships Among he New
Gene a ion o Pola Resea che s Pa ici-
pa ing in he IPY. $190,311. S. Weile ,
Whi man College. $35,429. S. D obo ,
Uni e si y o Colo ado a Boulde . This
2.5-yea collabo a i e p ojec will b ing
oge he pas , cu en , and new pola in es-
iga o s om di e se na u al and social
science disciplines o a symposium o cul-
i a e c oss-disciplina y in e ac ions du ing
IPY. The Nex Gene a ion Pola Resea ch
Symposium, o be held on 4–11 May
2008 in Colo ado Sp ings, Colo ado, will
p o ide new esea che s wi h a common
25
Educa ion News
Teache s will “TREC” o Bo h Poles du ing IPY
Agencies Collabo a e on IPY Educa ion
NSF is con ibu ing o an in e agency e o wi h he Na ional Oceanic and A mo-
sphe ic Adminis a ion (NOAA) and he Na ional Ae onau ics and Space Admin-
is a ion (NASA) o o ganize symposia ocused on IPY science a wo Na ional
Science Teache s Associa ion (NSTA) mee ings.
Wi h o e 55,000 membe s, NSTA is he la ges and oldes na ional o ga-
niza ion o K–12 science eache s. Each yea , NSTA holds a na ional mee ing
wi h o e 30,000 pa icipan s, as well as egional mee ings o e ing in o ma ion
on science con en , eaching s a egies, and esea ch. These mee ings p esen
ideal oppo uni ies o in ol e educa o s in IPY science and p o ide hem wi h
esou ces o le e age in e es in pola egions while eaching science con en
aligned wi h na ional s anda ds.
Th ee IPY symposia we e included in he NSTA 2007 na ional mee ing held
in S . Louis, Missou i on 28 Ma ch–1 Ap il, ocusing on one o h ee hemes:
ice, li e, and wa e and ai . NSTA s a and esea che s suppo ed by NSF,
NASA, and NOAA de eloped con en o he symposia by ying cu en pola
esea ch app oaches and esul s o ele an na ional science eaching s anda ds. All NSTA
symposia include ollow-on web semina s and discussion lis se es o allow pa icipan s o
e isi hei expe ience and sha e ideas wi h o he s.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see: www.ns a.o g/con e ences.
Pola TREC—Teache s and Resea ch-
e s Explo ing and Collabo a ing—is a
eache esea ch expe ience p ojec , unded
by an NSF In e na ional Pola Yea (IPY)
educa ion awa d (see page 24), in which
K–12 eache s pa icipa e in ield esea ch
in he A c ic and An a c ic, as a pa hway o
imp o ing science educa ion. O e he nex
h ee yea s, Pola TREC will enable 36 U.S.
eache s o spend wo o six weeks wo king
closely wi h esea che s and communica -
ing ex ensi ely wi h hei colleagues, com-
muni ies, and s uden s o all ages a ound
he globe. The pola egions na u ally
engage class oom and public audiences;
IPY p esen s an oppo uni y o scien is s
and eache s o sha e hei esea ch expe i-
ences in hese unique en i onmen s.
Du ing he i s Pola TREC expedi ion
in Decembe 2006, eache s U e Kaden
and Allan Mille spen 17 days aboa d he
Swedish iceb eake Oden, wo king wi h
scien is s om Sweden, Chile, and he U.S.
collec ing da a a ound An a c ica. Expedi-
ion ac i i ies included moni o ing wildli e;
mapping he chemical, he mal, and ba hy-
me ic p ope ies o he ocean; and measu -
ing he abundance o plank on. Kaden,
Mille , and o he membe s o he expedi-
ion eam pa icipa ed in wo li e calls om
he ship eaching nea ly 330 s uden s and
educa o s. In Ap il 2007, eache Robe
Ha is wo ked wi h Ca hleen Geige and
colleagues on he Sea-ice Expe imen :
Dynamic Na u e o he A c ic (SEDNA)
p ojec a an ice camp in he Beau o Sea.
Th ee science educa ion p og ams joined
he i s Be ing Ecosys em S udy (BEST;
see page 13) c uise in Ap il: eache Maggie
P e enas (suppo ed by Pola TREC and
he Na ional Oceanic and A mosphe ic
Adminis a ion [NOAA] Teache s a Sea
p og am), g adua e s uden Emily Da -
enpo (suppo ed by he NSF GK–12
p og am [see Wi ness Au umn 2001]), and
museum educa o Robyn S aup (suppo ed
by Pola TREC) a e collabo a ing and sha -
ing Pola TREC esou ces o communica e
hei expe iences aboa d he USGCG Healy
in he eas e n Be ing Sea.
Deploymen o o he Pola TREC
expedi ions is cu en ly unde way wi h a
o al o 15 eache s accompanying esea ch-
e s in o he ield du ing he 2007 a c ic
and 2007/2008 An a c ic ield seasons. A
o al o 155 eache s applied o he i s
yea o he p og am; selec ed eache s pa -
icipa ed in a p og am o ien a ion, includ-
ing sa e y and communica ions aining, in
Ma ch 2007.
Pola TREC builds and expands on he
TREC p og am (Teache s and Resea che s
Explo ing and Collabo a ing in he A c ic),
which comple ed i s hi d and inal yea in
2006. Since i s incep ion in 2004, TREC
engaged 26 eache s in unique lea ning
expe iences, sending hem o a c ic ield
loca ions as in eg al membe s o scien i ic
esea ch eams and ini ia ing sus ained
eache - esea che collabo a ions (see Wi -
ness Win e 2004/2005). TREC eache s
used sa elli e phones, online jou nals,
pho og aphs, podcas s, and in e ac i e
“li e om he ield” e en s o elay hei
expe iences in emo e ield loca ions o
class oom and public audiences. Du ing
he li e p esen a ions eache - esea che
eams connec ed wi h o e 800 s uden s
and 700 eache s and adminis a o s ac oss
he na ion, inc easing s uden and public
in e es and engagemen in a c ic science.
Al hough he expedi ion phase o TREC
has ended, eache s con inue o sha e wha
hey ha e lea ned h ough cu iculum
de elopmen and pee men o ing. Mo e
in o ma ion abou TREC is a ailable a
www.a cus.o g/TREC.
Pola TREC is adminis e ed by ARCUS
wi h logis ical suppo om a c ic and An -
a c ic logis ics p o ide s. Fo mo e in o -
ma ion, see: www.pola ec.com, o con ac
Ka ie B een o Jane Wa bu on a ARCUS
([email p o ec ed], [email p o ec ed],
907-474-1600).
S uden s pa icipa ing in a clima e change esea ch
p ojec h ough he NSF Resea ch Expe iences o Unde -
g adua es p og am ga he o iew a yea ’s wo h o da a
downloaded om a wea he s a ion nea Lake Linne
in S alba d, No way. The pho o was aken by Robe
Oddo, a high school science eache om New Yo k, who
pa icipa ed in he p ojec h ough he TREC P og am.