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 P og am Sp ing 2004, Volume 11 Numbe 1
ARCTIC
In e na ional Mee ing Explo es Change in he A c ic
Resea che s om a ound he wo ld
p esen ed and discussed e idence o
apid en i onmen al change in he A c ic
a he fi s S udy o En i onmen al A c ic
Change (SEARCH) Open Science Mee -
ing (OSM), held 27–30 Oc obe 2003
in Sea le, Washing on. O e 440 social
and na u al scien is s, policy make s, and
s akeholde s om 18 coun ies explo ed
he basic p emise o SEARCH— ha a
complex o in e ela ed changes is occu -
ing ac oss a c ic e es ial, oceanic,
a mosphe ic, and human sys ems.
SEARCH is an in e agency e o o
unde s and he causes, connec ions, and
consequences o ecen a c ic en i onmen-
al changes, emphasizing hei in e ac ions
wi h global clima e change and po en-
ial impac s on he biosphe e, including
human social and economic well-being.
Cu en ly mo e han 40 p ojec s a e
unded as SEARCH ac i i ies by U.S.
agencies. Many mo e p ojec s ele an o
SEARCH objec i es a e suppo ed h ough
o he p og ams. SEARCH is de eloping
coope a i e ela ionships wi h many o he
pe inen a c ic science p og ams spon-
so ed by o he na ions and in e na ional
g oups (see In e na ional Plans, page 3).
The SEARCH Open Science Mee ing’s
goals we e o encou age scien is s om a
ange o disciplines o
• sha e e idence o en i onmen al change
in he A c ic,
• iden i y esul s om indi idual esea ch
p ojec s ha could in o m he o e all
SEARCH objec i es, and
• con ibu e o he SEARCH p og am
ei he h ough linking hei ongoing
wo k o his p og am o h ough he
design o new p ojec s.
The Na ional Science Founda ion
O fice o Pola P og ams (NSF-OPP)
sponso ed he OSM, wi h addi ional sup-
po om he In e na ional A c ic Science
Commi ee (IASC) and he U.S. agencies
in he SEARCH In e agency Wo king
G oup (IWG; see box page 2).
All o he OSM sessions we e en iched
by he aluable pa icipa ion o unde -
g adua e and g adua e s uden s. A s uden
schola ship p og am, sponso ed by OPP,
NASA, he Depa men o Ene gy A mo-
sphe ic Radia ion Measu emen P og am,
he Alaska Na i e Science Commission,
and ARCUS, p o ided ull o pa ial und-
ing o con e ence expenses o 45 s uden s,
and a s uden pos e compe i ion awa ded
winne s sponso ship o a end a u u e
scien ific con e ence. The con ibu ions o
hese young in es iga o s we e c i ical o he
success o he SEARCH OSM. con inued on nex page
P esen a ions and Discussions
O ganized a ound he b oad hemes o
Changes and Impac s, Feedbacks, and
D i e s and Causes, he OSM included
o e 280 o al and pos e p esen a ions.
Wi h inpu om a di e se in e na ional
and in e disciplina y communi y, he
mee ing’s agenda included a a ie y o ses-
sions, including
• keyno e alks,
• concu en science sessions wi h
con ibu ed pape s,
• panel discussions, and
• pos e sessions.
Keyno e alks, including a poin –coun e -
poin session, p o ided a b oad o e iew
o he scien ific and policy issues o a c ic
change. Two mode a ed panel discussions
p o ided oppo uni ies o examine key
Da a collec ed du ing se e al c uises in 1993–95 sugges ed ha in he la e 1980s, wa m A lan ic wa e mo ed apidly
in o he A c ic Ocean ( igh panel), a majo change compa ed wi h i s p e ious dis ibu ion (le panel). These obse a-
ions we e so s a ling and had such po en ially impo an amifica ions ha hey p omp ed membe s o he scien ific
communi y o begin o ganizing he S udy o En i onmen al A c ic Change (SEARCH; see box page 2). The model
illus a ed depic s he change in dis ibu ion o A lan ic wa e a 280–360 m below sea le el. (Maslowski e al. 2000.
Geophysical Resea ch Le e s 27 (22): 3743)
2
The S udy o En i onmen al A c ic Change Open Science Mee ing
ques ions, o eflec on p e ious sessions,
and o discuss issues such as he na u e o
in e disciplina y esea ch, local and indig-
enous knowledge, and media communica-
ion and public pe cep ion o science.
Eigh pa allel science sessions included
o e 75 con ibu ed pape s co e ing a la ge
ange o opics. Two pos e sessions ea u -
ing nea ly 200 pos e s o e ed in o mal
oppo uni ies o pa icipan s o sha e
esul s and ideas on all aspec s o en i on-
men al a c ic change; opics included he
documen a ion o obse ed changes, el-
e ance o changes o a c ic ecosys ems and
communi ies, la ge global implica ions,
and analy ical issues such as echniques in
da a analysis and modeling.
Open Science Mee ing pa icipan s
epo ed on a a ie y o in es iga ions,
including di ec obse a ions, p oxy
eco ds, modeling s udies, and communi y
p ojec s. Many o hese s udies p o ided
e idence o widesp ead and po en ially
in e ela ed changes in a numbe o aspec s
o he a c ic en i onmen , including:
• lowe sea-le el a mosphe ic p essu e,
• inc eased su ace ai empe a u es,
• inc eased soil empe a u es,
• hawing pe ma os ,
• nega i e glacie mass balance,
• g ow h esponses in ege a ion,
• shi s in species composi ion o a c ic
and suba c ic ecosys ems,
• dec ease in sea ice, and
• changing pa e ns in communi y
subsis ence ac i i ies.
P esen a ions on clima e modeling and
paleoclima e s udies examined pa e ns o
a iabili y o clima e and en i onmen al
change. In es iga ions o spa ial and em-
po al a iabili y p o ided insigh in o he
ela i e con ibu ions o bo h na u al and
an h opogenic d i e s o a c ic en i on-
men al change.
Se e al sessions ocused on eedbacks
—bo h wi hin he A c ic and o he global
sys em—as c i ical componen s in he
de elopmen o a undamen al unde s and-
ing o cu en changes and p edic ions
o u u e change. Many o he eedbacks
discussed, such as he snow/ice albedo
eedback, ha e he po en ial o inc ease he
pace o change.
P esen a ions om a c ic esiden s and
human dimensions esea che s unde sco ed
he immedia e impac s en i onmen al
The E olu ion o he SEARCH E o
De elopmen o he SEARCH p og am began in he mid-1990s, as a numbe
o scien is s became conce ned abou he magni ude o he changes hey we e
obse ing in a c ic ocean and a mosphe ic condi ions (figu e page 1). Led by James
Mo ison a he Uni e si y o Washing on’s Pola Science Cen e , he g oup ci cula ed
an open le e o he scien ific communi y p oposing a p og am o ack and unde -
s and majo changes in he a c ic en i onmen . By Ap il 1997, 40 scien is s om 25
ins i u ions had signed he le e , which called o an in e na ional e o , ini ially called
he “S udy o A c ic Change,” o in es iga e hose changes h ough measu emen , da a
analysis, and modeling. The le e was endo sed by he NSF A c ic Sys em Science
(ARCSS) Ocean–A mosphe e–Ice In e ac ions Science S ee ing Commi ee.
Wi h suppo om he ARCSS P og am, he Uni e si y o Washing on hos ed
an open wo kshop in No embe 1997 on he S udy o A c ic Change. Mo e han 70
scien is s epo ed on ecen ocean and a mosphe ic changes in he A c ic, co obo a -
ing ea lie obse a ions o change and sugges ing a ela ed sui e o changes ha we e
a c ic-wide. As he e o de eloped, i s name changed o he S udy o En i onmen al
A c ic Change (SEARCH), and SEARCH ad anced beyond sponso ship by he ARCSS
P og am o a b oade ini ia i e in ol ing se e al ede al agencies.
A a 1999 wo kshop, 39 esea che s began o d a he SEARCH Science Plan. Pub-
lished in 2001, he Science Plan summa izes obse ed changes; p esen s he SEARCH
hypo heses, objec i es, and s a egies; and ecommends a b oad mul idisciplina y p o-
g am aimed a unde s anding he in e ela ed a c ic changes and hei implica ions.
As he science plan de eloped, SEARCH gained inc easing ecogni ion. In 1999,
he In e agency A c ic Resea ch Policy Commi ee (IARPC) included SEARCH as
“ eady o immedia e a en ion” in he U.S. A c ic Resea ch Plan, and a SEARCH
In e agency Wo king G oup (IWG) chai ed by NOAA was es ablished and asked. The
IWG consis s o he eigh ede al agencies esponsible o scien ific esea ch in he A c-
ic ha ha e ag eed o wo k oge he on SEARCH:
• Depa men o Ag icul u e • Na ional Ae onau ics and Space Adminis a ion
• Depa men o De ense • Na ional Oceanic and A mosphe ic Adminis a ion
• Depa men o Ene gy • Na ional Science Founda ion (cu en IWG chai )
• Depa men o In e io • Smi hsonian Ins i u ion
In addi ion, collabo a i e a angemen s we e ini ia ed wi h in e na ional esea ch
p og ams such as he A c ic Clima e Sys em S udy (ACSYS), he Clima e and C yosphe e
P ojec (CLiC), and he Clima e Va iabili y and P edic abili y (CLIVAR) p og am. The
in e na ional aspec s o SEARCH con inue o de elop (see In e na ional Plans, page 3).
The SEARCH Implemen a ion S a egy, ou lining science ques ions, p og am o ga-
niza ion, and implemen a ion ac i i ies and p io i ies, was published by he SEARCH
SSC and IWG in Oc obe 2003 and widely ci cula ed a he Open Science Mee ing.
A he No h Pole, an in e na ional esea ch eam
is collec ing obse a ions needed o documen
and unde s and a c ic change. E e y sp ing
since 2000, he eam has es ablished a g oup o
unmanned scien ific pla o ms a he No h Pole
En i onmen al Obse a o y (NPEO), suppo ed
by NSF. Righ , Kelly Falkne o O egon S a e
Uni e si y and James Mo ison o he Uni e si y
o Washing on d ill h ough he sea ice wi h help
om co-pilo Da e Hanbe g du ing he NPEO
ai bo ne hyd og aphic su eys in May 2003. A
winch is moun ed on he floo o he Twin O e ,
allowing he eam o lowe ins umen s and
sample bo les h ough he ice. Mo ison is pas
chai o he SEARCH science s ee ing commi ee
and he NPEO’s p incipal in es iga o
(see h p://psc.apl.washing on.edu/no hpole).
Pho o by Jim Ha ey.
3
The S udy o En i onmen al A c ic Change Open Science Mee ing
2004 SEARCH
Science S ee ing
Commi ee
Bob Dickson
Cen e o En i onmen , Fishe ies
and Aquacul u e Science
. [email p o ec ed]
Jenni e F ancis
Ru ge s Uni e si y
[email p o ec ed]
Jackie G ebmeie
Uni e si y o Tennessee
[email p o ec ed]
La y Hamil on
Uni e si y o New Hampshi e
[email p o ec ed]
Geo ge Hun
Uni e si y o Cali o nia-I ine
[email p o ec ed]
Kon ad A. Hughen
Woods Hole Oceanog aphic Ins i u ion
[email p o ec ed]
Dennis Le enmaie
Uni e si y o Washing on
[email p o ec ed]
Jim Maslanik
Uni e si y o Colo ado
[email p o ec ed]
Da e McGui e
Uni e si y o Alaska Fai banks
[email p o ec ed]
James Mo ison (Pas Chai )
Uni e si y o Washing on
[email p o ec ed]
Pe e Rhines
Uni e si y o Washing on
[email p o ec ed]
Pe e Schlosse (Chai )
Columbia Uni e si y
[email p o ec ed]
Gus Sha e
Ma ine Biological Labo a o y
[email p o ec ed]
Kon ad S e en
Uni e si y o Colo ado
[email p o ec ed]
John Walsh
Uni e si y o Alaska Fai banks
[email p o ec ed].edu
changes a e ha ing on human communi ies
in he con ex o o he poli ical, economic,
social, and en i onmen al o ces o change.
Se e al app oaches o wo king wi h
communi ies and inco po a ing esiden s’
con ibu ions we e p esen ed as models o
in eg a e social science and local knowledge
in o a c ic change esea ch.
Connec ions and Collabo a ion
The SEARCH OSM os e ed connec ions
be ween indi idual esea che s, p og ams,
and esea ch ini ia i es ac oss he A c ic
h ough he 24 associa ed mee ings held in
conjunc ion wi h he OSM and h ough
he in o mal discussions ha occu ed
h oughou he mee ing. Rep esen ing a
a ie y o opics, o ganiza ions, and dis-
ciplines, he associa ed mee ings anged
om small imp omp u ga he ings o mo e
o mal own hall mee ings. Se e al o hese
mee ings a e epo ed on in his issue o
Wi ness he A c ic, including:
• The Human Dimensions o he A c ic
Sys em (HARC) Pa e ns, Connec ions,
and Me hods Wo kshop (page 11),
• The Be ing Ecosys em S udy (BEST)
Town Mee ing (page 30),
• SEARCH’s ole in In e na ional Pola
Yea (IPY) 2007–2008 (page 23),
• he Second In e na ional Con e ence o
A c ic Resea ch Planning (ICARP II)
Town Mee ing (page 21), and
• mee ings on A c ic Geospa ial
In o ma ion In as uc u e (page 6).
In e na ional Plans
App oxima ely one-fi h o he pa icipan s
a he OSM came om coun ies ou side
he U.S. In all, 18 coun ies, including
all o he eigh a c ic na ions, we e ep-
esen ed. Se e al associa ed mee ings, in
addi ion o hose lis ed abo e, had an in e -
na ional ocus, including
• a U.S.–China Panel on Pola Science,
and
• a mee ing o he In e na ional A c ic
Science Commi ee (IASC) Pacific A c ic
G oup.
On he final day o he OSM, a hal -
day In e na ional Implemen a ion Fo um
e iewed and discussed in e na ional e o s
ele an o SEARCH. A he conclusion o
his discussion, he A c ic Ocean Sciences
Boa d (AOSB) and IASC o e ed o explo e
de eloping he in e na ional dimensions
o SEARCH, including he possibili y o
es ablishing an in e na ional SEARCH
science planning g oup. The SEARCH
Science S ee ing Commi ee (see box his
page) accep ed his o e .
Following he SEARCH OSM, Pa ick
Webbe , p esiden o IASC, and Tom Pyle,
chai o AOSB, in i ed hei espec i e bod-
ies o nomina e indi iduals o se e on an
in e na ional planning g oup o SEARCH
science. In Ma ch, IASC and AOSB named
he 13-membe in e im science planning
g oup o he In e na ional S udy o A c ic
Change (ISAC), chai ed by Lei Ande son o
Gö ebo g Uni e si y in Sweden. The g oup
me a he A c ic Science Summi Week in
Ap il (see page 20). As pa o hei cha ge
de eloped by IASC and AOSB, he science
planning g oup will de elop an in e na ional
science o e iew. The g oup expec s o con-
clude hei findings and epo o IASC and
AOSB by la e summe 2004. Mo e in o -
ma ion will be made a ailable h ough he
IASC web si e: www.iasc.no, o he AOSB
web si e: www.aosb.o g.
Public Awa eness and Educa ion
Se e al membe s o he news media,
including epo e s om he New Yo k
Times, he Sea le Times, he Sea le Pos -
In elligence , and Alaska Public Radio,
a ended he OSM. A p ess con e ence was
held simul aneously in Sea le, in Wash-
ing on, D.C., and s eamed online. Media
co e age o he con e ence esul ed in a sig-
nifican numbe o p in , adio, ele ision,
and In e ne s o ies, which a e a ailable
h ough he ARCUS web si e: www.a cus.
o g/SEARCH/OSM/media.h ml.
Mee ing p oceedings a e planned o
publica ion in sp ing 2004. Fo mo e
in o ma ion on he SEARCH Open Sci-
ence Mee ing, including sponso s and
o ganize s, agenda, pa icipan lis , ideo
webcas s, abs ac s, p esen a ions, and
s uden pa icipa ion, see he ARCUS
web si e: www.a cus.o g/SEARCH/sea ch.
h ml, o con ac Helen Wiggins a ARCUS
(907-474-1600; ax 907-474-1604;
[email p o ec ed]).
Fo mo e in o ma ion on he SEARCH
p og am, see he SEARCH p ojec o fice web
si e: h p://psc.apl.washing on.edu/sea ch, o
con ac Pe e Schlosse a Columbia Uni-
e si y (845-365-8707; ax 845-365-8155;
[email p o ec ed]).
4
NSF News
On Feb ua y 11, Ri a Colwell
announced he esigna ion as di ec-
o o he Na ional Science Founda ion
(NSF), e ec i e Feb ua y 21. The hi d
longes -se ing di ec o in NSF’s 54-yea
his o y, Colwell has been di ec o o NSF
since 1998. He six-yea e m would ha e
expi ed in Augus 2004. Du ing he enu e
a NSF, Colwell o e saw a majo inc ease
in suppo o en i onmen al esea ch
h ough such ini ia i es as Biocomplexi y
in he En i onmen .
A den L. Bemen , J ., he di ec o o he
Na ional Ins i u e o S anda ds and Tech-
nology (NIST), is ac ing as in e im NSF
di ec o and has indica ed ha his is o be
a sho - e m appoin men . The p ocess o
iden i ying a pe manen NSF di ec o is
al eady unde way. Bemen expec s o e u n
o NIST ull ime once a new NSF di ec o
is appoin ed.
Be o e becoming di ec o o NIST in
2001, Bemen was p o esso o nuclea
enginee ing a Pu due Uni e si y. He has
held a a ie y o posi ions in academia,
indus y, and go e nmen , including senio
posi ions wi h he Depa men o De ense.
Bemen has se ed on he Na ional Science
Boa d, he go e ning boa d o he NSF.
A e lea ing NSF, Colwell became
chai man o Canon U.S. Li e Sciences, Inc.
She also holds acul y appoin men s a he
Uni e si y o Ma yland, College Pa k, and
The John Hopkins Bloombe g School o
Public Heal h.
Cybe in as uc u e Plans
Following on a numbe o wo kshops and
epo s on he u u e o ins umen a ion,
da a-handling, and compu a ion capabili-
ies, he heads o wo NSF di ec o a es
o ganized special sessions on cybe in a-
s uc u e a he AAAS Annual Mee ing
in Sea le in Feb ua y 2004. P esen e s
desc ibed a u u e con e gence o in o ma-
ion and communica ion echnologies in o
a na ional cybe in as uc u e.
Ma ga e Leinen, head o NSF’s Geo-
sciences di ec o a e, and Pe e F eeman,
head o he NSF’s Compu e and In o -
ma ion Science and Enginee ing (CISE)
di ec o a e, co-o ganized he sessions in
Sea le; he sessions we e co-chai ed by
NSF Seeks New Di ec o , Plans o Cybe in as uc u e
he new CISE di ision di ec o o Sha ed
Cybe in as uc u e, Sang ae Kim.
In Feb ua y 2003, a epo om he
NSF Ad iso y Commi ee o Cybe in a-
s uc u e ecommended ha NSF es ablish
and lead a la ge-scale, in e agency, and
in e na ionally coo dina ed Ad anced
Cybe in as uc u e P og am, wi h an es i-
ma ed cos o $1 billion annually. Cybe in-
as uc u e has become a common heme
h oughou NSF, and e e y di ec o a e has
unded o is explo ing cybe in as uc u e-
ela ed p ojec s. The NSF’s la ge goal o
a na ional cybe in as uc u e is o p o ide
app op ia e in o ma ion echnology and
knowledge managemen esou ces o all
science and enginee ing disciplines.
To ensu e ha all science and enginee -
ing communi ies a e p epa ed o in o m
he de elopmen o and e ec i ely use he
b oad, e ol ing cybe in as uc u e, NSF
plans o hold an open compe i ion du -
ing FY 2004 ha will ul ima ely suppo a
comp ehensi e se o educa ion, aining,
and ou each awa ds.
Fo mo e in o ma ion on he
AAAS cybe in as uc u e sessions, see:
h p://php.aaas.o g/mee ings/MPE_
01.php?de ail=10060 and h p://php.aaas.
o g/mee ings/MPE_01.php?de ail=10061.
To download a copy o he cybe in a-
s uc u e epo , see: www.cise.ns .go /sci/
epo s/ oc.c m.
A c ic Sciences Sec ion a NSF
The A c ic Sciences Sec ion o he NSF O fice o Pola P og ams includes ou p o-
g am a eas, which a e ea u ed in he ollowing pages:
A c ic Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics (pages 5–7),
A c ic Sys em Science (ARCSS; pages 7–11),
A c ic Na u al Sciences (page 12), and
A c ic Social Sciences (page 13).
Fo mo e in o ma ion abou he A c ic Sciences Sec ion, see he O fice o Pola P o-
g ams web si e: www.ns .go /od/opp.
New A c ic Sciences Sec ion Pe sonnel
In Augus 2003, William J. Wiseman, J ., joined Jane Dionne as a p og am o fice
in he A c ic Na u al Sciences p og am. Bill Wiseman is a physical oceanog aphe who
s udied coas al p ocesses along he Alaska No h Slope and in S alba d in he 1970s
(see Wi ness Sp ing 2002 membe inse ). He has ecen ly been in ol ed in in e dis-
ciplina y s udies a ound la ge i e mou hs. He ea ned deg ees in elec ical enginee -
ing and oceanog aphy om Johns Hopkins Uni e si y and augh a he Uni e si y o
New Hampshi e (1969–1971) and Louisiana S a e Uni e si y (1971–2003). He holds
eme i us s a us a LSU, whe e he se ed as chai o he Depa men o Oceanog aphy
and Coas al Sciences ( o me ly he Depa men o Ma ine Sciences) om 1977–79,
1984–86, and 2002–03; chai o he Depa men o Geology and Geophysics om
1987–90; assis an di ec o o he Coas al S udies Ins i u e om 1992–95; and di ec-
o o he Coas al S udies Ins i u e om 1995–99. He also se ed as a o a o in
he Physical Oceanog aphy p og am a NSF om 2000–2002. Bo h Dionne and
Wiseman hold pe manen appoin men s a NSF. Wiseman can be con ac ed a
703-292-8029; ax 703-292-9082; [email p o ec ed] .
In Oc obe 2003, Dennis Conlon joined he A c ic Sciences Sec ion on a wo-yea
de ail om he O fice o Na al Resea ch. Conlon is a physical oceanog aphe wi h
expe ience in managemen o bo h science p og ams and classified ocean sys ems and
senso s. He will ocus on imp o ing cybe - and o he in as uc u e in he A c ic and
will assis o fice-wide e o s in his a ea (see a icle his page). Conlon may be con ac ed
a 703-292-4658; ax 703-292-9082; [email p o ec ed] .
5
A c ic Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics
In Oc obe 2003, ARCUS published A c-
ic Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics: S a egies
and Recommenda ions o Sys em-scale S udies
in a Changing En i onmen , which upda es
Logis ics Recommenda ions o an Imp o ed
U.S. A c ic Resea ch Capabili y, published in
1997. Membe s o he Resea ch Suppo
and Logis ics Wo king G oup p epa ed he
new epo , using in o ma ion p o ided
by he b oade a c ic esea ch communi y,
ga he ed h ough su ey esponses, dis-
cussions a mee ings and wo kshops, and
e iew commen s on a d a o he epo .
The esea ch communi y iden ified
en i onmen al change as he mos impo -
an a c ic science p io i y o he nex
decade, equi ing logis ical and esea ch
suppo ha enables la ge-scale, long- e m
obse a ions and sys em-scale syn hesis and
modeling. The epo ou lines h ee b oad
New Logis ics Repo A ailable
ing Labo a o y. Copies a e a ailable by
e-mailing [email p o ec ed], o as
a PDF on he ARCUS web si e: www.
a cus.o g/Logis ics/logis ics03.h ml. Fo
mo e in o ma ion, con ac Alison Yo k
a ARCUS (907-474-1600; ax 907-474-
1604; yo k@a cus.o g).
VPR Uni es Resou ces, Expe ise o Suppo Resea che s
The Global Change Resea ch G oup
(GCRG) a San Diego S a e Uni-
e si y, led by Wal Oechel, has collec ed
da a on yea - ound CO2 flux om und a
ecosys ems o almos wo decades. In
2003, Oechel eques ed assis ance om he
NSF A c ic Resea ch Logis ics and Sup-
po Se ices (ARLSS) con ac o , VECO
Pola Resou ces (VPR), o place a new
eddy co a iance owe a I o uk, Alaska, in
he emo e oo hills o he wes e n B ooks
Range. Funded by he NSF ARCSS P o-
g am (see pages 7–11), Oechel’s esea ch
objec i es p esen ed subs an ial logis ical
challenges, including equi emen s o
au onomous powe , de-icing, and da a
ans e .
VECO Pola Resou ces is a business
union o h ee sepa a e companies:
• VECO,
• Pola Field Se ices, and
• SRI In e na ional.
Each o he h ee companies o e s
complemen a y esou ces and expe ise,
p o iding he capabili ies needed o majo
p ojec s such as Oechel’s, while allowing
VPR i sel o emain a small g oup.
VECO, a mul ina ional co po a ion
based in Alaska, p o ides p ojec man-
agemen , enginee ing, p ocu emen ,
cons uc ion, ope a ions, and main e-
nance expe ise o indus y and he public
sec o (see www. eco.com). Fo Oechel’s
p ojec , VECO supplied hea y equip-
men , a p ojec es si e a P udhoe Bay,
and skilled labo .
Pola Field Se ices, Inc. (PFS), he
co e o VPR, p o ides all o he di ec
science planning and suppo (see h p://
pola field.com). PFS has 11 employees
wi h expe ience suppo ing esea che s in
he A c ic and he An a c ic. PFS planned
and u nished much o he specific logis i-
cal suppo ha Oechel’s p ojec needed,
including ood, camping gea , land pe -
mi s, and con ac ing a small a mada o
ai planes o mo e people and gea , as well
as de eloping, con ac ing, and es ing a
unique diesel/ba e y powe sys em.
SRI In e na ional is an independen ,
nonp ofi esea ch ins i u e, wi h expe ise
in communica ions and enginee ing ech-
nology. SRI has gained a c ic expe ience
h ough ope a ing acili ies in G eenland
and he Canadian high A c ic (see www.
s i.com). SRI p ojec manage s we e key
o de eloping he I o uk p ojec ’s de-icing
capabili ies and he communica ions
sys em o da a e ie al and sys em con ol
(see h p:// anspo .s i.com/i o uk). SRI
iden ified a sa elli e sys em capable o p o-
iding wo-way, eal- ime In e ne connec-
i i y o mee he p ojec ’s needs o high
a es o da a ans e .
A eam o VECO echnicians, PFS
s a , GCRG pe sonnel, and SRI s a
es ed he powe , de-icing, and communi-
ca ion sys ems a P udhoe Bay om mid-
Feb ua y o mid-Ap il 2003. To cap u e
da a du ing he sp ing mel season, VPR
p o isioned a wo-pe son camp a I o uk
o suppo a May 2003 deploymen o he
owe and comple ed ins alla ion o he
powe and da a ans e sys ems in June o
2003. VPR will conduc scheduled main e-
nance o he powe and da a communica-
ions sys ems in u u e yea s.
VPR is en e ing he fi h and final yea
o i s A c ic Resea ch Logis ics and Sup-
po Se ices (ARLSS) con ac . NSF will
be accep ing new bids o he con ac in
2004. VPR expec s o be an applican .
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he VPR web
si e: www. ecopola .com, o con ac Ma in
Kuizenga (907-455-4214; 907-455-4126;
ma in@pola field.com).
s a egies o mee he cu en ange o a c-
ic esea ch suppo and logis ics needs:
• supply c i ical componen s o de elop-
men o a pan-a c ic pe spec i e;
• suppo he basic in as uc u e o sa e
and e ficien esea ch; and
• maximize esou ces and coope a ion.
The epo is in ended o p o ide guid-
ance o all ede al agencies wi h in e es s in
he A c ic, as well as o Cong ess, in de el-
oping and imp o ing a c ic esea ch sup-
po . As a li ing documen , he epo will
equi e u u e upda es as esea ch p io i ies
change and logis ics and esea ch-suppo
asse s con inue o imp o e.
The NSF O fice o Pola P og ams
sponso ed he wo king g oup, co-chai ed
by Pe e Schlosse o Lamon -Dohe y
Ea h Obse a o y and Te y Tucke o
Cold Regions Resea ch and Enginee -

6
A c ic Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics
A c ic P ojec s Demons a e Powe , Po en ial o GIS
A c ic esea che s a e inc easingly mak-
ing use o Geog aphic In o ma ion
Sys ems (GIS) as a esea ch ool, building
on he a ailabili y o geospa ial da a and
e ealing he need o imp o emen s in
geospa ial in o ma ion in as uc u e (GII)
o he A c ic. Geospa ial in o ma ion in a-
s uc u e o spa ial da a in as uc u e (SDI)
includes no only GIS da a laye s, bu he
ha dwa e, so wa e, da a s anda ds, ne wo k-
ing and o he essen ial componen s ha
make spa ial da a use ul o g oups o use s.
Encou aged by in e es om he esea ch
communi y, he A c ic Resea ch Suppo
and Logis ics (RSL) p og am sponso ed he
A c ic GIS Wo kshop in Janua y 2001. O e
100 pa icipan s me o discuss applica ions
and needs o GIS in a c ic esea ch (see Wi -
ness Win e 2000/2001). Wi h he guidance
o an o ganizing commi ee, he pa icipan s
de eloped ounda ional ecommenda ions
and iden ified s eps o implemen ing mo e
in eg a ion, s uc u e, and s abili y o a c-
ic SDI. The g oup ecommended bo h a
op-down o ganized app oach o con inued
SDI de elopmen in suppo o ci cuma c-
ic esea ch and, a he same ime, g owing
egional o opical demons a ion p ojec s
om he bo om up, esul ing in geospa ial
da a se s linked h ough a c ic SDI.
The ecommenda ions om he 2001
wo kshop con inue o d i e NSF suppo o
a c ic GIS and SDI e o s, and g oups o
esea che s, GIS expe s, esea ch suppo
p o ide s, and o he s ha e made ad ance-
men s in a c ic SDI. Th ee majo a enues
o de elopmen a e:
• egional o opical da a nodes,
• SDI o link nodes oge he and p o ide
basic in o ma ion o a wide audience,
and
• SDI o decision suppo applica ions in
a c ic logis ics and planning.
Examples o such e o s can be seen in
• he Ba ow A ea In o ma ion Da abase
In e ne Map Se e (BAID-IMS; see
figu e and h p://ims.a c icscience.o g),
• he Ci cumpola A c ic Geobo anical
A las (see page 27 and www.geobo any.
ua .edu/a c icgeobo ), and
• online maps o p ojec s suppo ed by he
A c ic Sciences Sec ion a NSF (see www.
ecopola .com).
An example sc een sho om he Ba ow A ea In o ma ion Da abase In e ne Map Se e (BAID-IMS;
h p://ims.a c icscience.o g). In e ne map se e p ojec s such as he BAID-IMS allow anyone wi h In e ne access he
abili y o iew, que y, and analyze geospa ial da a in a simple g aphical in e ace. This ype o on-line GIS esou ce
ep esen s one o he many applica ions possible h ough a c ic spa ial da a in as uc u e (SDI) de elopmen .
These e o s and o he s like hem
a e d i en by small g oups o esea che s
and spa ial da a expe s wo king oge he
on ocused ac i i ies. Since he 2001
wo kshop, wo addi ional mee ings ha e
discussed u u e di ec ions o a c ic SDI,
bo h egionally and encompassing he
ci cumpola A c ic. A mee ing o oppo -
uni y was held on 30 Oc obe 2003 in
Sea le, Washing on, in conjunc ion wi h
he SEARCH Open Science Mee ing
(see page 1) o discuss and ga he inpu
on implemen a ion plans o imp o e-
men s in a c ic SDI, building on he 2001
mee ing. The ollowing day, a g oup o
esea che s and SDI expe s me o discuss
SDI ad ances specifically o he No h
Slope o Alaska. Summa ies and in o ma-
ion om hese wo mee ings a e a ailable
on he A c ic GIS web si e (www.a cus.
o g/gis).
The A c ic GIS web si e p o ides a
pla o m o he exchange o in o ma ion
and ideas o encou age and ca alyze u he
discussion and planning. The si e includes:
• in o ma ion om mee ings con ened o
discuss a c ic GII, including wo kshop
epo s and summa ies, p esen a ions,
and agendas;
• anno a ed lis s o ele an web si es;
• an online discussion o um o exchang-
ing in o ma ion and ideas, including
open-ended, use -defined discussion
h eads and an a enue o mode a ed
hema ic discussions; and
• news and e en s.
The web si e and o he ongoing e o s
in a c ic SDI a e suppo ed by he RSL
p og am, which unds SDI p ojec s wi h
po en ially b oad benefi s o esea ch
o esea ch suppo unde he gene al
solici a ion o he A c ic Sciences Sec ion
(www.ns .go /pubsys/ods/ge pub.c m?ods_
key=ns 03574).
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he A c ic
GIS web si e: www.a cus.o g/gis, o con ac
Helen Wiggins a ARCUS (907-474-1600;
ax 907-474-1604; [email p o ec ed]) o
Renée C ain a NSF (703-292-8029; ax
703-292-9082; c ain@ns .go ).
7
Plans o secu ing a mul icapable
esea ch essel o he Alaska egion
a e mo ing o wa d. The Na ional Sci-
ence Founda ion success ully p esen ed
he Alaska Region Resea ch Vessel (ARRV)
o he Na ional Science Boa d, and as a
esul i was app o ed o inclusion in he
Majo Resea ch Equipmen (MRE) budge
eques o FY05 o beyond.
Wi h he p elimina y design o he
ARRV comple ed, NSF is suppo ing he
p epa a ion o he con ac design. The
design eam om he Woods Hole Ocean-
og aphic Ins i u ion and he Uni e si y
o Alaska Fai banks is wo king wi h The
Glos en Associa es o Sea le, wi h ad ice
om a b oad-based use commi ee. Plans
call o comple ion o his phase by mid-
summe 2004.
The ARRV is p oposed o eplace he
R/V Alpha Helix, which was commissioned
in 1966 (see Wi ness Au umn 2001). The
new ship will ha e many capabili ies—
fishe ies esea ch, oceanog aphic esea ch,
and co ing among hem. Specifically
designed o wo king in Alaskan wa e s,
he ARRV will be able o suppo scien ific
esea ch om he seasonal pack ice o he
A c ic Ocean o he s o my open wa e s o
he Gul o Alaska. I will measu e 72 m
(236 ee ) in leng h, displace mo e han
3,150 me ic ons, and accommoda e up
o 28 in es iga o s. A majo ea u e is he
abili y o wo k wi hin seasonal sea ice yea
ound. The ARRV will be able o slice
h ough fi s -yea sea ice up o 0.75 m (2.5
ee ) hick and will easily ansi ice idges
up o 2.1 m (7 ee ) hick. O ficially, he
ARRV is a ed as a Pola Class 5 ship unde
c i e ia p oposed by he In e na ional Asso-
cia ion o Classifica ion Socie ies (IACS).
Powe ing he ship is an in eg a ed
diesel–elec ic powe plan ha gene a es
AC powe o he ship’s elec ical needs and
deli e s 5,750 ho sepowe o he ship’s wo
ice- a ed azimu hing Z-d i e p opelle s.
Each p opelle is mo e han 2.4 m (8 ee )
in diame e and is made o ice- a ed s ain-
less s eel. A single 800-ho sepowe bow
h us e gi es he essel he capabili y o
maneu e in igh places o hold p ecise
s a ion in ough seas. The ship will be able
o s ay a sea o a leas 45 days while
spending 20–25% o he ime in ice.
Fo mo e in o ma ion con ac Ve a
Alexande a he Uni e si y o Alaska
Fai banks (907-474-7210; ax 907-474-
7204; [email p o ec ed].edu).
A c ic Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics
Following he ARCSS All-Hands mee -
ing in Feb ua y 2002 (see Wi ness Sp ing
2002), he ARCSS P og am began a ansi-
ion om s udies de eloped and o e seen
by disciplina y g oups o an in eg a ed
esea ch p og am di ec ed mo e owa d
syn hesis (see page 8). The ollowing pages
include in o ma ion abou he ARCSS syn-
hesis p ocess as well as he cu en s a us o
se e al o he ongoing scien ific ini ia i es
suppo ed by he ARCSS P og am:
• he Wes e n A c ic Shel -Basin
In e ac ions (SBI; see page 10),
• he Human Dimensions o he A c ic
Sys em (HARC; see page 11), and
ARCSS P og am
Plans Mo e Fo wa d o Alaska Region Resea ch Vessel
This iew o he ARRV concep design shows he ice-capable hull o m, e ac able cen e boa d o ansduce s, and win
azimu hing p opelle s. Illus a ion by John Fa me , Fa me Ma ine Design Se ices.
The A c ic Sys em Science (ARCSS)
P og am began in 1989 as one o
he 22 Global Change Resea ch p og ams
a NSF. An in e disciplina y p og am,
ARCSS cu en ly unds mo e han 120
p ojec s. Mos o i s unding is di ec ed o
la ge in eg a ed esea ch p ojec s ha a e
p oposed and implemen ed in esponse o
science plans de eloped h ough commu-
ni y planning p ocesses such as wo kshops,
pee e iew o d a plans, and he wo k
o science s ee ing commi ees. The p o-
g am as a whole is guided by he scien ific
communi y h ough he ARCSS Commi -
ee (see page 8).
• Pan-A c ic Communi y-wide
Hyd ological Analysis and Moni o -
ing P og am (A c ic-CHAMP) and he
allied F eshwa e Ini ia i e (see page 9).
A new ARCSS solici a ion o S udy
o he No he n Alaska Coas al Sys em
(SNACS; see page 10) will also con ib-
u e o he S udy o En i onmen al A c ic
Change (SEARCH; see page 1).
Fo mo e in o ma ion abou he
ARCSS P og am, see he NSF web si e:
www.ns .go /od/opp/a c ic/sys em.h m, o
con ac P og am Di ec o Neil Swanbe g
(703-292-8029; ax 703-292-9081;
[email p o ec ed] ).
A c ic Sys em Science P og am Guided by Communi y
8
ARCSS P og am
whe he , in ac , he A c ic is mo ing
owa d a new s a e. By he end o he
week, pa icipan s eached nea -unanimous
ag eemen ha he A c ic is likely mo ing
ou side he en elope o pas expe ience—
possibly owa d a new s a e—and ha we
do no ye unde s and he implica ions
o he A c ic, he global clima e sys em,
o human socie y. Pa icipan s also ag eed
ha a s a e change could include majo
su p ises and non-linea i ies, and ha he
implica ions could be wide- anging and
subs an ial o humans.
An impo an p oduc om he e ea
is a pape (in p epa a ion) desc ibing he
mo i a ion o he syn hesis app oach, as
well as new insigh s om discussions a he
Big Sky ga he ing. Discussions cen e ed on
he in e wo en complexi y o ecen a c ic
change, how his ab ic o change is ied o
he la ge global sys em, how i will un old
in coming yea s, and wha he implica ions
o humans may be.
Majo ques ions aised a he e ea
included: Wha a e he p ima y d i e s
o he change? Which componen s o he
sys em will expe ience he g ea es impac s
and wha will hey be? Wha a e he
dominan eedbacks among he key com-
ponen s, and will hose eedbacks change
i he A c ic shi s o a new s a e? A e we
app oaching a h eshold in he clima e
sys em ha may igge an ab up shi ?
Can we iden i y nega i e eedbacks ha
a e s ong enough o coun e ac obse ed
changes du ing ecen decades? Answe s
o hese ques ions will no come om
in es iga ions a ge ing one componen
o he ecosphe e. They equi e a b oad,
sys em-wide pe spec i e, bo h pas - and
u u e-looking, ha conside s in e ac ions
among he ocean, a mosphe e, biology, and
human socie y.
Resul s om he Big Sky e ea we e
p esen ed in a keyno e add ess o he
S udy o En i onmen al A c ic Change
(SEARCH) Open Science Mee ing in
Oc obe 2003 (see page 1) by Jona han
O e peck on behal o he ARCSS Com-
mi ee and e ea pa icipan s. The p esen-
a ion p o ided an o e iew o he ARCSS
ision o syn hesis and desc ibed he h ee
main esul s om he e ea :
(1) a con as be ween he a c ic sys em
s a e o oday and he possible u u e
scena io o a seasonally ice- ee s a e,
(2) he cu en sys em-wide pa e n o
obse ed changes is a ha binge o a pos-
sible new sys em s a e, and posi i e eed-
backs (and h eshold esponses) could
accele a e s a e change in he u u e, and
(3) he esea ch communi y should look
ou side he a c ic sys em o he mos a s
and eining mechanisms ha could
e a d o e e se a c ic change.
The p esen a ion ended wi h an ou line
o wha he syn hesis iew could mean o
socie y bo h wi hin and ou side he A c ic.
ARCSS P og am In eg a ion
and Coo dina ion
In conce wi h hese scien ific syn he-
sis ac i i ies, in 2003 and ea ly 2004 he
ARCSS Commi ee and Neil Swanbe g,
he NSF p og am di ec o , began he p o-
cess o eo ganizing he ARCSS P og am
wi h he o e all goal o a mo e in e disci-
plina y, syn hesis-based app oach o unde -
s anding he a c ic sys em h ough be e
in eg a ion o he many scien ific disci-
plines con ibu ing o ARCSS esea ch.
The ARCSS Commi ee (AC) me o
ou days in Feb ua y 2004 o discuss he
ARCSS science goals o he nex se e al
yea s and s a egies o a mo e in eg a ed
managemen and coo dina ion s uc u e.
The commi ee ecommended ha he
ARCSS P og am emphasize an o e iew
ha he AC belie es o be achie able only
h ough in e disciplina y collabo a ion and
ha he p og am lowe he emphasis on
independen componen s udies de eloped
by disciplina y g oups, hus con inuing
he ends o inc easing cen al coo dina-
ion and dec easing suppo o disciplina y
ac i i ies. The de ails o how his concep
will be ealized a e s ill being de eloped.
O e he nex six o nine mon hs, howe e ,
many o he day- o-day coo dina ion and
managemen asks now being handled by
a ious ARCSS science managemen o fices
will be ga he ed in a new ARCSS Manage-
men O fice.
Cen alized ARCSS coo dina ion and
managemen s uc u es will no eplace he
A c ic Sys em Syn hesis Encou ages P og am In eg a ion
Is he a c ic sys em mo ing o a new
s a e ou side he en elope o he na u al
glacial–in e glacial cycle? This “Big Ques-
ion” eme ged om he week-long e ea
o 25 scien is s ep esen ing mos o he sci-
en ific disciplines wo king in he NSF A c-
ic Sys em Science (ARCSS) P og am. The
Augus 2003 e ea in Big Sky, Mon ana,
was an impo an s ep in he p og am’s
shi om componen -o ien ed esea ch o
a p ima y emphasis on scien ific syn hesis.
Begun in 1989, he ARCSS P og am’s
body o esea ch now has ma u ed su fi-
cien ly o begin assembling a ue sys ems
iew o he A c ic. Pa icipan s a he
Feb ua y 2002 ARCSS All-Hands Wo k-
shop (see Wi ness Sp ing 2002) and he
Oc obe 2002 ARCSS Commi ee mee ing
ag eed ha , wi h mo e han wel e yea s
o esea ch on a ious aspec s o he a c ic
sys em, ARCSS is well-poised o unde -
ake a ocused syn hesis. The undamen al
goals o he ARCSS syn hesis a e o gain a
mo e clea unde s anding o how he A c-
ic wo ks as a sys em and as a componen
o he global sys em. The syn hesis phase
includes bo h a scien ific syn hesis and
inc easingly in eg a ed implemen a ion o
he o e all ARCSS P og am.
The p ocess o syn hesizing he com-
muni y’s collec i e knowledge o he a c ic
sys em began a he All-Hands Wo kshop,
wi h mo e han 300 ARCSS esea che s
pa icipa ing, and con inued wi h he Big
Sky Re ea in Augus 2003. The e ea ’s
goal was o dis ill and in eg a e a ailable
knowledge in o a mo e holis ic pe spec-
i e o he a c ic sys em. Scien is s om a
a ie y o disciplines in es iga ing many
componen s o he a c ic sys em a ended,
and o mos i was a emendous lea n-
ing expe ience—an oppo uni y o discuss
commonali ies and linkages wi h esea ch-
e s who a ely c oss pa hs: ma ine biolo-
gis s wi h pe ma os expe s, a mosphe ic
modele s wi h soil scien is s, oceanog a-
phe s wi h sociologis s. This amalgama ion
o knowledge led o he ealiza ion ha
a c ic change is pe asi e, widesp ead, and
d ama ic, and hence o he “Big Ques ion.”
Th oughou he week, he pa icipan s
wo ked oge he , each o e ing hei own
expe ise and pe spec i e, o de e mine con inued on nex page
9
and he implica ions o change o human
socie y.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he ARCSS
Commi ee web si e: www.a cus.o g/
ARCSS/ARCSS.h ml, o con ac Dan
Fe guson (907-474-1600; ax 907-474-
1604; [email p o ec ed]).
The cu en membe s o he ARCSS Commi ee a e:
Jona han O e peck (chai ), Uni e si y o A izona;
Jenni e F ancis, Ru ge s Uni e si y;
Law ence Hamil on, Uni e si y o New Hampshi e;
Ma ika Holland, Na ’l Cen e o A mosphe ic Resea ch;
Glen MacDonald, Uni e si y o Cali o nia;
C aig Nicolson, Uni e si y o Massachuse s;
Don Pe o ich, Cold Regions Resea ch and Enginee ing
Labo a o y (CRREL), New Hampshi e;
Ma k Se eze, Uni e si y o Colo ado;
Ma hew S u m, CRREL, Alaska;
Cha les Vö ösma y, Uni e si y o New Hampshi e, and
John Wea he ly, CRREL, New Hampshi e.
Neil Swanbe g is he NSF ARCSS P og am Di ec o .
ARCSS P og am
A c ic-CHAMP Coo dina es F eshwa e Ini ia i e P ojec s
bo h in o mally and, a imes, wi h mo e
di ec in ol emen o he AC. The AC will
wo k di ec ly wi h he communi y g oups
ha a e shaping esea ch ideas in o imple-
men a ion plans and will guide he u he
de elopmen o he plans ha will se e as
he basis o ARCSS P og am announce-
men s o oppo uni y. The AC will p i-
o i ize ecommenda ions om a ious
communi ies, iden i ying esea ch needs
om an a c ic sys em pe spec i e, and
will o e see he de elopmen o ARCSS
esea ch om he fi s s ages o ecommen-
da ions de eloped a he communi y le el
o implemen a ion, he gene a ion o da a
se s, syn hesis o esul s, communica ion o
he scien ific and o he communi ies, and
in eg a ion in o an o e all unde s anding
o he A c ic, i s ole in he global sys em,
communi y-le el science de elopmen ha
has been he hallma k o ARCSS o e he
yea s. Much hough is being gi en o p o-
cesses ha will enable indi idual ARCSS
esea che s and ne wo ked esea ch com-
muni ies o wo k oge he o b ing o wa d
ideas o conside a ion o ARCSS P og am
implemen a ion. De eloping a cen alized
coo dina ion and managemen s uc u e
is in ended o c ea e clea , di ec pa hways
o coo dina ion and planning wi hin he
ARCSS esea ch communi y, as well as
wi h he ARCSS Commi ee and he NSF
ARCSS P og am.
The mechanisms h ough which he
ARCSS P og am will adop esea ch ini ia-
i es o implemen a ion will include he
eme gence o key ques ions and iden ified
p io i ies o esea ch om he communi y,
o s udy he sou ces, a es, and a ia ions
in he pan-a c ic eshwa e cycle. The FWI
p ojec s ep esen an ARCSS con ibu ion
o SEARCH ha will:
• explo e decade- o-cen u y a iabili y o
he a c ic wa e cycle, and
• link land dynamics o ocean wa e mass
and ci cula ion h ough he s ocks and
fluxes o eshwa e .
FWI syn hesis p ojec s ocus on key
componen s o he a c ic eshwa e cycle,
including a mosphe e, ocean, ice, snow,
i e s, land, and modeling e o s.
Mee ings and Plans
Mo e han 45 people, including g adua e
s uden s and echnicians, a ended a mee -
ing o FWI in es iga o s held in associa ion
wi h he SEARCH Open Science Mee ing
in Sea le in Oc obe 2003 (see page 1).
The pu pose o he mee ing was o coo di-
na e ongoing p og am ac i i ies and plan
u u e in eg a ion e o s, and i s minu es
and agenda a e a ailable on he A c ic-
CHAMP web si e (h p://a c icchamp.
s .unh.edu/newsandno es.sh ml).
The A c ic-CHAMP Science S ee -
ing Commi ee (SSC), co-chai ed by
La y Hinzman a he Uni e si y o Alaska
Fai banks and Cha les Vö ösma y a he
Uni e si y o New Hampshi e, me in
Decembe 2004 a he Ame ican Geophysi-
cal Union mee ing in San F ancisco. The 14
membe s o he SSC discussed:
• he s a us o he in e disciplina y imple-
men a ion plan, due o be comple ed in
ea ly 2004,
• upda es om he Science Managemen
O fice, and
• u u e syn hesis e o s and p oduc s.
Ideas o u u e syn hesis ac i i ies include
a book ocusing on he a c ic eshwa e
cycle and a F eshwa e Ini ia i e Educa ion
Ins i u e o unde g adua e and g adua e
s uden s in e es ed in s udying he a c ic
egion.
The A c ic-CHAMP SMO is plan-
ning o a F eshwa e Ini ia i e All-Hands
mee ing 4–7 May 2004 in Woods Hole,
Massachuse s. Mo e in o ma ion on he
mee ing is a ailable on he A c ic-CHAMP
web si e.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he A c ic-
CHAMP web si e: h p://a c icchamp.
s .unh.edu, o con ac SMO Execu i e
Di ec o Jona han Pundsack (603-862-
0552; ax 603-862-0587; jona han.
[email p o ec ed]), La y Hinzman
(907-474-7331; ax 907-474-7979;
fl[email p o ec ed]), o Cha les Vö ösma y
(603-862-0850; ax 603-862-0587;
[email p o ec ed]).
Wi h suppo om he ARCSS P o-
g am (see page 7), he Science
Managemen O fice (SMO) o he Pan-
A c ic Communi y-wide Hyd ological
Analysis and Moni o ing P og am (A c ic-
CHAMP) opened in June 2003. NSF
es ablished he A c ic-CHAMP p og am in
2001 (see Wi ness Sp ing 2003) o:
• imp o e unde s anding o a c ic hyd ol-
ogy and i s linkages wi h closely ela ed
a mosphe ic, e es ial, and oceanic p o-
cesses and cycles, and
• os e collabo a ion wi h he many
ele an U.S. and in e na ional a c ic
esea ch ini ia i es.
The fi s A c ic-CHAMP p ojec s,
unded in 2002 unde he i le A c ic
F eshwa e Cycle: Land/Uppe -Ocean
Linkages (also known as he F eshwa e
Ini ia i e [FWI]), link NSF con ibu ions
ac oss h ee p og ams:
• A c ic-CHAMP,
• he A c ic/Sub-A c ic Ocean Fluxes
(ASOF) P og amme (see Wi ness Win e
2000/2001), and
• he S udy o En i onmen al A c ic
Change (SEARCH; see page 1).
The 18 FWI p ojec s, wi h ou addi-
ional collabo a i e p ojec s unded unde
o he NSF p og ams, b ing oge he a mo-
sphe ic, e es ial, and ma ine esea che s
16
Capi ol Upda es
On Janua y 23, P esiden Bush signed
he omnibus app op ia ions bill ha
includes he FY 2004 NSF budge . The bill
p o ides $5.6 billion o NSF, an inc ease
o 3.9% o $208 million o e FY 2003
and $97 million mo e han he p esiden ’s
2004 budge eques . Al hough he 2002
NSF Au ho iza ion Ac calls o a doubling
o he NSF budge be ween FY 2002 and
FY 2007 (see Wi ness Sp ing 2002), he FY
2004 app op ia ion alls $1 billion sho o
he au ho ized $6.6 billion unding le el.
The Resea ch and Rela ed Ac i i ies
accoun ecei es $4.3 billion, 5.5% o
$222 million mo e han FY 2003. The
esea ch di ec o a es ecei e inc eases
be ween 3% and 7.4%. The O fice o Pola
P og ams ecei es $343 million, an inc ease
o 7.4% o $24 million. O his, he A c-
ic Resea ch P og am’s es ima ed budge
o $44 million is a 14.6% inc ease o e
FY 2003. This inc ease consis s la gely o
$5.8 million designa ed by he Sena e “ o
suppo SEARCH [S udy o En i onmen-
al A c ic Change] in as uc u e needs,
including esea ch suppo o he Ba ow
A c ic Resea ch Facili y” (Sena e Repo
108-143). The A c ic Resea ch Suppo
and Logis ics P og am inc eases by 3.5%
o $31.4 million. The ele an Con e ence
Commi ee epo (H.R. 108-401) di ec s
NSF o “p o ide de ails on he unding
le els o esea ch and logis ics wi hin he
U.S. Pola Resea ch P og ams in he FY
2004 ope a ing plan.”
NSF’s Educa ion and Human
Resou ces (EHR) p og ams ecei e $939
million, 0.4% abo e FY 2003, includ-
ing $140 million o Ma h and Science
Pa ne ships, $95 million o he Expe i-
men al P og am o S imula e Compe i i e
Resea ch (EPSCoR), and $25 million o
he Science, Technology, Enginee ing, and
Ma hema ics Talen Expansion P og am
(STEP). S a ed las yea wi h a budge
o $2 million, he STEP p og am seeks
o inc ease he numbe o U.S. ci izens o
pe manen esiden s ea ning unde g adua e
deg ees in science, echnology, enginee ing,
and ma hema ics.
Funding o he Majo Resea ch
Equipmen and Facili ies Cons uc ion
(MREFC) accoun is $155 million in
FY 2004, below he $202 million eques ,
and unds fi e o se en eques ed p oj-
ec s, including he IceCube Neu ino
De ec o Obse a o y in An a c ica ($42
million) and cons uc ion on Sou h
Pole S a ion ($1.3 million). Cong ess
declined o und wo MREFC p ojec s:
he High-Pe o mance Ins umen ed
Ai bo ne Pla o m (HIAPER) and he
Na ional Ecological Obse a o ies Ne wo k
(NEON), a sys em o esea ch acili ies and
ins umen s o in eg a ed en i onmen al
obse a ions (see Wi ness Sp ing 2000).
The Majo Resea ch Ins umen a ion p o-
g am wi hin In eg a i e Ac i i ies ecei es
$110 million, a $27 million inc ease.
FY 2005 Budge Reques
In ea ly Feb ua y, he p esiden submi ed
his FY 2005 budge eques o Cong ess.
The NSF eques is $5.745 billion, a 3%
o e all inc ease abo e he FY 2004 budge .
The 2005 eques o he Resea ch and
Rela ed Ac i i ies accoun inc eases by
4.7% o $4.452 billion.
The budge eques o Pola P og ams
is $350 million, an inc ease o 2.2%
o e FY 2004. The eques o he A c ic
Resea ch P og am is $44.9 million, a 2%
inc ease, and he eques o he A c ic
Resea ch Suppo and Logis ics P og am is
$32.12 million, an inc ease o 2.3%.
The 2005 NSF budge seeks unding
o six majo esea ch acili ies:
• $12 million o NEON,
• $40.85 million o ou fi a new esea ch
essel o suppo he in e na ional
In eg a ed Ocean D illing P og am,
• $30 million o he Ra e Symme y
Viola ing P ocess p ojec a he
B ookha en Na ional Labo a o y,
• $49.67 million o he A acama La ge
Millime e A ay in Chile,
• $33.4 million o he IceCube Neu ino
Obse a o y, and
• $47.35 million o Ea hscope, a na ion-
wide geological obse a o y ne wo k.
The 2005 budge eques also includes
a 14.6% inc ease o he Long Te m Ecologi-
cal Resea ch P og am, o $18 million, and
$363 million o O ganiza ional Excellence,
an NSF s a egic goal ha emphasizes he use
o sound business p ac ices in adminis a ion.
NSB Calls o $19 Billion Budge
Acco ding o a epo om he Na ional
Science Boa d (NSB) eleased in Feb ua y,
he NSF budge mus each $19 billion
o b ing he ede al in es men in basic
esea ch and educa ion o a le el ha will
sus ain u u e U.S. leade ship in science
and echnology. The epo esponds o
Sec ion 22 o he 2002 NSF Au ho iza-
ion Ac (see Wi ness Sp ing 2002), which
di ec s he NSB o add ess and examine
he budge a y and p og amma ic g ow h
p o ided o by he ac . Tha ac au ho izes
inc easing NSF unding o $9.8 billion by
FY 2007. The NSB epo iden ifies six
p io i y ecommenda ions o NSF in es -
men i he au ho ized unding inc ease is
app op ia ed:
• imp o e he p oduc i i y o esea che s
and expand oppo uni ies o s uden s,
p ima ily by inc easing he size and
du a ion o awa ds;
• open new on ie s in esea ch and
educa ion, including explo ing no el
esea ch app oaches and de eloping
echnologies;
• build a di e se, compe i i e, and globally
engaged U.S. science and enginee ing
wo k o ce;
• inc ease he numbe and di e si y o
ins i u ions ha pa icipa e in NSF-
unded ac i i ies;
• p o ide scien is s and enginee s
wi h ad anced ools, acili ies, and
cybe in as uc u e (see page 4); and
• main ain NSF’s excellence in
managemen .
The epo also analyzes he ull ex en
o he esea ch and educa ion needs ha
a e no cu en ly being me and de e mines
ha he NSF budge mus be inc eased o
nea ly $19 billion o add ess hem ully.
The NSB is made up o 24 membe s
appoin ed by he p esiden o p o ide
ad ice on U.S. science and echnology
issues o Cong ess and he p esiden .
Fo mo e in o ma ion on he NSF
FY 2004 and 2005 budge s, see he NSF
Budge Di ision web si e: www.ns .go /
b a/bud. Fo mo e in o ma ion on he
NSB epo , see he NSB web si e: www.
ns .go /nsb.
Final 2004 NSF Budge Inc eases 3.9%

17
Educa ion News
A he Ame ican Geophysical Union
mee ing in Decembe 2003, a special
session i led Pola A ac ion: Linking
Pola Science wi h Educa ion and Ou -
each explo ed he po en ial o using pola
esea ch o engage people in unde s and-
ing and app ecia ing science. The session
b ough pola au ho s, jou nalis s, and
museum cu a o s oge he wi h scien is s,
educa o s, and NSF p og am manage s.
P esen a ions ocused on how o
p oduce e ec i e p og ams ha engage
di e en audiences: K–12, unde g adu-
a e, and he gene al public. P esen e s
ecommended linking esea ch wi h he
b oade hemes o explo a ion, disco e y,
ad en u e, isola ion, ha dship, passion,
sel - eliance, and exo ic landscapes and
bio a. Fo example, Ma y Mille , o he San
F ancisco Explo a o ium and “Li e om
An a c ica,” demons a ed how e ec i e i
can be o connec museum isi o s wi h an
ad en u e and he passions o scien is s o
hei esea ch.
Robe Wha on, o he NSF O fice
o Pola P og ams, p esen ed a sui e o
op ions o unding and encou aged he
pola scien ific communi ies o look o
addi ional a enues o b idge hei esea ch
wi h educa ion. Don Pe o ich, Cold
Regions Resea ch and Enginee ing Labo a-
o y, said, “Don’ jus alk abou hings,
find ways o ge kids in ol ed in doing
hem.” The pos e session highligh ed a
numbe o o he app oaches o linking
pola science wi h educa ion and ou each
and p o ided an oppo uni y o pa ici-
pan s o discuss successes and ailu es and
o b ains o m on u u e di ec ions.
NSF has unded a wo kshop planned
o June 2004 called B idging he Poles:
Educa ion Linked wi h Resea ch o build
on he in o ma ion gained in his special
session and in wo p e ious wo kshops on
simila opics (one on pola K–12 educa-
ion in 1997, and one on a c ic science
educa ion in 2000; see Wi ness Sp ing 1998
and Sp ing 2002). The objec i e o he new
wo kshop is o de elop a s a egy ha will
• enable pola scien is s o conduc mean-
ing ul educa ion and ou each, and
• help educa o s o include pola esea ch
in hei class ooms.
The wo kshop will define u u e
di ec ions o pola educa ion, including
needed in as uc u e, ha will also maxi-
mize he educa ional impac o he In e -
na ional Pola Yea beginning in 2007 (see
page 23). The goal is o build s onge
pa ne ships be ween he a c ic and An -
a c ic scien ific communi ies, and be ween
educa ion and pola esea ch, in o de o
engage he nex gene a ion o scien is s,
enginee s, and leade s as well as o educa e
he gene al public abou pola egions.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, con ac
S ephanie Pfi man (212-854-5120;
spfi[email p o ec ed]) o Robin
Bell ( [email protected]).
Pola A ac ion: Linking Pola Science wi h Educa ion
A young s uden p epa es o an a c ic field expe imen .
Pho o by Don Pe o ich.
New P og am B ings Teache s o Field Resea ch
In Feb ua y 2004, ARCUS ini ia ed a
new p og am suppo ing esea ch expe-
iences o educa o s called Teache s and
Resea che s Explo ing and Collabo a ing
(TREC). Ten K–12 eache s we e selec ed
o join TREC, wo king closely wi h sci-
en is s on a c ic field esea ch p ojec s. To
begin hei collabo a ions, he esea ch
eams and eache s pa icipa ed in o ien a-
ion “webina s” (web-based semina s) held
in Ma ch.
Each eache will a el o a p ojec ’s
field si e o collabo a e wi h in es iga-
o s, in eg a ing esea ch and educa ion
and in using inqui y-based science in o
class ooms and communi ies. Teache s
will sha e hei expe iences h ough online
jou nals and o he in o ma ion pos ed on
he TREC web si e, which also includes
ele an cu iculum esou ces and lea ning
ac i i ies. This collabo a ion in igo a es
science eaching and lea ning and ins ills
in young people an en husiasm o science,
inqui y, and wo king oge he o add ess
ques ions impo an o hei communi ies.
TREC p o ides p o essional de elop-
men o eache s who pa icipa e in field
esea ch p ojec s as well as educa o s who
connec h ough he In e ne . TREC each-
e s pa icipa e in a collabo a i e lea ning
communi y o educa o s and esea che s
h ough a ecip ocal exchange o expe ience
and knowledge be ween esea che s and
educa o s.
TREC is an in e im p og am, build-
ing on he aluable lessons o he Teache s
Expe iencing An a c ica and he A c ic
(TEA) p og am, which was unded by he
NSF Educa ion and Human Resou ces
Di ec o a e and he O fice o Pola P o-
g ams (OPP). Funding o TREC is p o-
ided by OPP, wi h logis ical suppo om
VECO Pola Resou ces (see page 5).
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he
TREC web si e: www.a cus.o g/ ec,
o con ac Helen Wiggins a ARCUS
(907-474-1600; ax 907-474-1604;
[email p o ec ed]).
18
Educa ion News
Launched in June 2001, he Uni e si y
o he A c ic (UA c ic) is a coope a ing
ne wo k o uni e si ies, colleges, and o he
o ganiza ions commi ed o highe educa-
ion and esea ch in he A c ic (see Wi ness
Sp ing 2003). The nea ly 60 UA c ic mem-
be s om ac oss he ci cumpola No h
sha e esou ces, acili ies, and expe ise o
build pos seconda y educa ion p og ams
ha a e ele an and accessible o no he n
s uden s. UA c ic p og ams p omo e he
de elopmen o sha ed knowledge and
unde s anding, access o educa ion, and
sus ainable p ac ices in he A c ic. UA c ic
ini ia i es cu en ly unde way include:
• online unde g adua e cou ses abou he
No h o ci cumpola s uden s,
• an online ca alog o no he n field
cou ses, and
• ci cumpola Ph.D. ne wo ks in en i on-
men al and social sciences.
As pa o i s e o s in imp o ing
access and mobili y, UA c ic de eloped
no h2no h s uden mobili y, a mul i-
la e al exchange p og am o s uden s
egis e ed a any o 23 pa icipa ing
UA c ic ins i u ions (see box). Th ough
an in e na ional ne wo k o na ional agen-
cies, no h2no h suppo s exchanges o
pe iods om 3–12 mon hs. Cou se c edi s
ans e om he hos ins i u ion o he
s uden ’s home ins i u ion. No h2no h
aims specifically o include:
• unde g adua e s uden s, who a e s ill
de eloping hei ideas abou he A c ic;
• s uden s om smalle communi ies; and
• indigenous s uden s.
The pilo phase o he p og am began
in Sep embe 2002. Six een s uden s pa -
icipa ed in no h2no h in 2002–03, and
mo e han 23 in 2003–04. Following com-
ple ion o he wo-yea pilo phase, ep e-
sen a i es o pa icipa ing s uden s, ins i u-
ions, na ional agencies, and go e nmen s
me in Janua y 2004 o begin an in e nal
e alua ion o he p og am. The e alua ion
epo will be eleased his sp ing.
Also in Janua y 2004, he fi s Cana-
dian s uden s joined no h2no h, begin-
ning exchanges a UA c ic ins i u ions in
Finland and No way. Abou 50 s uden s
a e expec ed o pa icipa e in 2004–05, he
p og am’s fi s ull yea o ope a ion.
The A c ic Resea ch Conso ium o he
Uni ed S a es (ARCUS) ecen ly ag eed
o se e as he U.S. na ional agency o
he no h2no h p og am. Mo e in o ma-
ion, including eligibili y, guidelines, and
applica ions o he no h2no h p og am,
is a ailable on he UA c ic web si e (www.
ua c ic.o g). Applica ions o no h2no h
a e due on 15 Janua y each yea .
Funding sou ces
UA c ic’s unding s a egy is based on a
model o co e unding sha ed among he
eigh a c ic s a es, and his app oach is
showing some success, including:
• Finland’s suppo o he UA c ic
In e na ional Sec e a ia since he ne -
wo k’s ounding;
• in Decembe 2003, he No wegian
Pa liamen alloca ed €535,000 (abou
$643,000 USD) o UA c ic ac i i ies,
including no h2no h; and
• in No embe 2003 Human Resou ces
De elopmen Canada announced
$441,474 CDN (abou $328,000 USD)
designa ed o suppo Canadian s u-
den s’ pa icipa ion in no h2no h.
U.S. and Eu opean Communi y (EC)
UA c ic ins i u ions plan o seek sup-
po o no h2no h exchanges om he
EC/US Coope a ion P og am in Highe
Educa ion and Voca ional Educa ion and
T aining, a join p og am o he U.S.
Depa men o Educa ion and he EC
Di ec o a e Gene al o Educa ion and
Cul u e.
O he UA c ic Exchange P og ams
No h2no h is one o UA c ic’s eme g-
ing se o ci cumpola mobili y p og ams,
which o e oppo uni ies o s uden s
and acul y o gain fi s -hand expe ience
o o he no he n egions and homelands.
The mobili y p og am o acul y, which
is cu en ly unde de elopmen , will be
known as he No he n Teaching Resou ces
Exchange (no hTREX). A Mobile Facul y
Ros e —a ca alogue o schola s in e es ed
in sho - o long- e m eaching esidencies
on UA c ic campuses—also acili a es he
exchange o no he n educa o s.
The UA c ic Council, which di ec s
p og am de elopmen and deli e y, will
mee on he Uni e si y o Alaska Fai banks
campus 15–19 May 2004. The council
includes ep esen a i es o all UA c ic
membe ins i u ions.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he UA c ic
web si e: www.ua c ic.o g, o con ac Kay
Sunwood a ARCUS (907-474-1600; ax
907-474-1604; [email p o ec ed]).
UA c ic’s no h2no h S uden Mobili y P og am G ows
Canada
• Lakehead Uni e si y, Thunde Bay,
On a io
• Nuna u A c ic College, A ia
• Uni e si é La al, Quebec Ci y
• Uni e si y o No he n B i ish
Columbia, P ince Geo ge
• Uni e si y o Saska chewan, Saska oon
• Yukon College, Whi eho se
Finland
• Kemi-To nio Poly echnic
• Oulu Poly echnic
• Ro aniemi Poly echnic
• Saami Educa ion Cen e , Ina i
• Uni e si y o Lapland, Ro aniemi
• Uni e si y o Oulu
Iceland
• Uni e si y o Aku ey i
No way
• Bodø Regional Uni e si y
• Finnma k Uni e si y College, Al a
• Saami Uni e si y College, Kau okeino
• The Uni e si y College o T omsø
• Uni e si y o T omsø
Russia
• Mu mansk Humani ies Ins i u e
• Sakha S a e Uni e si y, Yaku sk
Sweden
• Luleå Uni e si y o Technology
• Umeå Uni e si y
USA
• Uni e si y o Alaska Fai banks
Ins i u ions Pa icipa ing in UA c ic’s
no h2no h Mobili y P og am
19
om own o he UIC Science Cen e a
he UIC–NARL Facili y, which is se e al
miles no h o Ba ow. ARCUS and BASC
hope o begin emo e ideocas s o School-
ya d Sa u day in 2004.
Schoolya d Sa u day sponso s field
ac i i ies o s uden s as well. Ba ow High
School s uden s ha e an ongoing e o
based in he Ba ow En i onmen al Obse -
a o y (BEO) ha includes a yea - ound
me eo ological s a ion and a g owing-season
clima e change expe imen modeled on one
a Toolik Field S a ion. Recen ly some o he
s uden s and a science eache isi ed Toolik
on a amilia iza ion ou . The s uden s ha e
p oduced a science pos e and p esen ed i a
a na ional educa ion mee ing.
BASC also o ganizes e ening p esen a-
ions by esea che s, places local s uden s
wi h field esea ch p ojec s, akes scien is s
in o schools ac oss he No h Slope, and
wo ks wi h illage schools in Chuko ka,
Russia. BASC p o ides se e al NSF- ela ed
a eling exhibi s o he UIC Science Cen-
e and coo dina es collec ion o scien ific
ma e ials he e. Resea che s planning o
isi he No h Slope a e encou aged o
con ac BASC and pa icipa e in i s educa-
ional and ou each ac i i ies.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, including
p e ious speake s and opics, see he
BASC web si e: www.a c icscience.o g, o
con ac BASC Execu i e Di ec o Glenn
Sheehan (907-852-4881; ax 907-852-
4882; [email p o ec ed]).
Educa ion News
Since s a ing i s Schoolya d Sa u day
p og am in Ap il 2002, he Ba ow
A c ic Science Conso ium (BASC) has
o ganized mo e han 75 Sa u day a e noon
p esen a ions o s uden s and he public
on he No h Slope o Alaska. Aiming o
make science accessible and ele an o s u-
den s, he p esen a ions ocus on scien ific
issues o in e es o he Ba ow communi y
and a e usually gi en by an in es iga o
wi h an ac i e local esea ch p ojec .
Each p esen e is pai ed wi h a local
eache , who assis s in he p esen a ion i
necessa y and helps in ad ance o plan i
on a le el sui able o s uden s. Some imes
he eache ’s job has added esponsibili ies,
as when one s uden ain ed du ing a seal
dissec ion. Abou 20 educa o s ha e wo ked
wi h Schoolya d Sa u day p esen e s o da e.
A endance has isen as he p og am has
s a ed o become a communi y ins i u ion;
om No embe 2002–No embe 2003
eco ded a endance was 1,277—abou
28% o he Ba ow popula ion. Ac ual
a endance is highe , since no e e yone
signs in a hese in o mal e en s. A e age
a endance in 2003 has been 32 people,
usually abou one- hi d o hem s uden s.
BASC B ings Science o Schoolya d Sa u day
Recen Schoolya d Sa u day p esen e s and
opics ha e included:
• Klaus Meine s on mucus in ma ine
habi a s;
• Ka hy Tu co on a c ic acous ics;
• Ka hleen C ane on a c ic explo a ion in
he 21s cen u y;
• Ron G eeley on sola sys em explo a ion;
• Geo Ca oll on musk ox
ein oduc ion;
• Ben Hol on sea ice hickness; and
• Ma hew S u m and Jim Maslanik on ice
and snow measu emen om sa elli es.
Local au ho and school boa d mem-
be Debbie Edwa dson and ansla o Ida
Olemaun, also a school boa d membe ,
ecen ly ead he Iñupiaq and English e -
sions o Debbie’s book Whale Snow.
Schoolya d is pa o BASC’s ex ensi e
e o s o b ing scien is s and he com-
muni y oge he . Funding comes om
he NSF A c ic Long-Te m Ecological
Resea ch p og am, based a Toolik Field
S a ion, and he NSF Coope a i e Ag ee-
men wi h BASC. Hopson Middle School
eache Jill Exe se es as Schoolya d Sa u -
day coo dina o o BASC. BASC p o ides
anspo a ion o Schoolya d Sa u day
Klaus Meine s (Yale) akes a co e sample o he ice on he
A c ic Ocean as pa o Ch is ophe K embs’ (Uni e si y
o Washing on) ongoing p ojec o s udy he impac o sea
ice mic obes on sea ice p ope ies. Sco y Oyagak (BASC),
and Isabel Edwa dson (Ba ow High School) look on.
Pho o by Leslie Pie ce.
Science o Alaska Lec u es
D aw Reco d C owds
Fo wel e yea s, he Uni e si y o Alaska Fai banks Geophysical Ins i u e has hos ed
he Science o Alaska ee public lec u e se ies, wi h addi ional financial suppo
om he Uni e si y o Alaska and he Alaska Science and Technology Founda ion. A
eco d-b eaking 8,800 Alaskans a ended he lec u es in Janua y h ough Ma ch 2003,
and judging om he capaci y c owds in ea ly 2004, i appea s ha eco d is abou o
be b oken.
Lec u es in 2004 include p esen a ions on he au o a, bea s, wol es, as onomy,
ea hquakes, and ligh ning and fi e. The lec u e se ies was designed o b ing cu ing-
edge esea ch o he gene al public. Lec u e s a el o Ancho age, Fai banks, and
Juneau o sha e hei expe ise.
In addi ion o he educa ion ou each e o , eache s a ending he lec u e se ies in
Fai banks and Ancho age can ea n c edi owa d main aining hei eaching ce ifica es
h ough pa icipa ion in a aining wo kshop. This special cou se is designed o ain
educa o s in how o inco po a e he esea ch ea u ed a he lec u es e ec i ely in o
class oom lessons and ac i i ies. This oppo uni y inc eases he skills o Alaska’s eache s
and b ings cu en scien ific esea ch o Alaska’s p ima y and seconda y schools.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see: www.science o alaska.com, o con ac Amy Ha ley a
he UAF Geophysical Ins i u e Public In o ma ion and Educa ion Ou each O fice
(907-474-5823; ax 907-474-7344; [email p o ec ed]).
20
Educa ion News
In e na ional News
The Cen e o No he n S udies, a
30-yea -old, nonp ofi ins i u ion in
Ve mon o esea ch and educa ion on all
aspec s o he a No h, ecen ly me ged
wi h S e ling College, a p i a e, ou -yea ,
en i onmen al college o e ing academic
p og ams in no he n s udies, ou doo
educa ion and leade ship, sus ainable ag i-
cul u e, and wildlands ecology and man-
agemen . The newly es ablished Cen e o
No he n S udies a S e ling College will
con inue o:
• o e s udy-away op ions o s uden s
om o he colleges,
• p o ide addi ional cou se op ions o cu -
en S e ling College s uden s, and
• a ac s uden s om in e na ional and
indigenous communi ies o he No h.
In addi ion, he cen e will p o ide
oppo uni ies o educa o s and o he
communi y membe s o lea n mo e abou
no he n s udies h ough:
• a local lec u e se ies,
• access o a esou ce lib a y specializing in
he No h, and
• en ollmen in cou ses and field-s udy
p og ams.
Mission
The Cen e o No he n S udies a
S e ling College in eg a es field esea ch
wi h educa ional p og ams add essing he
ecosys ems and people o a c ic and sub-
a c ic en i onmen s and he challenges o
sus ainable in e ac ion in a global socie y.
The cen e ’s educa ional philosophy
is ounded upon he belie ha indi-
iduals who help in deciding he u u e o
no he n egions mus b idge adi ional
disciplines. The cen e o e s a pe sonal
academic expe ience ha combines o -
mal academic wo k in na u al science,
an h opology, poli ical economy, law, and
humani ies wi h comp ehensi e fieldwo k.
Cen e o No he n S udies Me ges wi h S e ling College
The cen e campus, loca ed close o S e -
ling College, includes he 350-ac e Bea
Swamp, an excep ional example o bo eal
o es and muskeg. This accessible si e
p o ides an ideal en i onmen o in es-
iga ion o egions ha a e geog aphically
much a he no h. Field-s udy p og ams
o Iceland, Lab ado , New oundland, and
he Sco ish Isles p o ide hands-on expe i-
ence and imme sion in no he n cul u e.
An excellen acul y wi h mo e han h ee
decades o expe ience in no he n esea ch
and educa ion acili a e his unique and
in ensi e oppo uni y o in es iga e he
en i onmen , peoples, and cul u es o he
ci cumpola No h.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he Cen e
o No he n S udies a S e ling College
web si e: www.s e lingcollege.edu/cns, o
con ac E ik Hansen (800-648-3591; ax
802-586-2596; [email p o ec ed]
o [email p o ec ed]).
Iceland Hos s A c ic Science Summi Week 2004
The Icelandic Cen e o Resea ch
(RANNIS) o ganized he 2004 A c ic
Science Summi Week (ASSW) in Reyk-
ja ik, Iceland, 21–28 Ap il 2004, wi h
suppo om he Icelandic Chai manship
o he A c ic Council, which has placed
a c ic esea ch coope a ion a he hea o
i s chai manship p og am. The In e na-
ional A c ic Science Commi ee (IASC)
ini ia ed ASSW, which now in ol es a
numbe o o he a c ic science o ganiza-
ions (see box).
Mos o he ASSW e en s comp ise
he annual mee ings o a ious ci cuma c-
ic science o ganiza ions, b inging many
ep esen a i es in o one place a he same
ime and acili a ing c osscu ing con ac s
and coope a ion. In addi ion, join mee -
ings, such as he P ojec Day and he Sci-
ence Day, b ing science issues o common
in e es o he agenda.
The heme o he ASSW 2004 is
Sus ainable De elopmen in he A c ic.
The P ojec Day includes h ee opics o
b oad in e na ional in e es :
• A c ic Clima e Impac Assessmen
(ACIA; see page 21);
• Second In e na ional Con e ence o
A c ic Resea ch Planning (ICARP II;
see page 21); and
• In e na ional Pola Yea 2007–2008
(IPY 2007–2008; see page 23).
The o e a ching heme o he Science
Day is Adap a ion o Clima e Change.
In o ma ion on speake s and opics is
a ailable on he ASSW web si e.
P e ious ASSWs ha e been held in:
• T omsø, No way,
• Camb idge, UK,
• Iqalui , Canada,
• G oningen, Ne he lands, and
• Ki una, Sweden.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he ASSW
web si e: www.cong ess.is/assw, o
con ac K is jan K is jansson (+354-
515 5800; ax: +354-552 9814;
[email p o ec ed]).
O ganiza ions Pa icipa ing in
ASSW 2004
In e na ional A c ic Science
Commi ee (IASC)
Eu opean Science Founda ion /
Eu opean Pola Boa d (ESF/EPB)
Fo um o A c ic Resea ch Ope a o s
(FARO)
A c ic Ocean Science Boa d (AOSB)
No dic Pola G oup (NPG)
Ny-Ålesund Science Manage s
Commi ee (NySMAC)
No he n Resea ch Fo um (NRF)
In e na ional Pe ma os Associa ion
(IPA)
21
In e na ional News
ACIA Plans o Deli e y, Discussions in 2004
Con e ence on A c ic Resea ch Planning Se o 2005
discuss and o mula e physical, biological,
and social science p ojec s and implemen-
a ion s a egies ha can guide in e na-
ional coope a ion o e he nex fi e o en
yea s o add ess:
• p oblems, p io i ies, and conce ns o
hose who li e in o nea he A c ic,
• he linkages be ween a c ic and global
p ocesses, and
• issues conce ning a c ic na u al esou ces
and en i onmen al quali y.
A p esen , 15 majo a c ic esea ch
use o ganiza ions ha e endo sed and a e
aking pa in he ICARP II planning p o-
cess. The ICARP II S ee ing G oup held
i s fi s mee ing in Oc obe 2003, in asso-
cia ion wi h he SEARCH Open Science
Mee ing (see page 1). The S ee ing G oup
plans o o m 10 hema ic wo king g oups
o explo e scien ific issues and de elop
s a egies o he u u e. The delibe a ions
o hese wo king g oups will o m he basis
o he con e ence.
The A c ic Clima e Impac Assess-
men (ACIA; see Wi ness Win e
2000/2001), an in e na ional p ojec o
he A c ic Council and he In e na ional
A c ic Science Commi ee (IASC), com-
menced in 2000. The assessmen will
e alua e and syn hesize knowledge on
clima e a iabili y, clima e change, and
inc eased ul a iole adia ion and hei
consequences, including possible u u e
impac s on:
• he en i onmen and i s li ing
esou ces,
• human heal h, and
• buildings, oads, and o he
in as uc u e.
The assessmen is expec ed o p o ide
use ul and eliable in o ma ion o he go -
e nmen s, o ganiza ions, and peoples o
he A c ic on policy op ions o mee such
changes.
Mo e han 250 scien is s and six ci -
cumpola indigenous o ganiza ions ha e
pa icipa ed in ACIA, which will p oduce:
• a pee - e iewed scien ific assessmen , and
• a syn hesis/o e iew documen summa-
izing esul s.
These documen s will be deli e ed o
he minis e s a he A c ic Council Minis-
e ial Con e ence in Reykja ik, Iceland, in
No embe 2004.
Immedia ely p eceding he Minis e ial
Con e ence, he backg ound and scien ific
esul s o ACIA will be discussed a he
ACIA In e na ional Scien ific Symposium
on 9–12 No embe 2004, also in Reyk-
ja ik. The symposium’s pa icipan s will
include
• scien is s wo king on a c ic and clima e
change issues,
• local and egional adminis a o s,
manage s, and decision-make s,
• indigenous peoples’ o ganiza ions, and
• ep esen a i es o indus ies and in e na-
ional and nongo e nmen al o ganiza-
ions wi h in e es s in he A c ic.
The ACIA scien ific assessmen will be
unde conside a ion a he symposium.
The scien ific esul s and backg ound,
including indigenous peoples’ pe spec i es
and obse a ions, will be p esen ed and
discussed in an in eg a ed ci cumpola
con ex . The assessmen will also be dis-
cussed in he con ex o global, egional,
and sub- egional en i onmen al manage-
men and policy de elopmen . Iden ifi-
ca ion o knowledge gaps and he need
o new esea ch and moni o ing will be
an impo an issue a he symposium.
P esen a ions on opics no di ec ly deal
wi h by he ACIA, bu o ele ance o cli-
ma e change in he A c ic, a e welcome.
The symposium will be an impo an
pa o he p ocess by which he ACIA
will communica e i s esul s and conclu-
sions o a c ic s akeholde s and o poli i-
cians. A summa y epo om he discus-
sions and p esen a ions will be deli e ed
o he minis e s a hei mee ing in he
week ollowing he symposium. Abs ac s
we e due 1 Ap il 2004.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he ACIA
web si e: www.acia.ua .edu, o con ac
Gun e Welle (907-474-7371; ax 907-
474-6722; [email p o ec ed]).
In 1995, o e 300 pa icipan s om 18
na ions de eloped plans o ackle c i ical
a c ic science p oblems a he fi s In e -
na ional Con e ence o A c ic Resea ch
Planning (ICARP), held in Hano e , New
Hampshi e (see Wi ness Sp ing 1996). Ten
in e na ional wo king g oups d a ed ini-
ial science plans o po en ial ci cuma c ic
esea ch p ojec s, which we e discussed
and e iewed a he con e ence. Since
1995, almos all o he plans ha e been
implemen ed, con ibu ing significan ly o
cu en unde s anding o he A c ic.
The 200 pa icipan s a he 2003
A c ic Science Summi Week (see page 20)
eached a b oad consensus ha he iming
was igh o a second ICARP o iden i y
and add ess he science p oblems o oday
and he nex decade. Scheduled o he
all o 2005 in Copenhagen, Denma k,
ICARP II aims o b ing oge he a c ic
esiden s, senio and young schola s, policy
expe s, and science and land manage s o
To gene a e hemes eflec ing he
in e es s and needs o he a c ic scien-
ific and use communi ies, he S ee ing
G oup solici ed p oposals o hemes
om all o he ICARP II sponso s and
encou aged hem o ex end his in i a-
ion as b oadly as possible. P oposals we e
due by 15 Decembe 2003. The S ee ing
G oup p oposed a po en ial o e a ching
heme o he con e ence: Unde s anding
he A c ic Sys em: Regional Sus ainable
De elopmen and Global Connec ions.
The S ee ing G oup me in Janua y
2004 o selec wo king g oup hemes and
begin appoin ing membe s o he wo king
g oups. The wo king g oups will ope a e
h oughou 2004 and in o ea ly 2005 and
ci cula e he ou come o hei delibe a-
ions well in ad ance o he con e ence.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he ICARP
II web si e: www.dpc.dk/Res&Log/ICARP,
o con ac Pa ick Webbe (517-355-1284;
ax 517-432-2150; webbe @msu.edu).

22
The concep o a e es ial Ci cum-
a c ic En i onmen al Obse a o ies
Ne wo k (CEON; see Wi ness Win e
2000/2001) was fi s aised a he 2000
A c ic Science Summi Week (ASSW; see
page 20) a a mee ing o he Fo um o
A c ic Resea ch Ope a o s (FARO; see
Wi ness Sp ing/Au umn 1999 and www.
a o-a c ic.o g). FARO membe s sup-
po ed he CEON concep , ad oca ing
ha CEON be de eloped o p omo e
measu emen o en i onmen al obse -
a ions and dissemina ion o hese o
a c ic esea che s, while encompassing
and building on he s eng hs o exis ing
s a ions and en i onmen al obse a o y
ne wo ks wi hin he A c ic. Since 2000,
he CEON concep has ecei ed inc eas-
ing suppo , including endo semen om
he In e na ional A c ic Science Commi -
ee (IASC; see www.iasc.no) as an ini ia-
i e ocused on acili a ing ongoing and
u u e long- e m in e na ional esea ch
endea o s in he A c ic.
To con ac and collec eedback om
po en ial CEON s akeholde and use
g oups, he CEON concep has been
p esen ed a mee ings o a ious ne -
wo ks, esea ch collabo a ions, and pola
o ganiza ions in Eu ope, Russia, and he
U.S. P esen a ions ha e ocused on he
necessi y o he CEON ini ia i e o mee
he needs o he pa icipa ing esea ch
communi y, science adminis a o s, policy
make s, indus y, educa ion, and indig-
enous communi ies while p o iding:
• linkages among disciplines and exis ing
ne wo ks, and
• connec i i y spanning egional o
ci cuma c ic and global scales.
To p e en in oduc ion o na ional,
disciplina y, o ins i u ional bias, p e-
sen a ions o he CEON concep ha e
delibe a ely no men ioned o sugges ed
specific measu emen s o p ocesses ha
should o could be made o in es iga ed.
Ins ead, audiences ha e been asked o
answe he ollowing ques ion: “Wha
would you do i you had he oppo u-
ni y o conduc s anda dized long- e m,
in eg a ed measu emen s ac oss mul iple
esea ch s a ions and ne wo ks in he
A c ic?” I is hoped ha his “bo om-up”
app oach will acili a e he de elopmen
and scope o CEON based on he expe i-
ence, needs, and u u e di ec ions o a
b oad ange o po en ial CEON s ake-
holde and use g oups.
The a ionale ha has eme ged o
CEON includes he ollowing issues:
• Rela i e o o he egions on he globe,
he A c ic is expe iencing d ama ic
changes in clima e and pa e ns o
human land use. En i onmen al and
socioeconomic d i e s associa ed wi h
hese changes o igina e bo h wi hin and
ou side o he a c ic sys em.
• Change de ec ion and p edic i e powe
o hese changes a e low and a e limi ed
and h ea ened by he loss o sus ained
en i onmen al obse a ion ime se ies
in no he n high la i udes.
• A ci cuma c ic en i onmen al obse -
a o ies ne wo k ha can p o ide
adequa e, di e se, and sus ained ime
se ies obse a ions has he po en ial o
d ama ically imp o e ou unde s and-
ing o he a c ic sys em and how i may
con inue o espond o a a ie y o en i-
onmen al and socie al changes o ecas
o he egion.
• The e is a well-es ablished science in a-
s uc u e and a emendous amoun o
esea ch and moni o ing in he A c ic.
Gene ally, he b oade in e na ional
and mul idisciplina y impac s o hese
e o s a e no ully apped due o
limi a ions associa ed wi h esea ch
exposu e, communica ion, da a a ail-
abili y, and di e ences in echnologies
and sampling me hods be ween si es.
Rein o cing and imp o ing he b oade
impac s o his exis ing and ongoing
e o should be he p ima y s a ing
poin o CEON.
In Oc obe 2003, an ini ial planning
mee ing o CEON was con ened a
he Royal Swedish Academy o Sciences.
Financial suppo o his mee ing was
p o ided by:
• he U.S. Na ional Science Founda ion,
• he Royal Swedish Academy o Sciences’
Abisko Scien ific Resea ch S a ion,
• he Scandina ian–No h Eu opean
Ne wo k o Te es ial Field Bases
(SCANNET, www.en ica .com/scanne /
Scanne ), and
• a g an o Abisko Scien ific Resea ch S a-
ion (www.ans.ki una.se) om he Swed-
ish En i onmen al P o ec ion Agency
(www.in e na .en i on.se/index.php3)
o i s pa icipa ion in he A c ic Clima e
Impac Assessmen (ACIA, www.acia.
ua .edu; see page 21).
Many pa icipan s also gene ously p o-
ided whole o pa ial unding o suppo
hei a endance a his mee ing. A o al o
34 pa icipan s a ended he mee ing and
ep esen ed all eigh a c ic na ions and 11
o he 18 IASC membe coun ies. Disci-
plina y in e es s o pa icipan s spanned
science adminis a ion, ecology, clima ol-
ogy, biogeochemis y, emo e sensing,
policy and managemen , human and
physical geog aphy, and modeling. In e -
es s o indigenous peoples o he No h
and adi ional ecological knowledge we e
ep esen ed in se e al disciplines. Pa ici-
pan s also ep esen ed a ange o esea ch
si es, moni o ing ne wo ks, esea ch col-
labo a ions, and science-based p og ams
and o ganiza ions, spanning local, ci cum-
a c ic, and in e na ional scales.
The Oc obe planning mee ing has
helped o ocus he de elopmen o
CEON and iden i y a cen al heme o
i s mission— o s eng hen he capaci y
o eme ging moni o ing, esea ch, and
policy needs a high no he n la i udes by
making da a a ailable ha a e adequa e
and sui able o answe ing a se ies o
well-defined key scien ific ques ions and
unce ain ies.
I is in ended ha a la ge in e na-
ional CEON mee ing will be con ened
in la e 2004 o acili a e he o ma ion o
key wo king g oups and conduc elec ions
o sea s o o fice. Feedback o he u u e
de elopmen o CEON and he CEON
web si e, which hos s a new ci cuma c ic
online and in e ac i e geog aphic in o -
ma ion sys em/In e ne map se e , is
welcomed.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he CEON
web si e: h p://ceonin o.o g, o con ac
C aig Tweedie (517-355-1285; ax 517-
432-2150; [email p o ec ed]).
CEON Ini ia i e Ga he s Suppo
In e na ional News
23
Momen um is building o an In e -
na ional Pola Yea in 2007–2008,
imed o celeb a e se e al in e na ional
scien ific anni e sa ies (see box). IPY
2007–2008 is en isioned as a campaign
o coo dina ed pola obse a ions and
analyses ha a e bipola in ocus, mul i-
disciplina y in scope, and in e na ional
in pa icipa ion. I s scien ific p og am
will inco po a e elemen s o explo a ion,
s udies o pola p ocesses, and ac i i ies o
moni o and unde s and change and i s
human dimensions. I s goals include gal-
anizing new and inno a i e obse a ions
and esea ch, building on and enhancing
exis ing p og ams and ini ia i es, a ac -
ing and de eloping he nex gene a ion o
pola scien is s and science leade s, and
c ea ing an exci ing ange o educa ion and
ou each ac i i ies o engage he public.
IPY 2007–2008 has ecei ed s ong
endo semen s om he In e na ional
Council o Science (ICSU), he Scien ific
Commi ee on An a c ic Resea ch, he
In e na ional A c ic Science Commi ee
(IASC), he A c ic Ocean S udies Boa d,
he Eu opean Pola Boa d, he U.S. Pola
Resea ch Boa d (PRB; see page 15), he
Wo ld Me eo ological O ganiza ion, and
o he go e nmen and nongo e nmen al
o ganiza ions.
IPY planne s ha e es ablished an in e -
na ional s uc u e o in ol e many na ions
in de elopmen o a cohe en IPY s a egy.
In May 2003, he ICSU Execu i e Commi -
ee o med an IPY Planning G oup, which
me in July and Decembe 2003. The IPY
Planning G oup in i ed all na ions wishing
o be in ol ed o o m a na ional commi ee
o acili a e communica ion, o help define
he o e all science hemes, and o s ee hei
own na ional e o s.
In he U.S., he PRB es ablished he
U.S. Na ional Commi ee o IPY 2007–
2008, chai ed by Ma y Albe o he Cold
Regions Resea ch and Enginee ing Labo-
a o y. This g oup is using an in e ac i e
web si e, mee ings, and o he mechanisms
o sp ead he wo d abou IPY. The new
web si e (h p://us-ipy.o g) hos s a a ie y
o in o ma ion on IPY, including his o y,
planning documen s, announcemen s o
oppo uni ies, e c. The U.S. Commi ee is
p epa ing a epo ha will lay ou he case
o IPY 2007–2008 and help ocus U.S.
ac i i ies, and a d a will be pos ed on he
si e o commen in mid-2004.
A he in e na ional le el, he ICSU
IPY Planning G oup deli e ed a p elimi-
na y p og ess epo o ICSU in Feb ua y
2004. Assuming ICSU app o al, he plan-
ning g oup will o e see de elopmen o an
IPY science plan h ough an open p ocess,
including so ing he many ideas gene a ed
o da e in o main hemes so ha he IPY
e o can be coo dina ed.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he U.S.
IPY web si e: h p://us-ipy.o g, o con ac
Sheldon D obo (202-334-1942; ax 202-
334-1477; [email p o ec ed]).
G oups Plan o In e na ional Pola Yea 2007–2008
A B ie His o y o he In e na ional Pola Yea s
2007–2008 will ma k he 125 h anni e sa y o he Fi s In e na ional Pola Yea
(1882–1883), he 75 h anni e sa y o he Second Pola Yea (1932–1933), and he
50 h anni e sa y o he In e na ional Geophysical Yea (1957–1958). The IPYs and IGY
we e majo ini ia i es ha gene a ed significan new insigh s in o global p ocesses and led
o decades o in aluable pola esea ch. The IGY esul ed di ec ly in he es ablishmen o
he An a c ic T ea y Sys em. In spi e o subs an ial in es men s in pola explo a ion and
esea ch o e he yea s, bo h by indi idual na ions and h ough in e na ional p og ams,
he ela i e inaccessibili y and challenging en i onmen s o hese egions ha e le hem
less well explo ed and s udied han o he key egions o he plane . IPY 2007–2008 will
ocus a en ion on he impo ance o he A c ic and An a c ic in he Ea h sys em and
hei many significan connec ions o issues o global clima e, sea le el, biogeochemical
cycles, and ma ine and e es ial ecosys ems.
1882–1883: Ka l Weyp ech , an o fice wi h he Aus o-Hunga ian na y, inspi ed he
Fi s In e na ional Pola Yea . Weyp ech a gued ha pola expedi ions should include
eams o scien is s who could make obse a ions on au o ae, geomagne ism, and me eo-
ological condi ions. Planning o he IPY, which was he fi s majo in e na ional science
collabo a ion, ook se en yea s. Al hough Weyp ech died be o e he IPY, 11 coun ies
pa icipa ed in 15 pola expedi ions (12 o he A c ic and 3 o he An a c ic), he alding a
new age o scien ific disco e y.
1932–1933: The Second In e na ional Pola Yea was p oposed in 1928 a an in e -
na ional con e ence o me eo ological se ice di ec o s. Fo y na ions pa icipa ed in a c-
ic esea ch om 1932–1933 ( he 25 h anni e sa y o he fi s IPY), la gely in he fields o
me eo ology, magne ism, au o ae, and adio science. Due o he wo ldwide dep ession,
howe e , he second IPY was smalle han o iginally en isioned.
1957–1958: Wha migh ha e been he Thi d In e na ional Pola Yea was expanded
and named he In e na ional Geophysical Yea (IGY). P oposed in 1952 by he In e -
na ional Council o Scien ific Unions ollowing a sugges ion by Na ional Academy o
Sciences membe Lloyd Be kne , he IGY included significan wo k in he An a c ic and
some in he A c ic, as well as geophysical wo k a ound he globe. Six y-se en na ions
conduc ed esea ch du ing he IGY, including 12 na ions ha es ablished and main-
ained 65 s a ions in An a c ica.
In e na ional News
Bal ou Wa son Cu ie (1902–1981) o he Uni e si y
o Saska chewan measu ing a mosphe ic po en ial g adi-
en a Ches e field Inle , Nuna u , Canada, du ing he
second IPY (1932–1933). Pho o cou esy o Uni e si y o
Saska chewan A chi es, Physics onds, A-22.
24
In e na ional News
In a majo de elopmen o a c ic science in
Canada, he Canada Founda ion o Inno-
a ion (CFI) and he Depa men o Fishe ies
and Oceans Canada p o ided unding o
ans o m he 98-m Canadian Coas Gua d
iceb eake Si John F anklin in o a s a e-o -
he-a esea ch iceb eake a a cos o $31
million (CDN). The CFI g an also co e ed
equipmen acquisi ion and a po ion o he
essel’s fi s fi e yea s o ope a ion.
Re-ch is ened Amundsen, he iceb eake
began i s fi s deploymen in Sep embe
2003, suppo ing he ongoing Canadian-
led A c ic Shel Exchange S udy (CASES,
2002–2007). Funded by he Na u al Sci-
ences and Enginee ing Resea ch Council,
CASES’ goal is o unde s and and model
he esponse o biogeochemical and eco-
logical cycles o a mosphe ic, oceanic, and
con inen al o cing o sea-ice co e a i-
abili y on he Mackenzie Shel . Resea che s
om 11 coun ies a e aking u ns as he
ship o e -win e s in he Beau o Sea (see
www.cases.quebec-ocean.ula al.ca).
Wi hin he amewo k o A c icNe (see
box), he Amundsen will suppo se e al
o he majo p og ams in he Canadian sec-
o o he A c ic Ocean o e he nex en
yea s. Fo example:
The In e na ional Obse a o ies o
A c ic Canadian Seas will ga he long- e m
physical, biological, and biogeochemical
a iables in he A c ic Basin (Mackenzie
Shel ) and he Canadian ou flow o he
A c ic Ocean (No h Wa e ), s a ing in
2004–2005.
Ice In o ma ion and Na iga ion in he
NW Passage. The No hwes Passage could
open o in e con inen al na iga ion by
2015–2025. This p ojec will build p edic-
i e ice dynamics and dis ibu ion models
o de elop s a egies o dec easing he isk
o ma ine disas e s while maximizing he
po en ial shipping season.
No he n Regional Sensi i i y o Cli-
ma e Change ocuses on a ansec analysis
o Canadian coas al en i onmen s om
55˚N (Kuujjua apik) o 80˚N (Ellesme e
Island) o de e mine he po en ial esponse
o e es ial no he n ecosys ems o wa m-
ing. The esea ch iceb eake will se e as a
mo ing base, wi h access o coas al si es by
launch and helicop e .
Role o Ice in he Mo phodynam-
ics o A c ic Coas s will an icipa e he
esponse o he A c ic Coas o clima e-
induced changes in ice co e , wa e gene a-
ion, and s o m su ge.
Clima e Change and Public Heal h
in he Canadian A c ic (2003–2008) will
examine he influence o clima e on human
heal h and de elop s a egies o adap ing o
Canada Launches Resea ch Iceb eake Amundsen
The e u bished Amundsen includes ea u es such as an in e nal moon pool, p o iding an opening o he sea om inside
he ship, ully equipped we and d y labs, a as -launch da i , and an acous ic well. Pho o by Gé ald Da nis (CASES).
Canada’s A c ic Resea ch E o s Gain G ound
Canada’s no he n esea ch e o s ha e consis en ly dwindled o e he pas 20 yea s.
The Task Fo ce on No he n Resea ch appoin ed by he Na u al Sciences and Engi-
nee ing Resea ch Council (NSERC) and he Social Sciences and Humani ies Resea ch
Council (SSHRC) eleased a epo in 2000 ha called o enewing he his o ic Cana-
dian leade ship in a c ic science (Hu chinson e al., 2000, F om C isis o Oppo uni y:
Rebuilding Canada’s Role in No he n Resea ch). Canada has ecen ly aken s eps o
inc ease i s esea ch e o s in he A c ic, including e u bishing an iceb eake o scien-
ific wo k (see his page) and es ablishing a na ional Ne wo k o Cen es o Excellence
ocused on he impac s o clima e change in he ma ine and coas al A c ic.
Launched in July 2003, A c icNe connec s 21 Canadian and 20 in e na ional uni e si-
ies, wo indus ies, and 27 go e nmen al and nongo e nmen al o ganiza ions in a c oss-
sec o al ne wo k in ol ing na u al, social, and heal h scien is s. A c icNe ’s goal is o de elop
knowledge needed o o mula e impac assessmen s, na ional policies, and adap a ion s a e-
gies o help Canada ace he en i onmen al and socioeconomic consequences o a wa ming
A c ic and add ess he conce ns o no he ne s, including he a e o change o he a c ic
en i onmen ; he educ ion o human ulne abili y o haza dous e en s; he adap a ion o
he public heal h sys em o change; he p o ec ion o key animal species; ma i ime ans-
po in an ice- ee Canadian A c ic; and he economic impac s o en i onmen al change
in he A c ic. The di ec in ol emen o no he n esiden s in he scien ific p ocess is a p i-
ma y goal o he ne wo k, which is unded o $25.7 million (CDN) o ou yea s.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he A c icNe web si e: www.a c icne .ula al.ca, o con ac
Ma in Fo ie (418-656-5233; ax 418-656-2339; ma [email p o ec ed]).
i s po en ial impac s in no he n communi-
ies. The iceb eake will p o ide access o
emo e communi ies and acili ies o in e -
iews and examina ions.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he Amundsen
web si e: www.amundsen.quebec-ocean.
ula al.ca, o con ac Louis Fo ie (418-656-
5646; ax 418-656-2339; louis. o ie @bio.
ula al.ca).
25
Ba hyme ic and opog aphic in s
-5000 -4000-3000-2500-2000-1500-1000 -500 -200 -100 -50 -25 0-1050 100 200 300 400 500 600 700800 1000 (Me e s)
Canada
Basin
Ba en s Sea
Chukchi
Bo de land
Mo is Jesup
Rise
Ye mak
Pla eau
A
l
p
h
a
-
M
e
n
d
e
l
e
e
R
i
d
g
e
L
o
m
o
n
o
s
o
R
i
d
g
e
G
a
k
k
e
l
R
i
d
g
e
UN Law o he Sea May Al e A c ic Ocean Bounda ies
In e na ional Ba hysphe ic Cha o he A c ic Ocean (www.ngdc.
noaa.go /mgg/ba hyme y/a c ic/a c ic.h ml), g aphic depic ion
modified by Sue Mi chell.
In e na ional News
The bounda ies o he Exclusi e Eco-
nomic Zones in he A c ic Ocean
may change in he nex decade, as na ions
a emp o edefine hei claims o so e eign
igh s o explo a ion and de elopmen o
esou ces unde he 1982 Uni ed Na ions
Con en ion on Law o he Sea (UNCLOS).
Unde A icle 76 o UNCLOS, coas al
s a es may choose om among se e al
c i e ia—based a iously on dis ance om
he coas line, dis ance om selec ed isoba hs
o he oo o he con inen al slope, o e en
he a io be ween sedimen hickness and
sho es dis ance om he oo o he con-
inen al slope— o p ojec hei ju isdic ion
beyond he usual 200 nau ical miles seawa d
o he coas . This a ea, which may ex end
up o 150 miles beyond he 200-mile limi
o e en a he unde some ci cums ances, is
e e ed o as he ju idical con inen al shel ,
which may o may no co espond o he
physiog aphic con inen al shel .
UNCLOS equi es indi idual na ions
o submi any claims o ex ended ju isdic-
ion o he Commission on he Limi s o
he Con inen al Shel (CLCS), an elec ed
body o 21 expe s in geology, geophys-
ics, o hyd og aphy, wi hin 10 yea s o he
na ion’s a i ying UNCLOS. The CLCS
hen e iews he submission and issues
ecommenda ions o he submi ing s a e.
I he submission is app o ed, he coas al
na ion can exe
so e eign igh s in he ex ended egion,
including ju isdic ion o e he explo a-
ion and exploi a ion o bo h he li ing
and nonli ing na u al esou ces abo e and
below he seabed; con ol o e he place-
men and use o subma ine cables, pipe-
lines, and o he s uc u es; egula ion o e
d illing; con ol and p e en ion o ma ine
pollu ion; and egula ion o ma ine scien-
ific esea ch.
The A c ic Ocean is su ounded by
some o he la ges con inen al shel es in
he wo ld, and hese shel es a e almos
ce ain o con ain many economically
impo an deposi s o pe oleum and o he
mine als. O he fi e na ions bo de ing he
A c ic Ocean, Canada, No way, and Russia
ha e a ified he UNCLOS. Denma k and
he U.S. ha e no a ified he ea y and
he e o e canno be elec ed o he CLCS.
In Decembe 2001, Russia p esen ed a
submission o he CLCS, seeking ju isdic-
ion o e a wide a ea o he cen al A c ic
Ocean, including po ions o he Lomono-
so and Alpha-Mendelee idges and ing-
ing deep seabed.
Canada, Denma k, and he U.S.
objec ed o his submission, ques ion-
ing i s suppo ing da a. Ea lie in 2001,
a Canadian eam e iewed he a ailable
public da a on he ba hyme y o he A c-
ic Ocean and d ew no iceably di e en
bounda ies. In 2002, he CLCS ecom-
mended ha Russia e ise he cen al
A c ic Ocean componen o i s submission
and p o ide addi ional suppo ing da a.
In 2003, wo con e ences exam-
ined his complex issue:
Legal and Scien ific Aspec s o
Con inen al Shel Limi s; Reykja ik,
June 25–27: Pa icipan s ep esen -
ing mo e han 40 na ions and he
UN ocused on he in e sec ion o
science, law, and poli ics c ea ed
by UNCLOS. A session examined
cu en issues be o e he CLCS,
including he Russian submission.
A hu G an z, wi h he Depa -
men o Geological and En i on-
men al Sciences a S an o d Uni-
e si y, p esen ed e idence ha he
Ye mak Pla eau, Mo is Jesup Bo -
de lands, and Chukchi Bo de lands
a e spu s p ojec ing om he con inen al
shel and he e o e should be conside ed
pa o he ju idical con inen al shel es
unde A icle 76. G an z concluded,
howe e , ha he Gakkel, Lomonoso ,
and Alpha-Mendelee idges lack islands
and a e ba hyme ically isola ed om he
ci cuma c ic con inen s. They a e he e o e
pa o he ocean floo o he cen al A c ic
Ocean, and hus no subjec o claim unde
A icle 76. Mo e in o ma ion on he mee -
ing is a ailable a h p:// i ginia.edu/colp/
iceland1.pd .
Con o e sial Scien ific Issues in he Con-
ex o UNCLOS A icle 76 in he A c ic;
S . Pe e sbu g, 30 June–4 July: This con e -
ence, sponso ed by he Russian Minis y o
Na u al Resou ces, ocused on he scien ific
unde pinnings o A icle 76 implemen a-
ion in he A c ic. The 36 pape s p esen ed
a icula ed a ange o iewpoin s and
exposed significan di e ences o opin-
ion be ween hose who conside ed he
Lomonoso and Mendelee Ridges as na u-
al p olonga ions o he Russian landmass
and hose who did no .
A ailable da a abou he A c ic Ocean
may be inadequa e o esol e hese issues
defini i ely. Because o he limi a ions
o cu en da a se s and he ambiguous
equi emen s o A icle 76, he issue o he
exac ju isdic ional bounda ies o he A c ic
Ocean is likely o emain un esol ed o
some ime.
Fo mo e in o ma ion, see he
UNCLOS web si e: www.un.o g/dep s/los,
o con ac A hu G an z (650-329-5709;
ax 650-329-5134; [email p o ec ed]) o
Ron Macnab (902-463-3963; ax 902-463-
0908; [email p o ec ed].ca).
Re e ences
G an z, A. in p ess. T ea men o Ridges and
Bo de land unde A icle 76 o he Uni ed
Na ions Con en ion on Law o he Sea
(UNCLOS): The Example o he A c ic
Ocean. P oceedings o he Con e ence on Legal
and Scien ific Aspec s o Con inen al Shel Lim-
i s, Reykja ik, Iceland, 25–27 June 2003.
Macnab, Ron. 2003. Delimi ing he Ju idical
Con inen al Shel in he A c ic Ocean: A Con-
fluence o Law, Science, and Poli ics. Me idian
(Canadian Pola Commission) Fall/Win e
2003, pp. 9–13.
32
Non-P ofi O g.
U.S. Pos age
PAID
Pe mi No. 957
Ancho age, AK
A c ic
Resea ch
Conso ium
o he
Uni ed S a es
3535 College Road
Sui e 101
Fai banks, AK
99709
USA
A No e F om he ARCUS P esiden
Inside
SEARCH 1
NSF News 4
A c ic Resea ch Suppo & Logis ics 5
ARCSS P og am 7
A c ic Na u al Sciences P og am 12
A c ic Social Sciences P og am 13
A c ic Social Sciences News 14
U.S. A c ic Resea ch Commission 15
Pola Resea ch Boa d 15
Capi ol Upda es 16
Educa ion News 17
In e na ional News 20
Science News 28
Calenda and Publica ions 31
I
am deligh ed o ha e his oppo uni y
o add a ew wo ds abou ARCUS o
his issue o Wi ness he A c ic. I ecen ly
ejoined ARCUS as p esiden a e being
o he boa d o di ec o s o a ew yea s.
ARCUS has de eloped a eas o imp es-
si e s eng h, among hem he abili y o
hos and lead esea ch p og am planning
e o s. An example is he ecen SEARCH
Open Science Mee ing in Sea le in Oc o-
be 2003 (see page 1). Planning and coo -
dina ing his mee ing equi ed eno mous
e o om he ARCUS execu i e di ec-
o and s a , bu he in es men should
be wo hwhile. The SEARCH p og am
p omises o add ess he mos c i ical ques-
ion acing a c ic science—en i onmen al
change in all i s mani es a ions, including
he human impac s and po en ial socie al
adap a ions. The b ead h o he p og am
is imp essi e, and i is impo an ha i
ecei e imely and adequa e suppo . B oad
scien ific inpu and exchange is impo an
o he e olu ion o he p og am.
The e a e o he ecen no able a c ic
de elopmen s as well. Join Russian/U.S.
c uises a e planned o he Chukchi Sea
and u he no h, wi h suppo om he
Fa Eas B anch o he Russian Academy o
Sciences and he NOAA A c ic P og am.
The Census o Ma ine Li e, a 10-yea
in e na ional p og am, is planning an
a c ic p ojec . Also, u he in he u u e,
an In e na ional Pola Yea (IPY) and
In e na ional Heliophysical Yea (IHY) is
p oposed o 2007, wi h he Pola Resea ch
Boa d o he Na ional Resea ch Council
aking he lead in coo dina ing he plan-
ning. The a c ic ocus engende ed by he
IPY is al eady e iden , wi h he eme gence
o many ela ed p og ams and ac i i ies
(see page 23).
ARCUS will be in ol ed in hese ac i i-
ies in many ways, and I am exci ed abou
he con ibu ions ARCUS will make o a c-
ic science in he u u e. A he same ime,
as a membe ship o ganiza ion, ARCUS
mus be awa e o and add ess he needs
and conce ns o ou 44 membe ins i u-
ions. We mus ensu e, wi h help om he
ep esen a i es o hose ins i u ions, ha
hei p io i ies mo e ahead in pa allel wi h
ARCUS wo k in p og am planning and
managemen .
To help ARCUS main ain bo h i s
o ganiza ional excellence and an app op i-
a e balance among i s esponsibili ies o i s
membe ins i u ions and o he wide a c ic
esea ch communi y, he ARCUS boa d o
di ec o s is pu suing a s a egic planning
p ocess. I will be epo ing on he p og ess
and ecommenda ions o his planning
e o a he ARCUS annual mee ing in
May 2004.
—Ve a Alexande