Chronicles of the NSF Arctic Sciences Division Spring

ARCTIC Chronicles of the NSF Arctic Sciences Division IPY Heightens Attention to Arctic Issues By Mead Treadwell O ver the two-year official period of the fourth International Polar Year (IPY), from March 2007 to March 2009, scientists from more than 60 nations carried out over 160 IPY projects, supported by approximately $1.2 billion, mostly from national scientific agencies. Although its full scientific legacy will evolve over the coming years, it was clear as IPY came to its successful close in early 2009 that the program had made valuable progress toward the four major goals set by the International Council for Science (ICSU) IPY planning group in 2004: •฀ advances in polar knowledge and understanding (see box page 3); •฀ a legacy of improved observational systems, facilities, and infrastructure; •฀ a new generation of polar scientists and engineers; and •฀ interest and participation from polar residents, students, the public, and decision-makers. Significantly, IPY has made impressive progress with the last goal—educating the public and decision-makers. As a variety of high profile events and publications shared some of the program’s early scientific results, it became increasingly obvious that national and international policy-makers and the public are beginning to recognize the Arctic’s scientific and strategic importance. From international diplomatic events to presidential policy changes (see page 4) and increased science budgets (see page 8), the events of the past few months show that arctic science no longer operates in obscurity. In this new era of arctic awareness, it is incumbent on the members of the research community to be prepared—both to maximize the many opportunities the new era brings and to think through the policy implications of their work. Ministerial Declaration on IPY In April, the Member States of the Arctic Council and the Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty met for the first time in Washington DC (see photo). continued next page Spring 2009, Volume 13 Number 2 Our New Format Dear Subscribers, ARCUS has changed the format of Witness the Arctic. To provide more frequent updates and reduce printing and mailing costs and associated environmental impacts, the newsletter will now be distributed online in three or four shorter issues per year, depending on newsworthy events. Subscribers will receive an e-mail when each issue has been released, with a link to the online content. We hope you find the new format useful and welcome your feedback on the changes. For further information, please go to www.arcus.org/witness_the_ arctic/index.html. For suggestions about the new format or ideas for future issues, contact me at ARCUS ([email protected]). Sincerely, Alison York Witness the Arctic Editor U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers opening remarks at the Joint Session of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and the Arctic Council in April 2009. In her speech, Clinton declared a U.S. commitment to a “high level of engagement with our partners” on arctic policy and to ratifying the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which will help resolve disputed maritime borders in the Arctic Ocean. To Clinton’s right are Jonas Gare Støre, Norwegian Foreign Minister and Arctic Council chair, and John Holdren, Director of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy. Photo credit: Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) • 3535 College Road • Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 IPY Heightens Attention to Arctic Issues In her welcoming arcticportal.org/en/ IPY Raises Arctic Visibility remarks, U.S. Secrearctic-council2; see tary of State Hillary Witness Spring 2006); “IPY research has advanced frontiers in fields that range from climate Clinton called for •฀฀David Carlson of science to understanding the mechanics of the world’s great ice sheets increased attenthe IPY International to the sociological ramifications of unprecedented changes occurring in tion to the Arctic to Programme Office on the Arctic….Researchers from the U.S. and more than 60 other nations “strengthen peace implications of early have built a knowledge base that will elucidate our actions deep into and security, support findings from IPY the next century.” sustainable economic research projects; —Arden Bement, National Science Foundation •฀฀Lisa Speer of the development, and Address at A Celebration of the International Polar Year Natural Resources Deprotect the environment.” Following fense Council on high “The International Polar Year has stimulated an intense focus on the diplomatic meetings seas fisheries; and Arctic. The number and capability of modern research tools that are in, •฀฀myself on the value at the U.S. State Department, the joint around, or above the Arctic, the skills of the observers and the modelof international scienpolar event celebrated ers, and the international cooperation exceed any deployment, in any tific cooperation in the ocean, to date.” the accomplishments Arctic. of IPY with a seminar All five of us —David Carlson, IPY International Programme Office hosted by NSF and Testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee stressed the importhe U.S. National tance of making progAcademy of Sciences “In a relatively short period of time fundamental changes have occurred ress on: Polar Research Board. in relation to the circumpolar North.....[T]he perception of the Arctic as •฀฀ratifying the UN The more than Convention on a globally important region in biophysical and geopolitical terms has 400 diplomats at taken hold. To a significant degree, this perception has been fuelled by the Law of the Sea the event issued a a growing awareness of the extensive impacts on the Arctic of changes (UNCLOS), still Ministerial Declarapending in the Senate, in climate and climate variability.” tion on the IPY and —Senior Arctic Official Report to Ministers •฀฀building new U.S. Polar Science, urgArctic Council, Tromsø icebreakers, and ing cooperation and •฀฀ensuring greater stasupport to deliver bility in U.S.-Russian including methane and black carbon. The a lasting legacy from the IPY. The text cooperation on arctic research. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is of the ministerial declaration is available Following on the findings and recomhelping to lead the task force, and ideas on the State Department website: www. mendations of AMSA, we noted that from the science community to help reduce although arctic governments are already state.gov/g/oes/rls/other/2009/121340. these pollutants, which promote amplificamoving forward to improve Arctic Ocean htm, and video of the IPY seminar is tion of temperatures in the Arctic, would ship standards and search and rescue in the available on the NSF website: www. be helpful. The task force’s goals could bennsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_ Arctic, the Arctic Ocean is still not fully efit from research on methods to convert id=114688&org=NSF&from=news. accessible to science, and UNCLOS could agricultural waste to energy, better coorLater in April, diplomats gathered at make it even less so. We need to continue dinate boreal forest wildfire management, the Sixth Ministerial Meeting of the Arcto strive for improvements to this situaand collect and burn methane that would tic Council in Tromsø, Norway (see page tion—too much of what’s happening in the otherwise be released into the atmosphere. 9), where they discussed ways to integrate world climate scene depends on knowledge results from IPY into the council’s ongoof arctic processes, and knowledge of arctic Senate Hearing on Arctic Warming ing projects. The ministers also signed the processes depends on ocean access. Following on the Arctic Council meeting, Tromsø declaration, which “recognize[d] the New USARC Goals Report the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign urgent need for an effective global response Relations, chaired by Senator John Kerry that will address the challenge of climate As this newsletter goes to press, the U.S. (D-MA), held a roundtable hearing on the change, and confirm[ed] the commitment Arctic Research Commission (USARC) is Global Implications of Arctic Warming in of all Arctic States to actively contribute to completing its 2009 Goals Report for the May 2009. The session included: reaching an adequate agreed outcome at U.S. Arctic Research Program. In the past •฀฀Scott Borgerson of the Council on Forthe [UN Framework Convention on Clitwo years we have seen considerable progeign Relations on strategic governance of mate Change] 15th Conference of the Parress within the Interagency Arctic Research the Arctic Ocean; ties in Copenhagen in December 2009.” Policy Committee (IARPC), chaired by •฀฀Lawson Brigham on the Arctic Council’s Also noteworthy at the Tromsø meetNSF Director Arden Bement, on develnewly released Arctic Marine Shipping ing was a decision to form a task force on opment of research plans, including new Assessment (AMSA; available at http:// short-term forcers of arctic climate change, cross-cutting efforts on: 2 IPY Heightens Attention to Arctic Issues •฀ arctic infrastructure, led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, •฀ arctic resource assessment, led by the U.S. Geological Survey, •฀ arctic health, led by the National Institutes of Health, and •฀ preservation of indigenous languages, identities and cultures. The USARC report also identifies ways to continue strengthening research efforts on arctic climate and in the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean, including: •฀ making฀progress in defining the national/international Sustained Arctic Observing Network (SAON); •฀ incorporating arctic research needs in any revision of the nation’s climate change science or climate change technology programs; •฀ close accounting and modeling of feedbacks from arctic gas hydrates and permafrost organic materials in any global greenhouse gas mitigation regime; and •฀ advancing arctic adaptation research. Finally, we are pleased to announce that the USARC is detailing an experienced arctic scientist—Kate Moran of the University of Rhode Island—to the Office of Science and Technology Policy to advance the provisions of the 1984 Arctic Research and Policy Act. In summary, the arctic science community should be very pleased with the improved awareness of the Arctic that IPY has helped bring to policy-makers and the public—but we cannot pause to savor this advance for long. We must work together to take full advantage of the progress we have made and use it to address the many critical problems our research has identified. Mead Treadwell was appointed to the USARC in 2001 and designated chair by President Bush in 2006. Treadwell also serves as Senior Fellow of the Institute of the North, where his research focuses on strategic and defense issues, management of commonly owned resources, and integration of transport and telecommunications infrastructure. For more information, see the USARC website: www.arctic.gov or contact Treadwell at [email protected]. IPY Publications Highlight Early Results, Remaining Challenges I n February 2009, the international committee overseeing IPY released a report highlighting early results and calling on participating nations to ensure that the momentum generated by the program carries into sustained support for polar research in the future. Developed by the ICSU/World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Joint Committee for IPY, The State of Polar Research received international media attention, citing new findings that rapid polar changes will affect global systems. “The International Polar Year 2007-2008 came at a crossroads for the planet’s future,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud at the report’s launch, “The new evidence resulting from polar research will strengthen the scientific basis on which we build future actions.” The report outlines some of the new findings in arctic research that have emerged from IPY, including: •฀ Novel techniques used to assess mass balance of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets indicate that both are losing mass and contributing to rising sea levels (see figure). The potential for further rapid ice discharge from these regions remains a major unknown in projecting rate of sea level rise. Modelers expect, however, that new data collected by collaborative IPY surveys and traverses of the ice sheets will help strengthen their predictions. •฀฀Sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean reached a record minimum in September 2007, and the percentage that was relatively thin first year ice continued to increase. •฀฀The types and extents of vegetation in the Arctic have changed substantially in response to warming, including transitions from grasses to shrubs, shifts in treeline, and modification of soil structure. These landscapes changes are affecting the larger ecosystems and their human users. •฀฀Estimates of carbon trapped in permafrost are higher than previously calculated, and new evidence suggests that terrestrial permafrost degrades much faster than expected as sea ice disappears. Cruises along the Siberian coast observed substantial outgassing of methane from thawing ocean sediments. In addition, a special section in the 26 February 2009 issue of Nature celebrated the achievements of IPY, but an editorial cautioned that those achievements must be exploited to the fullest by maximizing the effectiveness of the IPY data management system, organizing an effective assessment of the findings for use by decision-makers and the public, and creating ongoing observation networks at both poles. Efforts are underway on all three of these fronts, but all will need substantial international support and cooperation. The State of Polar Research is available on the IPY International Programme Office website: www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/state_of_polar_research_doc_ pr/. The Nature editorial on IPY is available at www.nature.com/nature/journal/v457/ n7233/full/4571057a.html. The IPY Data and Information Service is at http://ipydis. org/index.html. Figure: Extreme snowmelt during summer 2008 over the northern part of the Greenland ice sheet, based on the analysis of microwave data recorded by the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/1) on the F13 satellite of the U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. Colors indicate the 2008 melt day anomaly for Greenland (number of days in 2008 with surface melt minus the average for 1979–2007). Reprinted from The State of Polar Research, courtesy M. Tedesco, CUNY/NASA/UMBC. 3 U.S. Policy Revisions Reflect Arctic Warming I n 2007, the USARC proposed a review of U.S. arctic policy, last updated in 1994. The National Security Council and Department of State led an interagency process that culminated in President Bush issuing a new presidential directive in January 2009. The revised arctic policy takes into account several developments, including: •฀ Altered national policies on homeland security and defense; •฀ The effects of climate change and increasing human activity in the region; •฀ The establishment and ongoing work of the Arctic Council; and •฀ A growing awareness that the region is both fragile and rich in resources. The new policy seeks to: 1. Meet national and homeland security needs relevant to the arctic region; 2. Protect the arctic environment and conserve its biological resources; 3. Ensure that resource management and economic development in the region are environmentally sustainable; 4. Strengthen institutions for cooperation among the eight arctic nations; 5. Involve indigenous communities in decisions that affect them; and 6. Enhance scientific monitoring and research into local, regional, and global environmental issues. Below, the policy on scientific cooperation is reproduced in its entirety, and two sections relevant to the scientific community are summarized. The complete directive is available at www.arctic. gov/files/FinalArcticPolicy.pdf. International Scientific Cooperation 1. Scientific research is vital for the promotion of U.S. interests in the arctic region. Successful conduct of U.S. research in the arctic region requires access throughout the Arctic Ocean and to terrestrial sites, as well as viable international mechanisms for sharing access to research platforms and timely exchange of samples, data, and analyses. Better coordination with the Russian Federation, facilitating access to its domain, is particularly important. 2. The U.S. promotes the sharing of arctic research platforms with other countries in support of collaborative research that advances fundamental understanding of 4 the arctic region in general and potential arctic change in particular. This could include collaboration with bodies such as the Nordic Council and the European Polar Consortium, as well as with individual nations. 3. Accurate prediction of future environmental and climate change on a regional basis, and the delivery of near real-time information to end-users, requires obtaining, analyzing, and disseminating accurate data from the entire arctic region, including both paleoclimatic data and observational data. The U.S. has made significant investments in the infrastructure needed to collect environmental data in the arctic region, including the establishment of portions of an arctic circumpolar observing network through a partnership among U.S. agencies, academic collaborators, and arctic residents. The U.S. promotes active involvement of all arctic nations in these efforts in order to advance scientific understanding that could provide the basis for assessing future impacts and proposed response strategies. 4. U.S. platforms capable of supporting forefront research in the Arctic Ocean, including portions expected to be icecovered for the foreseeable future, as well as seasonally ice-free regions, should work with those of other nations through the establishment of an arctic circumpolar observing network. All arctic nations are members of the Group on Earth Observations partnership, which provides a framework for organizing an international approach to environmental observations in the region. In addition, the U.S. recognizes that academic and research institutions are vital partners in promoting and conducting arctic research. 5. Implementation: In carrying out this policy as it relates to promoting scientific international cooperation, the Secretaries of State, the Interior, and Commerce and the Director of the National Science Foundation, in coordination with heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies, shall: a. Continue to play a leadership role in research throughout the arctic region; b. Actively promote full and appropriate access by scientists to arctic research sites through bilateral and multilateral measures and by other means; c. Lead the effort to establish an effective arctic circumpolar observing network with broad partnership from other relevant nations; d. Promote regular meetings of arctic science ministers or research council heads to share information concerning scientific research opportunities and to improve coordination of international arctic research programs; e. Work with the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) to promote research that is strategically linked to U.S. policies articulated in this directive, with input from the Arctic Research Commission; and f. Strengthen partnerships with academic and research institutions and build upon the relationships these institutions have with their counterparts in other nations. Security Interests Recognizing that the Arctic is primarily a maritime domain and that human activity in the region is increasing, the U.S. should: •฀ Assert a more active and influential presence to protect its arctic interests and to project sea power throughout the region; •฀ Increase arctic maritime domain awareness in order to protect commerce, critical infrastructure, and key resources; •฀ Preserve the global mobility of U.S. vessels and aircraft throughout the region; and •฀ Project a sovereign U.S. maritime presence in the Arctic in support of essential U.S. interests. Governance and Boundary Issues Although the policy supports U.S. participation in international organizations such as the Arctic Council, it does not endorse an “Arctic Treaty” along the lines of the Antarctic Treaty. Given the region’s unresolved maritime boundaries, the policy urges: •฀ The U.S. Senate to accede to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); •฀ Federal agencies to establish the outer limit of the U.S. continental shelf; and •฀ Russia to ratify the 1990 U.S.-Russia maritime boundary agreement. Arctic Research Support and Logistics CH2M HILL Polar Resources Readies for Busy Season of Research Support and Alternative Energy Development C to power autonomous instruments, as well trapped in frozen thermokarst lakes and H2M HILL Polar Services (CPS), as a reliable communications link for masdrilling lake sediment cores for study. logistics provider to NSF’s arctic sive data storage and transfer capabilities. This NSF-funded project is internaresearch program, is busy supporting 2009 The new experimental system that CPS tional both in terms of its participants summer fieldwork. Projects on the CPS is deploying in mid-June adds a methanol and its field locations. In addition to the roster continue to be largely multi-institufuel cell to an existing solar photovoltaic Alaskan field work, a research team that tional, international in scope, and focused (PV) system. The fuel cell will power the includes Italian and German scientists will on understanding the Arctic as a system. In communications link, which sends data travel this summer to Chukotka, in far addition to research support, CPS has sevonce daily via broadband satellite to servers eastern Russia, to conduct similar studies eral renewable energy projects planned for in California. In addition to overcoming based out of the Northeast Science Station the 2009 summer; these projects continue the seasonal limitations of solar PV, fuel at Cherskiy. Walters’ research will compare work with NSF to reduce the impact of cell technology has potential for broader results from Alaska and Russia to better research on the fragile polar environment. applications in polar research environunderstand the quantity of methane stored, Approximately 135 research projects ments, as the power comes without electhe process by which it is released from are currently slated to receive CPS services tromagnetic noise and emissions that can these thermokarst lakes, and to predict the in the Arctic: 61 in Alaska, 56 in Greeninterfere with some sensing instruments. impact of the release as permafrost continland, 13 each in Canada and Russia, 3 in In addition to the new integrated power ues to thaw under a warming climate. Iceland, 2 in Norway, and 9 in the Arctic and communication system at Imnavait Ocean and surrounding seas. These numCreek, CPS engibers are similar to neers will also test those from 2008, with lightweight, portable a small dip likely in PV systems, being the number of projdeveloped by project ects based in Greenpartners at Ascent land and on the Arctic Technologies, Inc., at Ocean and a signifithe site. These systems cant bump—almost could potentially be 40%—in the number used by researchers of projects based in who seek light yet Russia. This year, rugged and quickly NSF also increased One of two solar and wind power systems currently at Imnavait Creek. As a pilot project this summer, CPS will install deployable power CPS’ responsibility a methanol fuel cell at the adjacent site. The intent of the project is to improve data communications for both research sources to run laptops for support to projects sites by providing a more constant source of power while beta testing new technology in a field setting. Image by Tracy Dahl. and other devices in in Barrow, Alaska, the field. A portable where researchers on PV unit will receive trial use in Greenland In addition to providing logistics up to 40 NSF projects are expected to conand Alaska so CPS can evaluate its funcsupport to a variety of research efforts, duct fieldwork. tionality under varied polar conditions. CPS has several experimental renewable/ In early 2009, CPS supported a numAt Summit Station on the Greenland alternative energy projects planned this ber of research teams working in remote ice cap, engineers will test solar thermal season. Around mid-June, CPS technicians Alaskan camps—a lake methane study led systems deployed on the exterior of a will implement a cutting-edge alternative by University of Alaska’s Katey Walter was mobile science facility. The small buildenergy project at Imnavait Creek in northa major early season effort. In March, CPS ing can be configured for a wide variety of ern Alaska. This site hosts a suite of monistaff traveled to Shishmaref and Nome research uses and towed to satellite research toring instruments and experiments for on Alaska’s Seward Peninsula where they sites on skis. By utilizing the abundant the Arctic Long-Term Ecological Research gathered assorted camp and project gear solar energy available during the polar sum(LTER) site at Toolik Field Station and a before traveling on snowmachines to Walmer when this facility is in operation, CPS related Arctic Observing Network (AON) ter’s research site at Cape Espenberg on expects the thermal systems to reduce the study of landscape-level carbon, water, the northern peninsula. The research team electric heater power draw by up to 75%. and energy balance (see Witness Winter followed several days later. They worked For more information, see the CPS 2008/2009). The Imnavait Creek site for three weeks in the area, surveying and website: www.polar.ch2m.com, or contact needs a reliable year-round energy supply collecting methane samples from bubbles Kip Rithner ([email protected]). 5 NSF News/Arctic System Science Program NSF Stimulus Funding will Support ARRV Construction T he American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, commonly known as the stimulus bill, includes $400 million for the NSF Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) account. From this amount, NSF plans to direct more than $100 million to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) to support construction of the Alaska Region Research Vessel (ARRV), which was approved as a MREFC project in 2007. The final amount of the award is still to be determined. The ARRV will be a 77 m (254 foot) ice-capable vessel designed to support a variety of research objectives in high latitudes. The ARRV, which will be owned by NSF and operated by UAF on behalf of the ocean sciences community through the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), will be the first vessel in the U.S. academic research fleet able to break ice up to 0.75 m (2.5 feet) thick. The ARRV will also be able to: •฀ accommodate฀up฀to฀26฀researchers,฀ including those with disabilities, in addition to a crew of up to 20, •฀ allow฀collection฀of฀sediment฀samples฀ from the sea floor, •฀ host฀remotely฀operated฀vehicles฀(ROV),฀ •฀ use฀a฀suite฀of฀flexible฀winches฀to฀lower฀ and raise sampling equipment through the water column, and •฀ communicate฀in฀real฀time฀with฀classrooms and other outside entities worldwide. An aft view of the ARRV, designed by The Glosten Associates in 2004. The ARRV will be capable of year-round operations in seasonal sea ice, near shore, and open ocean regions in the North Pacific, Gulf of Alaska, and Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. The ARRV will include 2100 ft2 of laboratory space, a deck working area of 3690 ft2, and be able to accommodate up to four science vans. The vessel’s science mission requirements were first developed by UNOLS Fleet Improvement Committee in 1998 and were considered and refined by the vessel’s oversight and advisory committees in 2000 and 2001. Rendering by The Glosten Associates, courtesy UAF. 6 The university released a request for proposals for the vessel’s construction in mid-March 2009 with proposals due 30 April 2009. After evaluation of the proposals, final award of a shipyard contract is expected in fall 2009, with science operations beginning in 2013. At the UAF Seward Marine Center, where the ARRV will be headquartered, the university plans to add a new all-weather dock and additional support facilities; UAF will need to obtain funding for these improvements from a non-federal source. Planning for the new vessel began more than 30 years ago; it was developed as a replacement for the R/V Alpha Helix, a 133-foot research vessel that was built in 1966, retired after 40 years of service, and sold in 2007 to a private firm for use as a charter research vessel. The design for the ARRV has been in development since 2000 and has evolved through concept design, preliminary design, and an initial contract design that was completed in 2004 by The Glosten Associates, a group of marine architects in Seattle. In August 2007, UAF entered into a cooperative agreement with NSF to proceed with a project refresh of the 2004 contract design and development of the project documentation needed to support construction. A Final Design Review took place at NSF in October 2008, and in March 2009 the National Science Board authorized the NSF Director, at his discretion, to make awards to UAF for the construction of the ARRV. As of the end of April 2009, UAF had received $18 million through the cooperative agreement. For more information, see the ARRV website: www.sfos.uaf.edu/arrv/, or contact Dan Oliver ([email protected]) or Terry Whitledge ([email protected]). Update on ARCSS Program Activities T he latest Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Program solicitation, Changing Seasonality in the Arctic System (CSAS), was released in June 2008. The proposal deadline was in October 2008. In response to the solicitation, NSF received 71 proposals representing approximately $30 million in requested funding. NSF anticipates making between 10 and 20 awards totaling $5 to $10 million. Awards are expected to be announced by July 2009. The ARCSS Committee, which is appointed by ARCUS and offers a mechanism through which NSF can stay informed of community interests, is currently focusing on two main activities: discussions with the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) Science Steering Committee regarding much closer coordination of the two efforts, and input into the 2010 State of the Arctic Conference (see page 7). In personnel news, Dr. Erica Key joined the Office of Polar Programs staff as Associate Program Director for the ARCSS Program. She is at NSF through the Visiting Scientists, Engineers, and Educators (VSEE) Program. Key is an atmospheric physicist and oceanographer; she earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) at the University of Miami in 2004. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at RSMAS, she served as a Researcher First-Class in air-sea interaction at the Centre d’Etudes des Environnements Terrestre et Planetaires (now the Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales [LATMOS]) near Paris. She returned to the U.S. to work on marine biophysics at the Columbia University’s LamontDoherty Earth Observatory before joining the ARCSS Program in May 2009. She has extensive field experience, having worked in all five oceans collecting data for both oceanographic and atmospheric research. She uses these observations to further advancements in remote sensing retrievals, modeling, and forecast analyses. Key can be contacted at [email protected]. For more information on the ARCSS Program, go to: www.arcus.org/ARCSS/index.html, or contact Neil Swanberg ([email protected]), Josh Schimel ([email protected]), or Helen Wiggins ([email protected]). Interagency Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) 2009 SEARCH Sea Ice Outlook Effort Underway T he Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) Sea Ice Outlook (SIO), which provides an integrated, community-wide summary of projections of the annual arctic sea ice minimum, has launched activities for the 2009 season. Contributions are currently being accepted, and the first monthly report will be released in early June, with subsequent reports each month through September 2009. The SIO effort, which began in 2008 in response to the drastic and unexpected record sea ice minimum of 2007, provides a means to synthesize and communicate community outlooks for the annual sea ice minimum. The SIO is based on an open and inclusive process—more than 20 research groups contributed in 2008—by providing information on current and expected states of the arctic sea ice. A 2008 retrospective report concluded that the SIO showed good agreement between outlook projections and observations, served as a successful forum and model for community synthesis, and was an important initial step toward better understanding arctic sea ice loss. A central lesson learned from the 2008 SIO was that the condition of sea ice in late spring was a major driver of the 2008 sea ice minimum. A workshop to further evaluate the SIO effort and plan for the upcoming season was recently held in Boulder, Colorado. Participants at this March 2009 meeting discussed lessons learned from 2008 and made several recommendations for improvements to the 2009 Outlook. The presentations from this workshop are available on the meeting website (www.arcus. org/search/seaiceoutlook/march_2009_ wgm/agenda.php). The resulting workshop report, which will be circulated as a draft for community and public input, includes recommendations for the 2009 Outlook on scientific goals, content, and format and will be available as a PDF file on the SIO website in June 2009. For more information or to contribute to the SIO, go to www.arcus.org/search/ seaiceoutlook/index.php, or contact Helen Wiggins at ARCUS ([email protected]), James Overland at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ([email protected]), or Hajo Eicken at the University of Alaska Fairbanks ([email protected]). More than 20 research groups, including scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), contributed to the 2008 Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) by providing information on current and expected states of arctic sea ice over the summer season. This NSIDC image, derived from satellite passive microwave data, depicts the April 2009 average percentage of ice cover for areas that were more than 15% covered by ice. Note that the black cross indicates the geographic North Pole and that the satellite does not image a circular sector over this area due to orbit inclination. Figure credit: NSIDC. State of the Arctic Conference State of the Arctic Conference Set for March 2010 P lanning is underway for a large State of the Arctic Conference, which will be held 16–19 March 2010 in Miami, Florida. This open international forum will provide an opportunity to present, exchange, and discuss the latest knowledge on the state of the Arctic and future directions of arctic science and policy. Specifically, the conference will: •฀ review฀the฀scientific฀understanding฀of฀the฀ basic functioning of the arctic system, including human subsystems; •฀ assess฀our฀capacity฀to฀observe฀and฀ understand the system, especially in light of rapid system-scale changes in all subsystems; •฀ examine฀our฀capability฀to฀project฀future฀ states of the arctic system under various scenarios; and •฀ explore฀options฀for฀solutions฀to฀the฀problems caused by human-induced environmental change. The conference is being organized by ARCUS, with major funding provided by the NSF Division of Arctic Sciences, including the interagency Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH; see this page) and the Arctic System Science Program (ARCSS; see page 6). Other sponsors include the International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC), the Canadian ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence, and the European Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies (DAMOCLES) program. Additional sponsorships are invited, and interested parties are encouraged to contact Helen Wiggins at ARCUS (helen@ arcus.org). Additional information, including registration, abstract submission, and other materials, will be available soon through a State of the Arctic Conference website, which will be announced via the ArcticInfo mailing list and linked through the ARCUS website: www.arcus.org. 7 Science News Workshop Report Outlines Gaps and Makes Recommendations for Monitoring Efforts in Arctic Seas T he Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) and the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) sponsored a workshop on marine research and monitoring efforts in the Arctic, particularly in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, as part of the January 2009 Alaska Marine Science Symposium in Anchorage, Alaska. The goal of the workshop, attended by 145 individuals from more than 60 organizations, was to share information and promote collaboration among the many entities with increasing activities in marine research and monitoring in the region, including the oil and gas industry, local, state, and federal agencies, and non-governmental and academic organizations. The workshop was an initial step by AOOS and NPRB toward long-term development of a more comprehensive monitoring and assessment plan, through which each participating organization can focus on projects to meet their particular goals while contributing to a larger data sharing and integration effort. A draft workshop report, prepared by Craig Dorman, retired University of Alaska vice president for research, and entitled Toward a Strategy for the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, was circulated for community review in April. The final document, which is available on the AOOS website (www.aoos.org), was released in late May and contains: •฀ background฀information฀on฀the฀history฀ of research and monitoring in the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea regions; •฀ a฀description฀of฀current฀climate,฀economic, and policy challenges and potential cumulative impacts in these regions; •฀ a฀summary฀of฀what฀participants฀felt฀were฀ major information and data needs; and •฀ short฀and฀long฀term฀recommendations฀ to advance coordination, planning, and data sharing and address these needs. AOOS will work with other partners to form a committee to follow up on the report’s recommendations. For more information, go to the workshop website: www. alaskamarinescience.org, or contact AOOS Director Molly McCammon ([email protected]). Capitol Updates FY 2010 NSF Budget Proposal Tops $7 Billion T he Obama administration released details of its FY 2010 budget request in early May 2009. The proposed NSF budget is $7.045 billion, an increase of $555 million (8.5%) over the FY 2009 budget plan of $6.49 billion. NSF received an additional $3 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (commonly called the stimulus bill; see Witness Winter 2008/2009 and page 6); this one-time appropriation is not included in the following calculations or discussion. The proposed FY 2010 funding puts NSF back on a path to double its budget relative to 2006 levels, as authorized in 2002 and called for in a number of independent studies. The proposed FY 2010 budget includes: •฀ $5.7฀billion฀for฀Research฀and฀Related฀ Activities, an increase of $550 million (10.6%); •฀ $858฀million฀for฀Education฀and฀Human฀ Resources, an increase of $12.5 million (1.5%); and 8 •฀ $117฀million฀for฀Major฀Research฀Equipment and Facilities Construction, a decrease of $35 million (23%). The budget includes two proposed new foundation-wide programs of interest to the arctic research community: •฀ Climate฀Change฀Education,฀funded฀at฀ $10 million each in both FY 2009 and 2010, and •฀ Climate฀Research,฀included฀in฀the฀budget request at $197.26 million. The Office of Polar Programs request is $516 million, an increase of $45.3 million (9.6%) over the FY 2009 budget of $470.7 million. Of the FY 2010 OPP request, the Division of Arctic Sciences would receive $108.7 million, an increase of $10.44 million (10.6%) over FY 2009. Of this, almost $62 million is requested for arctic research and education grants and almost $47 million for arctic research support and logistics. In the proposed budget, the Division of Arctic Sciences would provide: •฀ $35.45฀in฀support฀of฀the฀new฀foundation-wide Climate Research program; this funding builds on and goes beyond continued on page 10 “Research in polar regions...addresses the Administration’s focus on making the U.S. a leader on climate change and builds on a foundation established during the International Polar Year....The Administration is assessing the overarching issues facing the Arctic, including those associated with impacts of climate change, increased human activity, new or additional information needs, and conservation of arctic resources. This approach will necessarily include identifying any implementation issues associated with the Arctic Policy signed by the previous Administration.” —Office of Polar Programs in Context FY 2010 NSF Budget Request International News IASC Merges with AOSB; Secretariat Moves to Potsdam T he International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is implementing several structural changes. The planned IASC merge with the Arctic Ocean Sciences Board (AOSB), combining the resources and scientific expertise of both organizations, was made official during Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2009 in Bergen, Norway (see box this page). Another change in structure—formation of Scientific Standing Committees and Action Groups as new core elements to advance IASC’s mission—was presented during ASSW. Feedback received at the meeting and input from IASC member countries is currently being incorporated into the structure. In March, IASC Executive Secretary Volker Rachold and the IASC secretariat moved to Potsdam, Germany. For the next five years, the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research will host the secretariat with financial support from the German Science Foundation. For three years prior to the move, the Swedish Research Secretariat in Stockholm hosted the IASC secretariat with funding from the Swedish Research Council. The secretariat is responsible for the daily operations of IASC including communication with council members and other organizations, management of IASC finances, and outreach and communication activities. For more information, see the IASC website: www.arcticportal.org/iasc/, or contact Volker Rachold at the secretariat ([email protected]). ASSW 2009 Includes Open Science Symposium For the First Time T his year’s Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) was held in March 2009 in Bergen, Norway, attended by more than 300 scientists, students, policy makers, and other professionals. The purpose of the summit, which is organized by IASC and other scientific organizations, is to provide opportunities for international coordination, collaboration, and cooperation in all areas of arctic science and to combine science and management meetings. This event typically features annual meetings of arctic organizations and presentations on arctic research being undertaken by the host country. This year and for the first time, an open science symposium was added to the schedule. The topic of the three-day meeting was Arctic Connections: Results of 150 Years of Arctic Research and presentations illustrated the increasingly integrative nature of arctic research. An open science meeting will also be part of ASSW 2011, which will be organized by the Republic of Korea. ASSW 2010 will be held in Nuuk, Greenland, on 13–16 April. For more information on ASSW, see the IASC website: http://arcticportal.org/iasc/ arctic_science_summit_week. Denmark Assumes Chairmanship of Arctic Council D enmark assumed chairmanship of the Arctic Council (AC) at the sixth Ministerial Meeting in Tromsø, Norway, in April 2009. More than 300 participants attended, including delegates from the eight arctic nations, observer states, and indigenous peoples’ organizations. Following on two years of Norwegian leadership, Denmark’s program for 2009– 2011 prioritizes peoples of the Arctic, the International Polar Year (IPY) legacy, climate change, biodiversity, megatrends in the Arctic, integrated resource management, operational cooperation, and the AC in a new geopolitical framework. Per Stig Møller, Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, will serve as chair—he replaces Jonas Gahr Støre. The Tromsø Declaration was also endorsed and signed at the meeting and provides guidance on the work of the Arc- tic Council under Danish leadership. Recommendations adopted by the AC encompass search and rescue, arctic shipping guidelines, infrastructure safety, oil and gas exploration, non-CO2 drivers of climate change, ocean management, and melting ice. The declaration also says that the AC is “deeply concerned by the escalating rate of warming of the arctic climate, which will likely also affect the rest of the world.” The 6th Ministerial Meeting was scheduled in conjunction with a meeting entitled Melting Ice: Regional Dramas, Global Wake-Up Call between former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, foreign ministers, and climate change scientists. The chair of the AC rotates among member states every two years. Sweden is set to assume leadership in 2011. Norway, Denmark, and Sweden identified a common set of priorities for their successive chairmanships: climate change, integrated management of resources, IPY, indigenous peoples and local living conditions, and AC management issues. To continue the focus on common priorities and foster development of institutional memory, the AC Secretariat will remain in Tromsø for the duration of the three Nordic chairmanships. Due to the increased activity and interest in the Arctic, the established schedule of biannual Senior Arctic Officials meetings and biennial ministerial meetings will be supplemented with meetings in alternate years on the political (deputy foreign minister or equivalent) level. The next ministerial meeting is scheduled for April 2011 in Greenland. For more information, see the AC website: http://arctic-council.org, or contact the Secretariat (ac-chair@arctic-council. org). 9 Arctic Research Consortium of the United States 3535 College Road Suite 101 Fairbanks, AK 99709 USA Phone: 907-474-1600 Fax: 907-474-1604 [email protected] www.arcus.org ARCUS is a nonprofit organization consisting of institutions organized and operated for educational, professional, or scientific purposes. Established by its member institutions in 1988 with the primary mission of strengthening arctic research, ARCUS activities are funded through cooperative agreements with NSF and the National Park Service, grants from NSF, a contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and membership dues. Witness the Arctic is published periodically by ARCUS. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF. Submit suggestions for the next issue of the newsletter by August 2009. Editors: Sarah Behr and Alison York Contributors: V. Alexander, J. Berkson, D. Coxson, T. Dahl, S. Dery, J. Farrell, S. Fox, S. Green, J. Hansen, E. Key, K. Lewis, L. Mack, M. McCammon, V. Rachold, K. Rithner, N. Swanberg, M. Tedesco, M. Treadwell, T. Whitledge, H. Wiggins n behalf of the ARCUS Board of Directors, I am pleased to announce that Susan E. Fox became executive director of ARCUS in April 2009. Fox replaces Wendy K. Warnick who stepped down from the position after 17 years of service. As a seasoned non-profit executive, Fox brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to ARCUS. Her experience includes a combined 15 years of service as executive director of the Society of American Archivists and the American Association of Law Libraries. In these positions, she worked with staff and the community to bring the organizations to a new level of effectiveness and service. Before that, she worked at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program and with the Center for Science and International Affairs. Fox has a B.S. in Communications from Boston University’s College of Communication and an M.S. in Public Affairs from the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. I recently asked Fox what she sees as the future of ARCUS. “This is very early in my tenure with ARCUS—I’m just starting my fifth week— so I won’t have a fleshed out vision until I’ve had a chance to listen to the ambitions and concerns of the arctic community. Having said that, I think ARCUS is ideally situated to take advantage of this historic moment with world attention focused intently on arctic issues. This spotlight opens up a corresponding world of opportunities. The challenge will be for us to dream big dreams and then to think and act strategically to enact them. Fortunately, we have a bright, dedicated board partnered with a bright, dedicated staff. ARCUS is extraordinarily blessed in this way. We have a justifiably high reputation in the scientific community and all of us are committed to maintaining and building upon that excellence. Our promise to our members and to the community is to serve you to the very best of our abilities. We are well positioned to take the consortium to the next level. It’s going to be an exciting journey; I’m looking forward to our time together.” We are very excited about Fox’s appointment and ask that you join us in welcoming her to the arctic science community. Fox can be contacted at fox@arcus. org or at 907-474-1600. —Vera Alexander Capitol Updates Budget article continued from page 8. Inside This Issue 1 5 6 7 7 8 8 9 wit.ness (wit nis) n. 1.a. One who has heard or seen something. b. One who furnishes evidence. 2. Anything that serves as evidence; a sign. 3. An attestation to a fact, statement, or event. —v. tr. 1. To be present at or have personal knowledge of. 2. To provide or serve as evidence of. 3. To testify to; bear witness. —intr. To furnish or serve as evidence; testify. [Middle English witnes(se), Old English witnes, witness, knowledge, from wit, knowledge, wit.] 10 New Executive Director Joins ARCUS O Executive Director: Susan E. Fox IPY Heightens Attention to Arctic Issues Arctic Research Support and Logistics NSF News/Arctic System Science Program Study of Environmental Arctic Change State of the Arctic Conference Science News Capitol Updates International News A Note From the ARCUS President International Polar Year synthesis activities to transform Arctic System Science by shifting greater attention to high-level synthesis informed by modeling and observations and using cyberinfrastructure to improve the ability to predict and model regional climate change; •฀ level฀funding฀of฀$12฀million฀for฀the฀Arctic Observing Network (AON; see Witness Winter 2008/2009); •฀ an฀additional฀$3.5฀million฀for฀cyberinfrastructure, to a total of $4.0 million; •฀ $750,000฀in฀support฀of฀Climate฀Change฀ Education; this new multidisciplinary, multi-faceted program will support a variety of partnerships to help develop environmentally engaged scientists and engineers and increase public understanding and engagement; and •฀ an฀additional฀$500,000฀for฀Arctic฀Social฀ Sciences, to a total of $4.0 million, to build on results from the natural science component of the Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST; see Witness Spring 2006) to explore the dynamic relationship between the ecosystem and the humans who depend on it. The OPP request also includes level funding of $54 million for operations and maintenance of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) icebreakers Polar Sea and Healy (see Witness Winter 2008/2009). The FY 2009 Department of Homeland Security budget includes $30.3 million for the USCG to reactivate Polar Star. For more information, see the NSF Budget Division website: www.nsf.gov/ about/budget.