Planning Meeting Report
Responding to Change Workshop
International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC)
For further information, please contact:
Maribeth S. Murray
Executive Director, International Study of Arctic Change
Email: murray [at] arcticchange.org
On 13 June 2010, the International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC) held an
open meeting to begin the planning process for a workshop focused on
Responding to Arctic Change. Responding to change is a key component of
the ISAC science program as described in the ISAC Science Plan; the
emphasis is on developing science for society--for problem solving and
for managing and adapting to future arctic changes
(http://www.arcticchange.org). Implementation of the Responding to
Change component of ISAC is planned through a series of ongoing
workshops. The planning meeting in Oslo was the first step in this
initiative.
Twenty-four people attended the planning meeting and the discussion
focused on the need for and feasibility of a pan-arctic approach to
responding to change, workshop goals, workshop topics, and alignment
with similar national, regional, programmatic, and project efforts.
Participants agreed that responding to change is increasingly important
and necessary. However, there is a need for conceptual clarity so that
the community of arctic scientists understands what is meant by
responding to change and what the role of science may be in that effort.
Participants further agreed that there is a need to assess the extent to
which science priorities align with stakeholder priorities including
those relevant to observational and modeling initiatives developed
during the last decade and over the course of the International Polar
Year. In the absence of a framework that can be used to define and
address priorities and emerging issues at the pan-arctic scale,
scientific and stakeholder collaboration on the relevant science is
problematic and slow in coming to fruition.
Thus the first ISAC Responding to Change workshop will serve to define
what is meant by responding to change, to assess convergence, if any,
between science activities and stakeholder needs and priorities for
information, to identify priorities that the science community can
tackle in the short term, to identify longer term objectives, and to
begin to identify and share methods and metrics for research on and
implementation of responding to change initiatives. Potential topics of
pan-arctic relevance that may be used to focus discussion include the
utility of current observing activities, the utility of current modeling
initiatives, the scaling up of local and regional response strategies,
and the downscaling of climate information. Pan-arctic issues stemming
from a changing environment and climate include, among others, impacts
on arctic biodiversity and ecosystem services, impacts on public health,
impacts on civil infrastructure, and industrial development.
A workshop organizing committee will be formed in the coming weeks. The
task of that committee will be to facilitate workshop implementation, to
communicate to the broader community about the planning activities, and
to shepherd the development of a white paper for public comment that
will serve as a starting point for the workshop discussion. The workshop
is scheduled for the spring of 2011 to capitalize on outcomes of the
2010 IPY Oslo Science Conference, and to serve as preparation for the
International Polar Year "From Knowledge to Action" conference to be
held in Montreal, 22-27 April 2012. Workshop products will include a
report for the scientific community, a summary report for stakeholders
and policy makers, and plans for subsequent, problem-specific workshops
in 2012 and beyond.
Updates on the workshop will be posted on the ISAC website
(http://www.arcticchange.org) and announced via ArcticInfo.
If you are interested in participating in the first ISAC Responding to
Change workshop or if you have suggestions for participation and
information about programs, projects, and initiatives of relevance
please contact:
Maribeth S. Murray
Executive Director, International Study of Arctic Change
Email: murray [at] arcticchange.org