AGU Town Hall: Federal Interagency Coordination for Research in the Arctic

A number of Federal agencies support basic research in the Arctic across a broad range of topics and disciplines, and according to their specific missions. To provide oversight and coordination at the highest levels, and to avoid unintended duplication, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy established the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in 1993.

This Town Hall will provide an overview of the NSTC and three of its subcommittees that share an interest in Arctic research:

• The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) (Arctic Research Policy Act of 1984) is charged with promoting Federal interagency coordination of Arctic research activities.
• The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) (Global Change Research Act of 1990) is mandated to “assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change.”
• The Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST) advances ocean science and technology across the federal government and with the broader ocean community.
• Representatives of these groups will explain their particular approaches to coordination, and how cross- coordination supports the Arctic research enterprise and helps to improve the investment of Federal research funding.

Light refreshments will be available.