The HARC Synthesis Workshop was held to foster synthesis-focused communication and interaction among Human Dimensions researchers in ARCSS and the Arctic Observing Network (AON). The result of the HARC workshop was a report summarizing key issues, common challenges, and gaps in knowledge that emerged during the workshop including recommendations for moving towards formal synthesis or new synthesis efforts.
Workshop Goals
- Assess the current state of Human Dimensions synthesis within ARCSS.
- Assess the potential for synthesis across arctic system components.
- Identify commonalities across projects, gaps in knowledge, outliers, and needs for moving toward formal synthesis or new synthesis efforts.
- Develop a more detailed plan for specific IPY activities; for example, a theme for a HARC session and theme or framework for the HARC Early Career Scientist Workshop, both to be held at the 2008 International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) in New Delhi, India.
- Prepare a workshop report summarizing key issues, common challenges, and gaps in knowledge that emerge during the workshop.
Workshop participants were asked to consider a set of discussion points, including:
- Is Human Dimensions research in the Arctic more or less different than elsewhere?
- What is the current state of Human Dimensions synthesis within ARCSS?
- What is the potential for including the Human Dimension in synthesis across arctic system components?
- Can we incorporate Human Dimensions studies into Arctic System Model analyses and what are the strategic pathways for doing so?
Workshop Structure
The one-day workshop consisted of brief (10-15 minutes) plenary talks by Human Dimensions researchers and discussion in the morning, followed by a focused roundtable discussion in the afternoon. For the morning session, invited speakers gave short presentations that specifically highlighted the aspects of their project that lended themselves to synthesis and aspects that were worth exploring in a broader context.
