U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | WildREACH Workshop

Poster and Presentation Abstracts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - WildREACH Workshop

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Abstracts are listed in alphabetical order by first author's last name. Presenters are listed in parentheses if they are other than the first author.

List of Abstracts

Retrogressive Thaw Slump Impacts on Inconnu Spawning Habitat in the Selawik River, Alaska

Raymond Hander¹, Kenji Yoshikawa², Nathan Olson^3
1Department of Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 101 12th Avenue, Room 110, Fairbanks, AK, 99701, USA, Phone 907-456-0402, ray_hander [at] fws.gov
²University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Northern Engineering, Water and Environmental Research Center, USA, ffky [at] uaf.edu
³Department of Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service, USA, nathan_olson [at] fws.gov

A large retrogressive thaw slump (RTS) occurred in the Selawik River drainage above an important inconnu, Stenodus leucichthys, spawning ground in spring 2004 and continues to release large quantities of silt. Inconnu and other whitefish species are major subsistence food resources in the Selawik River. Inconnu spawn in a limited portion of the Selawik River 42 km downstream of the RTS. Suspended sediments and silt accretion may negatively impact fish spawning habitats in the Selawik River. Analysis from 2007 estimated that about 25,000,000 to 60,000,000 kg of sediments eroded from the RTS and at least 375 mg/L of suspended sediment was observed at the spawning area resulting in roughly 8,600,000 kg of deposited silt. Future research about predicting RTS activity and critical fish habitat will help assess affects to inconnu and other whitefish species in the Selawik River and other aquatic systems in northwest Alaska.

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Setting a Table for All: How Conflict Theory Can Change the Way We Approach Climate Policy

John G. Humphrey^1
1The Humphrey Law Firm, Alexandria, VA, 22301, USA, Phone 703-599-7919, Fax 703-637-4483, humphrey.law [at] earthlink.net

Conceptual frameworks underpinning negotiating, legislative, and regulatory processes employed in the development of climate change policy often fail to recognize the concerns of parties affected by climate change. This presentation explores how conflict theory can lead to more effective climate change response policies.

Under conflict theory, climate change can be seen as a resource battle engaged by carbon producers, carbon consumers, and parties affected by carbon usage. Framing climate change as a carbon conflict helps to identify many parties, including parties diverse as Inuit communities in the Arctic Circle (primarily affected communities), coal mining communities (primarily producing communities), and suburban areas (primarily consuming communities), whose participation by others often is resisted and whose interests often are ignored.

Including affected parties to the table is critical to successful climate policy. For example, while ground-breaking research about the cascading effects of climate changes on arctic peoples has emerged in recent years, negotiating, legislative, and regulatory processes often have failed to consider these potentially existential concerns for arctic communities. Conflict theory, however, suggests that absent full participation of communities affected by climate change, climate change response strategies will likely fail because they will ignore climate change effects that are costly, in human and financial terms, and destabilizing.

Conflict resolution theory also can be helpful to communities in responding to internal conflicts arising as a result of climate change and provide support for funding long-term adaptation efforts. Peacebuilding theory recognizes developing community and local institutional capacity to meet emerging challenges requires long time frames and places communities at the center of developing their capacity according to their own community values, interests, and needs. Recognition of such principles will promote adaptation strategies that help ensure community continuity and address the full range of health, security, economic, social, and cultural costs being borne by arctic and other affected communities in the conflict over carbon.

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Measurements and Modeling of Soil Water Distributions in Time and Space, Barrow, Alaska

Anna Liljedahl¹, Larry Hinzman², Sergei Marchenko³, Svetlana Berezovskaya⁴, Robert Busey⁵, Robert Busey^6
1International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, PO Box 757340, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 9074741951, ftakl [at] uaf.edu
²International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, PO Box 757340, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 9074747331, lhinzman [at] iarc.uaf.edu
³Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk Dr., Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 9074747698, ffssm1 [at] uaf.edu
⁴Water and Environmental Researh Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, PO Box 755860, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 9074742714, sveta.berezovskaya [at] uaf.edu
⁵International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, PO Box 757340, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 9074742792, fnrcb1 [at] uaf.edu
⁶International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, PO Box 757340, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 9074742792, fnrcb1 [at] uaf.edu

Soil moisture is tightly linked to several biological and physical processes. Soil moisture varies drastically on a micro-scale (<1 m) especially in a polygonal landscape, while many coupled models today work on a regional scale (>1 km). We examine fine-scale spatial resolution of soil moisture and temperatures through field measurements and modeling with the larger goal of projecting future soil moisture distribution at the coast of northern Alaska. Here, we present measured variations in soil temperature, snow depth and soil moisture and compare model simulations of snow cover and soil temperatures to field measurements. During a single year, we found spatial variations in ground surface temperatures across one polygon measuring up to 12°C in winter time and even larger in summer time. By combining a blowing snow model (SnowModel) and an analytical soil thermal regime model (GIPL 1.1) we successfully simulated spatial features across the polygon, but overall values were slightly underestimated. In the near future, we will use output from the two models in a hydrological model to simulate sub-meter scale soil water distributions. The hydrological model, TopoFlow, will be validated against field measurements and later used as a tool to project future scenarios of today’s wetlands at the coastal Arctic region. The low hydraulic gradients, limited hydraulic storage capacity, short summers and efficient recharge of soil during snowmelt maintain the extensive wetlands currently seen in the Arctic. With a topography mainly defined by polygons over ice-rich permafrost, changes occurring at the micro-scale may have implications on the wide-spread persistence of Arctic wetlands.

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PolarTREC: Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating: Science Education from the Poles to the World

Ronnie Owens¹, Kristin M. Timm², Janet Warburton³, Wendy K. Warnick^4
1ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, ronnie [at] arcus.org
²ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, kristin [at] arcus.org
³ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, warburton [at] arcus.org
⁴ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, warnick [at] arcus.org

PolarTREC—Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating, a program of the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS), is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded International Polar Year (IPY) project in which K-12 educators participate in hands-on field experiences, working closely with IPY scientists as a pathway to improving science education.

PolarTREC has developed a successful internet-based platform for teachers and researchers to interact and share their diverse experiences and expertise by creating interdisciplinary educational tools including online journals and forums, real-time Internet seminars, lesson plans, activities, audio, and other educational resources that address a broad range of scientific topics. These highly relevant, adaptable, and accessible resources are available to educators across the globe and have connected thousands of students and citizens to the excitement of polar science.

By fostering the integration of research and education and infusing education with the thrill of discovery, PolarTREC will produce a legacy of long-term teacher-researcher collaborations and increased student knowledge of and interest in the polar regions well beyond the IPY time period.

Educator and student feedback from preliminary evaluations has shown that PolarTREC’s comprehensive program activities have many positive impacts on educators and their ability to teach science concepts and improve their teaching methods.

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ARCUS Internet Media Archive (IMA): A Resource for Outreach and Education

Zeb Polly¹, Wendy K. Warnick², Joed Polly^3
1ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, zeb [at] arcus.org
²ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, warnick [at] arcus.org
³ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, joed [at] arcus.org

The ARCUS Internet Media Archive (IMA) is a collection of photos, graphics, videos, and presentations about the Arctic that are shared through the Internet. It provides the arctic research community and the public at large with a centralized location where images and video pertaining to polar research can be browsed and retrieved for a variety of uses. The IMA currently contains almost 6,500 publicly accessible photos, including 4,000 photos from the National Science Foundation funded Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating (TREC, now PolarTREC) program, an educational research experience in which K-12 teachers participate in arctic research as a pathway to improving science education. The IMA also includes 450 video files, 270 audio files, nearly 100 graphics and logos, 28 presentations, and approximately 10,000 additional resources that are being prepared for public access. The contents of this archive are organized by file type, contributor's name, event, or by organization, with each photo or file accompanied by information on content, contributor source, and usage requirements. All the files are key-worded and all information, including file name and description, is completely searchable. ARCUS plans to continue to improve and expand the IMA with a particular focus on providing graphics depicting key arctic research results and findings as well as edited video archives of relevant scientific community meetings. To submit files or for more information and to view the ARCUS Internet Media Archive, please go to: http://media.arcus.org or email photo [at] arcus.org.

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Growth and Nutrient Content of Arctic Tundra Plants and the Potential Consequences to Herbivores in a Warming Climate

Joel Schmutz¹, John Reed², Paul Flint^3
1USGS Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA, Phone 907-786-7186, jschmutz [at] usgs.gov
²USGS Alaska Science Center, USA
³USGS Alaska Science Center, USA

Herbivores are highly selective about what plants they eat, and thus are expected to be responsive to how plant communities change in a warming climate. Geese are one of the principal herbivores in the Arctic, with 20 - 30 million occupying North American tundra ecosystems during summer. In the long-term view, shrubs are expected to populate Alaska’s Arctic coastal plain (ACP), which would be a reduction in habitat quality for geese as they do not have the size or physiology to digest woody tissue. Our question was a shorter term view. Specifically, how will the graminoid plants that geese typically consume change in growth or nutrient concentration in a warmer climate? We measured these plant attributes during 2005-2006 along the shores of a suite of lakes northeast of Teshekpuk Lake, where 100,000 geese of 4 species annually come to molt and regrow their flight feathers. From late June to late July, we measured weekly above-ground growth and nitrogen and carbon concentrations in 4 plant species (Carex aquatilis, C. subspathacea, Deschampsia caespitosa, and Puccinellia phyragnodes) at 3 or more lakes, all in what is usually described as Wet Sedge Tundra. Because herbivores need nitrogen for growth (e.g., eggs, goslings, and feather growth), and carbon is a principal component of plant cell walls, which are difficult to digest, the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) is typically viewed as in indicator of forage quality for herbivores, with higher values indicating poor quality vegetation. Thaw Degree Days and near surface soil temperatures were substantially warmer in 2006 than 2005. In 2006 all four plant species showed more rapid growth, but also had higher C/N. This suggests that in a progressively warmer ACP, geese will have more biomass of food available but it will be poorer quality. Additional physiological studies are needed to determine if, in a warmer climate, the disadvantage of reduced forage quality will outweigh the benefit of increased food abundance. However, existing digestive models clearly indicate that smaller herbivores will be disproportionately more affected by reductions in forage quality, thus Black Brant will suffer more from such plant change than the other goose species. Also, geese generally may be more susceptible to this plant change than the other principal Arctic herbivores (lemmings, voles, caribou) because plant warming experiments indicate that the most saturated tundra plant communities (where geese are) exhibit the least promotion of nitrogen availability from warming.

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Denning Ecology of Grizzly Bears in the North Slope Oilfield Region

Richard Shideler^1
1Wildlife Conservation Division, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, 1300 College Rd, Fairbanks, AK, 99701, USA, Phone 907-459-7283, Fax 907-459-7332, dick.shideler [at] alaska.gov

Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the North Slope oilfield region are at low density and at the northern extreme of their North American range. Early investigators suggested that scarcity of denning habitat limited the population and forced bears to move to the Brooks Range to den. The Arctic Coastal Plain in this region is relatively flat arctic tundra, with >1/3 of the surface covered by water. However, well-drained microsites along riparian areas and geomorphic features associated with permafrost landscape offer potential den sites. During a long-term study of grizzly bears in the region, characteristics of 160 dens of 47 radio-marked bears were investigated from 1991-2003. Habitat attributes, entrance and exit dates, proximity to permanent human infrastructure, and error in detecting the true location of the den from aerial radio-tracking were investigated. Results confirmed that grizzly bears denned throughout the region, including <1 km from the Beaufort Sea coast. Some food-conditioned bears denned within the active oilfields. Sites in well-drained substrates associated with riparian areas (terraces and stream banks), relict Pleistocene sand dunes, and geomorphic features associated with permafrost landscapes (pingos and drained lake margins) were used for denning. Pingos—conical ice-cored mounds developing from thawed lakes—appeared to be highly selected. Sixty percent of dens in all geomorphic types, and 70% of those in pingos (where all aspects are available), faced between 181-270°N. These aspects collected large snowdrifts that were important for insulation to bears at this latitude. Timing of den entrance, mid-September to late October, also coincided with the period of major snow deposition. Denning ecology in the future could be shaped by changes in permafrost-derived features, potential for increased flooding, changes in shrub cover and especially changes in the deposition, quality or phenology of snow.

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The arctic pulse timing of breeding in long-distance migrant shorebirds

Ingrid Tulp¹, Hans Schekkerman^2
1Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Management (IMARES), P.O.Box 68, IJmuiden, Netherlands, ingrid.tulp [at] wur.nl
²Dutch Centre for Avian Migration & Demography, P.O.Box 40, Heteren, 6666 ZG , Netherlands, h.schekkerman [at] nioo.knaw.nl

Many shorebirds species are long-distance migrants: they spend the winter in temperate or tropical areas and migrate north in spring to breed in the Arctic. The Arctic summer is short and is characterized by a cold climate and extreme large short term fluctuations in weather. Additionally the main food supply for both parents and chicks (surface dwelling arthropods) shows a strong seasonal pattern and a strong day-to-day variation related to weather. Therefore timing of breeding can have a major influence on the breeding success.

To investigate what factors influence the timing of breeding we measured seasonal patterns in the food availability and energetic demands and performance of parents and young (energy expenditure, condition, growth, time available for foraging) throughout the season. We found that the growth rate of chicks depends on the weather, but also that early born chicks grow better than chicks born later. Within the three years of this research chicks hatched relatively late compared to the peak in food supply. From the chicks’ point of view parents started breeding too late. The decision of when to breed may not only be strongly shaped by the chicks needs, but also by energetic requirements of the parents during the incubation and chick-rearing phase. The adults arrive on the tundra after a long non-stop flight with a limited amount of body reserves, which allows survival for at most a few days in case the tundra is still snow-covered. Therefore arriving too early may entail the risk of starvation. Birds also need time to replenish their reserves to produce the eggs. Besides they have to be able to find enough food during breeding. This is especially so for species that incubate the eggs alone, without the help from a partner. They have to divide their time between incubating the eggs and feeding. For them the incubation period is energetically more stressful than the period after the chicks are born. For species that share incubation duties this balance is different. This probably explains why single breeding species arrive later on the tundra and also breed later than biparental species. Influenced by recent climate change the peak in food supply seems to be advancing and with that also the best moment to lay eggs.

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Arctic Synthesis Collaboratory: A Virtual Organization for Transformative Research and Education on a Changing Arctic

Wendy K. Warnick¹, Helen V. Wiggins², Larry Hinzman³, Marika Holland⁴, Maribeth S. Murray⁵, Charles Vörösmarty⁶, Alysa J. K. Loring^7
1ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, warnick [at] arcus.org
²ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, helen [at] arcus.org
³International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 930 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907-474-7331, Fax 907-474-1578, lhinzman [at] iarc.uaf.edu
⁴Climate and Global Dynamics Division, National Center for Atmospheric Research, PO Box 3000, Boulder, CO, 80307, USA, Phone 303-497-1734, Fax 303-497-1700, mholland [at] ucar.edu
⁵Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757720, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907-474-6751, Fax 907-474-7453, ffmsm [at] uaf.edu
⁶Water Systems Analysis Group, University of New Hampshire, Mores Hall, 39 College Road, Durham, NH, 03824, USA, Phone 603-862-0850, Fax 603-862-0587, charles.vorosmarty [at] unh.edu
⁷ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, alysa [at] arcus.org

About the Arctic Synthesis Collaboratory
The Arctic Synthesis Collaboratory concept, developed through a series of NSF-funded workshops and town hall meetings, is envisioned as a cyber-enabled, technical, organizational, and social-synthesis framework to foster:
• Interactions among interdisciplinary experts and stakeholders
• Integrated data analysis and modeling activities
• Training and development of the arctic science community
• Delivery of outreach, education, and policy-relevant resources

Scientific Rationale
The rapid rate of arctic change and our incomplete understanding of the arctic system present the arctic community with a grand scientific challenge and three related issues. First, a wealth of observations now exists as disconnected data holdings, which must be coordinated and synthesized to fully detect and assess arctic change. Second, despite great strides in the development of arctic system simulations, we still have incomplete capabilities for modeling and predicting the behavior of the system as a whole. Third, policy-makers, stakeholders, and the public are increasingly making demands of the science community for forecasts and guidance in mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Collaboratory Components
The Arctic Synthesis Collaboratory is organized around four integrated functions that will be established virtually as a distributed set of activities, but also with the advantage of existing facilities that could sponsor some of the identified activities.

Community Network "Meeting Grounds:"
The Collaboratory will link distributed individuals, organizations, and activities to enable collaboration and foster new research initiatives. Specific activities could include: an expert directory, social networking services, and virtual and face-to-face meetings.

Data Integration, Synthesis, and Modeling Activities:
The Collaboratory will utilize appropriate tools to enable the combination of data and models. Specific activities could include: a web-enabled model library, user forums, a data search and discovery system, and an online library.

Support Scientist Professional Development:
Experts at all career levels must keep pace with the newest developments in data integration and modeling, interdisciplinary science, and cyber-enabled collaboration. Specific project activities could include: web seminars, short courses, and a mentor program.

Education, Outreach, and Policy Resources:
An Arctic Virtual Outreach Center (AVOC) will provide critical education, outreach, and policy elements of the Collaboratory. Specific activities could include: public eSeminars, a virtual pressroom, K–12 classroom resources, and an eNewsletter.

A Collaboratory Implementation Workshop is being planned for winter 2009; further details will be available soon. For more information, contact Helen V. Wiggins, Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) at: helen [at] arcus.org, or go to the website of the community workshop, "New Perspectives through Data Discovery and Modeling," at: http://www.arcus.org/ARCSS/2007_data/index.html.

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The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS)

Helen V. Wiggins¹, Wendy K. Warnick^2
1ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, helen [at] arcus.org
²ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, warnick [at] arcus.org

The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) is a nonprofit membership organization composed of universities and institutions that have a substantial commitment to research in the Arctic. ARCUS was formed in 1988 to serve as a forum for planning, facilitating, coordinating, and implementing interdisciplinary studies of the Arctic; to act as a synthesizer and disseminator of scientific information on arctic research; and to educate scientists and the general public about the needs and opportunities for research in the Arctic. ARCUS, in collaboration with the broader science community, relevant agencies and organizations, and other stakeholders, coordinates science planning and educational activities across disciplinary and organizational boundaries.

Examples of current ARCUS science planning activities include: serving as the project office for the multi-agency Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) program, providing support to the related Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST), and serving as the Science Management Office for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Program. ARCUS’ central educational activity is PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating), an International Polar Year (IPY) program whereby K–12 educators and researchers work together in hands-on field experiences in the Arctic and Antarctic to advance polar science education. Additional science planning, educational information, and outreach activities include, among many others, the Witness the Arctic newsletter, the Arctic Visiting Speakers’ Series, the ArcticInfo listserve, the Internet Media Archive (IMA), and the annual Arctic Forum conference.

More information about these and other ARCUS activities can be found at the ARCUS website at: http://www.arcus.org.

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SEARCH: Study of Environmental Arctic Change—A System-scale, Cross-disciplinary, Long-term Arctic Research Program

Helen V. Wiggins¹, Peter Schlosser², Alysa J. K. Loring³, Wendy K. Warnick^4
1ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, helen [at] arcus.org
²Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, PO Box 1000, Palisades, NY, 10964-8000, USA, Phone 845-365-8707, Fax 845-365-8176, schlosser [at] ldeo.columbia.edu
³ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, alysa [at] arcus.org
⁴ARCUS, 3535 College Road Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-474-1604, warnick [at] arcus.org

The Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) is a multi-agency effort to observe, understand, and guide responses to changes in the arctic system. Interrelated environmental changes in the Arctic are affecting ecosystems and living resources and are impacting local and global communities and economic activities.

Under the SEARCH program, guided by the Science Steering Committee (SSC), the Interagency Program Management Committee (IPMC), and the Observing, Understanding, and Responding to Change panels, scientists with a variety of expertise—atmosphere, ocean and sea ice, hydrology and cryosphere, terrestrial ecosystems, human dimensions, and paleoclimatology—work together to achieve goals of the program. Over 150 projects and activities contribute to SEARCH implementation. The Observing Change component is underway through National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Arctic Observing Network (AON), NOAA-sponsored atmospheric and sea ice observations, and other relevant national and international efforts, including the EU-sponsored Developing Arctic Modelling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies (DAMOCLES) Program. The Understanding Change component of SEARCH consists of modeling and analysis efforts, with strong linkages to relevant programs such as NSF’s Arctic System Synthesis (ARCSS) Program. The Responding to Change element is driven by stakeholder research and applications addressing social and economic concerns. As a national program under the International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC), SEARCH is also working to expand international connections in an effort to better understand the global arctic system.

SEARCH is sponsored by eight (8) U.S. agencies, including: the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Smithsonian Institution, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The U.S. Arctic Research Commission participates as an IPMC observer.

For further information, please visit the website: http://www.arcus.org/search or contact: Helen V. Wiggins: helen [at] arcus.org, SEARCH Project Office, Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS); or Peter Schlosser, schlosser [at] ldeo.columbia.edu, SEARCH SSC Chair.

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