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This report discusses the establishment of the National Ocean Council and National Ocean Policy in the United States, as well as the efforts to observe and forecast changing conditions in the Arctic. It highlights the role of the Inter-agency Arctic Research Policy Committee in promoting international cooperation for creating a circumpolar Arctic observing system. The report also covers the goals and recommendations from the Arctic Observing Coordination Workshop held in Anchorage, Alaska.
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Washington, DC - Sunday , 7 February 2010 United States Report to the SAON Board Martin Jeffries AON Sub-committee of the Inter-agency Arctic Research Policy Committee SAON Board Meeting :: 24-25 January 2012 :: Tromsø, Norway
Arctic Observing and US National Policy - I • National Ocean Council and National Ocean Policy • Established by Executive Order (President Obama), July 2010 • Nine national priority objectives, each to be implemented according to • a strategic action plan • Strategic Action Plan 8: Changing Conditions in the Arctic • Strategic Action Plan 8: Changing Conditions in the Arctic • Seven themes • Theme 3: An Integrated Arctic Observing Network • Six action items • Action Item 2: Observe and Forecast Arctic Sea Ice • Action Item 3: Establish a Distributed Biological Observatory
Arctic Observing and US National Policy - II • IARPC (Inter-agency Arctic Research Policy Committee) • Since July 2010 a sub-committee of the National Science and • Technology Council (NSTC) • Six priority research themes identified in April 2011 • Research Theme 4: Continue to deploy and integrate a national • Arctic observing system and promote international cooperation to • create a circumpolar Arctic observing system • IARPC Research Theme 4: An Arctic Observing System • Nine priority topics • State of the sea ice cover • Glacier/ice sheet mass balance and global sea level • Terrestrial and marine permafrost and carbon cycle • Atmospheric constituents and surface radiation balance • A Distributed Biological Observatory • Observing system design • Community-based observing • Assess local resident priorities • Improve access to data
Arctic Observing Coordination Workshop 20-22 March 2012, Anchorage, Alaska • Goals • Summarize agency contributions to Arctic observing efforts. • Recommendations for improving collaboration and coordination among projects and agencies. • Identify two or more pilot projects for observing activity coordination among several agencies and entities, with recommendations for short-term (5 years or less) implementation. • Themes • Understand and predict sea ice changes and the consequences for ecosystems, people and climate. • Understand and predict glacier/ice sheet mass loss and global sea level. • Understand the consequences of the loss of shallow permafrost on Arctic and global systems. • Societal and policy implications of Arctic environmental change, e.g., an Arctic observing system for a broad spectrum of users, including communities and individuals, decision- and policy-makers, business/industry and scientists.
US-led SAON Tasks • Arctic Observing Summit • SEARCH/AON, ArcticNet, ISAC • Arctic Collaborative Environment (ACE) • Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation • Arctic Ocean Structure During IPY • University of Alaska Fairbanks & Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute • Historical Climate Analysis – Pacific Sector of the Arctic • NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory • Community-based Monitoring Classification to Improve • Standardization of Vocabularies • Aleut International Association