Our Ice Dependent World Conference

University Of Alaska Anchorage Campus, Anchorage AK

Investigators

Abstract

This is a small amount of support for travel and accommodation for 7 early career researchers to attend the 2011 Northern Research Forum (NRF) Open Assembly, Our Ice Dependent World, to be held Sept. 4-6 in Hveragerdi, Iceland. The NRF Open Assembly is organized to provide opportunities for natural and social scientists to talk with policy makers and stakeholders in order to work together to identify knowledge gaps in research and policy for the future. This Assembly highlights two central questions: 1) what are and what will be the economic, industrial, cultural and political consequences of global ice melt today and in the future; 2) What economic, industrial, cultural, and political possibilities and challenges face humankind in current and future declines of ice? In addition, the Assembly in Iceland will include in-depth science discussions around ice from two regions, one high latitude the Antarctic and the other high altitude, the Himalayans, and follows up on themes from three major recent projects- the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, the Arctic Human Development Report, and UNEPs Global Outlook for Ice and Snow. Early career for the purpose of this project are recent PhD or PhD candidates. The candidates will be chosen from a pool of 60 applications, already received, representing 20 different nationalities, and will be evaluated on the basis of 1) professional experience (publications, NRF involvement, and conference papers); 2) their statement of interest that includes the relevance of their research to the conference topic; 3) their perspective on the social relevance of science, how to interpret and apply it. In addition there is a strong dissemination plan through web-casts, position papers, and scientific papers, along with scheduled presentations to the Arctic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers.