Antarctic Futures Workshop: US Opportunities for Collaborative Research in the Ross Sea Sector, Antarctica

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

Intellectual Merit: New Zealand has recently established the NZ Antarctic Research Institute (NZARI). The travel support requested here will allow U.S. researchers to attend an "Antarctic Futures Workshop" to help identify set of scientific challenges where NZARI could collaborate with the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) in the future. Some initial possible areas of collaboration include: predicting non-linear behavior and tipping points in Antarctica?s natural systems, tracking the impacts of change in Antarctica and predicting far field responses, and assessing the resilience of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems. The Ross Embayment remains a high-priority target area to address these research topics. The workshop will be held March 13-15, 2013 in Auckland New Zealand. More than 50 New Zealand Scientists are expected to attend. Most of the workshop agenda will be devoted to working group discussions in order to focus areas of common interest. Eight US scientists representing a wide range of disciplines have been invited to participate. Broader impacts: The "Antarctic Futures Workshop" will develop and refine key research questions that will inform future NZARI research priorities in the Ross Sea region. U.S. participation in the workshop will help define common opportunities and interests between New Zealand and U.S. Antarctic research programs, with the goal of facilitating the development of collaborative research proposals where there is common interest and creating the ability to pool logistical resources to ensure cost effective and transformative science.