Collaborative Research: Research Networking Activities for Sustained Coordinated Observations of Arctic Change

Battelle Memorial Institute, Richland OH

Investigators

Abstract

A range of national and international bodies have recognized the urgent need for improved coordination of sustained observations of rapid Arctic Change. Such coordination provides shared benefits to Arctic and non-Arctic nations, for example in responding effectively to transformations in marine ecosystems, improving prediction of extreme weather and environmental hazards associated with Arctic change. Coordination of observations also advances our understanding of the functioning of the Arctic system and the services it provides at the regional, national, and global level. This project brings together experts from different branches of science and engineering, along with Arctic Indigenous experts and organizations to jointly advance coordination, design, and implementation of sustained observations. Drawing on guidance from different Arctic rights holders, decision- and policymakers, the Research Networking Activity (RNA) focuses on the topic of food security in the Pacific Arctic maritime sector. Food security, in particular for Alaska coastal communities but also in the context of large-scale fisheries and other factors of national concern has been substantially impacted by changing ice and ocean conditions that have been most pronounced in the Pacific Arctic sector in recent years. The project draws on different assessment, modeling, and observing system design approaches to lay the foundation for a food-security oriented information product integrating different types of coordinated observations. In accomplishing project goals, Alaska Native scholars are active participants in the work, with a focus on capacity-building within Indigenous Peoples’ organizations such that they can better steer and utilize Arctic observing data and information products. Project objectives are achieved by tying into key goals identified by the Arctic Council’s and International Arctic Science Committee’s Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) initiative. Specifically, the international community has developed a joint vision for a connected, collaborative, and comprehensive long-term pan-Arctic Observing System that serves societal needs. SAON has identified development of a Roadmap for Arctic Observing and Data Systems (ROADS) as a key starting point for implementing its strategy: to detail where observing and data management efforts need to go and how SAON partners will jointly get there. This RNA project establishes and maintains a collaborative network between U.S. and international partner institutions to initiate and advance the ROADS process. Specifically, the project transforms the Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) from a biennial meeting into an ongoing process and resource to aid with coordination of observations. The AOS in turn informs four different sets of project activities that advance coordination, requirements capture, design development, and information infrastructure. Each of the task teams under these four themes draws on a combination of facilitated meetings, modeling and assessment activities, formal and informal collaborations, and the expansion of the Food Security case study into a broader resource and model for pan-Arctic observing coordination and integration. The project draws on principles of co-production of knowledge, observing system simulation experiments, and systems engineering to determine shared benefits and quantitatively assess the impacts of optimized observations relevant in a food security and marine ecosystems context. Data and tools emerging from this work inform a food security information product shared through the Group on Earth Observations observing system of systems framework. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.