United States Arctic Research Commision.pdf

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UNITED STATE S ARCTIC RE SE ARCH COMMISSION
REPORT ON THE
Goals
and
Objectives
for
Arctic Research
2015–2016
FOR THE US ARCTIC RE SE ARCH PRO GR A M PL AN
a
FRONT COVER.
The Observing the Arctic Photo Contest
THE US ARCTIC RESEARCH COMMISSION
The US Arctic Research Commission (USARC) is an independent federal agency
created by the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984. It is a presidentially
appointed advisory body supported by staff in Washington, DC, and in
Anchorage, AK. In addition to establishing the goals in this report, the
Commission recommends US Arctic research policy to the President and
Congress and builds cooperative links in Arctic research within the federal gov-
ernment, with the State of Alaska, and with international partners. The law also
requires the Commission to report to Congress on the progress of the Executive
Branch in reaching goals set by the Commission and on their adoption by the
Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee.
The Commission plays an active advisory role in many organizations, including
the White House Arctic Executive Steering Committee that was established on
January 21, 2015, by President Obama’s Executive Order 13689. USARC is a stat-
utory member of the North Pacific Research Board and the North Slope Science
Initiative. It is also a member, participant, liaison, or observer on other entities,
including the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee, the Interagency
Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research, the National Ocean Council,
the Extended Continental Shelf Task Force, the Interagency Program Management
Committee of the Study of Environmental Arctic Change, the Interagency
Working Group on Alaska Energy Permitting, the Department of the Interior’s
Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative, the Civil Applications Committee,
the Scientific Ice Expeditions Interagency Committee (Navy submarines), the
UNOLS Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee, the State Department’s Arctic
Policy Group, the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, the Alaska
Ocean Observing System, the International Permafrost Association, and the
Consortium for Ocean Leadership. During the last two years, the Commission led
special initiatives, gave testimony, held workshops, and published brochures and
articles. The Commission occasionally writes editorials and “white papers” that are
posted on the Commission’s website, http://www.arctic.gov.
Grand Prize winning photo by LT Tim Smith, NOAA. Melting
iceberg illuminated by the Arctic sun, Bering Strait, west of
Barrow, AK. More information about the photo contest and
winners can be found on the inside back cover.
HOW THIS REPORT WAS COMPILED
Under the Arctic Research and Policy Act, the Commission biennially recom-
mends key goals and objectives (“Goals Report”) for the US Arctic Research
Program Plan. To prepare this report, the Commission, through public meetings,
sought input from scientific researchers, policymakers, the public in Alaska and
throughout the United States, and in the growing number of nations with Arctic
interests. The Commission also cosponsored meetings, workshops, and studies,
such as the 2014 National Academies studies, “The
Arctic in the Anthropocene”
and
“Responding
to Oil Spills in the US Arctic Marine Environment”
to help inform its
research goals and policies.
DEDICATION
We dedicate this report to the memory of Mr. Walter Bruce Parker, a former
USARC Commissioner, who passed away on June 25, 2014, at the age of 87. Parker,
who moved to Alaska in 1946, following his service in the US Navy, was often
cited as one of the indomitable few who “created Alaska.” He was instrumental in
establishing major federal legislation associated with Alaska statehood, including
the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, the Trans Alaska Pipeline Act
of 1973, the National Fisheries Act of 1976 (Magnuson Act), the Alaska National
Interest Lands and Conservation Act of 1980, and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
Parker served on the US Arctic Research Commission from 1995–2001 and
continued to serve as an advisor until his death. He chaired the Alaska Oil Spill
Commission associated with the Exxon Valdez spill. In 1996, when the Arctic
Council was formed, Parker was a delegate to the Senior Arctic Officials and the
Sustainable Development Working Group. Walt avidly embraced the Alaskan
lifestyle, he ran beaver and marten traplines, and had dog sled teams when he and
his young family lived in the Lake Minchumina region. His contributions to Alaska
and to Arctic research were considerable, and he will be greatly missed.
b
UNITED STATE S ARCTIC RE SE ARCH COMMISSION
REPORT ON THE
Goals
and
Objectives
for
Arctic Research
2015–2016
FOR THE US ARCTIC RE SE ARCH PRO GR A M PL AN
Photo credit: © Bob Waldrop - RedPoint Images
c
USARC COMMISSIONER S
FRAN ULMER, CHAIR
Former Chancellor
University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, AK
USARC STAFF
MARY C. PETE
Director, Kuskokwim Campus
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Bethel, AK
JOHN FARRELL, PhD
Executive Director
DAVID BENTON
Former Chair, North Pacific
Fisheries Management Council
Juneau, AK
CHARLES J. VÖRÖSMARTY, PhD
City College of New York
City University of New York
New York, NY
CHERYL ROSA, DVM, PhD
Deputy Director
EDWARD SAGGAN ITTA
Former Mayor
North Slope Borough
Barrow, AK
WARREN M. ZAPOL, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
KATHY FARROW
Communications Specialist
JAMES J. McCARTHY, PhD
Biological Oceanography
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
FRANCE A. CÓRDOVA, PhD
Ex Officio
Director, National Science Foundation
Arlington, VA
LAURA RAINES
Program Associate
DUTIE S OF THE COMMISSION
• Develop and recommend a national Arctic research policy as well as research
goals and objectives
• Assist the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee in establishing a
national Arctic research program plan to implement the policy
• Facilitate cooperation in Arctic research among federal, state, and local
governments and with international partners
• Review federal Arctic research programs and recommend coordination
improvements
• Recommend improvements in Arctic research logistics
• Recommend improved methods for data sharing among research entities
Photo credit: Heidi Hatcher
Contents
SIX PRIORITY RESEARCH GOALS — AN OVERVIEW ...................................... 1
GOAL 1. ARCTIC ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE ................................................... 4
Ocean Acidification: Impact on Fisheries................................................................... 4
Soot on Snow: The Black Carbon Problem................................................................ 5
Arctic Biodiversity ................................................................................................................... 6
Greater Precipitation…But Drier Ground? ................................................................ 7
“Winners” and “Losers”......................................................................................................... 8
Arctic Observing Network…The Long Wait ............................................................. 9
GOAL 2. ARCTIC HUMAN HEALTH .........................................................................10
Climate and Health ...............................................................................................................10
Arctic Health Care Delivery .............................................................................................11
Arctic Air Quality and Human Health: Outdoors and Indoors ...................12
Innovative Approaches to Arctic Water and Sanitation Problems ............13
Domestic Violence in the Arctic ...................................................................................14
GOAL 3. ARCTIC NATURAL RESOURCES .............................................................16
Renewable Energy..................................................................................................................16
GOAL 4. THE ARCTIC “BUILT ENVIRONMENT” ................................................18
Toward a Deep-Draft Seaport in the US Arctic Above 60°N .........................18
Standards for Offshore Arctic Operations ...............................................................19
GOAL 5. ARCTIC CULTURES AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE .................20
Food and Nutrition Security ...........................................................................................20
Research Efforts to Promote Resilience .....................................................................21
GOAL 6. INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION.............................22
Enhancing International Scientific Cooperation in the Arctic......................22
COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION ......................................................23
EMERGING TOPICS IN THE ARCTIC ........................................................................25
THE ARCTIC IN THE NEWS ............................................................................................27
Photo credit: Cindy Shake
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