Witness the Arctic | Volume 20, Number 2 - Spring

In March 2016, the Arctic Data Center was launched and assumed preservation responsibility for Arctic research data from National Science Foundation (NSF) awards. The center serves as the NSF research community's primary repository for Arctic data preservation and data discovery, and is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) via a five-year award. The Arctic Data Center currently lists 3,899 data sets covering data from myriad research fields.

The Arctic in the Classroom (TAC) is a recently developed program created by the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) that partners scientists, educators, and communities to collaborate on improving Arctic education. This 4-year program provides activities targeted to educate K-12 teachers, students, communities, and others about the Arctic.

The Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) is an NSF-funded project designed to enhance the collaboration between Arctic marine modelers and observationalists, as well as others who are interested in working with such scientists. A key part of this effort is the annual workshop, usually held at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) each fall. Since 2009, the first day of the workshop is devoted to the FAMOS School for those new to Arctic marine studies.

"Witness the Arctic" regularly features the research and related programs of ARCUS member institutions. This issue spotlights UIC Science, a subsidiary of the Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, the village corporation for Barrow, Alaska formed under the authority of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (43 U.S.C. 1601).

A creative sub-specialty of archaeology, called glacial archaeology, has become the key to opening an ancient fragile treasury to begin to tell the story of ancient peoples and their innate relationships to the earth. At high latitudes and altitudes, formerly permanent ice is melting: climate change is immutably taking place. Artifacts and biological specimens, long preserved by freezing temperatures, are beginning to appear at diverse sites throughout the cryosphere.

Ten years ago Christopher Arp (UAF) and Benjamin Jones (USGS) left from Barrow, Alaska, by snowmachine and headed 100 miles southeast along the Beaufort Sea coast to Teshekpuk Lake—Alaska's largest Arctic lake. As novices to such remote winter fieldwork they experienced numerous challenges. With much appreciated support from the experience of local guide, Ronal Aveoganna, and another USGS scientist, David Selkowitz, Arp and Jones gained insight into making such expeditions safe, successful, and a source of valuable scientific data.

The U.S. Arctic Research Commission (USARC) is an independent federal agency that was established in 1984 by the Arctic Research and Policy Act. Its principal duties are to develop and recommend an integrated national Arctic research policy and to assist in establishing a national Arctic research program plan. This article discusses recent appointments to the Commission, developments within the three USARC working groups, upcoming events, and new publications.

On 28 September 2016, the U.S. Administration will host the first-ever Arctic Science Ministerial meeting in Washington, D.C., convening science ministers, chief science advisors, indigenous representatives, and other high-level officials from foreign governments around the world in an effort to advance international scientific collaboration in the Arctic. The goals for the meeting are "to advance promising, near-term science initiatives and create a context for increased international scientific collaboration on the Arctic over the longer term."

The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) was founded in 1990 by representatives of scientific organizations from the eight Arctic countries. Currently comprised of the original eight countries plus 15 non-Arctic nations, the organizational needs of IASC are served by an international Secretariat that is hosted and financed by an IASC member country. Norway, Sweden, and Germany have previously hosted the Secretariat; during a March 2016 meeting the IASC Council decided that Iceland will host starting in 2017.

Over 1,000 Arctic experts and enthusiasts convened in Fairbanks, Alaska on 11-18 March for the 2016 Arctic Science Summit Week, Arctic Observing Summit, and numerous other meetings and events. With participants representing 30 nations and more than 130 different institutions, the gathering represents a significant step towards the future of Arctic research and policy. While this was the 18th Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) convened by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and its partner organizations, the conference achieved many notable firsts.

This update on the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) program includes recent news from each of SEARCH's three Action Teams as well as highlights from other activities that contribute to SEARCH goals, including the Sea Ice Prediction Network, the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook, and the Arctic Observing Open Science meeting.

The National Science Foundation’s Division of Polar Programs has seen several key personnel changes in recent months. Brian W. Stone, who had headed the Division’s Antarctic Infrastructure and Logistics (AIL) section, began an assignment as Chief of Staff to NSF Director France A. Córdova. In the wake of this appointment, other changes took place in the Division’s senior management.

Greetings from the ARCUS D.C. Office, which is increasingly serving as a hub of Arctic research activity here in the nation's capital. A major advantage of my being based in D.C. (with our headquarters remaining in Fairbanks, Alaska) is the ability to participate in the frequent policy discussions related to Arctic research. We can also host local events in our building, such as the ARCUS-sponsored Arctic Research Seminar Series, the December IARPC Re-visioning Workshop, and the April International Arctic Fisheries Meeting.

The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) has been dedicated to connecting Arctic research across boundaries for more than 25 years. We work to support communication, coordination, and collaboration between researchers, among institutions, spanning disciplines, bridging sectors, and connecting nations. Witness the Arctic is one of many offerings we provide, and we encourage each Witness reader to complete the Arctic research readership needs survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ArcticReadership.

The Synthesis of Arctic Research (SOAR), led by NOAA scientists Sue Moore and Phyllis Stabeno, and supported by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), was initiated in 2011 to capture the conditions of the changing Pacific Arctic using completed and ongoing research. The effort takes a holistic look at the "new normal" Pacific Arctic of the last decade, which now has a longer open-water season with reduced sea ice thickness and extent, increased primary production, and observed changes in abundance and behavior of Arctic species.

The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee, a subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), is made up of representatives from 15 federal agencies and chaired by the National Science Foundation. It is in the process of drafting its next 5-year research plan—Arctic Research Plan 2017-2021—to guide the overall federal effort in Arctic research.