international arctic science committee definition and mission the international arctic science...

International Arctic Science Committee www.iasc.info

Definition and Mission

The

International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)

is a non-governmental, international scientific organization.

The mission of IASC is to

encourage and facilitate cooperation in all aspects of Arctic research, in all countries engaged in Arctic research and in all areas of the Arctic region,

by

promoting and supporting leading-edge multi-disciplinary research to foster a greater scientific understanding of the Arctic region and its role in

the Earth system.


Member Countries

IASC´s membership today includes national science

organizations from 21 countries involved in

Arctic research.

IASC is an International Scientific Associate of the International Council for Science (ICSU)

and observer on theArctic Council.


Organizational Structure

IASC draws on an organizational structure that

provides mechanisms for initiating and implementing

cutting-edge science-led international programs.


Council, Executive Committee and Secretariat

• Representatives of the national science organizations from all 21 IASC member countries form the IASC Council.

• Council usually meets once a year during the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW).

• An Executive Committee, consisting of an elected President, four elected Vice-Presidents and a permanent Executive Secretary operates as a Board of Directors and manages IASC activities between Council meetings.

• The Secretariat is currently hosted by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine in Potsdam (Germany), and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization.


Working Groups

Working Groups are IASC´s main scientific working bodies. They identify and formulate science plans, act as scientific advisory boards to the IASC Council and assist IASC in the implementation of its science mission.

Terrestrial Working Group

Cryosphere Working Group

Marine Working Group / Arctic Ocean Sciences Board

Atmosphere Working Group

Social & Human Working Group


Steering Group

Chair: Terry Callaghan Vice-Chair: Benjamin Vinegla

Vice-Chair: Warwick. F. Vincent Vice-Chair: Torben Christensen

Determining the role of connectivity in the functioning of arctic terrestrial systems, including connections within the arctic and the global system

Determining the net effect of the terrestrial and freshwater environmental and biosphere’s processes that amplify or moderate climate warming

Developing unifying concepts, fundamental theories and computer models of the interactions among species, interactions between species and their environment, and the biology of life in extreme environments

Estimating past changes in arctic geo- and biodiversity, measuring current change and predicting future changes

Scientific Foci

Developing high spatial resolution models of terrestrial geosystem and ecosystem change, and other tools that can be used by arctic stakeholders for adaptation strategies and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystem services

Terrestrial Working Group


Cryosphere Working Group

Scientific Foci

Sea-ice boundary layer dynamics, particularly as they relate to biogeochemical exchanges and polar amplification.

Permafrost, including support of activities being undertaken by the International Permafrost Association.

Tidewater glacier dynamics and response to climate change, with a focus on methods for studying these issues. This activity is intended to have a large early career scientist and training component.

Steering Group

Vice-Chair: Tetsuo Ohata Vice-Chair: Pedro Elosegui

Vice-Chair: Julian Dowdeswell Chair: Martin Sharp


Marine Working Group

Scientific Foci

Predicting and understanding rapid changes to the Arctic Ocean system

Facilitating Deep Sea drilling in the Arctic Ocean

Understanding sea ice structure dynamics and the Arctic system

Understanding biological and ecosystem processes in the Arctic and Sub-arctic seas

Understanding geochemical processes in the Arctic and Sub-arctic seas

Steering Group

Past Chair: Savi Narayanan

Vice-Chair: Rolf Gradinger

Vice-Chair: Jinping Zhao

Chair: Bert Rudels


Steering Group

Vice-Chair: Michael Tjernström Vice-Chair: Hiroshi Tanaka Chair: James Overland

Scientific Foci

Polar Climate Predictability: Polar Climate Predictability is an issue of growing concern particularly as it becomes clear that Arctic amplification has an impact on lower latitudes. IASC, together with WCRP can play a leading role in bringing the international community together to address issues related to decadal and multi-decadal prediction.

Long-term, International Sea Ice Observatory: The AWG has as a priority the initiation of planning and design a long-term, international, observational in order to provide much needed observations to support regional and global climate model simulations.

Historical Data Retrieval and Reanalysis: The AWG will provide support for historical data retrieval and reanalysis to inform current observations, models and policy makers.

Atmosphere Working Group


Steering Group

Chair: Peter Schweitzer Vice-Chair: Sylvie Blangy

Vice-Chair: Gail Fondahl Past Chair: Louwrens Hacquebord

Exploitation of natural resources: past, present, future

Scientific Foci

Histories and methodologies of arctic sciences and arts

Indigenous peoples and change: adaptation and cultural and power dynamics

Security, international law and cooperation

Cross-cutting Human health,

wellbeing and ecosystem change

Collaborative community research on climate change

Competing forms of resource use in a changing environmentPeople and coastal

processes

Perceptions and representations of arctic science

Social & Human Working Group


Participants of the IASC Working Groups Workshop, January 2011, Potsdam


Actions Groups are providing strategic advice to the IASC Council concerning both long-term activities and urgent needs. They are small expert groups that act within a limited timeframe of two years.

Joint SCAR/IASC Bipolar Action Groupon Science Development

Data Policy Group

Action Group on Geosciences

Action Groups


Formed in 2008 with the objectives to advice the SCAR and IASC Executive Committees

• on how SCAR and IASC can work together most effectively, e.g. through development of joint SCAR-IASC workshops, programs and networks addressing bipolar issues, and

• on the development of mechanisms to nurture the IPY legacy, with a focus on the roles of SCAR and IASC.

Renewed in 2010 (for another two years) with the objective to advice SCAR and IASC on bipolar science. The IPY legacy tasks was taken over by the SCAR and IASC Executive Committees.

Participants of the second BipAG II, May 2012.

BipAG II is chaired by Cynan Ellis-Evans(NERC Arctic Office, UK)

SCAR-IASC Bipolar Action Group (BipAG)


A small advisory group of external experts formed in 2012 to reinforce IASC’s commitment to robust data management and sharing activities.

The Data Policy Group will recommend a data policy, including steps toward its implementation, that would provide guidance for IASC supported activities.

The group is chaired by Mark Parsons (US National Snow and Ice Data Center), who previously served as a co-chair of the IPY Data Subcommittee.

IASC Data Policy Group


Formed in 2012, the IASC Action Group on Geosciences will particularly address emerging research questions in the field of:

• Arctic solid-earth geoscience, including Arctic tectonic evolution and the exploration of the ridge systems;

• sedimentary records and climatic and environmental history obtained from marine and lake sediments, ice cores and permafrost deposits;

• geologic and geochemical processes especially related to the stability of permafrost and of gas hydrate deposits known to underlie the continental slopes of the Arctic Ocean Basin;

• seismic risk of the Arctic regions.

The group is chaired by Carlo Barbante (University of Venice, Italy) and reports to IASC Council on emerging fields in Arctic geosciences, in order to better address, coordinate and prioritize the research efforts at national and international level.

IASC Action Group on Geosciences


• Arctic Climate System Network (ACSNet)www.iasc-acsnet.org

• Arctic Coastal Dynamics (ACD)www.arcticportal.org/acd

• Circum-Arctic Lithosphere Evolution (CALE)www.cale.geo.su.se

• Network on Arctic Glaciology (NAG)www.iasc-nag.org

• Palaeo-Arctic Spatial and Temporal Gateways (PAST Gateways)

www.geol.lu.se/pastgateways

• Polar Archaeology Network (PAN)polararchaeologynetwork.blogg.no

IASC Networks

Networks are IASC-endorsed, thematic groups; address specific scientific issues

on a circum-arctic scale; strive to involve early career

scientists.


IASC Partner Organizations

Organization Type of Agreement Signed

Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) MoU, jointly with SCAR 2008

International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) LoA 2008

International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) LoA, jointly with SCAR 2008

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) LoA 2011

International Network for Circumpolar Health Research (INCHR) LoA 2011

International Permafrost Association (IPA) MoU, jointly with SCAR 2009

Pacific Arctic Group (PAG) LoA 2009

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) LoA 2006, 2011

University of the Arctic (UArctic) LoA, jointly with IASSA 2011

World Climate Research Program (WCRP) MoU for the CliC Project, jointly with SCAR

2008

MoU: Memorandum of Understanding LoA: Letter of Agreement


Highlightsand

Major Achievements


Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW)

Initiated by IASC in 1999

Most important annual gathering of the Arctic research organizations

Provides opportunities for coordination, cooperation and collaboration

Any organization engaged in Arctic research may participate

In odd number years includes a 3-day Science Symposium

Has been held in a dozen different IASC member countries

ASSW 2015 Japan ASSW 2014 Helsinki,

Finland ASSW 2013 Krakow, Poland ASSW 2012 Montreal,

Canada ASSW 2011 Seoul, Korea ASSW 2010 Nuuk,

Greenland ASSW 2009 Bergen, Norway ASSW 2008 Syktyvkar,

Russia ASSW 2007 Hannover, NH,

USA ASSW 2006 Potsdam,

Germany ASSW 2005 Kunming, China ASSW 2004 Reykjavik,

Iceland ASSW 2003 Kiruna, Sweden ASSW 2002 Groningen,

Netherlands ASSW 2001 Iqaluit, Canada ASSW 2000 Cambridge, UK ASSW 1999 Tromsø, Norway


International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP)

An Arctic Science Conference, convened periodically by IASC and its partners to identify key scientific questions and issues.

ICARP I, held in Hanover NH 1995, reviewed the state of Arctic science and resulted in a series of IASC-supported research projects.

ICARP II, held in Copenhagen 2005, developed twelve forward-looking science plans and resulted in several follow-up international projects and programs, in particular within the framework of the emerging International Polar Year.


IASC Medal

Awarded in recognition of exceptional and sustained

contributions to the understanding of the Arctic

since 2010.

Martin JakobssonIASC Medal 2011

Patrick WebberIASC Medal 2010

Igor KrupnikIASC Medal 2012


An international project of the Arctic Council and IASC to evaluate and synthesize knowledge on Arctic climate variability, climate change, and their impacts.

ACIA Reports• Scientific Report (1000 pages)• Synthesis Report (140 pages)• Policy Report

Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA)

Published 2005


… was an Arctic Council project coordinated by AMAP, IASC and CLIC.… integrated scientific information on the impacts of climate change on the ice, snow, and permafrost characteristics of the Arctic, which have potentially far-reaching implications for both the Arctic and the Earth as a whole.… also considered the social, economic, and cultural implications of these changes for people living in the Arctic.

Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA)

Published 2011


Background✤ ACIA Key finding # 5✤ ICARP II WG 3✤ IASC: ACD✤ IPY: ACCO-Net

History

IASC/LOICZ/IHDP/IPA/AMAP Workshops Arctic Coastal Zones at Risk in Tromsø October 2007 and January 2008

Release

Final Report publishedMay 2011

State of the Arctic Coast 2010


International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008

The largest internationally coordinated research program in the Earth´s Polar Regions, co-sponsored by ICSU and WMO, involving estimated 50,000 participants;

more than 60 nations;

220 projects.

IASC was deeply involved in the development and implementation of the IPY: Ex-office member of the ICSU/WMO Joint Committee;

Organizer (jointly with SCAR) of the first IPY Conference 2008;

Co-organizer of the IPY 2010 and 2012 Conferences;

Co-editor of the IPY Summary Publication.

Status

Change Global Connections

Vantage Point

NewFrontiers

HumanDimension


The Goal of SAON is to enhance Arctic-wide observing activities by facilitating partnerships

and synergies among existing observing and data networks (“building blocks”), and promoting

sharing and synthesis of data and information.

A partnership between the Arctic Council

and IASC

Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON)


Bipolar Cooperation

Letter of Agreement with IASC´s Southern Hemisphere counterpart Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), signed 2006 and renewed 2011, resulted in several successful joint activities during the last years: SCAR/IASC Open Science Conference St. Petersburg (Russia), 2008; Joint work on the steering committees for the IPY 2010 and 2012 Conference; “Polar Research - Global Challenges" Symposium, Siena (Italy), 2011; Bipolar Action Group; Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Sea Level Group (ISMASS); Three successful applications for ICSU Grants; Joint meetings of the Executive Committees; Trilateral agreements with APECS, IACS, IPA and WCRP; Several joint presentations given by the two Executive Directors; Joint outreach activities, many including APECS.


The Next Generation of Polar Researchers

Established and run by early career scientists

An outcome of the IPY IASC supports APECS by

providing travel stipends and mentoring APECS members

Co-sponsorship MoU, jointly signed with SCAR in 2008

At the final IPY conference, IASC, SCAR and APECS received the IPY torch (“budstikke”)


International Polar Initiative (IPI)

A new and novel framework for long-term cooperation in the Polar Regions

addressing the emerging challenges identified within the IPY;

optimizing and better coordinating existing resources and facilities;

developing mechanisms for concerted investments in areas where activities are lacking.

Steering Group to develop the concept established early 2012


25 Years of IASC (1990-2015)

IASC´s 25th anniversary will be celebrated 2015, culminating in a final conference in Japan

including

Arctic Science Summit Week 2015; 3rd International Conference on Arctic Research

Planning (ICARP III); IASC History Publication;

and involving

IASC Working Groups; IASC Partner Organizations.


…more information about IASC…

www.iasc.info

international arctic science committee definition and mission the international arctic science...

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