Workshop Announcement
Ocean-Air-Sea Ice-Snow Interactions (OASIS)
OASIS Project Implementation Plan Development Workshop
10-12 January 2005
Rome, Italy
Registration Deadline: Monday, 1 November 2004
For further meeting information and registration, please go to:
http://www.iia.cnr.it/OASIS
The OASIS Science Plan is available at:
http://www.chem.purdue.edu/arctic/OASISHomePage.htm
OASIS is an international multi-disciplinary effort to study
Ocean-Air-Sea Ice-Snow Interactions in the Arctic and Antarctica. The
specific focus is on the study of the impact of Air-Surface Interactions
and chemical exchange between the title reservoirs in Polar Regions.
OASIS will address how these processes affect atmospheric chemical
composition, and control the input of toxic chemicals to polar
environments, and assess the associated impact on, and by, climate
change, and the human and ecosystem impacts of air-surface exchanges of
chemical species. An important part of this effort is expected to take
place during the upcoming International Polar Year 2007/09.
The overarching scientific questions to be addressed are:
(1) What are the fundamental physical, chemical, and
biologically-mediated chemical exchange processes involving halogens,
DMS, NOx, O3, VOCs, POPs, Hg, S-constituents, particulate matter, and
CO2 in the Polar regions?
(2) What is the relationship of OASIS exchange processes with the
cryospheric matrix (ice/snow) and the underlying Polar ocean?
(3) What is the relationship of OASIS exchange processes with the
chemistry, physics and biology of airborne gaseous and aerosol particles
and cloud/snow formation?
(4) Which feedback loops exist between OASIS exchange processes and
global climate change?
OASIS is endorsed by the IGBP programs IGAC (International Global
Atmospheric Chemistry) under the AICI (Air Ice Chemical Interactions)
activity, and by SOLAS (Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study). We are
eager to expand to a coordinated Polar research effort and identify
further collaborative connections and opportunities. The research
envisaged is of a multidisciplinary nature: the science involved
necessarily spans many aspects of Polar Studies, e.g., biology;
oceanography; atmospheric physics, chemistry, and climate; ice physics;
human dimensions; hydrology; biogeo-chemistry; and others.
Intensive research campaigns, establishment or enhancement of long-term
polar observatories, fundamental studies and modeling aimed at
developing a predictive understanding of the Polar Air Surface System,
and climate interactions are the four main goals of OASIS.
The purpose of the Rome workshop is to produce an Implementation Plan
for the coming 5-10 years. A roadmap for the project will be developed,
and decisions on locations, platforms, experiments, and associated
timing (including laboratory, field work, and model development) will be
made.
For further meeting information and registration, please go to:
http://www.iia.cnr.it/OASIS