Witness the Arctic | Volume 15, Number 1 - Winter

SEARCH held several activities at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California. A Town Hall entitled "The Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH): Current Activities and Community Input on Future Directions" was held to provide a forum for open exchange on SEARCH activities and future priorities. Specific topics included: the new SEARCH vision and mission and the Arctic Observing Network. Over 70 members of the arctic science community attended the Town Hall.

A SEARCH Science Steering Committee (SSC) meeting was held 17-19 November 2010 in Washington, D.C. The major items on the agenda were development of updated SEARCH vision and mission statements and five-year goals, and improved interagency implementation of SEARCH. The draft vision and mission statement, developed at the meeting to guide future SEARCH directions and specific activities, will be released in spring of 2011.

More information on the November SSC meeting can be found at: http://www.arcus.org/search/meetings/2010/ssc-november.

The final Conference Resolution from the State of the Arctic Conference has been released and is available online.

The State of the Arctic Conference, held March 2010 with 448 participants from 16 countries, including representatives of Indigenous Peoples' organizations, featured over 400 keynote addresses, scientific talks, and poster presentations. The resolution summarizes the four recommendations that emerged from the conference:

1. Develop responses to arctic change and advance solution-driven science.

On 4 January 2011 President Obama signed into law the America COMPETES Act, reauthorized by Congress on 21 December 2010. The Act focuses on three main areas: (1) Increasing science and research investments; (2) Strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education; and (3) Developing a national infrastructure for innovation. America COMPETES provides a three-year reauthorization for increased investment in the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Although continued full

On 21 December 2010, Congress approved House Resolution (H.R.) 3082, which extended fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) appropriations through 4 March 2011. This temporary spending bill, also referred to as a Continuing Resolution (CR), freezes discretionary appropriations for FY2011 at FY2010 spending levels. If Congress does not pass FY2011 regular appropriations acts before the 4 March expiration, they may extend FY2010 spending levels through another interim CR. The fiscal year runs from 1 October through 30 September.

ARCUS is pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan W. Pundsack as Program Manager, effective 1 January 2011. In this position he will assume responsibility for ARCUS projects and activities, primarily within the Arctic Science System Program (ARCSS), and for support for the Arctic Observing Network (AON) project within the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) program.

Immediately following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, scientific expertise was needed in the emergency response and impact assessment efforts. These efforts included the tracking of ship and personnel assets; tracking surface oil, tar balls, and an underwater oil plume in four dimensions; measuring rates of oxygen consumption by microbial decomposition of oil and methane; assessing the damage to coastlines, fish stocks, and fish larvae; and tracking the effects of the oil spill on seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals. The science community responded quickly

The Presidentially appointed Oil Spill Commission released "Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling" on 11 January 2011. The report, issued after six months of investigations and public hearings, addresses the causes and consequences of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and proposes reforms to reduce the risk of future large-scale spills.

The International Ice Chart Working Group (IICWG) held its 11th annual meeting 18-22 October 2010 in Washington, D.C. Established in 1999, IICWG promotes cooperation between the international ice services charged with monitoring sea ice and icebergs for maritime safety and brings together the operational ice services of Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, the United States, and the International Ice Patrol. Seventy-one representatives of ice service organizations from nine arctic nations attended the October meeting, which was hosted

The International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC) Science Steering Group has released the ISAC Science Plan. This plan was developed after broad community input and outlines an international research program on arctic environmental change.

Dr. Brendan P. Kelly was appointed to the new position of Deputy Director in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Arctic Sciences (ARC). Dr. Kelly came to NSF from NOAA's National Marine Mammal Laboratory where he led investigations regarding the impact of sea-ice loss on arctic seal populations. As Division Deputy Director, Dr. Kelly will represent the Director of NSF as Chair of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) and work closely with the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the White House (See Witness Fall 2010).