NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for writing this report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
This work was sponsored by a contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or any of its sub-agencies.
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POLAR RESEARCH BOARD
DAVID L. CLARK, (Chair),
University of Wisconsin, Madison
RICHARD B. ALLEY,
Pennsylvania State University, University Park
JOHN B. ANDERSON,
Rice University, Houston, Texas
DAVID R. BAINES,
St. Maries, Idaho
ERNEST S. BURCH, JR,
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
GORDON F.N. COX,
Amoco Eurasia Petroleum Company, Houston, Texas
ROBERT LEE DE ZAFRA,
State University of New York, Stony Brook
BERNARD HALLET,
University of Washington, Seattle
DIANE M. McKNIGHT,
University of Colorado, Boulder
DONAL T. MANAHAN,
University of Southern California, Los Angeles
JAMES H. MORISON,
University of Washington, Seattle
WALTER C. OECHEL,
San Diego State University, California
IRENE C. PEDEN,
Seattle, Washington
GLENN E. SHAW,
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
THOMAS N. TAYLOR,
University of Kansas, Lawrence
ROBERT M. WALKER,
Washington, University, St. Louis
WORKSHOP STEERING COMMITTEE
WALTER C. OECHEL, (Steering Committee Chair),
San Diego State University, California
ERNEST S. BURCH, JR., Consultant,
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
DAVID L. CLARK,
University of Wisconsin, Madison
GORDON F.N. COX,
Amoco Production Company, Houston, Texas
BERNARD HALLET,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Staff
CHRIS ELFRING, Director
TONI GREENLEAF, Senior Project Assistant/Financial Assistant (until 9/15/97)
JUDY ESTEP, Administrative Assistant (after 9/15/97)
KARY THOMPSON, Student Intern
COMMISSION ON GEOSCIENCES, ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, (Chair),
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
PATRICK R. ATKINS,
Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
JAMES P. BRUCE,
Canadian Climate Program Board, Ottawa, Ontario
WILLIAM L. FISHER,
University of Texas, Austin
JERRY F. FRANKLIN,
University of Washington, Seattle
THOMAS E. GRAEDEL,
Yale University, New Have, Connecticut
DEBRA KNOPMAN,
Progressive Foundation, Washington, D.C.
KAI N. LEE,
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
PERRY L. McCARTY,
Stanford University, California
JUDITH E. McDOWELL,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
RICHARD A. MESERVE,
Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C.
S. GEORGE PHILANDER,
Princeton University, New Jersey
RAYMOND A PRICE,
Queen's University of Kingston, Ontario
THOMAS C. SCHELLING,
University of Maryland, College Park
ELLEN SILBERGELD,
University of Maryland Medical School, Baltimore
VICTORIA J. TSCHINKEL,
Landers and Parsons, Tallahassee, Florida
E-AN ZEN,
University of Maryland, College Park
Staff
MYRON UMAN, Acting Executive Director
GREGORY SYMMES, Assistant Executive Director
JEANETTE SPOON, Administrative Officer
SANDI FITZPATRICK, Administrative Associate
MARQUITA SMITH, Administrative Assistant/Technology Analyst
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology an d to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
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The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in the accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
Preface
The Polar Research Board (PRB) was established in 1958 to promote excellence in polar science and to provide assistance as needed to federal agencies. The PRB strives to enhance understanding of both the Arctic and Antarctic and ensure that U.S. research efforts are responsive to the needs of the nation. All PRB activities are conducted by volunteer experts, supported by a small staff. The nature of PRB activities varies. Often, committees are appointed to conduct focused studies that result in detailed reports such as The Bering Sea Ecosystem (1996) or Science and Stewardship in the Antarctic (1993). As an ongoing activity, the PRB serves as the U.S. national committee to two international bodies devoted to planning polar research, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), making sure that U.S. interests are represented. We design our activities to meet the needs of our community.
This Proceedings describes a workshop conducted on July 11, 1997, at the request of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA is responsible for a research program called the Arctic Research Initiative (ARI), which is dedicated to understanding issues related to the health of the Western Arctic and the Bering Sea ecosystem, focusing on both natural variability in and anthropogenic influences on the region. Although the program is small at only $1 million in 1997 and perhaps up to $2 million in 1998, or perhaps because it is, NOAA wished to give special attention to planning a strategy for selecting the types of research that should be supported. Thus it asked the PRB to organize and host a workshop to help NOAA orient the ARI so it meets important research needs, better supports the NOAA mission, and at the same time contributes effectively to meeting national and international needs for addressing the health of the Arctic environment. This Proceedings contains an overview of the
workshop, transcripts of the presentations and discussions that occurred, and a variety of background materials useful in understanding the Arctic Research Initiative.
We are fully aware that a one-day event cannot provide detailed guidance on research priorities, and in fact National Research Council policy precludes us from generating recommendations without a careful deliberative process. We hope NOAA will accept this volume in the spirit intended—as a record of a thought-provoking day of informal discussions. The workshop was designed to briefly review NOAA's involvement in research on Arctic contamination and then give a wide range of participants an opportunity to comment on the Arctic Research Initiative. Some 50 people from NOAA, other federal agencies, universities, and elsewhere participated. The PRB thanks these people for giving their time and sharing their ideas. I thank the PRB members who guided the workshop discussions, student intern Kary Thompson for logistical support, and the staff at NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), especially Renee Tatusko, for their assistance and interest.
Chris Elfring, Director
Polar Research Board