ARCUS | Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC)
The U.S. Coast Guard, NSF and UNOLS established a UNOLS Committee - the Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC) -in September 1996 to address research support for U.S. academic science investigators carrying out Arctic polar science research aboard US Coast Guard icebreakers. The committee also provides oversight and advice to the Coast Guard, NSF and UNOLS for the purpose of enhancing and facilitating science aboard U.S. vessels (including but not restricted to icebreakers) carrying out Arctic high latitude research. The immediate concerns of this committee are the USCG icebreakers POLAR SEA, POLAR STAR and HEALY. For further information, please go to: http://www.unols.org/committees/aicc/.
The purpose of the Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee is to provide Arctic polar science projects with planning and scheduling assistance, facilitate communications between scientists, science funders and facility providers. It also provides oversight and advice to the Coast Guard for the purpose of enhancing facilities and science aboard their icebreaker fleet. Incumbent in this is fulfilling an ombudsman role for the high latitude science community, insuring efficient and effective utilization of U.S. ice breakers and championing the utilization of high latitude assets. It is also the responsibility of the AICC to promote new technology for high latitude assets and to maintain cutting edge capability for these facilities.
It is the aim of the Coast Guard, NSF, UNOLS, and the
AICC to promote the best utilization of high latitude
facilities on a global scale. Past methods of
planning had the effect of discouraging expeditions
to remote geographic areas because they did not
provide sufficient lead time for planning purposes,
nor did they provide incentives for the scientific
community to organize the needed critical mass of
research projects. The AICC works with the user
community, Federal sponsors and the operators of high
latitude facilities to encourage expeditions using
U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers to remote geographic
regions in a phased manner that meets the needs of a
wide spectrum of polar scientists. Additionally, the
AICC encourages the advancement of cooperative
international programs for the enhancement of
multidisciplinary polar science throughout the
academic community.
The committee is tasked to provide the following:
- Construction oversight for HEALY's scientific spaces and outfitting.
- Coordination for icebreaker scientific program scheduling.
- Participation in initiating and planning arctic science projects. Facilitating liaison between scientists and science funding agencies to support icebreaker utilization.
- Act in an ombudsman role for the arctic science community.
- Respond to requirements relating to the scientific mission for HEALY.
- Critique science operations for all USCG icebreakers.
- Provide advice on science equipment needs.
- Provide advice on technical support.
- Provide advice concerning international cooperation of scientific programs and facilities in the Arctic.
- Margo Edwards, U Hawaii (margo@soest.hawaii.edu ) Chair
- Dan Schwartz, U Washington (RVOC) (schwartz@ocean.washington.edu)
- Dale Chayes, LDEO (RTVEC) (dale@ldeo.columbia.edu)
- Peter Minnett, RSMAS (pminnett@rsmas.miami.edu)
- Robert Bourke, NPS (bourke@oc.nps.navy.mil)
- Henrietta Edmonds, UT Austin(Co-Chair) (edmonds@utmsi.utexas.edu)
- Carin Ashjian, WHOI (Co-chair) (cashjian@whoi.edu)
- Bernard Coakley, UAF (Bernard.Coakley@gi.alaska.edu)
- Rebecca Woodgate, UW (woodgate@apl.washington.edu)
- Rolf Gradinger, UAF (rgradinger@ims.uaf.edu)
The UNOLS/AICC chair, Margo Edwards, and the UNOLS Office provide support.
The constituency of the AICC is clearly the scientific community who uses and wishes to use U.S. icebreakers to support their Arctic research. The AICC intends to keep all parties with an interest in the AICC fully informed of our business.