Date

18 October 2013

Dear Polar Community,

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is proceeding through the
painstaking process of restarting systems and developing policies for
reversing the consequences of the shutdown, such as missed proposal
submission deadlines and review panels. Our efforts are focused on
ensuring that our decisions to sequence the restart of operations
reflect careful consideration of many issues, and that we do not proceed
with haste that might lead to unintended consequences. Hence our ability
to communicate with individual investigators is currently limited. In
the meantime, below is a synopsis of the current state of Polar Programs.

It was necessary to suspend certain science and operations activities in
Antarctica just as we had begun our active austral summer season.
Although the Continuing Resolution expires in mid-January, we are
working towards a plan to fund Antarctic operations through September
30. Unfortunately, some projects, due to their time-sensitive nature,
will need to be deferred. Discussions are underway regarding how to
restore remaining activities. You can expect to hear more about that
from your Program Director in the coming days and weeks.

In the Arctic, we were fortunate that the funding impasse ended before
any ongoing field science projects had to be cancelled. The shutdown
did, however, seriously curtail planning for the 2014 field season. We
will be working with you and the support organizations to catch up over
the next few months so that we can minimize any impacts on our upcoming
season.

Despite the delay, Polar Programs staff is working diligently with our
research community, our interagency and international partners, and with
our supporting organizations to continue Arctic and Antarctic research
programs to the fullest possible extent.

Please watch http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=PLR for additional
updates.

Dr. Kelly K. Falkner
Director
Division of Polar Programs

For specific information about the science field work in the U.S.
Antarctic Program and in the U.S. Arctic Research Program, please read
the following:

Antarctic - Letter to U.S. Antarctic science community from Dr. Scott
Borg, Head, Antarctic Sciences Section
https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/ant/borg_pi_ltr10182013.pdf

Arctic - Letter to the U.S. Arctic science community from Mr. Simon
Stephenson, Head, Arctic Sciences Section
https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/arc/arc_restart.jsp


ArcticInfo is administered by the Arctic Research Consortium of the
United States (ARCUS). Please visit us on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.arcus.org/

At any time you may:

Subscribe or unsubscribe by using the web form located at:
http://www.arcus.org/arcticinfo/subscription.html

To be removed from the list at any time send an email to:
arcticinfo-unsub [at] arcus.org

To resubscribe send an email to:
arcticinfo-sub [at] arcus.org

Subscribers to ArcticInfo will automatically receive the newsletter,
Witness the Arctic.If you would prefer not to receive Witness the Arctic,
specify on the web form.

Subscribe and unsubscribe actions are automatic. Barring mail system
failure you should receive responses from our system as confirmation to
your requests.

If you have information you would like to post to the mailing list send
the message to: list [at] arcus.org

You can search back issues of ArcticInfo by content or date at:
http://www.arcus.org/arcticinfo/arcticinfo_search.html

If you have any questions please contact the list administrator at:

list [at] arcus.org

ARCUS
3535 College Road, Suite 101
Fairbanks, AK 99709-3710
907-474-1600
907-474-1604 (fax)

ArcticInfo is funded by the National Science Foundation as a service to
the research community through Cooperative Agreement ARC-0618885 with
ARCUS. Any information, opinions, findings, and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this material are those of the information
sources and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science
Foundation or ARCUS.