Date

Multiple ASSW Session Announcements and Calls for Abstracts
ASSW 2015 / ISAR 4 / ICARP III
27-30 April 2015
Toyama, Japan

The 2015 Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW), including the Third
International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP III) and the
Fourth International Symposium on the Arctic Research (ISAR-4), will be
held 23-30 April 2015. Conveners of the following sessions invite
abstract submission from the Arctic community.

Abstract submission deadline for all sessions: Monday, 10 November

For further information, please go to:
http://www.assw2015.org/

  1. Current and Future Observing Strategies for Understanding the
    Evolving Arctic Climate and Ecological System

  2. Changing Permafrost and its Impact on the Physical, Ecological,
    Economic and Cultural Earth System

  3. Arctic Freshwater System, Changes and Effects with Emphasis on
    Arctic Freshwater Ecosystems

  4. Circumpolar Arctic Coastal Communities Observatory Network:
    Knowledge Hubs for Northern Coastal Sustainability


  1. Current and Future Observing Strategies for Understanding the
    Evolving Arctic Climate and Ecological System

This session will facilitate discussion on Arctic observing strategies
and technologies, and how these may be best used to advance our
understanding of the evolving Arctic climate and ecological systems.
Abstracts providing updates on large, current (e.g., International
Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic
[INTERACT], Distributed Biological Observatory [DBO], International
Arctic Buoy Programme [IABP], International Arctic Systems for Observing
the Atmosphere [IASOA]) and future (e.g., Multidisciplinary drifting
Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate [MOSAiC], Synoptic Arctic
Survey [SAS], developing Pacific region climate line) collaborative
observing activities are sought in addition to abstracts detailing
smaller upcoming observational campaigns, technological developments in
instrumentation and platforms, and obstacles to comprehensive observing.

Abstract submission deadline: Monday, 10 November 2014.

For further information on this session and others, as well as abstract
submission instructions and registration, please go to:
http://www.assw2015.org/.


  1. Changing Permafrost and its Impact on the Physical, Ecological,
    Economic and Cultural Earth System

Permafrost is a widespread feature of polar regions that underlies
virtually all of the non-glaciated terrestrial Arctic and Antarctic.
Permafrost has become one of the focal points of modern environmental
polar science because of the impacts associated with the widespread
thawing currently occurring and its potential impact on the Earth
system. Further, permafrost landscapes play a vital role in both
historical and contemporary subsistence practices, yet there are today
few studies of human interaction (i.e. land use) with permafrost
dynamics and a clear need for integration of physical and social
sciences in permafrost research. The session will identify future
directions for permafrost research in the ICARPIII process. In
particular, this session will investigate the implications of degrading
permafrost for northern communities, industry, wildlife, as well as the
storage, decomposition and release of carbon (as carbon dioxide or
methane) and nitrogen in and from frozen ground. It will feature results
from interview and participant observations, field process studies,
monitoring programs, remote sensing, modelling, and interdisciplinary
efforts to include local processes in global climate models and
vice-versa. Introduction of international collaboration among diverse
scientific and social communities, outreaches and social involvements to
scientific activities are also welcomed. Since this session offers
various discussions of changing permafrost, the regional coverage is not
only Arctic in the narrow sense but also mid-latitude and high
mountainous regions with potential permafrost. By encompassing all
aspects of cold land processes, including those related to geology,
geomorphology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, microbiology, engineering,
anthropology, policy studies and social science, and their interactions,
this session will highlight the role of permafrost in the Earth System
and the impact of its changes on the environment and society.

Abstract submission deadline: Monday, 10 November 2014.

For further information on this session and others, as well as abstract
submission instructions and registration, please go to:
http://www.assw2015.org/.


  1. Arctic Freshwater System, Changes and Effects with Emphasis on
    Arctic Freshwater Ecosystems

Climate change and variability are affecting freshwater systems within
the Arctic and subarctic. As water integrates and propagates effects
across the Arctic, these transformations will have a profound effect on
both society and environment, also beyond the Arctic. This session
focuses on how major Arctic freshwater sources, fluxes and storage
components are being modified, including: atmospheric and river
transport, precipitation-evaporation-permafrost/soil moisture regimes,
glacier and ice cap mass balances, sea-ice formation and dynamics, and
marine exchanges including oceanic storage and release of low-salinity
water. Also of interest are ecological and socio-economic effects that
cascade from changes in these freshwater components and related
processes. Freshwater ecosystems that are rapidly changing due to
warming will be of specific focus, including effects on their
biodiversity, food webs, and ecosystem function as well as ecosystem
services. This session will be presenting key results concerning the
Arctic freshwater system, and aims to collate information on current
studies on the biodiversity and ecosystem function of Arctic and
sub-arctic freshwater ecosystems. For these reasons, the format of the
session will be of both presentation and workshop/brainstorming type.
Presentations of key results synthesized from studies related to the
Arctic freshwater system is followed by brief presentations on current
research activities concerning Arctic freshwater ecosystems. The session
will end with a discussion forum to synthesize some of the main topics
of the session and draft a plan for possible dissemination i.e. roadmap
for future research activities. The outcome of the proposed session will
enable us to understand the cumulative effect of current changes in the
Arctic, which will be applicable for enhanced management of freshwater
resources in the Arctic.

Abstract submission deadline: Monday, 10 November 2014.

For further information on this session and others, as well as abstract
submission instructions and registration, please go to:
http://www.assw2015.org/.


  1. Circumpolar Arctic Coastal Communities Observatory Network:
    Knowledge Hubs for Northern Coastal Sustainability

The coastal zone is the interface through which land-ocean exchanges in
the Arctic are mediated and where decisions involving combined social
and environmental issues affect the lives, health, and livelihoods of
many northern residents. The coastal margin is the locus of complex
interactions of marine, terrestrial and atmospheric processes that are
sensitive to projected climate change and anthropogenic stressors. A
better understanding of current and projected circumpolar coastal change
is urgently required, given that the region provides essential ecosystem
services, supports indigenous economies and lifestyles, hosts a wealth
of natural resources, and is a zone of expanding infrastructure
investment and growing security concerns. Remote and community-based
observations of social and environmental conditions and change can
provide baseline data, help to identify knowledge gaps, and contribute
to informing risk assessment, resource management, adaptation planning,
policy development and evidence-based decision-making. The Circumpolar
Arctic Coastal Communities Observatory Network (CACCON) is a
peer-to-peer network of knowledge centres involving co-design and
co-production of knowledge on issues pertinent to community resilience
in the face of rapid environmental and social change. Facilitated by a
coordination node and a community of practice involving northern
residents, decision-makers, and researchers across a spectrum of
disciplines, this initiative will support a web of knowledge exchange
between hubs (communities, regional or territorial governments,
institutions, or other entities) throughout the circumpolar Arctic. The
concept will be tested in core set of hubs to which additional nodes can
be added as the network "catches on." This session welcomes
contributions on the current status and present or anticipated trends in
natural and social conditions affecting human settlements,
infrastructure, and valued cultural or natural resources along the
circumpolar Arctic coast. The session will include CACCON-affiliated and
other presentations reporting on multi- and transdisciplinary approaches
to supporting effective adaptation and sustainable development in the
Arctic coastal zone.

Abstract submission deadline: Monday, 10 November 2014.

For further information on this session and others, as well as abstract
submission instructions and registration, please go to:
http://www.assw2015.org/.


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