Symposium Announcement:
Polynya Symposium: From Sentinels to Circum-Arctic Expanses
Monday, 18 April 2005
Kunming, China
For more information refer to:
http://www.aosb.org/Polynya_Symposium_Announcement.doc
The symposium takes place during Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW)
For further information about this program refer to:
http://www.chinare.gov.cn and click on ENGLISH.
The International Arctic Polynya Program (IAPP) of the Arctic Ocean
Sciences Board (AOSB) had as its original mission 15 years ago to study
intensively, at interdisciplinary and international levels, three major
Arctic polynyas in order to significantly advance fundamental
understanding of these key Arctic Ocean features within the context of
climate change. This goal has been met through the international
programs known as NEW (a study of the Northeast Water off Greenland,
1991-1993), NOW (a study of the North Water in northern Baffin Bay,
1997-1999) and CASES (an ongoing study that includes the Cape Bathurst
Polynya on the Mackenzie Shelf, 2002-2005). Today, given marked
environmental changes in the Arctic, the IAPP Terms of Reference are
redefined as PACE: Polynyas in the Arctics Changing Environment. The new
mission is to build upon our baseline knowledge of specific polynyas and
coordinate the circum-Arctic study of multiple polynyas in parallel as
observatories of environmental change, recognizing that polynyas,
originally viewed as sentinels of change, will lose their spatial
identities as the central ice pack recedes and open-water expanses
become perennial features of the Arctic Ocean.
The goals of this AOSB-IAPP Symposium are:
-- To foster awareness of polynyas as model observatories for addressing
important Arctic issues that cross disciplines;
-- To highlight key physical, biological and biogeochemical aspects of
polynyas that are particularly resistant or sensitive to environmental
change;
-- To cross-compare polynyas and identify similar and diverging patterns
of change, focusing on the potential demise of polynyas as we know them;
-- To identify ongoing and future projects and means to study both
stable and expanding polynyas in parallel;
-- To serve as an international forum for exchange through an open panel
discussion.
The symposium is organized by the Science Coordinating Group of the
International Arctic Polynya Program (IAPP), hosted by the Chinese
Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) and Polar Research Institute
of China and is sponsored by the Arctic Ocean Science Board, US National
Science Foundation, NOAA Office of Arctic Research, ArcticNet of Canada,
National Institute for Polar Research in Japan, and IFM-GEOMAR of
Germany.
For more information go to:
http://www.aosb.org/Polynya_Symposium_Announcement.doc
The symposium takes place during Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW)
For further information about this program refer to:
http://www.chinare.gov.cn and click on ENGLISH.