Date

Dear Colleague,

The National Science Foundation, working through the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS), has asked the research community
for advice and guidance by preparing a strategic plan for arctic marine
sciences. A working group (see below) has been appointed to work with the
community on the development of this strategic plan.

We request and urge your participation in this process. Only then will the
plan provide a grass-roots vision of the next decade of research in the
marine Arctic. Please take a few moments to visit the Marine Science in the
Arctic web site at http://www.arcus.org/Marine_Science/. Review the
background information and Strategic Questions
http://www.arcus.org/Marine_Science/Questions.html and send us your
thoughts. Responses will be posted on the Web site to elicit further
discussion and recommendations.

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this planning process.

Knut Aagaard, University of Washington, Chair
Dennis Darby, Old Dominion University
Kelly Falkner, Oregon State University
Greg Flato, University of Victoria
Jackie Grebmeier, University of Tennessee
Chris Measures, University of Hawaii
John Walsh, University of Illinois