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The 17th biennial Ocean Sciences Meeting, co-sponsored by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), The Oceanography Society (TOS), and the American Geophysical Union (AGU), will be held at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu from 23-28 February 2014. The Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) is an important venue for scientific exchange across broad marine science disciplines. Sessions will include all aspects of oceanography, especially multidisciplinary topics, as well as presentations that reflect new and emerging research on the global ocean and society, including science education, outreach and public policy. The OSM originated in 1982 as a joint effort between AGU and ASLO, TOS joined as a regular co-sponsor in 2004.

Increasing evidence of multiple human impacts on the oceans makes this is a critical time for the largest international assembly of ocean scientists, engineers, students, educators, policy makers, and other stake holders to gather and share their results on research, application of research, and education. What better place to hold the meeting than an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where there is emphasis on mauka to makai (ridge to reef) connection, the ultimate in ecosystem-based management; where there is interest in combining traditional knowledge with science-based understanding; where islands are in threat of disappearing from sea level rise; and where East and West can easily meet? Throughout their history, Hawaiians have demonstrated a thorough understanding of sustainability with an approach to land and water use that allowed them to self-sustain nearly one million islanders. Today they build on that heritage with innovations in science and clean energy. Hawaii is a place where interdependence and sustainability are both historic and necessary.

Abstract submissions are now being accepted through 4 October 2013.
An updated meeting schedule has been posted at: http://www.sgmeet.com/osm2014/ataglance.asp

The Bering Sea Project Science Advisory Board is making a call for expression of interest in an Open Science Meeting (OSM) provisionally planned to convene in 22-23 February 2014 in association with the 2014 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The OSM aims to communicate research results of the 2007-2013 Bering Sea Project -- also known as the Bering Sea Ecosystem Study (BEST) and the Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (BSIERP) -- and to engage the community working in related disciplines and regions. It is conceived as a one-day meeting featuring a series of integrated talks, including a poster session and oral presentations, preceding the opening of the Ocean Sciences conference.

The OSM will welcome topics within the broad scope of the Bering Sea Project, "to understand the impacts of climate change and dynamic sea ice cover on the eastern Bearing Sea ecosystem" and related work from disciplines not included in the program, other related research programs, and other subarctic regions.

The intent of the survey is to gauge community interest and availability to inform OSM planning.

To participate in the survey, please go to:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BSP_OSM_call_for_interest.

For questions about the survey, please contact:
Tom Van Pelt
Email: tvanpelt [at] nprb.org

Presenter: Dr. Timothy E. Link - University of Idaho, Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences

Abstract:
In mountainous, forested environments, vegetation exerts a strong control on snowcover dynamics that in turn affect ecohydrological processes, streamflow regimes, and riparian health. Snowcover deposition and ablation patterns in forests are controlled by a complex combination of canopy interception processes coupled with radiative and turbulent heat flux dynamics related to topographic and canopy cover variations. Recent research has elucidated variations that can result in snowcover dynamics that run counter to conventional wisdom, but which are important for advancing the understanding of hydrological processes in complex terrain. In most seasonal snow environments, snowcover ablation dynamics in forests are dominated by net radiation. In discontinuous forests however, net radiation in forested areas may exceed radiation in open sites, whereas in other cases, net radiation may be less than in closed canopy forests. The low-radiation paradox most pronounced early in the winter, at high latitudes and on north-facing slopes due to low solar elevation angles relative to the ground. Physically-based simulations of snowpack dynamics indicate that desynchronization of snowmelt by approximately 3 weeks can occur between north and south facing discontinuous forests relative to continuous canopies, whereas timing differences are minimal between east and west facing slopes. These results indicate that forest thinning may be used to reduce snowmelt rates and/or alter melt synchronicity, but that the exact configuration will be highly spatially variable. This evolving line of research holds important implications for a wide range of disciplines including water resources management, fire hazard risk reduction, vegetation regeneration, forest entomology, soil processes and winter recreation.

The webinar is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. AKST (12:00-1:00 p.m. PST, 1:00-2:00 p.m. MST, 2:00-3:00 p.m. CST, and 3:00-4:00 p.m. EST) on Thursday, 20 February 2014. The webinar will provide a brief summary of SIPN project goals and will begin discussions on how to improve sea ice predictions, specifically for the 2014 Sea Ice Outlook. This webinar will be a prelude to the April workshop to be held at National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) on 1-2 April 2014 in Boulder, Colorado. The webinar is open to all interested participants, including sea ice researchers, students, decision-makers, and others. Please visit the website for further information.

Coastal communities, marine navigation, industry (fishing, tourism, offshore resource extraction), the military, and Earth/Arctic system science research have all expressed a clear need for an Alaska sea ice atlas. Indeed, many requests for historical and climatological sea ice information for Alaska coastal waters presently go unanswered because such an atlas does not exist. The availability of GIS software, in-house expertise and historical databases extending back to the 1850s makes the construction of an Alaska sea ice atlas timely and feasible. The atlas consists of digitally-stored sea ice concentration data on a grid covering all Alaska coastal waters to a distance of ~500 km (300 mi) from shore, with a spatial resolution of 25 km. The time resolution is monthly for the period 1850s-1950s, and weekly for the period from the early 1950s to 2010 with the allowance of subsequent updates.

Pre-registration for webinars is strongly encouraged. The audio portion of the call is through a toll-free phone line and the slide presentation is streamed via computer. For instructions on participating through your home office or at a satellite viewing location with others in your community, please see our webinar information page.

The sixth installment in this webinar series focuses on the management of long-term observing awards. Questions discussed target the management structure of the awardee teams and the methods that they use to implement their observing strategy. Included in these concepts are risk management, interdependent infrastructure, critical path planning, and cost benefits of non-traditional observing methods and interdisciplinary or interagency collaboration. The webinar will be available through Webex (details available at www.arctichub.net).

Background: On October 31, 2013, a kick-off webinar was held by the National Science Foundation to introduce 35 questions grouped in 8 thematic areas which address best practices for long-term observing management and governance. Over the next 20 weeks, 9 webinars will be held to further delve into each of the 8 themes: (1) Definition, (2) Life cycle and horizons, (3) Review: frequency, criteria, and process, (4) Network relevance, (5) Funding models, (6) Award structure and management, (7) Information sharing and communication, and (8) National and global connectivity. The ninth webinar will be a wrap-up discussion and assessment of current exchanges on these 8 themes. For a list of the 35 questions within these 8 thematic areas, please visit www.arctichub.net and click on the "Long Term Observing Management Discussion Group" link on the home page and then click Discussion on the left-hand side of the group page.

The webinars will introduce the themes and questions in detail, but the discussion continues beyond the webinar timeframe. Interested persons who would like to lead discussions on one or more of the 35 questions are encouraged to apply for discussion funding support through an online application at: http://www.arcus.org/search/aon/discussion-funding-form. Funding details and eligibility are on the form webpage. The discussion content provided through this activity will inform best practices and lessons learned in long-term observing from the viewpoint of the wide range of actors involved in natural and social observing, its management, support, and development.

The presenters will be Dr. Jeff Dozier from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management in conjunction with Dr. Anne Nolin - Oregon State University, Department of Geosciences.

Abstract:
Our objective is to estimate seasonal snow volumes, relative to historical trends and extremes, in snow-dominated mountains that have austere infrastructure, sparse gauging, challenges of accessibility, and emerging or enduring insecurity related to water resources. The world's mountains accumulate substantial snow and, in some areas, produce the bulk of the runoff. In ranges like Afghanistan's Hindu Kush, availability of water resources affects US policy, military and humanitarian operations, and national security. The rugged terrain makes surface measurements difficult and also affects the analysis of remotely sensed data. To judge feasibility, we consider two regions, a validation case and a case representing inaccessible mountains. For the validation case, we use the Sierra Nevada of California, a mountain range of extensive historical study, emerging scientific innovation, and conflicting priorities in managing water for agriculture, urban areas, hydropower, recreation, habitat, and flood control. For the austere regional focus, we use the Hindu Kush, where some of the most persistent drought in the world causes food insecurity and combines with political instability, and occasional flooding. Our approach uses a mix of satellite data and spare modeling to present information essential for planning and decision making, ranging from optimization of proposed infrastructure projects to assessment of water resources stored as snow for seasonal forecasts. We combine optical imagery (MODIS on Terra/Aqua), passive microwave data (SSM/I and AMSR-E), retrospective reconstruction with energy balance calculations, and a snowmelt model to establish the retrospective context. With the passive microwave data we bracket the historical range in snow cover volume.

Dr. David Sutherland from the University of Oregon will provide an overview of ice-ocean interactions in glacial fjords. A general introduction of glacial fjords will be presented, followed by more detailed information on fjord circulation and how changes in fjord circulation can impact marine-terminating glaciers.

You can register for the webinar at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/389431569.

The new Ice-Ocean Interactions webpage (http://apecs.is/research-sp-359857820/areas-of-research/geosciences/ice…) contains basic background information on glacier ice- and sea ice-ocean interactions, abstracts and citation information for relevant journal articles, and hyperlinks to journals that frequently publish ice-ocean interaction articles. Video recordings of the three webinars described below will be added to the research feature content by the end of February and relevant posters will be added over time.

If you would like to feature one of your posters on ice-ocean interactions on the new webpage, please submit a virtual copy of your poster by following the instructions found at http://apecs.is/research/virtual-poster-session/submit-your-poster. After submitting your poster, please send an email with the subject ‘submission of APECS ice-ocean poster’ to Ellyn Enderlin (ellyn.enderlin [at] gmail.com) so that a direct link to your poster can be included on the Ice-Ocean Interactions webpage.

John Walsh, Chief Scientist, International Arctic Research Center (IARC), University of Alaska Fairbanks & Lena Krutikov, Climate Science Analyst, Scenarios Network for Alaska & Arctic Planning (SNAP) will be the guest speakers for this ACCAP sponsored webinar.

Coastal communities, marine navigation, industry (fishing, tourism, offshore resource extraction), the military, and Earth/Arctic system science research have all expressed a clear need for an Alaska sea ice atlas. Indeed, many requests for historical and climatological sea ice information for Alaska coastal waters presently go unanswered because such an atlas does not exist.

The availability of GIS software, in-house expertise and historical databases extending back to the 1850s makes the construction of an Alaska sea ice atlas timely and feasible. The atlas consists of digitally-stored sea ice concentration data on a grid covering all Alaska coastal waters to a distance of ~500 km (300 mi) from shore, with a spatial resolution of 25 km. The time resolution is monthly for the period 1850s-1950s, and weekly for the period from the early 1950s to 2010 with the allowance of subsequent updates.

The Historical Sea Ice Atlas is a joint project by International Arctic Research Center’s research units, ACCAP and SNAP, funded by the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS).

Remote Sensing provides detailed spatio-temporal representation of geo- and biophysical parameters. Interdisciplinary platforms are needed to get an understanding of the discipline-specific terminology, data types, usage of data, accuracy of remote sensing products and their added value for permafrost monitoring and modelling.

ESA DUE Permafrost (2009 to 2012) has established a permafrost-related monitoring system based on a first set of circumpolar and regional products: Land Surface Temperature (LST), Surface Soil Moisture (SSM), ground frozen/ non frozen state, terrain parameters, Land Cover, and surface waters. The user community comprises institutions, organizations and scientists from a wide range of subjects and interests. The user requirements had been taken into consideration for the definition of the service cases and the observation strategy. The remote sensing products are disseminated through the web portal of the TU Vienna (ipf.tuwien.ac.at/permafrost/) and through the PANGAEA publication database (pangaea.de), which provides the DOI reference for the DUE Permafrost remote sensing products.

The following questions need to be further discussed:

• How valid are the operational remote sensing products for permafrost landscapes?
• What methods are available for upscaling from ground data?
• Can Remote Sensing become operational for permafrost monitoring?
• Can satellite-observable parameters provide the evaluation, constraining and forcing for models?

Further goals of the permafrost workshop:

• Will bring together a multidisciplinary community working on permafrost-related remote sensing, field monitoring and permafrost-related modelling and climate modeling.
• Will collect and discuss the up-to-date User requirements related to monitoring and modelling.
• Will contribute to the update of the IGOS Cryosphere Theme Report (2007) for permafrost.
• Will feed into current efforts of GTN-P to build a permafrost observing component into the Sustaining Arctic Observing Network (SAON).