Several SEARCH activities have been underway since the last SEARCH update:
Final Arctic Observing Position Paper
This SEARCH position paper, released in its final form in April, focused on issues related to the design and implementation of an integrated Arctic Observing Network. The drafting of the paper was led by Craig Lee, chair of the SEARCH Observing Change Panel (OCP), with input from the OCP, SEARCH SSC, and via a call for input from the broader community. The paper represents a synthesis of discussions within SEARCH over the last year and builds on past SEARCH-AON community events and workshops. Key issues addressed in the paper include governance, network integration, and sustained funding. The final paper and a matrix showing responses to comments from the open input period are available here.
Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting 2015
The Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting will be held 17-19 November 2015 in Seattle, Washington. The goals of the Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting are to:
- Present and discuss scientific findings and advances resulting from Arctic observing projects funded by U.S. agencies and organizations;
- Review operational and technological achievements of observing programs funded through local, state, and federal agencies and private and non-profit organizations;
- Explore how well new scientific achievements meet science and mission objectives; and
- Further define and strengthen collaborations.
Core funding for the meeting has been awarded by NSF's Arctic Observing Network program. Co-sponsorship opportunities are available for support of web-streaming, meeting product development, a poster session, student/early career travel support, and other targeted activities.
More information on the meeting and registration will be posted as it becomes available here.
Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook
The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) season started in April and is now concluding. SIWO is a resource for Alaska Native subsistence hunters, coastal communities, and others interested in sea ice and walrus. The SIWO provides weekly reports from April through June with information on sea ice conditions relevant to walrus in the Northern Bering Sea and southern Chukchi Sea regions of Alaska. Last week's report was the last full report of the season, as there is very little sea ice left in the regions of interest. The SIWO project is a collaboration including weather and ice forecasters, climate scientists and sea-ice researchers at NOAA; the National Weather Service; the University of Alaska Fairbanks; ARCUS; Alaska Native sea ice experts; and the Eskimo Walrus Commission. More information and the weekly reports can be found here.
New SEARCH Governance Structure
SEARCH has made continued progress on key governance and structure issues. An announcement of personnel for new SEARCH positions, including a SEARCH Executive Director and rotations in the Science Steering Committee (SSC), are expected this summer, along with a new Terms of Reference and an annual plan.
Sea Ice Prediction Network
The Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN) Leadership Team organized several activities this spring, including initiating the 2015 Sea Ice Outlook Initial Condition Experiment and convening the associated 2015 Sea Ice Modeling Action Team, the first two in a series of SIPN webinars aimed to provide the sea ice research community with useful and timely information on topics like the characteristics and processes critical for the radiation budget and observations of Arctic snow and sea ice thickness from satellite and airborne surveys. At the start of the 2015 Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) season, SIPN solicited a new call for Informal Contributions for sharing information on sea ice parameters other than extent and/or for other time periods than what is included in the regular monthly reports. The regular June call for Sea Ice Outlook Contributions was solicited in early June with contributions due on 12 June. The June SIO report will be released on Monday, 22 June.