This proposal seeks support for the OAII Science Steering Committee, chaired by Don Perovich, and the OAII Science Management Office, directed by Lou Codispotti for a two-year period from December 2002 through December 2004. This proposed program shares the goals of the ARCSS program: to understand the myriad processes of the Arctic system and advance the scientific basis for predicting environmental change. The program will be working towards these goals by facilitating interdisciplinary research on Arctic System Science. Specific objectives include: 1) Fostering interdisciplinary work on the Arctic system. 2) Disseminating information on ARCSS-OAII to both the scientific community and the general public. 3) Enhancing communication between OAII projects and other ARCSS components. 4) Providing scientific guidance and encouragement to existing and developing initiatives and 5) Facilitating the evolution from the current structure of ARCSS to a more interdisciplinary future structure.
