The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) was formed in 1988 as a consortium of American academic institutions with arctic research interests for strengthening and advancing arctic science to meet national needs. The participants will develop a research action plan on arctic interactions as a component of the National Science Foundation's Arctic Systems Science initiative. A scientific consensus on priority items and how they should be implemented will be developed through various meetings and a major workshop. The effort will be organized around five broad topics: exchange of trace gases, arctic climate variability, hydrologic cycle changes, efforts of change on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and the synthesis and integration of arctic systems science. The results will be published.
