This cooperative agreement award to the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, initially will consist of three major tasks: (1) second-year funding for peer-reviewed Arctic research projects that were initiated in FY 1999 with funding from NSF, jointly with NOAA; (2) management and coordination of an international three-year project on Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA); and (3) administrative support for the International Arctic Research Center (IARC). The three activities are closely related in that the research projects are expected to address important gaps in our understanding of global change and as such may provide results for inclusion in the assessment. In addition, many of the Principal Investigators of these projects are likely to be chosen by the ACIA steering group as lead authors and expert participants for assessment activities. The award would also provide operating funds for IARC. Additional tasks may be added in future years in response to proposals.
