The International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC) project office, located in Stockholm, Sweden, is dedicated to the coordination of international efforts complementary to the themes of the US SEARCH program. It offers a venue for continuing and emerging national science efforts to exchange ideas and visions for an Arctic Observing System, integrated pan-Arctic modeling, and climate change mitigation strategies. It also includes amongst its broad scientific goals free and open sharing of datasets and translation of natural scientific results into a social context through outreach to Arctic communities and networks of social scientists. It has produced an internationally-reviewed science plan outlining ISAC objectives and is now moving into an implementation phase based on that plan.
In the next three years, ISAC will expands its role in the Arctic, developing memoranda of understanding with Asian Arctic countries while strengthening collaborative agreements amongst American, Canadian, and European partners. ISAC will host several workshops dedicated to observing, modeling, and responding to Arctic change, including the assimilation and distribution of socio-economic datasets. The ISAC executive director will have a visible presence at several international conferences, where Arctic indigenous communities and early career researchers will be engaged, as well as participate in meetings of other high-level international Arctic groups, such as the Arctic Ocean Science Board and International Arctic Science Committee. Relevant news and activities related to these efforts will be disseminated on the ISAC project office website through a newsletter to the broader Arctic research community.
Intellectual Merit The overarching goal of the implementation of the International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC) Science Program is to identify, implement, and regularly evaluate the science needed to improve understanding of how the Arctic works as an integrated system, and to use this understanding to improve the conditions and quality of life for Arctic Peoples, and those living elsewhere who are negatively impacted by environmental change in the Arctic. The objectives of the project are to facilitate the implementation of science as described in the ISAC Science Plan, to facilitate the exchange of scientific observations, to function as an outlet for scientific information, and to provide new opportunities for collaboration and cooperation in Arctic research. During the funding period, the ISAC Program Office established and executed the first two Biennial Arctic Observing Summits, bringing together scientists and other stakeholders, including northern indigenous peoples, to discuss and prioritize observational needs to address issues stemming from a changing arctic. The program office also facilitated the implementation of a series of activities designed to stimulate new research to enable effective societal response to a changing arctic. Results from these activities were broadly disseminated to the research community, to decision makers and through diverse educational outlets. Broader Impacts The development of human resources during the project included engagement of young scholars in all ISAC activities, and particularly focused on entraining the next generation of scientists in the development of arctic science planning and implementation in the context of interdisciplinary problem solving, and diverse stakeholder participation. Through the implementation of the Arctic Observing Summits, the project now provides a regular international forum for discussion leading to the development of new observation technologies, improved data management and data sharing, and a mechanism for prioritizing observational need and identification of emerging issues in Arctic research. Through the implementation of responding to change activities the project has brought new awareness to the needs for information of non-scientists and decision-makers and over the longer-term will provide a venue for improved communication of information to those communities.
