The Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) Initiative seeks to further climate understanding through integrative, cross-boundary studies of the Arctic. It formed in response to the last International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP), which stressed the need for synthesis activities in Arctic change science. The first ART workshop, to be held in Fairbanks at the International Arctic Research Center from November 7-9 2009, will focus on linkages within the marine system, including contributions from coastal zones, shelf seas, straits, and the deep ocean. Emphasis will be placed on not only geographical feedbacks, between the margins, shelves, and deep ocean, but also on physical, biogeochemical, and cryospheric interchanges. A range of time scales will also be explored, from paleoclimate to the rapid change currently being observed in the Arctic.
The culmination of this workshop will be a science and implementation plan, addressing key questions in sea ice variability, land-ocean transport, and ecosystem responses. Leadership of and participation in the workshop includes several international early career scientists, who have drafted a white paper on the ART-related science to support systematic treatment of Arctic climate change. Representatives from northern stakeholder communities will also be included in the workshop to help draft an implementation plan, which will address the effects of near-term and projected climate change on the marine ecosystem.
