Minutes of the OAII Science Steering Committee Executive Session
7-10 May 1997; Virginia Beach, VA
OAII SSC EXECUTIVE SESSION AGENDA
Wednesday, 7 May
Saturday, 10 May
Status of OAII in ARCSS - M.
Ledbetter
- SSC active last year or two advising what needs to be done, i.e., supporting SHEBA and
nominating SHEBA Advisory Committee
- SHEBA - 2nd largest program supported in ARCSS, will get OAII much attention.
- U.S.C.G. Healy will be available to OAII research. Enormous asset.
- Not enough funds for icebreaker science every year, Tom working on this.
- Successful meeting in Winnipeg re: International program on SHEBA platform.
- Need to make clear that funding agencies listen to the opinion of SSC for prioritizing
large projects. What is the next important major project to fund?
- Need to emphasize human dimension, global change research fallen short because left out
human dimension. ARCSS can do this.
[Comments - L. Clark]
- SHEBA proposals reviewed; panel had problems. Had "all hands" meeting in D.C.
to clear up & integrate program. People should feel pretty good about how this was
resolved.
- Confirmation by Canada for icebreaker participation.
- Biggest thing to come out of SHEBA is opportunity for long-term studies of Arctic.
- Canada collaborating with NSF-funded PIs - an excellent opportunity.
- Integrate following ancillary projects with SHEBA data: carbon cycle, phytoplankton,
zooplankton, meteorological, physical.
- Opportunity for public education & outreach. Canadians used Discovery channel - good
start. Need to get public education aspect built into this.
Status of the OAII SSC - J.
Grebmeier
- SHEBA freeze in, Fall '97
- SBI Science Plan draft going on webpage. Final plan to NSF June/July. Will be reviewed
by SSC prior to going to NSF.
- Nov. 1996 Action Items' Status
- ARCSS plan for integration update - Submitted
- Letter to NSF prioritizing OAII program - Sent
- Additional initiatives/proposals
- Canada Basin - Letter of encouragement sent
- Canadian Archipelago - Letter of encouragement sent
- Letter to Jim Swift (AICC) - Letter of encouragement sent
- Update OAII Terms of Reference - Completed
- OAII Science Plan update - In progress
- May 1997 Action Items' Status
- New initiative: Study of Arctic Change (proposal by J. Morison Saturday at SSC meeting)
- Replacements needed for retiring SSC members: Aagaard, Battisti, Clark & Whitledge
- SMO Tasks
- SBI Science Plan publication - Summer 1997
- OAII PI Meeting (May '97) - Workshop report
- Newsletter
[Comments - D. Clark, M. Ramsay, M. Ledbetter, L. Clark]
SBI plan must be reviewed by SSC before it is submitted to NSF.
[Comments - D. Lubin]
- AICC - Science opportunity cruises - want to level playing field. Advise Coast Guard on
suitability. Deal with Phil McGillivary (U.S.C.G.), he pushes for clearance.
- ACSYS - Arctic Council wants to test Healy to the limit.
[Comments - L. Codispoti]
OAII revised science plan - good start, want feedback on it from
meeting.
[Comments - M. Ledbetter]
- Need more prioritization and more involvement of partners such as ONR, DOE, NASA, Japan,
Canada, etc.
- 2000 is probably first year for major post-SHEBA project.
- Meeting in March of prospective PIs
- SHEBA got go ahead
- Group started to gel
- Canada & U.S. ancillary programs developing opportunity to integrate with SHEBA
studies, i.e., carbon cycle.
- Ships
- DeGrossier - Platform, Captain is enthusiastic
- Louis St. Laurent - Escort
- SHEBA implementation plan to deal with the details is progressing.
- Keep focus of SHEBA on ice albedo feedback, cloud feedback, and incorporating into
modelling efforts.
- SHEBA designed to help models.
- Written abstracts needed for ancillary programs.
Overview by SHEBA
Advisory Committee
[A. Thorndike]
- SHEBA Advisory Committee had input into process and was listened to. This led to
narrowing PIs & scope of studies. Pointed out strengths & weaknesses to PIs at
March meeting.
- Solid guarantee of new understanding; program on track: radiation budget, heat balance
of summer leads, ice pack response to heat balance, SCICEX - profile/mapping of
undersurface of ice.
[W. Large]
- SHEBA Phase II NSF Panel ranked proposals, cutoff at program level. Set priorities, then
cutoff at budget level. Annual cycle studies are highest priority, radiation balance, ice
albedo feedback/cloud radiation feedback. Losers were modeling and upscaling. Not sure if
SHEBA process is a good model of how to develop such projects.
- Need approved plan and coordination of data sets. Annual cycle has data gaps.
- Budget $14 million: logistics $7 million, science $7 million (According to Ledbetter
budget closer to $20 million - includes money from NCAR, DOE, etc.). Money is tight.
[Comments - T. Pyle]
SHEBA Advisory Committee input was very good even though a bit painful
for some.
[Comments - M. Ledbetter]
Coordinating SHEBA and FIRE with NASA has gone slowly.
Status of SBI, Other
Initiatives - J. Grebmeier
SBI Science Plan being reviewed by ARCSS members, will be submitted
to NSF June/July.
Working Group Challenges -
J. Grebmeier
- What has the OAII program accomplished (set in motion) to address global change
problems?
- What are the most important issues/problems (2-3) that should be focused on within the
priority topics of OAII?
- What strategy will allow progress to move forward to obtain a predictive capability for
understanding global change in Arctic?
[Comments - M. Ledbetter]
"What input should we have to the other groups?" Help to
broaden scope - multidisciplinary. Let others know what your group thinks is important. No
laundry lists! Prioritize!
[Comments - J. Barry]
Timing of programs may depend on when complementary programs kick in.
Why OAII Not
Successful with SIMS - M. Ledbetter
- Synthesis, integration, & modeling studies - intention to look at results and
synthesize from all different projects.
- Received proposals for all linkages for ARCSS. Funded GISP2/PALE, LAII/PALE, but
OAII/other ARCSS not as good reviews as other programs. Number of proposals submitted were
equal, just not as high priority for funding. Possibly because never had all hands
meeting.
- Don't be too constrained, be open to new suggestions.
[Comments - A. Semtner]
Part of problem could be that OAII is ocean-centric, whereas other
ARCSS projects are land-centric.
[Comments - M. Ledbetter]
Part of problem could be that you have not had an "all hands"
meeting until now.
[Comments - R. Caulfield]
Should not be too restricted in defining what falls under the SIMS
umbrella.
Saturday, 10 May
Studies of Arctic Change -
J. Morison
The Change
- The salinity front shifted (Makarov Basin more saline & warmer, salinity
significantly increased)
- Direction of transpolar drift current shift
- Atmospheric pressure & ice drift shift
- Connections to lower latitudes and terrestrial change
- Changes correspond with J. Walsh's results on shift in arctic high and low pressure
zones.
Study Outline
- Communicate
- Obtain historical perspective, Russian data (U.S./Russian atlases and other data
rescue), western data (including low lats and terrestrial data)
- New time series measurements
- Regular hydrographic sections (aircraft, subs, ships)
- Stationary time-series (moorings)
- Lagrangian time-series
- Sea ice coverage, remote sensing observations
- Terrestrial met & ice observations
- Many measurements made in conjunction with other programs (make minimum measurements if
difficult site)
- Synthesis & Modeling
- Atmosphere-ocean coupling
- Coupling with lower latitudes
- Coupling with land
- Should there be an Arctic Basin LTER?
Special Opportunities/Problems
- Long term series vs. "2-year" funding
- International working relationships needed for optimum pan-Arctic program
- Coupling with PALE, GISP2, & SIMS
Want minimum of 5 year funding, with 5 year renewal periods. APL
supporting some of it. Want workshop for this, then would refine scope.
[SSC Comments]
Recommends combining this with two other proposed workshops into one
workshop. Must have international flavor, include Canada Basin & Canadian Archipelago,
and ancillary programs. Overall view was that planning process for this program should go
ahead and that SSC should write a letter to Morison giving him encouragement to move
forward.
Nominations for Retiring SSC
- Four people are leaving SSC
- Replacement suggestions:
- Chemist, tracer chemist (i.e., Bill Smethie, Peter Schlosser, Kelly Falkner, Stephanie
Pfirman)
- Climate representative
- Paleo representative (i.e., Judy Curry, Starly (?), Thompson, Pinto)
Evaluation of Meeting
Initiatives - guidance
- Need open community involvement
- Need international input at workshop
- Cross OAII initiative interlinks
- Involve people in simulation/modeling
- Workshop announcement - ancillary programs
PI meeting was essential, should have been earlier. Necessary to
have biennial meeting. Overall good response.
Status on Updated OAII Science
Plan
Plan will go out on web for comments. Will be submitted to NSF in
autumn.
Action Items:
- International collaboration considered critical
- Who responsible for coordination?
- Interaction with foreign institutes for logistics
- Nansen Polar Research Institute
- AARI
- Mechanism for interaction
- Gas hydrates - methane, developing methods, issue to address
- BESIS workshop - someone from OAII should attend
- Prioritize initiatives
