5 January, 2003

Muhs / SP Telescope / Arctic Exped / Student Conf / Mammoth Conf

News, resources, meetings, and opportunities (courses, competitions, graduate work, etc.) for the polar learning community follow.

NEWS

Eric Muhs' arcticle about the AMANDA neutrino detector came out in the Antarctic Sun,

published weekly by the National Science Foundation at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.From Eric, " It is by far the biggest newspaper on the entire continent!"

Eric also won first place in the "other" category of the The Antarctic Sun's photography contest forhis photo of the South Pole from a kite

http://www.polar.org/antsun/Sun122202/perspectives.html

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SCIENTISTS USE SOUTH POLE TELESCOPE TO PRODUCE THE MOST DETAILED IMAGES OF THE EARLY UNIVERSE

Using a powerful new instrument at the South Pole, a team of cosmologists has produced the most detailed images of the early Universe ever recorded. The research team, which was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has made public their measurements of subtle temperature differences in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. The CMB is the remnant radiation that escaped from the rapidly cooling Universe about 400,000 years after the Big Bang. Images of the CMB provide researchers with a snapshot of the Universe in its infancy, and can be used to place strong constraints on its constituents and structure. The new results provide additional evidence to support the currently favored model of the Universe in which 30 percent of all energy is a strange form of dark matter that doesn't interact with light and 65 percent is in an even stranger form of dark energy that appears to be causing the expansion of the Universe to accelerate. Only the remaining five percent of the energy in the Universe takes the form of familiar matter like that which makes up planets and stars.

The researchers developed a sensitive new instrument, the Arcminute Cosmology Bolometer Array Receiver (ACBAR), to produce high-resolution images of the CMB. ACBAR's detailed images reveal the seeds that grew to form the largest structures seen in the Universe today. These results add to the description of the early Universe provided by several previous ground-, balloon- and space-based experiments. Previous to the ACBAR results, the most sensitive, fine angular scale CMB measurements were produced by the NSF-funded Cosmic Background Investigator (CBI) experiment observing from a mountaintop in Chile.

William Holzapfel, of the University of California at Berkeley and ACBAR co-principal investigator, said it is significant that the new ACBAR results agree with those published by the CBI team despite the very different instruments, observing strategies, analysis techniques, and sources of foreground emission for the two experiments. He added that the new data provide a more rigorous test of the consistency of the new ACBAR results with theoretical predictions.

"It is amazing how precisely our theories can explain the behavior of the Universe when we know so little about the dark matter and dark energy that comprise 95 percent of it," said Holzapfel.

The dark energy inferred from the ACBAR observations may be responsible for the accelerating expansion of the Universe. "It is compelling that we find, in the ancient history of the Universe, evidence for the same dark energy that supernova observations find more recently," said Jeffrey Peterson of Carnegie Mellon University.

The construction of the ACBAR instrument and observations at the South Pole were carried out by a team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, Case Western Reserve University, Carnegie Mellon University, the California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. Principle investigators Holzapfel and John Ruhl at Case Western led the effort, which built and deployed the instrument in only two years.

ACBAR is specifically designed to take advantage of the unique capabilities of the 2.1-meter Viper telescope, built primarily by Jeff Peterson and collaborators at Carnegie Mellon and installed by NSF and its South Pole Station in Antarctica. The receiver is an array of 16 detectors built by Cal Tech and the JPL that create images of the sky in 3-millimeter wavelength bands near the peak in the brightness of the CMB. In order to reach the maximum possible sensitivity, the ACBAR detectors are cooled to two-tenths of a degree above absolute zero, or about -273 degrees Celsius (-459 Fahrenheit). ACBAR has just completed its second season of observations at the South Pole. Researcher Mathew Newcomb kept the telescope observing continuously during the six month-long austral winter, despite temperatures plunging below -73 degrees Celsius (-100 Fahrenheit).

The construction of ACBAR and Viper was funded as part of the NSF Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica. The U.S. Antarctic Program provides continuing support for telescope maintenance, observations, and data analysis. NSF's Amundsen Scott South Pole Station is ideally suited for astronomy, especially observations of the CMB. The station is located at an altitude of approximately 3,000 meters (10,000 feet), atop the Antarctic ice sheet. Water vapor is the principal cause of atmospheric absorption in broad portions of the electromagnetic spectrum from near infrared to microwave wavelengths. The thin atmosphere above the station is extremely cold and contains almost no water vapor. "Our atmosphere may be essential to life on Earth," said Ruhl, "but we'd love to get rid of it. For our observations, the South Pole is as close as you can get to space while having your feet planted firmly on the ground."

Papers describing the ACBAR CMB angular power spectrum and the constraints it places on cosmological parameters have been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal for publication. -NSF- For more information and drafts of the submitted papers, see: <http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/group/swlh/acbar>http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/group/swlh/acbar

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Sedna IV Wraps Up Six Month Arctic Research Expedition

For more information on Sedna IV and Arctic Mission, visit: http://www.nfb.ca/sedna

Sidney, BC - After six gruelling months battling harsh Arctic conditions in the Northwest passage, the Sedna IV will end her mission when she sails into port at the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS) in Sidney, British Columbia. The three-masted 51-metre sailing vessel and her crew of 16 left the port of Cap-aux-Meules on the Magdelen Islands on July 8 for an extraordinary odyssey of more than 11,000 nautical miles across the Arctic ice.

Following the route of the great explorers of the past, the sailing vessel crossed the legendary Northwest Passage in a single season without the help of Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers. For mission leader Jean Lemire, the unescorted Arctic passage represented a huge challenge. "We all wanted to try and do this without assistance from icebreakers - to retrace the route taken by the great explorers and experience the daily struggle between our boat and crew and the ever-moving ice." Captain StŽphan Guy explains that modern navigation and communications technology played a key role in determining Sedna IV's route. "We had remarkable logistical support from Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian Ice Service. Their analysis of ice movement in certain sectors helped our decision-making process and air reconnaissance by the CANICE-3 plane confirmed our strategies during critical moments in the expedition".

ARCTIC MISSION

This great human adventure at the top of the world will be at the centre of a major collection of five documentary films analysing the impact of climate change on this fragile and little-known environment. The Arctic plays an essential role in regulating our planet's climate and offers a unique way of measuring the impact of man on the environment. In mid-December, part of the team will fly to the Antarctic to document the effects of climate change on this other ecosystem that is both fragile and essential to Earth's climatic balance.

The five films comprising ARCTIC MISSION are:

The Great Adventure (working title), by Jean Lemire and Thierry Piantanida, covers Sedna IV's voyage from Montreal to Vancouver via the legendary Northwest Passage, exploring impact of climate change in the Arctic.

Climatology (working title) by Alain Belhumeur looks at climate change in a global and historical context, showing how our planet has experienced climate variations throughout history.

Lords of the Arctic (working title), by Caroline Underwood, focuses on Northern wildlife and its close and tragic relation to climate change.

Peoples of the North (working title), by Carlos Ferrand, looks at the North through the eyes of those who live in the region and are grappling with environmental, social and cultural upheaval.

Some Like It Hot (working title), by Patricio Henriquez, connects with people in the North and the South who are fighting for survival, examining the social and geopolitical consequences of global warming if the process is not stopped.

Co-produced by Glacialis Productions, the National Film Board of Canada and GŽdŽon Programmes (France), these films will be broadcast on the CBC's The Nature of Things with David Suzuki, TŽlŽ-QuŽbec, France 2 and France 5.

The Research

Sedna IV also brings back valuable scientific data collected in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) scientists.

"DFO is very excited that this expedition was captured in time by the National Film Board - both on film and in the plankton samples they collected with our equipment," said Dr. Eddy Carmack, Climate Oceanographer from DFO's Institute of Ocean Sciences. "The JWACS program will greatly enhance our understanding of what is happening to the Arctic environment."

The Joint Western Arctic Climate Study (JWACS) is a scientific collaboration of more than 130 researchers from Canada, the United States, Japan and China. This year was the first of a six-year program, and is one of the most diverse and complicated international Arctic research initiatives ever undertaken by Canada. The JWACS program spans the Canadian Basin and the Mackenzie Shelf examining the impacts of climate variability on living and physical ocean processes. Research topics include atmospheric science, oceanography, climate change, potential effects of oil and gas exploitation and marine mammal observations.

For updates on Sedna IV and ARCTIC MISSION, visit http://www.nfb.ca/sedna

Contacts:

For the National Film Board: Angela Heck Public Relations- Western Canada National Film Board of Canada Vancouver, BC (604) 666-1151 a.heck@nfb.ca

For the Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans: Lara Sloan Communications Officer Fisheries and Oceans Canada Vancouver, BC (604) 666-0903 sloanl@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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From NSF:

RESEARCHERS UNCOVER EXTREME LAKE - AND 3000-YEAR-OLD MICROBES - IN MARS-LIKE ANTARCTIC ENVIRONMENT

NSF-supported researchers drilling into Lake Vida, an Antarctic "ice-block" lake, have found the lake isn't really an ice block at all. In the December 16 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team reveals that Antarctic Lake Vida may represent a previously unknown ecosystem, a frigid, "ice-sealed," lake that contains the thickest non-glacial lake ice cover on Earth and water seven times saltier than seawater.

Because of the arid, chilled environment in which it resides, scientists believe the lake may be an important template for the search for evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars and other icy worlds.

Researchers previously thought Vida was one of several Antarctic lakes that are frozen to their beds year-round. However, using ground-penetrating radar, ice core analyses, and long-term temperature data, the researchers now show that Vida has a thick light-blocking ice cover, a vast amount of ancient organic material and sediment, and a cold, super-salty, liquid zone underlying the ice - an environment that remains liquid at temperatures under -10°C, well below the freezing point of pure water.

Peter Doran of the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted the research along with colleagues at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada; NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California; and Montana State University in Bozeman.

The researchers extracted two ice cores from Lake Vida in early Antarctic spring (October) 1996. With an electromechanical drill, team members spent two weeks at temperatures below -35°C drilling a 10-cm-diameter core through 16-m of ice cover.

The researchers filled both of the holes with deionized water (to seal the columns with an ice plug), emplacing temperature measuring instruments in one of the shafts.

"The sediment within the ice made coring extremely difficult and required frequent bit changes and a complete motor replacement at one stage," said John Priscu of Montana State University.

"It was some very cold drilling," added Doran. "We were there for two weeks at temperatures approaching -40°C . . . camping. The drillers had a hard time getting through the sediment layers. They were used to drilling clean ice up on the polar plateau; the dirt in the ice tended to dull the cutting bits."

Despite these difficulties, said Priscu, the core segments collected provided new insights to a previously undescribed Antarctic ecosystem.

From the cores, the scientists found a layered chemical and biological history preserved in the ice, and revived viable microbes that are at least 2,800 years old.

"The ice covers of these lakes represent an oasis for life in an environment previously thought to be inhospitable," said Priscu. "These life forms may possess novel ice-active substances such as antifreezes and ice nucleation inhibitors that allow the organisms to survive the freeze-thaw cycles and come back to life when exposed to liquid water," he said.

"Importantly, the cold temperatures preserve DNA extremely well making them perfect 'ice museums' for the study of ancient DNA," Priscu added. Research on the ancient DNA will provide an evolutionary and functional history of the microorganisms, he said, and he believes the findings might help scientists draw implications for the type of life that may exist in Lake Vostok, a huge lake which lies more than 4 km beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Lake Vida, more than 5 km long, is one of the largest in the cold Antarctic desert region known as the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The area receives less than 10 cm of snow per year and the average annual temperature hovers around -30°C.

Using data from the ice sensors and from an automatic meteorological station on the shore of the lake, the researchers created a thermodynamic model to understand the complex melting and freezing processes within Vida.

The model provided a better understanding of the evolution of the ice cover and the underlying salt water. The freezing, growing ice cover concentrates the salt, thereby depressing the freezing point of the water, and extending the viability of a lake ecosystem.

"Lake Vida provides insight into a novel terrestrial ecosystem," said Doran. "What happened at Lake Vida may have been the fate of other Antarctic lakes, during even colder times, and more tropical aquatic ecosystems during extreme global glaciations of the past, such as the 'snowball Earth' 550 Million years ago."

The researchers believe that Lake Vida may also offer clues to likely environments for finding signs of ancient, Martian, microbial life. Said Doran, "Mars is believed to have a water rich past, and if life developed, a Lake Vida-type ecosystem may have been the final niche for life on Mars before the water bodies froze solid."

The research was carried out as part of NSF's McMurdo Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project, and was also funded in part by NASA's Exobiology program.

-NSF-

For maps of the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica, please see the McMurdo Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project homepage at: <http://huey.colorado.edu/LTER/>http://huey.colorado.edu/LTER/

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News from the US Global Change Research Information Office

Visit the US Global Change Research Information Office (GCRIO) website, http://www.gcrio.org/whatnew.html, to read more about the following.

Research on Permanent Storage of Carbon Dioxide Expanded http://www.gcrio.org/OnLnDoc/pdf/doe_co2_storage.pdf

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is moving into a new, expanded phase of its program to develop carbon sequestration projects, including studying the potential of injecting carbon dioxide emissions from power plants into underground aquifers. Carbon dioxide, from the burning of fossil fuels, contributes to global warming. (19KB PDF file)

The GCRIO Dr. Global Change service was recently awarded the Exemplary Service Award at the 4th Annual Virtual Reference Desk conference http://www.gcrio.org/gcrio_award.html

The Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) awarded "Ask Dr. Global Change," a service of the US Global Change Research Information Office (GCRIO), a prestigious VRD Exemplary Service award at the VRD 2002 Digital Reference Conference, "Charting the Course of Reference: Towards a Preferred Future," on November 11, 2002 in Chicago, IL. GCRIO is implemented by The Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. The awards ceremony recognized outstanding digital reference and AskA services for their contributions to the field of online Q&A, and for the provision of high-quality information to members of the K-12 community and beyond.

"Dr. Global Change" is a reference service that assists domestic and international researchers, students, educators, resource managers, policymakers, and the general public in finding information and data relevant to global environmental change. Staff from the US Global Change Research Information Office at CIESIN, along with staff from U.S. Government agencies, provides answers to questions related to climate change science. GCRIO provides access to data and information on climate change research, adaptation/mitigation strategies and technologies, and global change related educational resources on behalf of the US Climate Change Science Program and its parcticipating Federal Agencies.

Past VRD Exemplary Service award winners have been selected based on the "Facets of Quality for Digital Reference Services." The characteristics and features outlined in the "Facets" document, as identified by an expert panel of digital reference service representatives, include Accessible, Prompt Turnaround, Clear Response Policy, Interactive, Instructive, Authoritative, Trained Experts, Maintain User Privacy, Reviewed, Provides Access to Related Information, and Publicized.

Visit the US Global Change Research Information Office (GCRIO) website at: http://www.gcrio.org/whatnew.html

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RESOURCES (Books, Web Sites, Maps, Electronic Databases, etc.)

Commander Islands Booklet Available from the B.C. Nature Protection and Conservation Association

The Commander Islands, located in the Bering Sea, are a unique and culturally diverse part of the world, but they are in danger of being lost to future generations. The Commander Islands and B.C. Nature Protection and Conservation Association is devoted to saving the beauty and importance of this pristine area.

Dr. Vladimir Sevostianov is President and founder of the Commander Islands and B.C. Nature Protection and Conservation Association. He is devoted to preserving these unique and pristine islands in the Bering Sea. He is an internationally renowned marine biologist, author, lecturer and expert of this unique ecosystem.

Contact Dr. Vladimir Sevostianov at: Commander Islands and BC Nature Protection and Conservation Association P.O. Box 5482 Victoria, BC, Canada V8R 6S4 seaotter@ratrunner.com

For more information see the Commander Islands website at: http://home.attbi.com/~mishkabear/island/

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Dear Colleagues,

The National Science Foundation's Advisory Committee on Environmental Research and Education (ACERE) is pleased to invite you to a panel and reception to unveil its publication "Complex Environmental Systems: Synthesis for Earth, Life and Society in the 21st Century."

The event will be held at the National Science Foundation headquarters at 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia on January 8th, 2003 from 9:30 am to noon in Room 1235.

Program: 9:30 - 10:30 am are presentations by Rita Colwell, Warren Washington, Margaret Leinen, Stephanie Pfirman (ACERE past chair), and David Skole (ACERE chair).

10:30 - 11:00 is a panel, featuring remarks by ACERE members James Allen, Jean Futrell, James Kay, Mary Jane Perry, and Chuck Leonard, and discussion with attendees.

11:00 - 12:00 is a reception.

For more information or if you plan to attend this event at NSF, please email Mary Mosley at mmosley@nsf.gov. It is necessary to arrange for a visitor's badge in advance.

Copies of both long and short versions of the report will be available at the meeting. To reserve a copy of the report, please email ere-info@nsf.gov or use the form that will be posted on the Environmental Research and Education web site at: http://www.nsf.gov/ere

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Announcement of new list server for polar scientists: Antarctica NewS WEbsite and Registry (ANSWER)

Instructions on how to subscribe can be found on the web at: http://gerg.tamu.edu/archive/answer/

Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Antarctica NewS WEbsite and Registry (ANSWER) list server. In an effort to increase communication and facilitate parcticipation by the broadest possible spectrum of polar scientists in Antarctic research and affairs, this list server provides a forum for information exchange. Modeled on the successful ARCUS list server for Arctic science, ANSWER is intended to disseminate information, communicate opportunities to the polar community, solicit input and comment on important issues and topics, and to promote polar science to the wider community of stakeholders.

In parcticular, the list server is intended to facilitate the polar scientific community's parcticipation in the international arena, especially in the activities of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the US National Antarctic Committee (the National Research Council's Polar Research Board). We solicit information on meetings, workshops, funding opportunities, international initiatives, and any other topics of general interest to polar scientists. We also ask that those of you on this initial list of subscribers notify your colleagues of the launch of this list server. Comments, questions, and suggestions for improving our interactions are encouraged and appreciated.

Dr. Mahlon C. Kennicutt II, US Delegate to SCAR

Instructions on how to subscribe can be found on the web at http://gerg.tamu.edu/archive/answer/

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Methodology and Results of Ecogeochemical Investigation of Barents Sea Gennady I. Ivanov

Gennady I. Ivanov "Methodology and Results of Ecogeochemical Investigation of Barents Sea". SPB, VNIIOkeangeologia, 2002, 153 pp. ISBN 5-88994-059-7

ABSTRACT VNIIOkeangeologia have carried multidisciplinary environmental investigations of Western part of Arctic through 1991-2001. Total number of complex stations was more than 1100. We propose geochemical parameters and criteria to be added existing methods of assessment. As geochemical criteria one proposes background concentrations of major groups of contaminants (chlororganic compounds, heavy metals, phenols, HC, PAH, SSAS, radionuclides) in water and sediments, calculated for various levels of complexity of geological objects (transregional- for Barents Sea, regional- for Pechora Sea, local- for Shtockman field. To assess degree of contamination of marine near-bottom ecosystem by definite set of contaminants one can use geochemical index of contamination of bottom sediments (Csed) and bottom water(Cwat). Book including 22 maps of distribution concentrations of major groups of contaminants in water and bottom sediments.

For more information or to order this book contact: gennady@vniio.nw.ru

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MEETINGS

The 7th Student Conference on Northern Studies University of Alberta Edmonton, Canada 24-26 October 2003

For more information see the conference website at: http://scns.onware.ca

Abstract submission deadline is 1 February 2003

The 7th Student Conference on Northern Studies will be an international forum held at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada October 24 - 26, 2003. The conference, Breaking the Ice: Transcending Borders through Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Research, will showcase student research with a northern scope and welcomes interdisciplinary inquiries.

Hosted by the Canadian Circumpolar Institute, University of Alberta. Organized by the Circumpolar Students Association of the University of Alberta. Sponsored by the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Canadian Polar Commission, and the University of Alberta.

Call for Papers We invite college, senior undergraduate and graduate students in any discipline to submit abstracts for oral or poster presentations on all aspects of northern research or polar studies. In keeping with the conference theme, papers with an interdisciplinary focus will receive priority consideration. However, all papers with a Northern scope are welcome.

Please submit abstracts electronically at: http://scns.onware.ca

Abstracts should be no more than 250 words. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 1 February, 2003. Please indicate whether abstract is for an oral or poster presentation. Applicants will be informed by 1 March 2003 as to status of their submission. The following formats are requested:

Plenary Sessions: 15 minute oral presentation followed by 5 minute discussion period. Poster Session: featuring displays and informal presentations. Standard poster size is 1 meter x 1 meter (40ä x 40ä).

Conference Fees -

All-inclusive Registration; $80.00 CND (fees must be received by 1 September, 2003)

All-inclusive Late Registration; $100.00 CND (fees received after 1 September, 2003)

All-inclusive Late Registration; $120.00 CND (fees received after 1 September, 2003)

Banquet Only; $35.00 CND (fees must be received by October 15, 2003)

All-inclusive fees include: Conference program of abstracts, Refreshment breaks Wine & Cheese Reception, Banquet, Breakfasts and Lunches, Conference Proceedings

Travel and accommodation subsidies will be available.

Please register electronically at: http://scns.onware.ca

For further information regarding the conference please contact conference co-chairs Heather Castleden (heather.castleden@ualberta.ca) or Audrey Giles (agiles@ualberta.ca) at Conference Headquarters:

7th Student Conference on Northern Studies C/O: Canadian Circumpolar Institute 8625 - 112 Street Suite 308 Campus Tower University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta T6G 0H1 (780) 492-1799

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Living in the Cold 2004 Aboard cruise ship through Inside Passage of Alaska 25-31 July 2004

For more information and to register your interest see: http://www.alaska.edu/litc/

First announcement of "Living in the Cold 2004", an international gathering of scientists and students interested in communicating their research on themes including the biology of hibernation and torpor, thermoregulation and thermogenesis, cryobiology, biological rhythms, migration, polar biology, and animal adaptation to seasonality.

The conference will be held 25-31 July 2004 on a cruise ship beginning in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, going through the Inside Passage along Southeast Alaska and Glacier Bay, and ending in Seward, Alaska, U.S.A.

Costs on board for this seven day cruise including room and meals begin at $769 (registration, taxes and transfers extra).

For more information and to register your interest in parcticipating, Please visit the web site: http://www.alaska.edu/litc/

Or contact: Brian M. Barnes Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks brian.barnes@uaf.edu 907-474-7649

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5th International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS V) 19-23 May 2004 Fairbanks, AK

For more information see the IASSA website: http://www.uaf.edu/anthro/iassa

Contact: IASSA secretariat PO Box 757730 University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK 99775-7730 USA Tel: (907)474-6367 Fax: (907)474-6370 E-mail: fyiassa@uaf.edu

Proposals for sessions due by 15 April 2003 Abstract deadline is 31 December 2003

ICASS V-First Announcement and Call for Sessions

The International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) announces the 5th International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS V) to be held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA from May 19-23, 2004.

These international congresses are held every three years, bringing together people from all over the world to share ideas about social science research in the Arctic. The last one, ICASS IV, was held in Quebec City, Canada from May 16-20, 2001, hosting some 300 parcticipants from 17 different countries.

IASSA is now seeking proposals for sessions. Please submit them by April 15, 2003 to Anne Sudkamp, fyiassa@uaf.edu, or the mailing address below. Please include session title, name of session organizer and his or her complete contact information, and a brief description of the session. General ideas on sessions also will be gratefully accepted.

The call for papers will be announced next spring, along with a preliminary list of sessions. Abstract deadline is December 31, 2003. People already planning to attend are encouraged to notify IASSA now.

ICASS V's theme is Connections: Local and Global Aspects of Arctic Social Systems: "Today few people would question the concept that arctic social and natural systems are inextricably connected with global processes. In the past, however, scholarly interest was often driven by the presumption that arctic regions were isolated from other parts of the globe. With the recent emphasis on global connections, scholars are now challenged to maintain focus on the local and regional ties that form the backbone of northern communities. Because any research agenda highlights some aspects of the Arctic while obscuring others, a critical review of these perspectives is warranted.

We encourage conference parcticipants to examine past, present, and future aspects of this theme. We hope that such an inquiry will encourage dialogue among different groups of stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and other northern residents, politicians and scholars, now setting research and other agendas for the Arctic."

For more information, contact IASSA coordinator Anne Sudkamp at fyiassa@uaf.edu or go to IASSA's website: http://www.uaf.edu/anthro/iassa

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Cryosphere-Climate Interaction Symposium at the IUGG 2003 7-8 July 2003 Sapporo, Japan

For more details and a preliminary programme see the IUGG site: http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec-e/iugg/index.html Or contact: Siobhan O'Farrell (Siobhan.O'Farrell@csiro.au)

Closing date for submission of abstracts is 20th January 2003 by post and 30th January 2003 using electronic submission through IUGG website.

Dear Colleagues,

We are organizing a symposium on Cryosphere-Climate Interaction to be held at the IUGG in Sapporo on July 7th-8th 2003. As convenors we have decided to concentrate the meeting on a number of themes listed below and have secured the acceptance of several invited speakers.

-Ice Shelf Ocean Interaction. -Ice sheet mass balance and Interaction between atmosphere and ice sheets. -Sea Ice-Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction. -Climate response in high latitudes. -Response of Glaciers and Permafrost to climate change.

The invited speakers include Barry Goodison (CliC programme and snow cover), John Walsh (Climate response in high latitudes), Andreas Kaeaeb (Glaciers and Permafrost), Ian Allison (Sea Ice). Speakers have yet to be confirmed for the remaining themes.

There are a number of other sessions occurring in Sapporo, which cover polar and glaciology topics, Remote sensing of the Cryosphere; Arctic Environmental Change; Southern Ocean; Global Sea Level Rise, Global Climate Change and Ice Sheet stability.

More details and a preliminary programme can be found at the IUGG site: http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec-e/iugg/index.html

Closing date for submission of abstracts is 20th January 2003 by post and 30th January 2003 using electronic submission through IUGG website.

I hope you will be able to join us. If you think a colleague may have missed out on this circular you are welcome to pass it on, or post on a notice board if that is the local practise.

If you require details not covered on the IUGG website you can contact:

Siobhan O'Farrell (CSIRO) Siobhan.O'Farrell@csiro.au

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Special Session, Representation of Sea Ice in Models, at the EGS-AGU-EUG Joint Assembly Nice, France 6-11 April 2003

For more information see the conference website at: http://www.copernicus.org/egsagueug/index.html

Deadline for Receipt of Abstracts: 15 January 2003

A session entitled "Representation of sea ice in models" will take place at the combined EGS/AGU meeting in Nice, April, 2003. The session (CR6.02) is within the Cryospheric Sciences section and is jointly sponsored by Ocean Sciences. Details of the meeting and the session can be found at: http://www.copernicus.org/egsagueug/index.html

Session information: Sea ice impacts on air-sea interaction processes by modifying the transport of momentum, heat and freshwater across the air-sea interface. Growing and melting sea ice directly impacts on oceanic convection and the thermohaline circulation. Over the last 40 years there has been a general retreat of the sea ice edge position amounting to approximately 3% per decade in the Northern Hemisphere. More recently, major changes have been reported during the late 1990s concerning the Arctic Ocean, its atmospheric circulation and its seasonal to interannual sea ice cover. Accompanying these changes is a retreat of the Arctic cold halocline layer, possibly affecting sea ice cover via changes in the vertical oceanic heat flux. In the Antarctic, the impact of the surface freshwater flux on sea ice cover remains an unresolved problem. Many climate models employ highly idealized representations of sea ice and its coupling with the ocean and atmosphere. What are the uncertainties in projected climate change arising from highly idealized sea ice physics?

This session solicits papers on developments in sea ice modelling, on studies coupling sea ice models to atmospheric and oceanic models and the the impact of sea ice in climate models. We welcome contributions spanning process modelling studies to general circulation modelling studies.

For more information see the conference website at: http://www.copernicus.org/egsagueug/index.html

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3rd International Mammoth Conference May 24-29, 2003 Dawson City and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

Please visit the conference website for more information: http://www.yukonmuseums.ca/mammoth/index.htm

Abstracts due 28 February 2003

3rd International Mammoth Conference Mammoths and their environment: Evolution and phylogeny Ecology and physiology Indicators of Late Quaternary climate change Special preservation of remains in the Arctic/Subarctic Mammoth faunas

Contributions are invited for oral presentations and posters within these themes. Papers based on new methods of analysis, including molecular research, permafrost preservation, and late Quaternary climate change in the Arctic/Subarctic are especially encouraged. Abstracts for oral presentations and posters are due by February 28, 2003

Schedule: May 24, evening reception, Beringia Centre, Whitehorse May 25, travel to Dawson City May 26-29, technical sessions and Klondike field trip

Fees: Regular registration $475 Canadian $ through February 28, 2003; $525 thereafter Student registration $200 Canadian $ until February 28, 2003; $250 thereafter

If you plan to come to this conference, Please register early

For more information please visit the conference website: http://www.yukonmuseums.ca/mammoth/index.htm

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There will be a rare Joint Assembly of the European Geophysical Society, American Geophysical Union, and European Union of Geosciences (EGS-AGU-EUG) in Nice, France, from 7-11 April 2003. Among the many sessions will be an All Union Symposium (#5) devoted to discussion of proposals for a next International Polar Year and concurrent International Heliophysical Year. The tentative date is 8 April. Planning for the invited oral presentations is just beginning. In addition, there will be an associated poster session to address IPY/IHY science issues, possible assets, and programs as well as historical aspects. Abstracts for posters must be submitted no later than 15 January 2003 (see the EGE-AGU-EUG website below for instructions). We also hope to hold a Town Meeting, also on 8 April, sponsored by the US Polar Research Board and the European Science Foundation, to allow more interactive discussion.

For further information on the EGS-AGU-EUG meeting see: http://www.copernicus.org/egsagueug/index.html

For more IPY information see: http://ipy.gsfc.nasa.gov or http://www.national-academies.org/prb

Points of contact: Leonard Johnson (gljgerg1@aol.com) or Chris Elfring (celfring@nas.edu)

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Warm Times/Cold Times: Holocene climate variability in the northern North Atlantic region.

The amplitude of Holocene environmental change is parcticularly strong in the northern North Atlantic region. Early Holocene warming is due to an intensified North Atlantic Drift and higher summer insolation; the early Holocene thermal maximum was followed by irregular cooling commencing about 5 ka, culminating in the Little Ice Age, widely thought to represent the coldest summers of the postglacial. The Little Ice Age terminated with the onset of 20th century warming. These changes exhibit strong variability at decadal, century and millennial scales, all sub-Milankovitch. Significant new research, primarily from lake sediment cores, ice cores, and high-resolution marine cores, provide new insights on the magnitude of change and the frequency domains of climate variability, and provide a context for 20th century warming.

By northern North Atlantic, we would like to restrict contributions to those focusing on land masses bordering the North Atlantic Ocean (including the Nordic Seas) north of about 50°N, ice cores from these regions, and marine records from the adjacent seas.

We have been allocated a half-day oral session limited to 10 speakers, and an unlimited amount of poster space. INQUA will have most presentations as posters this year.

If there is sufficient interest, we are will seek a special issue of a major international journal, to publish a set of papers arising from the meeting.

Co-conveners: Gifford Miller, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado USA Aslaug Geirsdottir, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, ICELAND Atle Nesje, University of Bergen, Bergen, NORWAY Chris Caseldine, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

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OPPORTUNITIES (Courses, Summer Experiences, etc.)

NSF Grant Opportunity in the Communicating Research to Public Audiences Component of the Informal Science Education Program (ISE)

For more information see the NSF Program Solicitation at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03509/nsf03509.html

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to: Orrin Shane, Program Director (oshane@nsf.gov)

Communicating Research to Public Audiences is a component of the Informal Science Education program (ISE) in the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education. ISE projects provide rich and stimulating contexts and experiences for individuals of all ages, interests, and backgrounds to increase their appreciation for, and understanding of, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in out-of-school settings. Requests for up to $75,000 will be considered to support projects that communicate to public audiences the process and results of current research that is being supported by any NSF directorate through informal science education activities, such as media presentations, exhibits, or youth-based activities. The purpose of these efforts is to disseminate research results, research in progress, or research methods. The PI must have an active NSF research award; a letter of support from the cognizant Program Officer for the research award is required. NSF research awards do not include Small Grants for Exploratory Research Awards; Conference, Symposia, and Workshops grants; Dissertation Improvement Awards; or Post-doc Fellowships.

No fixed deadline. Proposals may be submitted at anytime, but at least six months prior to anticipated start date.

For the full announcement including proposal preparation and submission instructions see: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03509/nsf03509.html

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to: Orrin Shane, Program Director Directorate for Education & Human Resources Division of Elementary, Secondary, & Informal Education Phone: (703) 292-5106 Fax: (703) 292-9044 Email: oshane@nsf.gov

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Arctic Ecology and Modeling: A Study Trip to Alaska 7-17 August 2003

Course Web-Page: http://courses.mbl.edu/ (click on Other Programs)

Program Contact: Debbie Scanlon (dscanlon@mbl.edu)

This course in Arctic Ecology and Modeling, directed by John Hobbie, is intended to educate advanced undergraduate students and graduate students about the Arctic environment and to demonstrate the interplay between data collection and quantitative modeling. It will consist of a 10-day tour of the 400-mile northern half of the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. The Boreal and Arctic environments will be introduced through lectures along the route and through a seven-day study at the Toolik Field Station (TFS). Also at TFS, students will gain an understanding of a multidisciplinary research project: how goals are set, how to create a research plan, how to conduct field sampling, how databases are managed and analyzed, and how simulation models are constructed. Class size will be up to 10 students.

The course is organized through The Ecosystems Center, a research section of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL)(see http://ecosystems.mbl.edu). The MBL is a private research laboratory whose goal is advancing biological knowledge through research and education. The MBL has been offering advanced courses in biology for more than a century (see http://www.mbl.edu for current listing). The MBL policy on course credit is as follows: "The MBL does not grant academic credit; upon completion of a course, students are provided a letter documenting total lecture and lab hours spent in the course. This may be presented to their home institution toward a petition for credit."

Course Web-Page: http://courses.mbl.edu/ (click on Other Programs)

Program Contact: Debbie Scanlon The Ecosystems Center Marine Biological Laboratory 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543-1015 (508) 289-7496 Phone (508) 457-1548 Fax E-mail: dscanlon@mbl.edu

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The Arctic Remote Sensing Campaign (ArcSeC) is a hands on, one week course at Spitsbergen, giving parcticipants experience in obtaining broad information on arctic environmental and climatic parameters. Obtained by in situ measurements, analysis of satellite images and information from airborne instruments.

We can offer a week that you will not easily forget. You will work part time in the well-equipped labs at the University (UNIS) in the modern town of Longyearbyen (only 1500 km from the North Pole), and part time living the rough life in the wilderness, driving snow scooters to get there. While in the wilderness you will be in the safe hands of professional guards from the Safety Department of the University, armed to protect you against the polar bears.

The course will start with lectures at our base camp, at UNIS. You will be introduced to the practical work to be performed and go through a safety course and learn how to handle a gun.

Deadline for registration: 14 February 2003

For a preliminary programme, please visit our web site: http://www.arcticremote.no

Our main target group are decision makers or project leaders, working with: -earth observation -environment in the Arctic -polar research -education involving satellite information -and others who feel the need for obtaining a wider knowledge platform on how important climatic parameters could be monitored and measured.

Registration fee is ?2,750*. The fee includes campaign costs, accommodation for seven nights, all meals (except beverages), snow scooter rental, transportation and sightseeing.

The campaign is sponsored by the Norwegian Space Centre and the University Courses at Svalbard. The Norwegian Polar Institute, the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, and Kongsberg Satellite Services are contributing in kind.

The number of parcticipants is limited to 18. To join the campaign, you should have equivalent to a bachelor degree in science, you should have a need for getting a broad knowledge platform on the climate and environment in the Arctic. You should have a need to get a practical, hands on experience on how to use modern tools like satellite imagery, combined with working at a field site. You should not dislike ice and snow.

Parcticipants will visit and use SvalSat, the large satellite ground station, owned by Kongsberg Satellite Services. Our base camp will be UNIS in Longyearbyen. Longyearbyen is a small, compact community, and the centre of Norwegian presence on Svalbard. The main industrial activity is mining and export of coal. Tourism and service industries, education and research are growing activities in Longyearbyen. Longyearbyen is a small but modern city of approximately 1400 inhabitants, with a well-developed infrastructure which includes nursery schools, primary and secondary schools, a library, museum, church, a new hospital, dental service, post office, bank, shops, cafés and restaurants, a new sports hall and a cinema.

For more information contact: Phone: +47 22 51 18 17 e-mail: per.torbo@spacecentre.no http://www.arcticremote.no