16 July, 2001

Boreal Forest Ecosystem Book / Arctic Coastal Dynamics Proj / Arctic Ocean Sci Conf

NEW PUBLICATION

Ecosystem Dynamics of the Boreal Forest Ecosystem: the Kluane Projects Published 2001 by Oxford University Press

Editors: C.J. Krebs, S. Boutin, and R. Boonstra.

Available from the Oxford University Press. See their web site for details: http://www.oup-usa.org/isbn/0195133935.html.

The boreal forest is one of the world's great ecosystems, stretching across North America and Eurasia in an unbroken band and containing about 25% of the world's closed canopy forests. In Canada about 84% of our forested lands are boreal forest.

This project was a ten-year study by nine of Canada's leading ecologists to unravel the impact of the snowshoe hare cycle on the plants and the other vertebrate species in the boreal forest. In much of the boreal forest, the snowshoe hare acts as a keystone herbivore, fluctuating in a nine- to ten-year cycles, and dragging along secondary cycles in predators such as lynx and great horned owls. By manipulating the ecosystem on a large scale from the bottom via fertilizer additions and from the top by predator exclosures, they have traced the plant-herbivore relationships and the predator-prey relationships in this ecosystem. This study is unique in being large scale and experimental on a relatively simple ecosystem, with the overall goal of defining what determines community structure in the boreal forest.

The study of the Kluane forest raises key questions about the scale of conservation required for boreal forest communities and the many mammals and birds that live there.

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On behalf of the International Permafrost Association and its Working Group on Coastal and Offshore Permafrost, the Coastal Erosion Subgroup is pleased to announce the publication of the Science and Implementation Plan for the Arctic Coastal Dynamics Project (ACD). The plan was developed under the sponsorship of the International Arctic Science Committee as the first step in development of the IASC ACD Project.

The official citation of the plan is: IASC Arctic Coastal Dynamics (ACD), Science and Implementation Plan, International Arctic Science Committee, Oslo, April 2001.

Additional copies are available from the IASC Secretariat or the project office in Potsdam. It is available on the ACD web site at: http://www.awi-potsdam.de/www-pot/geo/acd.html where you can also find the ACD electronic newsletter.

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Progress in Arctic Ocean Research over the past decades

Conference in Arctic Ocean Sciences

Royal Academy of Sciences

Stockholm, Sweden

5-7 November 2001

SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT

We very much welcome poster abstract submission in all fields of Arctic Ocean research.

DEADLINE for Poster Abstract Submissions is: 1 August 2001

SCOPE OF THE CONFERENCE

The knowledge of the Arctic Ocean, from the sediment to the overlying atmosphere, has increased immensely during the past two decades. One of the main reasons is the great number of field activities that have been carried out from vessels, both submarines and icebreakers. These activities have been realized by several nations and generally within the frame of international scientific programs (e.g., ACSYS and PAGES). Ten years after the International Arctic Ocean Expedition in 1991 and as a renewed take-off at the prospect of the future scientific challenges in the Arctic, we now find it timely to summarize what we have learned during the past decades This conference will cover most natural science aspects relevant to the Arctic Ocean area, with the aim of fostering co-operation between the sub-disciplines. A major reason for supporting Arctic Ocean natural sciences is the regions role in the global climate. Being a region of variable sea ice cover (high albedo) and corresponding open water range (low albedo) makes it very temperature dependent. This, together with model estimates indicating the largest temperature rise at high latitudes due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, requires a focus on Arctic Ocean research. We trust that this conference will further strengthen international cooperation in order to even better address crucial scientific issues in the Arctic region.

The conference will be based upon around 20 invited oral presentations, covering geology/geophysics, oceanography, sea ice/meteorology, and biology/carbon cycle, and encompassing two full afternoon poster sessions. Plenary discussions will end off each day's poster sessions, where also the oral presentations will be included. The conference will finish off with a general discussion summing up the forefront of Arctic Ocean research, main gaps, and how to proceed to fill these gaps.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

VENUE SITE

The conference will be held at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Lilla Frescativägen 4 A, Stockholm, Sweden situated close to the Stockholm University campus and less than 10 minutes from downtown by subway. The Academy is a non-governmental organization founded in 1739, with the aim to promote science, primarily mathematics and natural sciences. The Swedish Polar Research Committee is set up under the Academy and the governmental Swedish Polar Research Secretariat is located at the Academy's premises.

REGISTRATION AND ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

DEADLINE for Poster Abstract Submissions is: 1 August 2001

The number of conference parcticipants is limited to about 150 persons (the size of the lecture hall). Preliminary registration (first come, first served) can be done through:

Ms. Anne-Marie Göransson**

Email: anne@kva.se

**with a cc: to leif@amc.chalmers.se**

Those registered will receive updates in September regarding practical issues by email.

If you wish to present a poster you should submit an abstract (attached as a one page Word document in free style) to Professor Leif Anderson (leif@amc.chalmers.se) no later than 1 August 2001. Notification of acceptance will be sent out before 15 September 2001, together with information regarding day of presentation.

REGISTRATION FEE AND ACCOMMODATION

A registration fee of SEK 1000 (~USD $100) will be charged (SEK 500 for students) and this will include the abstract volume, coffee, tea, lunches, and a conference dinner. The registration fee should be paid to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (detailed information will be sent out in September to the persons that register). A limited amount of low- budget accommodation will be available on board a Swedish icebreaker, where two-person cabins will be offered at SEK 300 per person per night, breakfast included. Accommodation is also available at several hotels in Stockholm.

PROGRAM

The conference will start on the evening of Sunday, 4 November 2001 with an ice-breaker/registration reception on one of the Swedish icebreakers.

>From Monday, 5 November to Wednesday, 7 November, invited talks will be given during the mornings. Poster sessions will be held in the afternoons of 5 and 6 November. The conference ends with a panel discussion in the afternoon of 7 November. A full program can be found at: http://www.polar.kva.se/aktuellt/aoconference.pdf

For more information, please contact:

Prof. Leif G. Anderson

Department of Analytical and Marine Chemistry

Goteborg University

Sweden

Phone: +46/31772-2774

Fax: +46/31772-2785

Email: leif@amc.chalmers.se

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Second BASIS Research Conference (SEBARCO)

8-11 September 2001

At the Arctic Centre

Rovaniemi, Finland

The Second BASIS Research Conference (SEBARCO), addressing the overall theme of "Global Change Impact Assessment in the European Arctic and the Circumpolar North" will take place at the Arctic Centre in Rovaniemi, Finland from 8-11 September 2001.

SEBARCO will concentrate on the following topics:

- Regional climate impact assessments in the context of large-scale studies; explicitly, the possible role of BASIS for ACIA (the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment), an initiative by AMAP, CAFF, and IASC which strives to assess climate change impacts on a circumpolar scale.

- Methods and strategies for integrated modeling as applied to Integrated Regional Impact Studies (IRISs).

- Possible strategies for utilising the experience and expertise of stakeholders in an IRIS and to more effectively involve them in the study design and the integration of study results.

Anyone interested in parcticipating in SEBARCO is cordially invited. Details about registration and the submission of abstracts for poster presentations are given at: http://earth.uni-muenster.de/SEBARCO.htm