The Arctic Community-wide Hydrological Analysis and Monitoring Program (Arctic-CHAMP) Project Office

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The Arctic constitutes an important environment, central to the dynamics and evolution of the Earth system. The region, is currently experiencing rapid environmental change, but the sources and consequences of such change are still poorly understood. In response to calls by the science community to assess the current state-of-the-art in Arctic hydrology and to formulate a new research effort to study water and water cycle change in the Arctic system, NSF-ARCSS convened an Arctic System Hydrology Workshop in September 2000 at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) in Santa Barbara, CA. A chief recommendation of that workshop was for NSF to invest in development of a pan-Arctic Community-wide Hydrological Analysis and Monitoring Program (Arctic-CHAMP) for synthesis studies of the water cycle and its role in the Arctic system. Through a series of meetings, reports and a newly-funded Announcement of Opportunity (ASOF/CHAMP; NSF-02-071) supporting the multi-agency SEARCH initiative, progress is rapidly being made toward an operational Arctic-CHAMP. The primary goal of this proposal is to establish an Arctic-CHAMP Science Management Office (SMO) to assist ARCSS in coordinating emerging Arctic-CHAMP science and outreach efforts. The anticipated Arctic-CHAMP synthesis and integration issues are complex and multi-faceted and a dedicated Science Management Office is needed to provide an efficient mechanism for executing the initiative. The SMO will provide logistical and administrative support to ongoing activities of the Arctic-CHAMP Scientific Steering Committee, organize Arctic-CHAMP scientific meetings, workshops, and symposia to catalyze interdisciplinary water cycle studies, support the timely delivery of CHAMP-related science data products, perform liaison activities with other thematic elements of ARCSS, other US and international agency partners through dedicated communication efforts by SMO personnel, and disseminate findings of Arctic-CHAMP to scientists and the broader user community. Broader Impacts. The SMO is structured to foster not only research, but also graduate education, post- graduate training and outreach to policy-makers and the public. A proposed series of science meetings and workshops, particularly those directed at young student scientists, is designed to foster the educational mission of CHAMP. A post-doc, serving as Executive Director, will help to satisfy what we see as an important need -- to train young science managers, who must increasingly deal with complex, interdisciplinary and often international research programs. Data dissemination, web pages, and newsletters help to broaden interest in CHAMP-related environmental change. Proposed cooperation with partners in Canada, Russia, and the Nordic countries fosters US diplomatic interests, good will, and open communication through science.