Coordination and Participation: US-UK Joint Workshop on Arctic Research

该提案将为参加2012年在英国剑桥大学克莱尔学院举行的美英北极研究联合研讨会的约25名美国参与者提供旅费支持。该研讨会将以英国自然环境研究委员会（NERC）通过其北极研究计划对北极研究进行的重大新投资为基础。该研讨会将使美国调查人员能够讨论共同感兴趣的领域、潜在的合作以及与英国同事共享后勤资源的机会。参与者将由一个委员会根据他们对该主题的预期贡献、他们在相关研究主题的经验、学科平衡和地理位置来选择。预计美国参与者将熟悉“北极环境变化研究搜索”的目标。SEARCH正在为未来五年制定一套更新的科学目标，目前包括：提高对海冰变化及其对生态系统、人类活动和气候的影响的理解和预测；了解浅层永久冻土丧失对北极和全球系统的影响；改进对未来土地的预测？冰的损失和对海平面的影响；分析北极环境变化对社会和政策的影响。NERC正在制定一项计划，重点关注其科学计划（http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/arctic/documents/arctic-science-plan.pdf）中详细介绍的四个相互关联的科学目标：了解并归因于目前北极地区的快速变化；量化导致北极甲烷和二氧化碳释放的过程；减少北极气候和相关区域生物地球化学预测的不确定性；以及评估与北极快速气候变化相关的海底灾害的可能风险。这一提议将促进国际合作，推动两国在研究北极变化方面的倡议。

This proposal is for travel support to approximately 25 U.S. participants to the US-UK Joint Workshop on Arctic Research to be held at Clare College, University of Cambridge, UK in 2012. The workshop will build on significant new investments in arctic research made by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through its Arctic Research Programme. The workshop will enable U.S. investigators to discuss common areas of interest, potential collaborations, and opportunities for sharing logistical resources with their UK colleagues. Participants will be selected by a committee based upon their expected contributions to the subject and their experience in relevant research themes, disciplinary balance and geographical location. U.S. participants are anticipated to be familiar with the goals of the Study of Environmental Arctic Change SEARCH. SEARCH is in the process of developing an updated set of scientific goals for the next five years, which currently include: improving understanding and prediction of sea ice changes and the consequences for ecosystems, human activities, and climate; understanding the consequences of the loss of shallow permafrost on arctic and global systems; improving predictions of future land?]ice loss and impacts on sea level; and analyzing societal and policy implications of arctic environmental change. NERC is developing a program focused on four linked scientific objectives, detailed in its science plan (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/arctic/documents/arctic-science-plan.pdf): understanding and attributing the current rapid changes in the Arctic; quantifying processes leading to Arctic methane and carbon dioxide release; reducing uncertainty in Arctic climate and associated regional biogeochemistry predictions; and assessing the likely risks of submarine hazards associated with rapid Arctic climate change. This proposal will facilitate international collaboration and furtherance of the two national initiatives to study change in the Arctic.