Coordination and Participation: Workshop "Observations of upper-ocean and sea-ice interactions in the Eastern Arctic Ocean"

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Funds are provided for an international, interdisciplinary Workshop entitled ?Observations of upper-ocean and sea-ice interactions in the Eastern Arctic Ocean?. The workshop builds on significant previous efforts in developing scientific ideas for the proposed "Eurasian Basin Ice Camp" (EBIC) field program and will promote international support. EBIC would collect data with which to address the questions: 1. What are the processes, and their magnitudes, that explain the rapid reduction in ocean heat content of the Atlantic Water as it circulates along the margins of the eastern Arctic?2. How do these processes interact with the pack ice and atmosphere to modify the evolution of Arctic sea ice in a changing climate? and 3. How do properties of the upper ocean affect fundamental processes of nutrients and zooplankton assemblages in the poorly studies region of the Arctic Ocean? The workshop will enable US and international investigators to discuss common areas of interest, potential collaborations, and opportunities for sharing logistical resources. This workshop will develop a concrete science plan, with broad US and international Arctic community contribution, for the scope of the abovementioned field program. Following this general goal, the proposed Workshop?s objectives are to:1. identify key science questions and hypotheses that must be addressed by an experimental program in order to significantly advance our understanding of sea-ice and upper-ocean processes and interactions in the eastern Arctic Ocean,2. identify essential technologies and platforms to address these questions and hypotheses, including, but not limited to, the potential for ship surveys; one or more focused ice camps; drifters, underwater and airborne autonomous vehicles; and satellite or airborne remote sensing,3. develop plans for experiment logistics, 4. identify timelines, multi-agency funding sources, international cooperation strategies, and management approaches, and5. develop approaches for coordination of the proposed activities within the wider Arctic science community, identify needs of the satellite and modeling communities in terms of observational data to be collected during the ice camp, and develop plans for engagement of young scientists in project activities.The workshop coordinators will develop a draft White Paper summarizing the workshop outcomes. This document will be circulated amongst all workshop participants for further comment, then posted, broadly advertised and shared directly with the community for further comment before being finalized three months after the workshop.Large amounts of heat are transported into the Arctic Ocean with waters originating in the Atlantic Ocean. There has been much speculation concerning the fate of this heat, particularly its importance in melting sea ice. Recent reductions in sea ice and large expanses of summer open water may have changed the process environment of the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean. The proposed workshop would bring together international scientists to discuss these issues and to plan a possible field effort to study the fate of this heat in a changing environment. The resultant understanding from such a study would be important for forecasting sea ice cover over the Eurasian Basin and, possibly, beyond, to the Canadian Basin.