Arctic Research Plan FY2017-2021.

Abstract

The United States is an Arctic nation—Americans depend on the Arctic for biodiversity and climate regulation and for natural resources. America’s Arctic—Alaska—is at the forefront of rapid climate, environmental, and socio-economic changes that are testing the resilience and sustainability of communities and ecosystems. Research to increase fundamental understanding of these changes is needed to inform sound, science-based decision- and policy-making and to develop appropriate solutions for Alaska and the Arctic region as a whole. Created by an Act of Congress1 in 1984, and since 2010 a subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in the Executive Office of the President, the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) plays a critical role in advancing scientific knowledge and understanding of the changing Arctic and its impacts far beyond the boundaries of the Arctic. Comprising 14 Federal agencies, offices, and departments, IARPC is responsible for the implementation of a 5-year Arctic Research Plan in consultation with the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, the Governor of the State of Alaska, residents of the Arctic, the private sector, and public interest groups. This 5-year plan—Arctic Research Plan FY2017-2021—has nine goals: ---Enhance understanding of health determinants and improve the well-being of Arctic residents; -- Advance process and system understanding of the changing Arctic atmospheric composition and dynamics and the resulting changes to surface energy budgets; -- Enhance understanding and improve predictions of the changing Arctic sea ice cover; Increase understanding of the structure and function of Arctic marine ecosystems and their role in the climate system and advance predictive capabilities; -- Understand and project the mass balance of glaciers, ice caps, and the Greenland Ice Sheet, and their consequences for sea level rise; -- Advance understanding of processes controlling permafrost dynamics and the impacts on ecosystems, infrastructure, and climate feedbacks; -- Advance an integrated, landscape-scale understanding of Arctic terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and the potential for future change; -- Strengthen coastal community resilience and advance stewardship of coastal natural and cultural resources by engaging in research related to the interconnections of people, natural and built environments; and -- Enhance frameworks for environmental intelligence gathering, interpretation, and application toward decision support.