Observations Community of Practice

Scope of Activities

Deliverables from the Arctic Research Plan

MOMP 1 Coordinate activities and communities of practice that bring together Arctic modeling, observing, monitoring, and prediction to advance Arctic research.

• MOMP 1.1 Support development of synthesis products, best-estimate datasets, and model intercomparison studies using cases from major Arctic field campaigns and long-term observational sites to better enable the use of observational data in model evaluation.
• MOMP 1.4 Support ongoing work, such as observing system experiments, to quantify the current and potential value of Arctic ocean, atmosphere, sea ice, and land observations for initialized predictions spanning daily to decadal timescales.

MOMP 3 Support coordination and engagement with Federal, State, international, and non-Federal partners who are conducting monitoring, observing, modeling, and prediction in the Arctic.

• MOMP 3.4 Support participation of U.S. researchers in international Arctic observing and observational planning efforts to evaluate and improve the Arctic Observing Network. Progress will be tracked in relevant scientific papers, presentations, international arrangements, and/or meeting sessions.

MOMP 4 Support best practices in field observations and modeling.

• MOMP 4.1 Build on existing efforts within federal agencies to share resources and implement best practices for improving field safety culture, diversity, and inclusivity and enforcing safe working environments in the field, including both physical safety while working in harsh and remote Arctic environments and emotional safety from harassment and hostile working conditions.

PILR 1 Fulfill Federal requirement to consult with Federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations.

• PILR 1.2 Evaluate the Principles for Conducting Research in the Arctic 2018, and update as needed based on the evaluation.

PILR 3 Develop guidance for agencies to consistently apply participatory research and Indigenous leadership in research.

• PILR 3.1 Identify key elements of Indigenous leadership in research with Tribes, Indigenous organizations, and federal agencies. Integrate these elements into the Principles for Conducting Research in the Arctic and develop guidance for federal agencies.
• PILR 3.2 Share information among agencies about how to streamline contracting, agreements, and compensation processes to support co-stewardship and co-production of knowledge.
• PILR 3.3 Convene, facilitate, and participate in discussions to identify mechanisms to foster equitable pathways for Indigenous leadership in research.
• PILR 3.4 To aid in agencies’ ethical engagement and meaningful work with Tribal governments and Indigenous communities and organizations, compile a list of resources and guidance, rules, protocols, and approaches that Tribal governments and Indigenous communities and organizations have put forward. Distribute the list to agencies and post publicly via the IARPC Collaborations website. Share the list with the Tribal governments and Indigenous communities and organizations to provide additional insights, pending their interest, to the federal workforce on implementing the guidance, rules, protocols, and approaches they have put forward.

RISK 1 Summarize currently available data and information requirements associated with hazard and risk mitigation, adaptation, and response efforts. Synthesize community-led activities and information to identify potential needs for future efforts.

• RISK 1.1 Conduct a study identifying where information used in decision-making and planning around risks and hazards can be improved through access to new or additional data sources. This study should consider a wide range of activities associated with ongoing responses to common and emerging hazards, including risk reduction efforts and emergency preparedness and response. The scope of the study will be expanded to include information on tsunamis and volcanoes.
• RISK 1.2 Share findings of RISK 1.1 as a means to (1) spur additional research and science communication aimed at addressing unmet needs for planning, prevention, response, and recovery and (2) inform time-sensitive decision-making and planning processes.
• RISK 1.3 Develop a network that brings together scientists, the emergency management community, and key agency contacts to share knowledge, identify new and emerging challenges, and inform decision-making and operations through research.

RISK 2 Update and improve the “Statewide Threat Assessment: Identification of Threats from Erosion, Flooding, and Thawing Permafrost in Remote Alaska Communities.”

• RISK 2.1 Identify the top threats/hazards to communities and critical remote state and federal government infrastructure in the state of Alaska that should be included in the Statewide Threat Assessment. This might include coastal and river erosion, flooding, thawing permafrost, and changes in the seasonal snowpack.
• RISK 2.2 Upon completion of RISK 2.1, establish a data collection and collation plan to include mechanisms to collect threat/hazard data that may not be readily available.
• RISK 2.3 Collect and integrate disparate threat/hazard information and perform modeling and analysis to understand where natural and human-made threats and hazards pose a risk to Arctic communities.

SYSTEMS 1 Advance understanding of Arctic amplification and the associated connections with lower latitudes.

• SYSTEMS 1.1 Provide funding opportunities for investigator-driven modeling and observational studies that focus on the following aspects of Arctic amplification: (1) ice-albedo feedback; (2) impacts of atmospheric and oceanic circulation on Arctic amplification; and/or (3) transport of heat, moisture, and pollutants between Arctic and lower latitudes. Share knowledge and synthesize results arising from these studies.
• SYSTEMS 1.2 Hold workshops and webinars and produce publications to encourage interagency research coordination on Arctic amplification and to share results.
• SYSTEMS 1.3 Provide opportunities to support and coordinate research to enhance the understanding of connections between Arctic and global ocean circulation with a particular focus on Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.

SYSTEMS 3 Understand interactions between social, ecological, and physical Arctic systems, particularly in the context of coastal, climate, and cryospheric change.

• SYSTEMS 3.1 Through conference sessions, scientific and non-technical publications, and IARPC Collaborations meetings, highlight results from missions that contribute to long-term observations of land ice.

TIA 1 Survey federally funded research technology.

• TIA 1.1 Strategically engage externally, across IARPC, and within the Technology Innovation and Application Collaboration Team.
• TIA 1.2 Use the Technology Innovation and Application Collaboration Team to support and coordinate technology-related conversations and activities throughout IARPC Collaborations.

Accomplishments

To be added in 2023.