ARCSS Program | Community Survey (e-mail version)

If you would prefer to e-mail your answers to the survey, copy and paste the questions from below into an e-mail and send your completed answers to Helen Wiggins <helen@arcus.org>.

Click here to main ARCSS survey page.

ARCSS Synthesis Survey Form (e-mail Version)

Required fields

* First Name

* Last Name

* Email

* Organization

* Address

-----------------
Posting Preferences

____ Publish my answers and my name.

____ Publish my answers anonymously.

____ Only submit my answers to ARCUS. Do NOT publish my answers or name.

-----------------
1.What definition of the spatial extent of the Arctic is most useful for a system synthesis exercise?

 NSF works with a geographical definition of the Arctic: The United States Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 defines the Arctic as all areas north of the Arctic Circle and all United States territory north and west of the boundary formed by the Porcupine, Yukon, and Kuskokwim Rivers; all contiguous seas including the Arctic Ocean and the Beaufort, Bering, and Chukchi seas; and the Aleutian chain. However, there are numerous other definitions, including astropysical, permafrost boundaries, biogeographic, etc.



2.What is the arctic system? Do you think the arctic functions as a system and in what context (i.e., what elements of the system work together)?



3.During discussions at the first ARCSS Synthesis Retreat, held in August 2003 at Big Sky, Montana, the following nine system components were identified as critical to understanding the nature, timing, and magnitude of arctic system change:
* sea ice extent;
* permafrost extent;
* terrestrial ice extent;
* precipitation less evaporation/sublimation (P-E);
* thermohaline circulation (THC);
* terrestrial biomass;
* marine primary productivity;
* economic productivity; and
* human population.
Based on the above list: a. Which components (or interactions between components) would you prioritize as most in need of focused research? b. Are key components missing from this list? If so, what are they?



4.How do you define scientific synthesis? What type of scientific synthesis will contribute most to our understanding of the arctic system?



5.What are the most important scientific questions that need to be answered to achieve arctic system synthesis?



6.Given your definition of synthesis in question #4, what type(s) of methodological approaches or strategies are best suited for implementing system synthesis?



7.What are the keys to successful interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research? What do you perceive as the challenges?



8.How can smaller, single-PI projects best be incorporated in a synthesis enterprise?



9.What do you see as the priority needs in order to advance arctic system synthesis? These could be scientific, support infrastructure, organizational, community development needs, etc.



10.Other comments?