The ultimate goal of the ART Initiation Workshop is to develop a full science and implementation plan based on the ART White Paper (http://www.aosb.org/pdf/ASSW09_ART_AOSB_final.pdf) to further the goals of ART. Several expert speakers from various disciplines (e.g., oceanography, sea ice, geology/paleoceanography, biology, meteorology, and geochemistry) will discuss the key scientific questions outlined within the ART proposal. During a field trip, the participants will be able to experience the Arctic in rapid transition. Workshop participants will form small working groups centered on the three main components of ART: sea ice variability, land-ocean transport processes, and ecosystem responses. These groups will discuss the key scientific questions within each field, present them to the workshop as a whole, and help to develop a science plan to address them. The final goal of the workshop will be to integrate the proposals and develop the overall ART science plan.

The ART Initiative is a proposed integrative, multi-disciplinary, long-term, pan-arctic program to study changes and feedbacks with respect to physical characteristics and biogeochemical cycles of the
Arctic Ocean and its biological productive capacity. ART will focus on integrating data on past and present transitional states of the Arctic Ocean that can be used synergistically with ongoing monitoring,
observing, and modeling efforts to better assess future changes. The ART White Paper, developed by early career scientists, aims to compile scientific expertise across disciplines, national borders, and career stages to identify and formulate future key questions for integrated research on Arctic Ocean system studies.

Funding to attend the workshop is available to early career scientists.
For more funding information, please go to:
http://www.aosb.org/art_ecs.html.

The ART Initiation workshop is endorsed and sponsored by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Science Steering Committee (SSC) "Marine System", the former Arctic Ocean Science Board (AOSB).

The application deadline is Sunday, 20 September 2009. To submit your application, please go to: http://www.aosb.org/registration/.

For further information, please go to:
http://www.aosb.org/art.html.

Or contact:
Carolyn Wegner
Email: cwegner@ifm-geomar.de