The Pacific Marine Arctic Regional Synthesis (PacMARS) and the Synthesis of Arctic Research (SOAR) announce that an open community workshop will be held 20 January 2013, just prior to the 2013 Alaska Marine Science Symposium in Anchorage, Alaska.
PacMARS is a project underwritten by the North Pacific Marine Research Institute to assemble, by mid-year 2013, up-to-date written documentation that contributes to understanding the Pacific-influenced continental shelf ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean. The objective is to compile the best available knowledge from local communities, peer-reviewed social and natural sciences, and less readily available knowledge sources. The overall goal is to provide guidance for scientific research needs in the region. SOAR is a 5-year project supported by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). SOAR is chartered to synthesize scientific information and local observations to improve understanding of the relationships among oceanographic conditions, benthic organisms, lower trophic prey species (forage fish and zooplankton), seabirds, and marine mammal distribution and behavior for the Pacific arctic region. The SOAR effort builds on existing interdisciplinary work to develop detailed syntheses to inform management decision-makers and to guide future research studies.
The workshop will provide an update of activities for both the PacMARS and SOAR projects, and solicit input on themes for future research initiatives in the region. The agenda for the PacMARS-SOAR workshop will include highlight presentations of activities from both synthesis projects, followed by break-out sessions with the workshop participants to identify additional data synthesis activities being undertaken, and to develop a composite of scientific themes for future interdisciplinary and interagency efforts in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.
To attend the workshop, please complete the registration form available at: http://tinyurl.com/PacMARS-SOAR.