Science outputs from the Changing Arctic Ocean contribute to informing evidence-based decision making and policy. One of the key aims of the programme is to understand how the Arctic Ocean functions in a quantitative way, and to use numerical models to identify the range and rate of change in the Arctic, now and in the future. This information contributes to the policy and decision-making process.
The activities of the investigators in communicating their science outputs to policy makers are described here.
June 2020
UK-Russia Arctic Science Connections
Wednesday 3 June 2020 ~ ONLINE
Over the past few years, SIN Russia and the NERC Arctic Office have been working with the UK Arctic science community to help foster and deepen UK-Russia Arctic science collaborations.
This event is an important opportunity to hear directly from UK-based researchers who are establishing successful links with their Russian counterparts; to learn about recent practical collaborations and developing new opportunities for joint work; and to engage in discussion between researchers and policy/decision-makers about the future of strengthening UK-Russia Arctic connections.
The event is aimed at policy and decision makers from Parliament, Government Departments, research institutions, universities, Research Councils and beyond.
Investigators from the Changing Arctic Ocean programme are giving oral presentations at the event between 13:50 and 14:40:
- Prof Martin Solan (ChAOS project) “Achieving the impossible: new insights from UK-Russian collaborations“
- Dr Geoffrey Abbott (ChAOS project) “Exploring future collaboration on permafrost thaw in Siberia“
- Dr Paul Mann (CACOON project) “White Sea lakes as natural laboratories of global change“
More information here.
March 2020
Priorities in a Changing Central Arctic Ocean
Policy briefing note
Kate Hendry (ChAOS) has prepared a policy briefing about the “Priorities in a Changing Central Arctic Ocean.”
The research was conducted through a review of the science and policy literature, and consultation with national and international stakeholders. It has produced a comprehensive overview of past, current and future research activity in the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO), and outlined the geopolitical and legal structures governing relationships in the region.
January 2020
Marine Climate Change Impacts: Report Card 2020
The MCCIP Report Card 2020 summarises the latest evidence from 26 topics regarding the physical, ecological, and social and economic impacts of climate change on UK coasts and seas. New topics for this year include oxygen, cultural heritage, and transport and infrastructure.
More than 150 scientists from over 50 leading research organisations have contributed to this year’s Report Card, producing 26 peer-reviewed scientific reports which give detailed information regarding the evidence bases on UK marine climate change impacts.
The scientific report on “Impacts of climate change on Arctic sea-ice” involved several CAO investigators:
Phil Hwang (Arctic PRIZE), Yevgeny Aksenov (APEAR), Jack Landy (Diatom-ARCTIC) and Jeremy Wilkinson (Eco-Light).
Arctic Frontiers Emerging Leaders
22-28 January 2020 ~ Bodø, Lofoten and Tromsø, Norway
Laura Hobbs (Arctic PRIZE) has been successful in the selection to take part in a week-long “Emerging Leaders” course, organised by Arctic Frontiers and funded by the Research Council of Norway. The course will focus on Arctic politics and security, and the natural resources and industries representing the fundament for wealth creation in the North. Other aspects of the course include a security perspective, search and rescue in the High North, international resource negotiations, blue growth: feeding the world from the North, and Arctic seafood and tourism.
December 2019
COP25
6 December 2019 ~ Madrid, Spain
The Changing Arctic Ocean held a side event at COP25, hosted by the Cryosphere Pavilion. The aim of the side event was to present the evidence of climate change impacts on Arctic Ocean ecosystems and biogeochemistry and discuss the policy response.
Speakers from the Changing Arctic Ocean programme (Carol Turley ~ PETRA, Yevgeny Aksenov ~ APEAR, Jack Landy ~ Diatom-ARCTIC, Geoff Abbott ~ ChAOS) were joined by Prof Hans-Otto Pörtner of AWI, and Tim Eder of the BMBF.
October 2019
Science Policy Workshop 2019
8-9 October 2019 ~ Reykjavik, Iceland
Johan Faust (ChAOS) is taking part in the Science Policy Workshop 2019. Taking place in Reykjavik, Iceland, the focus of this workshop is “Raising awareness and building capacity for science-based policy-making.”
This workshop aims to provide training to early career researchers to raise awareness of the need to communicate beyond the research community, to introduce new career paths for early career researchers outside academia and to lower “mental barriers” in the transition between politics and science.
The workshop is organised by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, the German Arctic Office, the Alfred Wegener Institute, Rannis and the German Federal Foreign Office.
September 2019
Arctic Connections: Scotland’s Arctic policy framework
23 September 2019 ~ Stromness, Orkney, UK
The Scottish Government has developed a formal Arctic policy, “Arctic Connections: Scotland’s Arctic policy framework”. Published on 23 September 2019, it provides a prospectus for cooperation, knowledge-exchange and policy partnerships between Scotland and the Arctic.
Mark Inall and Finlo Cottier, both Arctic PRIZE investigators, have been very active in the consultation and preparation of the policy with the Scottish Government Arctic Policy Steering Group.
June 2019
H2020 Environment scanning workshop and report
Publication 1 June 2019
Yevgeny Aksenov (APEAR) contributed to the workshop and report in the series “Yamal 2040” organised within Blue-Action work package WP5 “Delivering and valuing climate and information services”.
The Blue-Action team developed forward-looking scenarios to better understand the risks and opportunities associated with multiple developments in the Arctic and help stakeholders to adapt to them.
The report is available here.
Invited keynote to BEIS
20 June 2019 ~ London, UK
Carol Turley (PETRA) gave an invited keynote to the UK Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 20 June 2019 in London. The title of her talk was “Ocean acidification: the Other CO2 Problem or an Indicator of Global Climate Change?”
Addressing the IPCC Findings Relevant to the Ocean and Climate Nexus
25 June 2019 ~ Bonn, Germany
Carol Turley (PETRA) attended this event and reported on the science addressed in the IPCC Special Report on The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate.
The side event took place during the 50th session of Subsidiary Body (SB) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It was organized by the Global Ocean Forum; Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action (ROCA) Initiative; Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan; Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC/UNESCO); Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Ocean Pathway (Government of Fiji and Sweden), Government of Maldives; Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Berlin; Government of Chile; and Oceano Azul Foundation, Portugal.
March 2019
Scotland’s Arctic Day Meeting
25 March 2019 ~ Inverness, UK
Scotland’s first Arctic Day provided an opportunity to gather views on the main topics featured in the draft Arctic policy framework, in preparation by the Scottish Government Arctic Policy Steering Group. Finlo Cottier (Arctic PRIZE) and Jordan Grigor (CHASE) contributed to the event.
February 2019
Scotland’s International Marine Conference
20-21 February 2019 ~ Strathclyde, UK
Scotland’s International Marine Conference 2019 focussed on current national and international actions to protect the marine environment.
Sian Henley (Arctic PRIZE, ChAOS) and Finlo Cottier (Arctic PRIZE, CHASE) both gave presentations at Scotland’s International Marine Conference.
October 2018
Seminar on Ocean Acidification
6-9 October 2019 ~ Reykjavik, Iceland
Carol Turley (PETRA) was invited to give the global perspective at the seminar on Ocean Acidification. This was held at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MRFI, Iceland), and was a collaboration between MRFI and the Iceland Nature Conservation Association. It was organised by Árni Finnsson (INCA), who is also a member of the Icelandic Climate Council.
By chance the IPCC Special Report on 1.5oC Warming was released just hours before the seminar, so not surprisingly this resulted in an excellent turnout as well as substantial media interest.
May 2018
Environmental Audit Parliamentary Committee Enquiry into “The Changing Arctic”
May 2018 ~ London, UK
In May 2018 investigators from Arctic PRIZE and DIAPOD submitted evidence to the Environmental Audit Parliamentary Committee enquiry into “The Changing Arctic”. The evidence addressed questions on how the Arctic is changing, the evidence for microplastics, UK Arctic policy and Arctic economic development.
Arctic PRIZE co-investigator Mark Inall was invited to give oral evidence to the Committee.
Associated documents:
- The Changing Arctic, Twelfth Report of Session 2017-2019 (printed 6 November 2018)
- The Changing Arctic: Government Response to the Committee’s Twelfth Report (printed 12 March 2019)
- Written evidence submitted by the National Oceanography Centre (including authors Day Mayor of DIAPOD and Yevgeny Aksenov of APEAR)
- Written evidence submitted by SAMS (including authors Mark Inall and Finlo Cottier of Arctic PRIZE)
