Minutes


April 3, 2015 • Arlington, Virginia

(Virtual Meeting for members)

 

Committee Participants present: The meeting took place via conference call.

W. Berry Lyons (OPP Subcommittee Chair)
Stefanie Brachfeld*
John Cassano*
Catherine Constable
James Dixon
Thomas Neumann*
Leigh Stearns*
Gregory Sullivan
Jeff Welker*

(*designates subcommittee members who are not members of the full AC/GEO)

NSF participants: 
Anjuli Bamzai
Scott Borg
Kelly Falkner
Dan King
Tim Howard
Nature McGinn
Winnie Reuning
Eric Saltzman
Neil Swanberg
Peter West

Friday, April 3, 2015

At its fall 2014 meeting, the GEO Advisory Committee endorsed supplementing the OPP subcommittee (OPP-SC) with additional members in order to cover the breadth of disciplines that OPP supports.  In preparation for the meeting, the OPP-SC had devised a list of areas that it recommended as priorities for representation.  Once the full GEO AC membership was confirmed in March, 2015, OPP used that list to guide enlistment of six additional members (see names starred above) to the sub-committee.  All but one of these (JoAnn Mellish) was able to join this initial conference call.

The call started with a brief review of evolution of the Office of Polar Programs Advisory Committee to the current circumstances of the OPP Subcommittee. It was noted that although a subcommittee meeting is not subject to all the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), in the interest of transparency, OPP will post meeting notes.  Under FACA rules, substantive advice or input to OPP from the subcommittee must be deliberated by the GEO AC for it to become a matter of the official advisory record.

OPP-SC members were next alerted to the topics to be discussed in the OPP Subcommittee session during the one-hour meeting of the GEO AC on April 8, 2015.  These will entail 10-minute presentations by NSF staff and 10 minutes of discussion each.  They are: a status review of the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernization for Science Project (AIMS) that is currently in Major Research Equipment and Construction Facilities process queue (Brian Stone), Arctic Policy developments (Eric Saltzman) and OPP Health & Safety Policy developments (Sue LaFratta). 

The status of major studies and workshops relevant to OPP were summarized. In the interest of time at the upcoming GEO-AC meeting, these will not be discussed in the OPP-SC session but GEO-AC members will be alerted to the content of these notes as a summary of this topic.

The USAP conducts a program wide overview every 10-12 years.  Most recently, a 2011 National Research Council (NRC) study regarding future Antarctic science drivers (http://www.nap.edu/catalog/13169/future-science-opportunities-in-antarctica-and-the-southern-ocean) provided context for a system-wide infrastructure and logistics review by a Blue Ribbon Panel  (BRP) (https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/usap_special_review/usap_brp/rpt/antarctica_07232012.pdf).  The BRP report contained 84 implementing recommendations covering 10 major areas of concern.  NSF delivered an initial response (https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/usap_special_review/usap_brp/rpt/nsf_brp_response.pdf) and implemented a number of changes.  Most of the remaining recommendations are being addressed by AIMS. 

An underway study via the NAS Polar Research Board builds on the NRC report Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean to engage the community and develop advice for prioritizing research investments (http://dels.nas.edu/Study-In-Progress/Development-Strategic-Vision/DELS-BASCPR-13-03?bname=prb). A release date has not been set but is anticipated to be mid to late summer, 2015. Input from the GEO/AC and OPP subcommittee is welcomed and desired both on the report itself when released and how the AC and community might wish be engaged in using this report. 

There are two upcoming Antarctic Sea ice workshops:

1. A Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP)-sponsored workshop on Antarctic sea ice in Hobart, Australia on 12–13 May 2015 ( https://www.comnap.aq/SitePages/SeaIceWorkshop.aspx ). The aim of the workshop, entitled COMNAP Sea Ice Challenges Workshop, is to obtain the latest scientific advice on the causes and likely future trends in sea ice expansion, to scope the challenges these trends will pose for national Antarctic programs and other operators, and to identify and discuss potential solutions. A call for expressions of interest closed on 6 March 2015.
   
   Sessions include:
   • Recent National Antarctic Program Experiences with Changing Sea Ice;
   • Sea Ice Trends;
   • Sea Ice Technology Display (no speakers, limited to displays/demonstrations/posters);
   • Operational Implications;
   • Operational Requirements for Sea Navigation;
   • Available Technologies to Assist Sea Ice Navigation/Voyage Planning;
   • Icebreaker Solutions
   • Alternative Solutions.
     
     
2. The NAS Polar Research Board, with sponsorship from NASA and NSF (and possibly ONR and other agencies) will organize a workshop to examine trends and drivers of Antarctic sea ice change with an look back over 50 years and an emphasis on the record extents observed in the last 3 years. Workshop attendees will be asked to examine the processes governing decadal-scale growth and recent surge in Antarctic sea ice extent, projections of future Antarctic sea ice changes, and identify how to improve our understanding of current and future Antarctic sea ice changes. Specific plans are still in development at this stage with a general target of mid-late Summer or early Fall 2015. PRB staff will provide information on this workshop as it becomes available. See http://www.dels.nas.edu/prb/ or send e-mail to prb@nas.edu or contact the PRB staff member Lauren Everett at (202) 334-1753 or via e-mail at leverett@nas.edu

A joint US-Sweden workshop was held in Sigtuna, Sweden (March30-April 1) to discuss joint scientific use of the ODEN icebreaker.  The workshop involved discussion of:  1) cruise logistics associated with an upcoming 2015 cruise to Petermann Glacier, 2) scientific scope of a possible 2017/18 summer cruise in the central Arctic on aerosols, clouds, and energy balance, 3) scientific priorities for possible future cruises beyond 2018, and 4) principles for scientific collaboration, data sharing, review timelines, etc.  Closed discussions were held between NSF, Swedish Polar research Secretariat, Formas, and the Swedish Research Council (VR) to develop principles and mechanisms for joint or coordinated proposal review.  The workshop report is anticipated to be released in June 2015.

Possible topics for future consideration by the OPP-SC were discussed.  Those mentioned include refreshing the OPP Strategic Plan, International Engagement, Communications Issues & Strategies; Committee of Visitor report updates (typically a Fall AC-GEO topic) and Community Input regarding Logistics for the Arctic.  In addition, we should begin planning for the 2016 COVs for combined Antarctic Sciences and Antarctic Infrastructure & Logistics Sections and for the Arctic Section.

OPP-SC Chair Berry Lyons will be connecting with recent past OPP-SC Chair Cecilia Bitz in the coming week to determine what remains on the agenda from previous meetings.

The committee was apprised of the recent successful hosting by the NSF Director of a visit to Antarctica by a Congressional Delegation lead by Representative and Chair of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Lamar Smith. Ten members and 4 staff comprised the Delegation.  It was also noted that the NSF Director will be conducting a site visit to Alaska June 21-27.

Going forward, OPP intends to regularize the OPP-SC meetings to entail 2 (or more as needed) conference calls between each GEO-AC meeting.  One following the meeting will provide an opportunity to debrief the full OPP-SC on what transpired and to plan for taking up any issues that emerge.  The second call will focus on advancing such matters. Ms. Reuning kindly provided the committee url’s for the GEO-AC and OPP-SC pages as well as those of studies discussed immediately following the meeting.  Materials will normally be provided in advance of the OPP-SC meetings to foster substantive discussion. OPP intends to apply Video Teleconferencing to enhance the virtual meetings. Dr. Andrew Backe of NSF (abacke@nsf.gov) serves as the primary Point of Contact for organizing committee matters.

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Last updated: 04/06/2015