Report on IASC MWG at ASSW 2022
Reported by Takashi KIKUCHI (JAMSTEC), Michiyo KAWAI (TUMSAT)
Related research program: Ocean
The meeting of the Marine Working Group (MWG) of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) was held in hybrid format in Tromsø, Norway on 27 March 2022 during the Arctic Science Summit Week 2022 (ASSW 2022).
The meeting started with updates on Central Arctic Fishing Agreement, IASC Strategic Plan Action Group, and ICARP IV. For the Central Arctic Fishing Agreement, which entered into force in June 2021, monitoring programs and data sharing management will be established in next two years. The ICARP IV international conference will be held in 2025. Candidates for the steering committee member from MWG have not been selected.
Following the self-introduction by a new MWG fellow, reports on MWG activities supported in 2020-2021 were presented. Field programs for Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS) had some delay by COVID pandemic; however, several cruises were conducted in summer 2020 and 2021, including those of R/V Mirai, and others are planned for summer 2022. Indigenous Methodologies in Collaborative Arctic Science held a special session at AASW 2022. PaleoArc held an on-line meeting “Processes and Palaeo-environmental changes in Arctic: from past to present” in May. Abstracts for this meeting are available online. BEPSII Sea Ice School will be held at the CHARS station in May 2022. Nearly 100 applications were received. Drs. Daiki Nomura and Naoya Kanna will join this school as a lecturer from Japan. A program to take young scientists and indigenous people on Arctic Cruises has difficulties due to the pandemic but continue to seek participants in the coming field season. ArcticLight Network, aiming to consolidate the knowledge of the role of light in the Arctic ecosystems and societies, held a first workshop in March. MOSAiC Science Conference will be held in April in Germany. Engaging with the Arctic: Scientists and Educators Co-developing Education Outreach and Communication tools is working to produce an updated version of the “Polar Science and Global Change: An International Resource for Education and Outreach.” Indigenous-led Wildlife and Protected Area Management will hold a workshop in Greenland.
Also presented and discussed are reports on activities of Pacific Arctic Group (PAG) and opportunities for young scientists to join the cruise of Mirai in 2023 and possible travel support from MWG.
Contribution of MWG to the UN Ocean Decade were discussed. MWG decided to summarize the MWG activities and provide it the March 28 workshop, and to plan a workshop with other IASC groups. At the end of the meeting, the reappointment of the Chair (Heidi Kassens) and Vice-Chairs (Takashi Kikuchi and Karen Frey) were decided.