July 01, 2009

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The United States Arctic Research Commission will hold its annual fall meeting Oct. 25-27 at Oregon State University, where the seven commissioners will hear scientific presentations by more than a dozen OSU researchers.

The commission is an advisory body that recommends Arctic research policy to the president and Congress. It was established in 1984 to develop a federal program for basic and applied research related to the Arctic.

"The visit by the commission brings a lot of attention and prestige to the university," said Mark Abbott, dean of the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS). "OSU has a lot of important research focusing on the Arctic by faculty from a number of different colleges and academic backgrounds. Because of global warming concerns and discussions about drilling, the Arctic has been the focus of a lot of interest of late, so the timing for the visit couldn't be better."

The commissioners will spend Tuesday and Wednesday on OSU's main campus in Corvallis, where they will hear a number of presentations from faculty. The meeting will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. on Tuesday and 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday at the CH2M-Hill Alumni Center. On Thursday, the commission will move to Newport for sessions at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center running from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The sessions are free and open to the public, though space may be limited.

A public discussion on Arctic research will begin at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

The agenda for the three-day meeting is available online at http://www.coas.oregonstate.edu/.

Topics covered in the OSU presentations include:

  • "Tracer Hydrography of the Arctic Ocean," by Kelly Falkner, COAS (9:40 a.m., Tuesday);
  • "Submarine-based Observations of the Upper Layers of the Arctic Ocean," Tim Boyd, COAS (10:25 a.m., Tuesday);
  • "The Geomagnetic Field of the Arctic: Understanding Possible Futures from Reconstructing the Past," Joe Stoner, COAS (10:50 a.m., Tuesday);
  • "Contaminants in the Arctic: National Parks as Sentinel Ecosystems," by Kim Hageman, Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology (11:15 a.m., Tuesday);
  • "Rain, Fog, Hugs and Tears: Results of the 2005 NSF-funded Field Season on King Island, Alaska," Deanna Kingston, Department of Anthropology (11:40 a.m., Tuesday);
  • "Permafrost Engineering Issues," Ted Vinson, College of Engineering (3:25 p.m., Tuesday);
  • "Arctic Ice Cores and the History of Abrupt Climate Change," Ed Brook, Department of Geosciences (3:50 p.m., Tuesday);
  • "Recent Large Albedo Decreases on a Greenland Outlet Glacier," Anne Nolin, Department of Geosciences (4:15 p.m., Tuesday);
  • "Geochemistry of the Gakkel Ridge: Ultraslow Seafloor Spreading at the Top of the World," David Graham, COAS (9 a.m., Wednesday);
  • "Microbial Ecology in the Arctic Ocean," Ev and Barry Sherr, COAS (9:30 a.m., Wednesday);
  • "Modeling Arctic Ocean Ecosystems," Yvette Spitz, COAS (10:55 a.m., Wednesday);
  • "Fisheries Behavioral Ecology in Alaskan Waters," Cliff Ryer, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center (8:45 a.m., Thursday, Newport);
  • "Free Choice Learning Initiative," Shawn Rowe, Extension Sea Grant (9:10 a.m., Thursday, Newport);
  • "Exploring Submarine Activity off the Antarctic Peninsula Using Passive Underwater Acoustics," Robert Dziak, OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center (10 a.m., Thursday, Newport);
  • "Satellite Tracking Studies of Albatrosses in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands," Rob Suryan, OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center (10:25 a.m., Thursday, Newport).

    The U.S. Arctic Research Commission's seven members include four from academic or research institutions, two from private industry undertaking commercial activities in the Arctic, and one from the indigenous residents of the Arctic. The director of the National Science Foundation serves as an ex-officio member.

    • Source: 

    Mark Abbott, 541-737-5195

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