Overview

Courtesy UAF-IARC (N. Shakhova & I. Semiletov)

High-latitude areas are experiencing rapid change in response to contemporary global warming, but many parts of the the shallow circum-Arctic Ocean have been undergoing climate-induced changes since the onset of major sea level rise in the Late Pleistocene. Scientific drilling in the post-2013 era will present important opportunities for devising complex, multiplatform investigations to capture the impact of short- and long-term warming on geological, oceanographic, and biological processes on Arctic Ocean shelves (nominally less than 100 m water depth) and upper continental slopes (up to 1000 m water depth). This workshop will:

• Identify the best geographic area(s) for exploring active climate change processes affecting climate-susceptible geologic deposits (i.e., subsea permafrost and methane hydrates) using the drill as the primary tool.
• Identify other major knowledge gaps (e.g., in paleoceanography, sea level and sea ice reconstructions, sedimentology, microbiology, etc.) that can be addressed by drilling programs on Arctic Ocean continental shelves and upper continental slopes.
• Explore the unique scientific and technical challenges associated with drilling these areas to lay the groundwork for future site surveys, ancillary drilling programs (e.g., shorebased), and pre-proposals to the IODP system.

Logistics

The workshop will be held at the Marriott Marquis Union Square in San Francisco on the weekend immediately following the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting. The workshop will run until 5pm on Sunday, December 11th; if leaving that evening, participants are asked to not book flights before 8pm. Workshop participants will be responsible for booking their own accommodations, either at the meeting venue or elsewhere.

Applications

To attend, please contact Carolyn Ruppel with a brief (maximum 1 page) statement of interest that provides a description of your research plans and how attendance at the workshop may enhance those plans. International participation is strongly encouraged. Limited travel funding is available for U.S.-based and Russian-based scientists, including postdoctoral researchers and graduate students. The deadline to apply is by October 30, 2011, but late applications will be considered as space allows.

Steering Committee

Carolyn Ruppel (chair), U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology
Vladimir Romanovsky (co-chair), University of Alaska Fairbanks
Charlie Paull, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Jürgen Mienert, University of Tromsø
Scott Dallimore , Geological Survey of Canada, Pacific Geoscience Center
Timothy Collett, U.S. Geological Survey, Energy Research Program

Workshop Sponsors

IODP U.S. Science Support Program
U.S. Geological Survey Gas Hydrates Project