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The primary goal of the Open Science Meeting (OSM) is to inform a broad research community about research that addresses the basic premise of SEARCH, that there exists a complex of interrelated pan-Arctic changes occurring across terrestrial, oceanic, atmospheric and human systems. We anticipate that these results will inspire scientists from a large range of disciplines to contribute to SEARCH either through linking their ongoing work to this program or through the design of new projects. Understanding the interdependence of these changes and their relation to mid-latitudes represents a major research challenge, both in the international and U.S. arenas. The Open Science Meeting will be a forum for presentation and discussion of recent scientific findings that document these large changes, as well as the exchange of new ideas that will contribute to solving the questions posed by the observations.

The Monday – Wednesday, three-day meeting format will begin each morning with several invited keynote talks, highlighting important and provocative scientific issues. The afternoons will continue with four or five two-hour parallel science sessions, which can be topical, regional, or disciplinary. These sessions will be followed by poster sessions. The science sessions are primarily to foster open discussion. The final afternoon will end with a review of the science sessions. Evenings and Thursday will provide an opportunity for short town meetings or other information sharing or planning by specific research programs, agencies, or groups.
We are soliciting suggestions from the research community on topics for the morning keynotes and the afternoon parallel sessions. Please send us your suggestions and recommendations by Friday, 18 April 2003.

The three morning sessions will be divided into the major themes of Changes and Impacts, Feedbacks, and Drivers/Causes. Day one could address information on topics such as sea-ice changes, tundra/greenness changes, impacts on Northern Seas, how and why human systems are changing. Day two might include such topics as carbon cycle, freshwater cycle, cloud-radiation feedback, and stratospheric chemistry. Day three could include the global thermohaline circulation, the role of CO2 in driving Arctic atmospheric dynamics, and recent changes in the context of historical and paleo-environmental records. These examples are presented as ideas and possibilities not restrictive limitations. The afternoon sessions provide an opportunity for expanded community discussion of these or other topics.

The SEARCH OSM organizers wish to involve colleagues from the international science community, as well as residents of the Arctic. We encourage the international community and stakeholder communities to participate in all conference activities from submitting suggestions and recommendations in the planning phase to participating in keynote talks, oral and poster presentations, discussion and observation at the meeting. We hope to ensure broad participation from stakeholder communities, young investigators, and other important constituencies.

An organizing committee established by ARCUS is working with the SEARCH Science Steering Committee, the Interagency Working Group, and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), to determine the broad themes and format of the meeting, and to enrich the international involvement and contributions to SEARCH science planning. The sponsoring agencies and the organizing committee for the SEARCH open science meeting invites anyone interested in the potential of the SEARCH effort to participate in the discussions. We particularly encourage students and colleagues from outside of the US to attend. We expect about 300 participants. There will be a registration fee of approximately $200 (USD).

We encourage involvement in the SEARCH Open Science Meeting by a large cross-section of scientists. Please forward your ideas and suggestions by Friday, 18 April 2003 to Jim Overland and Wendy Warnick. Mention SEARCH OSM in the subject line.

Call for Papers and Posters

Participants may submit abstracts on line. There is no fee for abstract submission.

Papers
The organizing commitee is accepting papers to be featured in several parallel science sessions. Submited abstracts will be reviewed by the session co-chairs and th organizing committee. Authors will be notified regarding acceptance in early August 2003.

Posters

Poster submissions are encouraged for all of the eight cateories above. Posters relevant to any aspect of environmental arctic change consistent with the themes of SEARCH are also welcomed. Poster abstracts will be reviewed and accepted upon submission.