Arctic Research Plan 



In July 1987, the Interagency Arctic Research Policy 

 Committee, pursuant to the Arctic Research and Policy Act, 

 transmitted to the President and the Congress the United 

 States Arctic Research Plan. 4 In preparing the Plan, the 

 Interagency Committee sought the advice of Federal and State 

 of Alaska agencies, the Arctic Research Commission, the Arctic 

 scientific community, the private sector, public interest 

 groups, and Alaska residents. 



The Plan describes national research needs and priorities 

 in the areas of national security, resource development, and 

 acquisition of new scientific knowledge in the Arctic. The 

 Plan is intended to serve as a guide for Federal agencies as 

 they plan and implement Arctic programs and responsibilities. 

 It describes Arctic research programs currently being conducted 

 or sponsored by Federal agencies, identifies additional programs 

 necessary to better address national issues, and offers sugges- 

 tions for interagency and interdisciplinary cooperation. 

 Research issues that cut across most disciplines, such as 

 remote sensing, data management, logistics, and involvement of 

 Arctic residents in research, are noted as areas requiring 

 further evaluation and consideration by the Interagency Commit- 

 tee in subsequent revisions of the Plan. 



The Arctic Research and Policy Act requires a biennial 

 update of the Plan. In preparing the revised Plan, due in July 

 1989, the Interagency Committee staff group, including a 

 Marine Mammal Commission representative, met in 1988 to: 

 assess preliminary steps needed to improve the existing Plan; 

 analyze the status of existing programs; assist agencies in 

 developing short- and long-term cooperative interagency research 

 objectives; and evaluate research-related activities. A 

 first draft of the revised Plan was being formulated at the 

 end of 1988. 



The revised Plan will include a section on coordinated 

 interagency programs. Because of agency interest in studies 

 of global climate and climatic change, the focus of coordinated 

 programs is likely to be the role of the Arctic in global 

 environmental change. Better understanding of Arctic processes, 

 including biological and physical aspects of change, as well 

 as human response to climate change, will improve forecasting 

 of environmental conditions such as weather, sea-ice formation, 

 and ocean dynamics, which in turn will help to identify actions 



4 Copies of the Plan are available from the Polar 

 Coordination and Information Section, Division of Polar 

 Programs, National Science Foundation, 1800 G Street, N.W., 

 Washington, D.C. 20550. 



121 



