41 



The University of Alaska is prepared to organize this planning meeting and to serve 

 as a clearinghouse to coordinate an immediate response using existing expertise from 

 universities and state, federal, and international agencies. UAF has ties with most of the 

 federal funding agencies that might have interest in this problem; NSF, DOE, NASA, 

 NOAA, Coast Guard, USFWS, EPA, NIH, CDC, Public Health and the Corps of 

 Engineers. 



ARCnC RESEARCH VESSEL 



It is recognized that the U.S. presently has a limited capability to sample the Arctic 

 Ocean. U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers. Polar Star and Polar Sea, are available when not on 

 other missions. Major expeditions have been carried out on these vessels but the sampling 

 of frequently repeated stations is much more difficult. Russian ice breakers are another 

 logical platfonn to use especially in the next few years. However, the long-term solution is 

 for the U.S. to rely on its own ^ctic research vessel. 



The National Science Foundation has funded a conceptual desi^ and is now 

 funding a preliminary design of such a vessel with input from the scientists of the Arctic 

 community. The final design is expected in 1993 with construction beginning in 1994. It 

 should be available in 1996 and will be capable of addressing many of the Arctic pollution 

 problems for die fnrst quarter of the next century. This will be an important capabihty since 

 it will allow the U.S. research community to have control over its ability to sample in the 

 Arctic. It will pennit sampling (xi the Alaska and Siberian shelves unaided by escort for 

 about six months of die year. Endorsement firom the State Department and other federal 

 agencies is appropriate to ensure that the design and construction of this vessel progresses 

 in an orderiy fashion. 



Thomas C Royer 



Chancellor's Faculty Associate for Research 

 University of Alaska Fairbanks 

 Fairbanks. Alaska 9977S 



