Appendix 6.4
Scope of the IASC Working Groups
The core elements of IASC are its Working
and its interactions with other components of the
Groups (WGs). IASC WGs identify and formulate
arctic system.
science plans, research priorities, encourage sciof Arctic scientists and act as scientific advisory
Marine Working Group (former Arctic
Ocean Sciences Board)
boards to the Council.
The geographic scope of the Marine Working Group
ence-led programs, promote future generations
shall be the Arctic Ocean and the Subarctic Seas.
The scientific scope shall include but not be limit-
Atmosphere Working Group
ed to any marine natural science or engineering re-
The geographic scope of the Atmosphere Working
search.
Group shall be the Arctic but will also include the
Arctic´s responses to global change processes (arc-
Terrestrial Working Group
tic amplification) and impacts of arctic changes on
The scientific scope of the Terrestrial Working Group
the northern hemisphere atmospheric circulation.
shall include any scientific research on arctic terres-
The scientific scope of the Atmosphere Working
trial and freshwater environments, landscapes and
Group includes scientific research toward under-
biota, and their responses to, and interactions with,
standing and prediction of arctic change, and con-
other components of the Earth system. The remit
sidering the fate of perennial sea ice and the global
encompasses the dynamics of the arctic system;
atmospheric consequences of its disappearance.
past, present and future. Geographically, the main
This includes past climate states, investigation of
area of interest encompasses lands and freshwater
arctic processes across datasets and approaches,
within the area north of the latitudinal treeline with
and climate model projections. The scope includes
arctic climate and arctic vegetation. Several adja-
local and regional impacts of arctic change.
cent areas are included where highly relevant for
certain disciplines and projects (a) boreal oceanic
Cryosphere Working Group
tundra (e.g., the Aleutian Islands, North Atlantic is-
The geographic scope of the Cryosphere Working
lands), (b) alpine tundra that is continuous with the
Group shall be those areas of the Arctic and con-
arctic tundra (e.g., the central highlands of Iceland,
tiguous areas of the sub-Arctic where one or more
the Scandes Mountains, the Polar Urals), (c) the for-
element of the cryosphere (including the Greenland
est tundra, and (d) drainage basins to the south that
ice sheet, mountain glaciers, ice caps, icebergs, sea
connect with freshwater and marine areas of the
ice, snow cover and snowfall, permafrost and sea-
Arctic.
sonally frozen ground, and lake or river ice) plays an
or the fresh water budget. It will normally include
Social and Human Sciences Working
Group
the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas (including
The geographic scope of the Social und Human Sci-
the Baltic), Alaska, Canada’s northern Territories,
ences Working Group shall be the Arctic as defined
Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard and the Russian Arcti