The North Atlantic-Arctic Science Plan has been finalised

The North Atlantic Ocean, its connection to the Arctic, and its shelf seas are crucial for the ecological, economic, and societal health and resilience of both North America and Europe. This region also plays a critical role in the global climate system as a significant reservoir of heat, water, and carbon dioxide, as well as through its ability to transport these over large meridional distances and exchange them freely with the atmosphere.

In April 2014, with support from the US National Science Foundation and the European Union Commission, the Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program coordinated and convened an international North Atlantic-Arctic planning workshop to discuss the state of science in the North Atlantic-Arctic system and begin planning the next phase of interdisciplinary research, with an emphasis on mechanisms to facilitate international collaboration. The outcome of this planning workshop was a community-vetted international science plan that outlines a core science vision for advancing the next phase of research focused on the coupled North Atlantic-Arctic ocean-atmosphere system, including key biogeochemical and ecological processes and relevant socio-economic systems.