SEARCH @ AGU23: We’re Bringing Shared Understanding of Arctic Environmental Change to a Meeting Over 25,000 People Strong

One of the country’s largest scientific gatherings starts next week (11-15 December 2023), and SEARCH is thrilled to be attending once again.

The American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) 2023 Fall Meeting—aptly abbreviated as AGU23—will see over 25,000 attendees from over 100 countries descend on San Francisco for a week of presentations, meetings, networking, and more. SEARCH will be among those many!

SEARCH members will discuss, share, and advance research concerning  environmental change in the Arctic. We know we are only a few among many: 3,453 abstracts at AGU23 reference climate change, and 881 reference the Arctic. 

Needless to say, we have a lot in common. 

Who Will Be Attending?

We are excited to have a strong contingent of SEARCH members traveling to the Golden Gate City in just over a week’s time. Keep an eye out for these SEARCH folks at AGU23 if you’re also going to be in attendance: 

• Brendan Kelly, Principal Investigator and Science Director (International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska-Fairbanks)
• Athena Copenhaver, Executive Director (International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska-Fairbanks)
• George Kling, Chief Editor (Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan)
• Alex Shahbazi, Research & Program Management Fellow (Terra Virens Consulting)
• Lexi Shultz, Drivers & Ecological Consequences Team Member (AGU)
• Gifford Wong, Drivers & Ecological Consequences Team Member (IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute)
• Laura Landrum, Human Well Being Team Member (National Center for Atmospheric Research)

What We’re Presenting

SEARCH will lead several sessions at AGU23 starting with a  SEARCH town hall on Monday, December 11th. We will share lessons learned including building and maintaining large, diverse research teams; challenges in synthesizing across disciplines and cultures; and sharing results in the varied formats necessary to reach decision makers from local to international scales. We will also seek input on our efforts to accelerate and improve decision making concerning the consequences of environmental Arctic change in terms of ecosystems, human wellbeing, international cooperation, and economic decision making.

Immediately following that town hall, SEARCH Science Director Brendan Kelly will co-convenes a panel on  potential pathways to achieve net zero carbon emissions. 

Finally, on Thursday, December 14th, SEARCH will present a poster spearheaded by Marika Holland. Highlighting the challenges and successes of our work co-producing shared understanding across dozens of Arctic Indigenous Knowledge Holders, scientists, and decision makers, we will likewise seek input on how we can continue adapting our approaches to best meet needs of communities, science, and decision makers across the globe.

SEARCH team members will be presenting their own work at AGU23 as well. Lexi Shultz and Gifford Wong will be co-convening sessions on both Science Policy as well as Climate Science & Policy, while Laura Landrum details impacts of Arctic atmospheric rivers. And those are just some among many.

What We Have Our Eyes On

We also have our eyes on several sessions relevant to our work. Take a look at some of what we’re looking forward to.

Timed Presentations & Other Sessions:

• Applying a Multiple Knowledge System Framework for Respectful and Equitable Collaborations with Indigenous Communities and Action Oriented STEM engagement with Indigenous Youth in Alaska and Beyond
• The Contributions of Indigenous Knowledge and Inuit-Driven Research to Defining Community Priorities, Policymaking, and Land-Use Governance in North Slope, Alaska
• Amplifying Climate Adaptation Partnerships in the Arctic
• The Role of Visual Storytelling in Communicating the Impact of Rain-on-Snow Events on Arctic Livelihoods
• Best Practices in Research and Engagement for Advancing Equitable Climate Adaptation Alongside Frontline Communities
• A Framework to Overcome Barriers to Properly Engage with Indigenous Communities in Arctic Research
• Arctic Education and Outreach: Effective Ways of Engaging Diverse Learners in Arctic Science Oral
• Rapid Sea Ice Loss Events in the Arctic
• Little Consensus Across Climate Models of the Influence of Climate Modes of Variability on the Timing of an Ice-Free Arctic
• Equitable Co-production: Connecting Research and Practice to Policy
• Achieving Sustainable Food Systems

Posters:

• Visual Communication concerning the Significance of Ice-Loss to Landscapes in the Arctic
• Revisiting the Last Ice Area Projection with a High-Resolution Pan-Arctic Coupled Ocean-Ice Model
• Co-Production of Sea Ice Knowledge in the Alaskan Arctic
• Indigenous Science to Action: Authentic Contexts for Supporting Indigenous Priorities
• Indigenizing your research: Recommendations from the Earth Data Relations Working Group to Implement Indigenous Data Governance across Earth Sciences
• Chapter 29 – Alaska – The Fifth National Climate Assessment
• Wildfire risk assessment in the Arctic: the challenge of sprawl
• What elements drive wildfire in boreal and Arctic Alaska? Assessing the role of teleconnections and pre-season environmental factors using a machine-learning approach
• Tracking the Costs of Climate Disasters in Alaska
• Permafrost Pathways: Connecting science, people, and policy to advance understanding of the local to global impacts of permafrost thaw and develop just and equitable responses
• A panarctic coastal vulnerability and risk assessment framework based on satellite data
• Changes to Landfast Sea Ice in Alaskan Communities over 2000-2022
• Bridging Local Observations and Meteorology: Insights from the LEO Network
• Boundary Spanning with Alaska Native Communities on Climate Change

A Look Back at AGU22

If AGU22 is any indication of how AGU23 will unfold, SEARCH is in for a busy  week. SEARCH’s highlight of December 2022 was the publication of an essay  in NOAA’s annual Arctic Report Card. Consequences of rapid environmental Arctic change for people–co–produced by 41 SEARCH contributors and Ahtna Dine Storyteller Wilson Justin—was described by NOAA as “the most comprehensive chapter in the Arctic Report Card’s 17-year history about how these dramatic environmental changes are being felt by the descendants of the original residents of the Arctic–Indigenous people, and how their communities are addressing the changes.”

Here’s to another successful AGU meeting! We look forward to seeing you there.