• Acronym: AP-ARC
• Parent Committees: SB
• Term: May 2024 – TBD
• Co-Chair: Prof. Sei-Ichi Saitoh <ssaitoh@salmon.fish.hokudai.ac.jp>
  Co-Chair: Dr. Nadja Stefanie Steiner <nadja.steiner@dfo-mpo.gc.ca>
• Mailing List

The Central Arctic Ocean (CAO), that is in between the North Pacific and North Atlantic, is in rapid transition, in interaction with and impacting these waters. It has become more accessible to a range of activities. For example, rapid loss of sea ice cover has opened up the CAO for potential fishing opportunities. In this context, the agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the CAO has been signed and entered into force which will necessitate joint research and monitoring. The Pacific gateway to the CAO, i.e., the Northern Bering Sea-Chukchi Sea (NBS-CS) is also experiencing unprecedented warming and loss of sea ice as a result of climate change. Declines of seasonal sea ice and warming temperatures have been more prominent in the northern Bering and Chukchi seas than in the European Arctic. Continuous and abrupt changes in climate conditions in this Arctic gateway are clearly reshaping the system and its food-webs, and enlarging opportunities for commercial activities (shipping, oil and gas development and fishing), with uncertain and potentially wide-spread cumulative impacts.

PICES took on responsibilities in the CAO issues when it joined the WGICA (Joint PICES/ICES/PAME Working Group on an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) for the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO)) by establishing WG 39 in 2017. In 2019, PICES also established WG 44 (Joint PICES/ICES Working Group on Integrated Ecosystem Assessment for the Northern Bering Sea - Chukchi Sea) in efforts to understand the Arctic system and its impacts to the sub-Arctic and mid-latitude North Pacific. An integrated ecosystem assessment (IEA) is a useful approach that is shared by these two Working Groups, and which is particularly relevant as substantial science and policy needs are emerging to ensure a sustainable Arctic. However, developing such an IEA is a substantial task. This renders a coordinated IEA of the CAO and NBS-CS as a priority task. In addition, it is of particular significance to developing future approaches for The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development in the Arctic Ocean (UNDOS-Arctic), where science for resilience and sustainability is more important than anywhere else in the world oceans. Despite this continuing significance and unfinished commitment to WGICA and also WGIEANBS-CS, WG 39 ended their term with the closure of PICES 2022 and WG 44 ended their term with the closure of the PICES 2023 Annual Meeting. Subsequently, a new Study Group was established by PICES on the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Gateways (SG-ARC) to develop a new EG on the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Gateways. In this context, we propose PICES establish an AP-ARC to coordinate and integrate PICES scientific activities on the Arctic issues and to further advance the understanding of the Arctic system and linkages and impacts to the North Pacific.

1. Provide information and scientific expertise to the Science Board, and other scientific and technical committees (as needed), on the key physical, biogeochemical, ecological and societal effects of climate change and other anthropogenic-driven changes in the Pacific Arctic and its Gateways, with focus on how these changes are relevant for both the Arctic and mid-latitude marine environments and ecosystems in the PICES region;
   
   
2. Convene workshops/sessions and build knowledge networks, to discuss and exchange information on the strong influence of the Pacific Arctic including its Gateways on the Arctic and mid-latitude Oceans and its linkages to broader PICES activities;
   
   
3. Represent and coordinate responses of PICES concerning the Arctic Ocean and the connected waters in cooperation with PICES internal partners, institutions and organizations and other international organizations, including WGICA (Joint PICES/ICES/PAME Working Group on an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) for the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO)), WGIEANBS-CS (Joint PICES/ICES Working Group on Integrated Ecosystem Assessment for the Northern Bering Sea - Chukchi Sea);
   
   
4. Develop and support trans-disciplinary and collaborative approaches using co-production methods and inclusive of Indigenous knowledge systems to consider existing and future anthropogenically driven pressures, such as increased marine traffic, harmful algal blooms, non-indigenous species, noise, contamination, litter, and microplastics in the Pacific Arctic and its Gateways in alignment with PICES activities;
   
   
5. Develop recommendations for PICES to better collaborate within PICES, and with Indigenous and international initiatives relevant to the Arctic Ocean including Arctic Council (and its WGs: AMAP, CAFF, PAME and SDWG), CAOFA, ESSAS, IASC, ICES, ICC, PAG, UNCCC, and UNDOS-Arctic;