Organisations in the UK

NERC Arctic Office: The Arctic Office is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and hosted at British Antarctic Survey (BAS). It is tasked with supporting and helping coordinate research and logistical activities in the Arctic region by the UK Arctic science community. It incorporates the management of the UK Arctic Research Station at Ny-Ålesund on Svalbard and is closely linked to the NERC Arctic Research Programme.

Organisations in other Countries linked to the Arctic Research Programme:

Office of Naval Research (ONR): The ONR is part of the US Department of Navy and its Arctic and Global Prediction Program is motivated by the rapid decline in summer ice extent that has occurred in recent years. This has prompted renewed interest in understanding and predicting the Arctic physical environment at a variety of time and space scales. The ability to predict the location of the ice edge, the space-time evolution of the ice cover, and the ice thickness will be particularly critical to safe naval operations in the Arctic. To achieve this, models integrating the ocean, waves, ice and atmosphere must be able to represent the physical processes, interactions and feedbacks involved in the seasonal evolution of ice extent, area, thickness and volume. The program has three focus areas:

  • Developing integrated ocean-ice-wave-atmosphere Earth System models for improved prediction at a variety of time scales
  • Improving understanding of the physical environment and processes in the Arctic Ocean
  • Investigating new technologies, e.g., sensors, platforms and communications, for sustained operation and observation in the challenging Arctic environment

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI): The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a world-renowned private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. It is coordinating significant projects in the Arctic Ocean including the Beaufort Gyre Exploration Project, the Variability of Thermohaline Circulation an Freshwater Storage in the Arctic Ocean project and the Arctic Model Intercomparison project (AOIMP)

Aurora Research Institute: The Aurora Research Institute in North West territories, Canada is the research division of Aurora College and is responsible for licensing, conducting and coordinating research in accordance with the NWT Scientists Act. All research in the region has to be permitted through ARI which also promotes communication between researchers and the people of the NWT in which they work.

Environment Canada: Environment Canada is a governmental organisation charged with preserving and enhancing the quality of the natural environment, including water, air, soil, flora and fauna; conserving and protecting renewable and water resources; providing meteorological information across Canada and coordinating environmental policies and programmes for the federal government.

International Arctic Research Center (IARC): Based in the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, IARC is an internationally renowned cooperative research institute supported by both the U.S. and Japanese governments. Funding comes from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the U.S. and from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. IARC is focussed on building an integrated understanding of the Arctic, as a system, with clear and accurate conceptualization of the role of the Arctic in the broader global system.

Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI): This is the leading Polar organisation in Norway and is active within the fields of scientific research, mapping and environmental monitoring in both polar regions. NPI advises Norwegian authorities in strategic and thematic matters relating to the polar regions and is the acknowledged environmental authority for Norway in Antarctica. It has a significant research role in and around Svalbard.

The Norwegian Polar Institute is active within the fields of scientific research, mapping and environmental monitoring in the Arctic and Antarctica. The Institute advises Norwegian authorities in strategic and thematic matters relating to the polar regions, represents Norway internationally on various occasions and is Norway’s competent environmental authority in Antarctica. - See more at: http://www.npolar.no/en/about-us/#sthash.EQ4qy2NF.dpuf
The Norwegian Polar Institute is active within the fields of scientific research, mapping and environmental monitoring in the Arctic and Antarctica. The Institute advises Norwegian authorities in strategic and thematic matters relating to the polar regions, represents Norway internationally on various occasions and is Norway’s competent environmental authority in Antarctica. - See more at: http://www.npolar.no/en/about-us/#sthash.BshRF7n6.dpuf