Designing an Effective Arctic Observing Network: Collecting Sea Ice System Data to Inform Multiple Stakeholder Concerns
Amy L. Lovecraft1, Chanda Meek2, Hajo Eicken3
1Political Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 756420, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-6420, USA, Phone 907.474.2688, Fax 907.474.7244, allovecraft [at] alaska [dot] edu
2Fairbanks, AK, USA
3USA
Institutions governing human use of the environment must adapt to changing conditions through repeat empirical observations. This is particularly relevant for the Arctic sea ice system, impacted by rapid environmental change. The broader disconnect between the act of compiling scientific evidence and the capacity of governments to act upon it, is particularly evident in the gap between documentation of the rapid decline of summer ice extent and the absence of a comprehensive approach to mitigate or adapt to such change. Carefully planned sea-ice monitoring can help sustain services sea ice delivers to social-ecological systems, including competing uses of the ice environment. With limited resources, Arctic observing systems face two key questions. (1) How should observed variables and locations be prioritized? (2) How do we ensure that data are translated to meet broader needs of competing stakeholders? We explore linkages between scientific data production and policy implementation related to Arctic sea ice loss. We argue that because of the inherent tension between a suite of interdependent services with mixed resource attributes (e.g., common pool, private goods, public goods) provided by sea ice and the current policy system (i.e., the institutions governing sea-ice system services) that is fragmented due to its focus on single services for discrete stakeholder interests, an observing system must be able to inform all stakeholders, regardless of economic or political power. While not all stakeholders influence policy equally, all should have equal access to data potentially furthering their interests in the decision-making process. To provide pertinent data to the broadest range of interests, observations should be linked to sea-ice system services, because they are what people value and can guide observing system design and ensure sampling of the relevant spatio-temporal scales. Measurements should be prioritized in accordance with institutional density since it corresponds to the greatest social debate over resource use in the sea-ice system. Data accessibility also requires translation into information, such as a sea-ice quality index, that relates directly to specific ice uses by stakeholders.