Human Dimensions in
ARCSS Synthesis
ARCSS Committee Meeting and Synthesis Workshop 1-5 October 2007
The Human Dimensions of the
Arctic System (HARC)
• Created in 1997 as a
component of the Arctic
System Science Program
(ARCSS) of the National
Science Foundation.
• The aim of HARC research is
to better understand the role of
humans in the functioning of
and interactions among the
various physical, biological,
and social components of the
arctic system.
HARC Science Steering Committee
Ben Fitzhugh Maribeth Murray
U of Washington U of Alaska Fairbanks
Larry Hinzman
International Arctic Research Craig Nicolson
Center, U of Alaska Fairbanks U of Massachusetts,
Amherst
Larry Hamilton Alexey Voinov
U of New Hampshire U of Vermont
Barbara Morehouse
Institute for the Study of Henry Huntington
Planet Earth, U of Arizona Huntington Consulting,
Eagle River, Alaska.
What is Human Dimensions Research?
(At the risk of beating a dead horse)
• One could ask – what is biological research? What is
atmospheric research?
• Observing the human component (akin to observations of sea
ice – multiple variables)
• Study of the couplings between the human component and the
biophysical component of the system (akin to the study
atmosphere/ocean coupling)
• Feedbacks, amplifications, unpredictabilities – how does the
system function?
• Observation, model projections, understanding, prediction,
What is Human Dimensions Research?
• A clear design for investigation of the interactions and
feedbacks among the human and the biophysical
components of the Arctic System.
• Interdisciplinary - linking social and biophysical sciences.
• Situated in the context of global/arctic environmental
change.
What Human Dimensions
Research is NOT
• Research focused only on the human component of the
system is not HD – it is social science.
• HD is about human/environment interaction across time
and space.
• Incorporating local knowledge (LEK/TEK) or working with
local people is not HD research – these are two kinds of
collaboration with stakeholders
• Explaining arctic change/arctic science to people is not
HD research – this is education
• Linking research results to policy development is not HD
research – this is one kind outreach
.
.
How much HD are we doing?
First Approximation
NSF Funded Arctic HD Research
Since 2001
400
350
300
• Other
250 – Biocomplexity
200 Total – Human and Social
150
HD Dynamics
%
100 – Geoscience
50 ARCSS A Soc Sci Other
0 165 385 NA
ARCSS Other 5 9 9
0.03 0.02 NA
23 projects, 15 PIs, one PI 4 awards, two PIs with two awards
Dakota tribal wisdom says that when you
discover you are riding a dead horse, the best
strategy is to dismount and walk.
Walking Forward…from 2004
• 2004 HARC science workshop Seattle “ Patterns,
Connections, & Methods in Human/Environment
Interactions Research”
• Laid the foundation for the past three years of activity
and a new framework for HD research within ARCSS
http://www.arcus.org/harc/index.html
Where Are We – Where Should We Be?
• New research is moving beyond a consideration of the local-
scale societal impacts of changes in the bio-physical
components of the system to examination of the linkages
and feedbacks among the bio-physical-social
components.
• Research can and should include a blend of traditional
field/lab/analysis with synthetic Arctic System oriented
integration and it should addresses key research questions
and priorities repeatedly identified in multiple arenas. These
include:
Highest Priority Key Unknowns
• Ways in which different human activities
in the Arctic impact and feedback to the
biophysical components of the Arctic
System.
• Ways in which people in the Arctic
respond to changes in Arctic System
components.
• Ways in which Arctic System change
impacts and feeds back to the human
component of the global system.
• Ways in which different human activities
outside the Arctic impact and feed back
to the Arctic system.
Key Research Questions
• How has and how does human agency modify the present and
future state of the Arctic System? (Impacts and Feedbacks)
• How have and how will Arctic peoples and institutions adapt to
variable environmental conditions, to fluctuating resources, and
to changes in the political and economic milieu? (Adaptations)
• How do changes in the Arctic System relate to and impact the
broader Global System? (Teleconnections)
• In the face of multi-dimensional global changes, how will the
resilience of the Arctic system change and what policies and
practices will lead to greater resilience within the pan-arctic and
its subregions? (Resilience)
Primary Goals of HD Research in the
Context of ARCSS
• Data collection at multiple spatial scales.
• Time series HD data (multiple time scales).
• Standardization of methods and datasets.
• Construction of multivariate time plots to
integrate qualitative and quantitative data across
disciplines.
• Integrated modeling to develop understanding of
the behavior(s) of the human component of the
system and to explore the implications of
behavioral change on a system-wide scale.
HARC Synthesis
Building on Activities and Research
since 2004
• Seven dedicated arctic HD sessions at national and international
science meetings
• Community workshops (AGU, Arctic Forum)
• Increased participation in other venues (SEARCH, AON, Global
change research community)
• Increased number of research publications in a wide range of
venues
• Publication of papers on methods and
approaches to HD in system science
and synthesis
HARC Synthesis Workshop
Building on Existing Synthesis Products
Huntington, H.P., L.C. Hamilton, C. Nicolson, R. Brunner, A. Lynch,
E. J. Ogilvie and Voinov, in press, Toward understanding the human
dimensions of the rapidly changing Arctic system: insights and
approaches from five HARC projects, Regional Environmental Change
Huntington, H., M. Boyle, G. Flowers, J. Weatherly, L. Hamilton, L.
Hinzman, C. Gerlach, R. Zulueta, C. Nicolson, and J. Overpeck,
2007. The influence of human activity in the Arctic on climate and
Climate impacts. Climatic Change 82, no. 1-2: 77-92.
Overpeck, J. T., M. Sturm, J.A. Francis, D.K.J. Perovich, M.C. Serreze, R.
Benner, E.C. Carmack, F.S. Chapin III, S.C. Gerlach, L.C. Hamilton, M.
Holland, H.P. Huntington, J.R.Key, A.H. Lloyd, G.M. MacDonald, J.A.
McFadden D. Noone, T.D. Prowse, P. Schlosser and C. Vörösmarty (2005),
Arctic system on trajectory to new, seasonally ice-free state, Eos
Trans. AGU, 86(34), 309.
Workshop Objectives
1) Participants are asked to specifically highlight the aspects of their
project that lend themselves to synthesis and the aspects that are
worth exploring in a broader (arctic and global) context.
2) Participants are asked to consider a set of discussion points
including:
a. Is HD research in the Arctic is more or less different than
elsewhere?
b. What is the current state of HD synthesis within ARCSS?
c. What is the potential for including the Human Dimension in
synthesis across arctic system components?
d. Can we incorporate HD studies into Arctic System Model
analyses; what are the strategic pathways for doing so?
Workshop Participants
• ARCSS PIs
• IPY Arctic Observing Network PIs
• Bering Sea Ecosystem Study (BEST) PIs
• HARC Science Steering Committee
• Individuals from developing ARCSS
Communities of Practice
• Arctic Social Sciences PIs
• Other …
Disciplinary Expertise
• Applied Anthropology • Geochemistry
• Biochemistry • Geography and Regional
• Biological Oceanography Development
• Civil Engineering • Geophysics
• Computer Simulation Modeling • Historical Climatology
• Cyberinfrastructure • Wildlife Management
• Economics (the dismal science) • Resource Management Science
• Enthnology • Sociology
• Environmental Archaeology • Natural Resources/Regional
• Environmental Biology Planning
• Environmental Engineering • Paleoecology
• Environmental Systems Analysis • Physical Geograpahy
• Terrestrial Ecology
Disciplinary Engagement
A Nice Illustration
5
Social Science
4
Biology/Ecology
3 Management/Planning
2 Cyber/model
Interdisc Env (incl
1 paleo)
Phys Science
0
HARC Synthesis
Workshop Output
• Report/publications summarizing key issues, common challenges,
and gaps in knowledge
• Refinement of key science questions.
• Recommendations for moving towards new synthesis efforts with
respect to discussion topics
a. Is HD research in the Arctic is more or less different than elsewhere?
b. What is the current state of HD synthesis within ARCSS?
c. What is the potential for including the Human Dimension in synthesis
across arctic system components?
d. Can we incorporate HD studies into Arctic System Model analyses; what
are the strategic pathways for doing so?