Ten members of the IASC Marine Working Group (MWG), including three early career researchers (ECR), and the IASC Secretariat met at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Copenhagen for a 3-day workshop (Nov 15-17, 2022) to draft and develop a strategic research plan for Arctic marine research that can guide the MWG in the coming years. Over the three days, discussions took place about how to develop such a plan and how to align it with other ongoing initiatives including the UN Decade of Ocean Science (UNDOS) Arctic Action Plan, the IASC Strategic Plan, and the ICARP IV process. The first day was spent brainstorming what this kind of plan would entail. Through that brainstorming process, five research themes were identified and questions of interest associated with these priorities were posed and articulated by a short informative description. The second day was spent cooperatively writing the short descriptions, an introduction, and the connections to the UNDOS Arctic Action Plan. Additional goals were identified through implementation strategies such as promoting increased ECR and Indigenous scholar engagement and better coordination of international cooperation. The final day of the workshop, the draft of a document entitled “A Strategic Plan for the Marine Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC): Priorities to support implementation of the UNDOS Arctic Action Plan and transdisciplinary research cooperation in the Arctic” was shared with representatives from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the Danish Centre for Marine Research, and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). Suggestions from these discussions were incorporated into the draft and a copy of the document will be shared with the rest of the MWG at the upcoming working group meeting on 5 December 2022, for review and comment.
Figure 1 Drafting Group of the Marine Working Group strategic plan. Top Row (Left to Right): Arild Sundfjord, Henrieka Detlef*, Laura Ghigliotti, Christina Goethel*, Heidemarie Kassens, Lee Cooper. Bottom Row (Left to Right) Paula Kankaanpää, Monika Kedra, Neelu Singh*, Colin Stedmon. *Denotes and Early Career Researcher. Not pictured: Gerlis Fugmann, IASC Secretariat.