Collaborative Research: AccelNet: Permafrost Coastal Systems Network (PerCS-Net) -- a circumpolar alliance for arctic coastal community information exchange

1927553 (Jones) 1927137 (Xiao) 1927373 (Tweedie) Permafrost coastal systems are one of the most rapidly changing components of the Earth's systems. The Permafrost Coastal Systems Network (PerCS-Net) project will fill fundamental knowledge gaps in science, engineering, and societal issues associated with permafrost-affected coasts in the Arctic by linking over ten existing national and international networks. PerCS-Net will position our nation alongside international collaborators to empower new research communities, diversify Arctic researchers, engage in the co-production of knowledge, and promote long-lasting team science required to face the known and emerging challenges of the changing Arctic. This network of networks will develop internationally recognized protocols for quantifying and synthesizing information on the impacts occurring in coastal permafrost systems. It will also provide a framework to assess risks to local and global economies and to transfer knowledge that will lead to adaptation strategies across Arctic regions. PerCS-Net will promote synergy across networks to foster the next generation of students, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career researchers charged with identifying potential solutions to changes occurring in the Arctic system.

There is no place more representative of the challenges faced at the intersection of natural, social, and built systems than the Arctic. PerCS-Net will develop a transdisciplinary umbrella network to synergize existing datasets, expand observations in space and time, integrate in-situ sensing techniques, coordinate goals among networks, and engage in synthesis efforts. The new knowledge will inform intergovernmental agencies as well as international research and outreach programs to make science-based decisions and policies in adapting to permafrost coastal system dynamics. Network activities include annual in-person meetings at national and international venues, monthly webinar meetings, outreach in Arctic coastal communities, synthesis publications, and student and early-career researcher personnel exchanges. Expected outcomes of PerCS-Net will integrate into a framework for transformative knowledge sharing from individuals and organizations cooperating across political, cultural, and disciplinary borders to address critical science, engineering, and social issues in response to permafrost coastal systems in the changing Arctic.

The Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations (AccelNet) program is designed to accelerate the process of scientific discovery and prepare the next generation of U.S. researchers for multiteam international collaborations. The AccelNet program supports strategic linkages among U.S. research networks and complementary networks abroad that will leverage research and educational resources to tackle grand scientific challenges that require significant coordinated international efforts. This project was co-funded by the Arctic System Science Program in the Office of Polar Programs.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.