Who's Who - Polar Acronyms

OAII, implemented in 1991 (no longer active), was the second component (after GISP 2) of ARCSS (Arctic System Science Program) to get underway. The marine environment of the Arctic is an interactive system comprising the water, ice, air, biota, dissolved chemicals and sediments of the Arctic Ocean and its adjacent seas. Through the operation of feedback loops that are only partially understood, this system strongly affects the steady and time-varying climatic state of the earth, and responds sensitively to environmental perturbations that originate outside the Arctic.

OAII seeks to enhance understanding of this system and its role in climate and global change.