Dear colleagues,

To help characterize and understand the dramatic changes occurring
throughout the Arctic region, the US GEOTRACES SSC has launched a
planning effort for a US Arctic GEOTRACES initiative, with a cruise
tentatively planned for 2015.  In preparation for this initiative,
several information and planning meetings are scheduled.  Initially,
three events are planned to update the community as to the status of
the planning process and to solicit input from attendees.

The first event will be an open, informal meeting at the Fall AGU in
San Francisco, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 7:15-8:15pm, in the San
Francisco Marriott Marquis, 4th Floor, Pacific Room J.
<http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sfodt-san-francisco-marriott/>

The second event will be a town hall meeting at the ASLO meeting in
Salt Lake City (date and time TBA).

Finally, a community implementation workshop will be scheduled for
the late spring-early summer time frame.  Further information will be
distributed via email, and posted on the US GEOTRACES web site
<http://www.usgeotraces.org/> when a venue has been secured.

Reports from previous international and U.S. GEOTRACES Arctic
planning workshops can be found at
<http://www.obs-vlfr.fr/GEOTRACES/libraries/documents/Arctic_Report.pdf>
and
<http://www.usgeotraces.org/documents/arcticDOC/ArcticWorkshopRpt.pdf>,
respectively.

Anyone interested in the biogeochemical cycles of trace elements and
their isotopes within the Arctic region is encouraged to attend.
Please forward this announcement to colleagues who may be interested.

For more information, contact David Kadko <dkadko@rsmas.miami.edu>.