CAF (Chantier Arctique Français) PARCS
Porteur : Y. Vaguet
Dates :
The main goal of PARCS (Pollution in the ARCtic System) is to improve understanding about the sources and fate of Arctic pollution and its impacts on climate, ecosystems and human society. Arctic pollution is highlighted a key priority in the French Chantier Arctique prospective as well as at interna-tional level by, in particular, the Arctic Council. PARCS addresses 4 major research objectives, using a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing together groups from 16 French labs with strong track records in several key Arctic research areas and complementary expertise. It aims to promote interactions be-tween different disciplines working on air pollution (e.g. aerosols, ozone), climate (aerosol-cloud inter-actions), toxic contaminants such as mercury and persistent organic pollutants, impact on ecosystems (contaminants in seabirds, pollutant interactions with marine/snow environments), and societal im-pacts and risks (air pollution). PARCS focuses on a number of specific research actions including the collection of new data on pollution sources and risks to societies in Siberia, a region where data are greatly lacking, and data about pollution deposition and impacts on ecosystems and aerosol-cloud interactions, in critical areas where there are still major gaps in our understanding. These new da-tasets will be analyzed, together with existing data using a range of models with the aim to improve predictive capability of current and future changes in Arctic environment and ecosystems. PARCS also aims to promote coordination and. PARCS will make a major contribution to international initiatives, including a new international initiative on Arctic air pollution (PACES) being chaired/led by French scientists (under the International Arctic Science Council and International Global Atmospheric Chem-istry (IGAC)/IGBP), and via continued participation in Arctic Council working/expert groups (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme/AMAP ; Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna/CAFF), Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX)/Centre Franco-Siberian etc. It will also contribute to the new EU coordi-nation action, EU-PolarNet.