Dr. William Ambrose, who is currently a visiting scholar at CAGE, has been appointed as new Program Director of the Arctic Observing Network Program in the Arctic Sciences Section of the National Science Foundation (Washington DC, USA).
Text: Maja Sojtaric
The goal of Arctic Observing Network Program is to enhance the environmental observing infrastructure required for the scientific investigation of Arctic environmental system change and its global connections. The network encompasses physical, biological, social, cultural, and economic observations, including indigenous knowledge, of the land, ocean, atmosphere and social systems. The program is a part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) an independent federal funding agency in the USA.
With an annual budget of $7.3 billion NSF is the funding source for approximately 24 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities.
Dr. William Ambrose is currently visiting scholar at CAGE where he is working together with the Modern Seabed Group, mapping methane release and benthic faunal response in the Arctic Ocean. He is professor in marine ecology at Bates College in Maine, studying processes influencing the structure and function of marine benthic communities. He is particularly interested in how benthic communities might respond to climate change. He is a long time Arctic scientist with
an extensive research career in Arctic benthic ecology and Arctic environmental change.
“We welcome Dr. Ambrose to NSF and look forward to working with him to advance the frontiers of Arctic knowledge through the critical observations needed to detect and understand environmental change in Arctic systems.” Eric Saltzman, Section Head for Arctic Sciences in the Division of Polar Programs, NSF.
