Arctic Research Support and Logistics

The RSL program aims to make Arctic fieldwork safer, more efficient and cost-effective. The RSL program supports facilities and services to the research community through grants, cooperative agreements, interagency agreements, memorandums of understanding, and contracts. The RSL program may make its services available for proposals funded by other NSF programs, other agencies or research institutions on a cost-reimbursable basis or, in some cases, as co-funding. Pre-negotiation is required for these instances prior to submitting a proposal.

Researchers should generally plan to go to the field no sooner than one year after award and generally no sooner than 18 months for proposals with ship time requests or especially complex logistics to allow time for NSF to peer review, plan, budget and complete environmental compliance for projects.

Everyone planning to go into the field is expected to follow the OPP Code of Conduct.

Prior to award, all proposals are evaluated for total logistics costs and feasibility. The RSL program funds the Arctic Research Support and Logistics Services contract to provide support to grantees. This contract is currently awarded to Battelle Arctic Research Operations (Battelle ARO). Other commonly used third-party support organizations are listed below. If using a third-party provider, the proposal should include a letter from the provider in the Supplementary Documents section of the proposal. The letter should be 1-2 pages long and include a description of the scope of work and a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate. Please allow third-party providers 4-6 weeks to prepare a letter to accompany your proposal.

Investigators are encouraged to make use of services provided through the RSL program to improve safety and efficiency. Services include:

• Training for field safety, small boats, tower climbing and other field-based activities.
• Camp equipment, communications, vehicles and related support.
• Risk assessments, risk management services and access to telemedicine.
• Coordination with local communities.
• User day fees or access to research stations.
• Other specialized support to enable Arctic research.
• Environmental training.

Proposals to the RSL program

The RSL program accepts proposals to improve the safety and efficiency of research or research support and to provide services to the research community. Please contact a program officer before submitting a proposal.

All researchers should follow the SHARE Principles for Conducting Research in the Arctic developed by the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC). For projects in or near communities, researchers are expected to engage with community or tribal leaders at the development stage of the project, include Arctic communities to the greatest extent possible in the project planning and development, and should plan to return to present results to communities at appropriate times.

Investigators can request travel funds to develop community collaborations in the proposal budget. Researchers who need additional support for engagement should reach out to their program officer. The RSL program may support engagement efforts to ensure that they take place.

The NSF Arctic Community Engagement (ACE) web pages provide additional information and resources.

The RSL program invests in coordination and communication to benefit Arctic science planning and execution through a variety of efforts, including research coordination efforts with other national programs. The following resources may be of additional assistance in coordinating research activities:

• Greenland’s Arctic Hub: The Arctic Hub secretariat is based in Nuuk, Greenland, and they work to build bridges between people, institutions, and countries interested in and involved in the research conducted in Greenland.
• Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC): Funded through the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, the AICC is a committee of Arctic researchers that provides polar science projects with planning assistance and liaisons and facilitates communications between scientists, funding agencies and facility providers.
• Arctic Research Mapping Application (ARMAP): This searchable visualization tool provides information on field locations and project descriptions supported by or coordinated with NSF.
• Forum of Arctic Research Operators (FARO): FARO is the organization of representatives from national programs participating in Arctic research.
• ISAAFFIK Arctic Gateway: ISAAFFIK is a user-driven web platform supporting Arctic research and collaboration with a focus on Greenland.
• Summit Station Science Coordination Office (SCO): To improve coordination and information about research at Summit Station, Greenland, the SCO interfaces with the research community, the Arctic logistics contractor and NSF.

Proposals considered for funding will be assessed for environmental impacts according to the laws relevant to the proposed field sites, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act. NSF may utilize contractors to assist with this compliance process and provide expertise. Principal Investigators (PIs) should expect to be asked for information about their fieldwork as part of these compliance processes and provide updates if the fieldwork plans are changed at any time.

The RSL program has an Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) with the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) to provide information assurance services to ensure compliance with the Federal Information Security Act (FISMA) and to provide expertise and guidance on IT support services made available to the Arctic research community.

The main activities of the RSL program are provided through the Arctic Research Support and Logistics Services contract to Battelle Arctic Research Operations (Battelle ARO). Please visit the Battelle Arctic Gateway or contact the Battelle ARO science project planners for more information about the services they provide. Battelle ARO manages support throughout the Arctic, including use of contractor and military airlift; support to and within Greenland; support in Alaska, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, the Arctic Ocean and on regional vessels; and providing field gear, risk assessment and field safety training.

Third-party logistics providers

NSF funds the following service providers to assist researchers with their fieldwork. Please contact the organizations directly to follow their process for requesting support. Include a 1-2 page description of the services and cost as supplementary documentation in proposals to NSF. Please allow third-party providers 4-6 weeks to prepare a letter to accompany your proposal.

• Battelle Arctic Research Operations (ARO): The prime contractor to NSF for Arctic Research Support and Logistics Services.
• EarthScope Consortium: A cooperative agreement funded by NSF to support the requests for seismometers, GPS, ground-based lidar and other geodetic services and equipment.
• Ice Drilling Program (IDP): A cooperative agreement funded by NSF to plan and support ice drilling in the polar regions.
• Marine Facilities Planning (MFP): USCGC HEALY and other vessels of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, or foreign research vessels, if applicable, are requested using a Ship-time & Marine Equipment (SME) request form that is submitted through the Marine Facilities Planning (MFP) application. The SME request form is included as a supplementary document in research proposals submitted to NSF for peer review.
• National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL): The U.S. facility for storing, curating and studying deep ice cores from glaciated regions of the world.
• Polar Geospatial Center (PGC): A resource for geospatial imagery, maps, digital elevation models and other remote sensing services for Arctic researchers.
• Toolik Field Station (TFS): Make reservations and plan fieldwork in close contact with the managers of TFS. Utilize services from the Toolik GIS office and data from the Environmental Data Center.
• University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS): A consortium of 58 academic oceanographic institutions collaborating with U.S. federal government agencies to ensure widespread access to advanced research vessels, submersibles and related facilities crucial for robust research and educational programs in ocean sciences. Access information about the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, Marine Facilities Planning user guide and other cruise planning information.
• U.S. Coast Guard (USCG): Information about the U.S. icebreaker USCGC Healy and the U.S. Coast Guard’s Polar Coordination Office.

Alaska

NSF supports infrastructure at Toolik Field Station and Utqiaġvik (Barrow) to enable access for researchers. Remote field camps, aircraft contracts and other support services are available in Alaska through ARO. Please contact the ARO science project planners for more information about working in Alaska.

Greenland

The main hubs for activities in Greenland are Kangerlussuaq, Summit Station and Pituffik Space Base. Please visit the Greenland page on the ARO website for more information about working in Greenland or contact the ARO science project planners.

Summit Station is located near the highest point on the Greenland Ice Sheet and operates year-round supporting clean air and clean snow. Researchers interested in working at Summit Station should contact the ARO science project planners and the Science Coordination Office (SCO).

In all parts of Greenland, researchers must comply with permit requirements from the Government of Greenland. Information and forms are available from the Ministry of Independence, Nature, Environment and Agriculture on a website dedicated to activities in remote parts of Greenland. Please also find more information and a portal for contributing Greenland project information at ISAAFFIK. Additional information about sharing Greenland research with communities can be found at Arctic Hub. Furthermore, additional information for archaeological projects in Greenland can be found on the Greenland National Museum and Archives webpage.

NSF will enable Search and Rescue (SAR) for NSF-supported research teams. NSF reserves the right to recoup costs for SAR if appropriate. NSF will coordinate with the Government of Greenland and other entities to evacuate SAR patients to the nearest capable medical facility (e.g., Nuuk hospital, Pituffik Space Base, Iceland). NSF is not responsible for medical costs or the cost of transporting personnel with medical conditions from the field, the point of immediate medical treatment, or back to their home or care facility of their choosing. Research teams are financially liable for these costs, and NSF will not cover them. All research team members are expected to have medevac or travel insurance to cover these costs. This insurance is an allowable cost under the grant terms and conditions.

Canada, Svalbard, Fennoscandia and Sea Ice of the Arctic Ocean

Contact the ARO science project planners for information about working in Canada, Svalbard, Fennoscandia and on the Arctic Ocean sea ice.

The NSF Arctic Research Support and Logistics (RSL) Program works with NSF Division of Ocean Sciences and OPP Program Officers, the USCG, national and international vessel operators and our Arctic logistics contractor (Battelle- ARO) to identify vessel requirements for funded projects and then negotiate terms and conditions to acquire ship time on domestic and international icebreakers, vessels of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet (ARF), or commercial charter vessels, to provide support to NSF-funded Arctic Sciences Section and related projects.

USCGC HEALY and vessels of the U.S. ARF, or foreign research vessels, if applicable, are requested using a Ship-time & Marine Equipment (SME) request form that is submitted through the Marine Facilities Planning (MFP) application. The SME request form is included as a supplementary document in research proposals that are submitted to NSF for peer review. The SME request form can also be sent as a PDF file to the USCG Polar Coordination Office for requests to use USCGC Healy.

Vessel Operators of the U.S. ARF (and potentially others, like the USCG) use the information provided in the SME request forms to develop and confirm annual vessel schedules. Research project PIs update their SME submissions in the MFP to clarify the source of project funding and status prior to scheduling.

Contact Brendon Mendenhall for additional information regarding cruise planning on the Healy. Information provided by the Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC) is a resource for cruise planning and outreach to Arctic communities.

Other research vessels may be contracted either directly by researchers using grant funds or by the RSL program. Research on foreign vessels may be warranted due to scientific collaboration or the region in which the vessel is operating. Please discuss specific vessel requirements with your program manager or Frank Rack prior to submission to ensure the appropriate information and funding request is included with the proposal.