JGOFS North Pacific Task Team(NPTT)
Terms of Reference

I. The primary issues to be addressed by North Pacific Task Team

There are the quantification of the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and associated elements in the North Pacific Ocean and its marginal seas.

Specific objectives

• To assess the efficiency of physical and biological pumps, and their seasonal changes for different domains of the North Pacific and the adjacent marginal seas, including the effects of sea ice
• To study the formation and spreading of the intermediate water, and its implication for lateral flux of dissolved inorganic, dissolved organic and particulate matter
• To investigate and ultimately to enhance our understanding of air-sea fluxes of CO2 and other atmospherically reactive gases that leads to predictions of the role of the North Pacific as a source and/or sink of CO2 in collaboration with IGAC
• To understand the role of iron in maintaining northern North Pacific as a high nutrient-low chlorophyll region
• To clarify the mechanism(s) controlling the transport of nutrients into the euphotic zone of the subtropical Pacific Ocean.

II. The central purpose of the North Pacific Task Team

It is to coordinate and encourage national and international JGOFS & JGOFS-related programmes that address air-sea exchange, biogeochemical processes, and the role of intermediate water masses in the transfer of biogenic materials in the region. The specific tasks involve developing a structure for coordinating the field programmes including satellite remote sensing of ocean color and the subsequent synthesis and modelling efforts.

Those activities include:

• To facilitate exchange of information covering the existing programme such as Japanese-Canadian Time Series Observations, International North Pacific Ocean Climate Programme and the Circulation Research of East Asia Marginal Seas in collaboration with CMTT
• To encourage the development of new projects such as Role of the Carbon Cycle in the northern North Pacific on Global Climate Change, Studies on Biogeochemical cycles in the northern North Pacific, and the International Consortium of the Okhotsk Sea Study
• To maintain close interaction with the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) and GLOBEC.

III. The membership of NPTT

It shall include scientists who are actively working in the North Pacific. The Chair is nominated by the task team concerned, recommended by the JGOFS Executives, and appointed by SCOR and IGBP. Members of the North Pacific Task Team are appointed by the JGOFS SSC Executives in their personal capacity.

IV. It is anticipated that the office will be established in the region.

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Last update :March 31, 1998