The UNOLS Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC) is an
NSF/USCG-sanctioned committee which provides Arctic marine science
projects with planning and scheduling assistance and facilitates
communications between scientists, science funders, and facility
providers. Particular concerns of this committee at present are the USCG
icebreakers Polar Sea, Polar Star, and Healy. Additional information
about the AICC is available on the UNOLS web site at:
http://www.unols.org or the Arctic Research Consortium of the United
States at: http://www.arcus.org/AICC/aicc.html.

SCIENCE-OF-OPPORTUNITY IS DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
Following extensive yard and maintenance periods, Coast Guard
icebreakers may proceed to the Arctic to conduct machinery trials, to
test equipment, and to conduct training, in conditions which duplicate
normal operating conditions. The Coast Guard calls these missions
"shakedowns". During these shakedowns, the USCG allows scientists to
deploy with the icebreaker to take advantage of research opportunities
on a not-to-interfere basis with machinery and equipment trials, or
other training missions taking place. Scientists who deploy on shakedown
missions are not charged for icebreaker use under the current
multi-agency reimbursement agreement for dedicated science missions. It
is important to note that while science will be accommodated whenever
appropriate, science is not the first priority of an SOO mission, and in
fact, there is no guarantee that any science will be accomplished during
these missions. Despite these important and ongoing caveats, the AICC
would be remiss if we did not also note community satisfaction with many
SOO missions, during which most science objectives were accomplished by
the Coast Guard.

Highly specific time and geographic requirements cannot be guaranteed.
Arrangements for sample-only requests will be the responsibility of the
investigators. Investigators without sea experience, or who contemplate
sending participants without sea experience, are very strongly urged by
the AICC to obtain relevant training, and to discuss plans and
recommendations with an experienced participant well ahead of time. The
AICC also very strongly recommends that all scientists who have programs
selected for SOO missions attend a pre-cruise meeting with the Coast
Guard. No other mechanism is as effective in promoting the
communications vital to ensure success.

The USCG will select the participants for SOO cruises. The AICC's role is
to facilitate communication between the scientific community and the
USCG, including assembling information about potential
Science-of-Opportunity investigations and assessing them for
suitability. Investigators are reminded that they may not use submission
of an SOO request for AICC assessment to leverage agency science
support.