Short Title: NORLAKES 4 Future Proposal URL: http://classic.ipy.org/development/eoi/proposal-details.php?id=169 The network for present and future circumpolar freshwater lake research and data management (NORLAKES 4 Future) is a multidisciplinary and national network under the International Polar Year initiative that seek to connect activities and data of complementary research groups that are or will perform limnological research in the Arctic. Background. The polar regions at the Northern hemisphere have myriads of freshwater lakes that are integrated parts of the polar biome and thus are irrevocable sites for many ecosystem processes. Arctic lakes are unique in a number of ways. The most obvious being the physical and chemical conditions that often imply a very harsh environment with low nutrient variability, low temperatures, long ice coverage and highly variable microclimate. The biodiversity as well as productivity of species in such lakes is often low and the food web structures often simple. This implies that arctic lakes are vulnerable to disturbance of almost any kind (air pollution, over exploitation, acidification, eutrophication and climate changes). Freshwater lakes are essential in many ways as they provide breeding habitats for birds, are the nursing ground for many insect larval stages, host valuable fish populations (salmon, charr and trout), act as buffer zones for melt waters, provides drinking water and transportation corridors for wild life and humans. Recent studies have shown that the coupling between pelagic and benthic food webs in arctic aquatic environments is very important for the cycling of organic matter. It is also clear that the low productivity of most Arctic lakes forces the biota to a very efficient utilization of recourses and that prey-predator interactions work in a strong manner. Rationale and goal. As clearly stated in the ACIA documents it is necessary to improve and the understanding of ecosystem structure, food web behaviour and productivity in Arctic ecosystems along geographical gradients in order to enables the best management practices and protection of such ecosystems for the future. This applies also to the freshwater systems that are essential components in the terrestrial biome as well as a connection between land and sea. The establishment of a strong circumpolar freshwater research network within the IPY is seen as way forward to facilitate the present and future understanding and thus preservation of these ecosystems. The most significant advances within the framework of IPY will be to enforce the research, educational and communication relationships across countries and cultures in the Arctic region. By bringing researcher together that are expects in their fields and/or regions, the network will be able to provide a profound base of knowledge of physical, chemical and biological characteristics of lakes in the Arctic region. By including young scientist as well as training aspect this initiative foster a new generation of scientists that are prepared to take action in international decision and research communities. The networking activities will also include joint expeditions that serve to exploit areas previously not studied because of logistic and/or resources reasons and to share technical and scientific skills between research teams that are not yet co-working. Clustering. The network consists of an already established Nordic collaboration network that has wished to open up to become a multidisciplinary and -national networking unit that will aim at coordinate complementary research groups that are or will perform limnological research in the Arctic. The partner consortium is formed by unifying the original EoI#539, that was assigned by IPY to become a lead project by several other EoI´s that were relevant including two EoI (#313 and 429) that have formed their own clusters but have expressed wished to coordinate activities where it is possible.
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