In 2016, the National Science Foundation (NSF) identified 10 “Big Ideas” for advancing science and engineering research and guiding long-term US research investments. Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) was one of those big ideas, highlighting NSF’s continued commitment to funding research to help societies respond to a warming Arctic. NNA focuses on convergence—collaborations formed from deep integration across disciplines and knowledge systems to address vexing and complex research challenges that are pivotal for meeting societal needs (Wilson, 2019). The NNA initiative has funded over 100 individual and collaborative research projects since 2017, addressing topics ranging from thawing permafrost, to shifting weather patterns, increasing shipping, and adapting food systems. Research teams funded by NNA to work across the Arctic are composed of scientists from diverse disciplines, Indigenous knowledge holders, practitioners, planners, and engineers.
