Past and present evidence shows high sensitivity of polar seas to changing climate due to the presence of sea ice. Sea-ice variability affects the physics, biogeochemistry and biology of polar seas. These changes in turn create important positive or negative feedbacks to the climate either directly or indirectly through cascading effects. The 5^th Gordon Conference will explore physical, biogeochemical and biological feedback loops to changing climate, making use of recent advances in paleo-indicators and contemporary observations and process-level studies. Particular attention will be paid to feedbacks and trophic shifts associated with changing sea-ice.

Posters from all participants are welcome in two poster sessions; there will be invited speakers and discussion leaders (in italic) for the nine sessions listed below.
To attend this conference, please complete the online application (http://www.grc.org/). The selection of conferees is made by the Chair after review of the applications.
Contact information: http//:www.grc.org; lancelot@ulb.ac.be

1-Climate Sea Ice Feedbacks(Steve Ackley / John Walsh / David Thompson)
2-Reconstructing Sea ice Changes from Proxy Records (Keith Alverson /Erik Wolff /Mark Curran/ Xavier Crosta)
3-Sea Ice Variability and Local Physical Processes(JackieRichter-Menge /Christian Haas / Daniel Feltham)
4-Sea Ice Variability and Ocean Circulation(Robin Muench /Arnold Gordon / Jean-Claude Gascard / Walter Munk)
5-Sea Ice Variability and Shifts in Primary Producers(Walker Smith / Barbara Prezelin /Paul Wassmann)
6-Sea Ice Variability and Climatically Significant Biogases(Peter Liss /Maurice Levasseur / Jack Di Tullio / Katarina Abrahamsson / Lisa Miller / Jean-Louis Tison)
7-Sea Ice Variability and Microbial Processes(David Thomas /Thomas Mock / Ron Kiene)
8-Effects of Sea-Ice Variability on Top Predators(Cynthia Tynan / Ulrich Bathmann / David Ainley / George Divoky / Kristin Laidre)
9-Integrating Climate Feedbacks and Trophic shifts in Polar Seas(Steve Nicol / Eugene Murphy / Richard Matear)