= CCSM Polar Climate Working Group Winter Meeting =
== February 19-20, 2009 ==
== Santa Fe, New Mexico ==

The Community Climate System Model (CCSM) Polar Climate Working Group (PCWG) winter meeting will be held February 19-20, 2009, in Santa Fe.  Please contact [mailto:eclare@lanl.gov Elizabeth Hunke] with questions or to be included on the list of participants. 

== Hotel ==

We have reserved a block of rooms at [http://www.lodgeatsantafe.com The Lodge at Santa Fe] at the government rate of $86 per night (plus tax), for three nights, February 18-20, under the code ‘'''CCSM Polar Climate Working Group'''.’  The guestroom rate will be extended for guests arriving and departing three days pre/post meeting dates, based on availability. To make your reservation, call 888-563-4373 '''no later than January 28, 2009''', or visit the hotel’s website, http://www.lodgeatsantafe.com.  The hotel will continue to accept reservations after January 28 on a space- and rate-available basis.  There is a 24-hour cancellation policy.  Note that although the hotel’s address is 750 N. St. Francis Drive, the hotel entrance is on Calle Mejia, which parallels St. Francis.  The hotel is located about 1 mile from the Santa Fe Plaza and provides a free shuttle service downtown.

Northern New Mexico is rich in culture and scenic beauty, and we encourage you to stay a couple of extra days if you can.  At 7000 feet elevation, Santa Fe’s climate is dry and cool.  Temperatures in February generally range from the mid-20’s to the mid-40’s (F), with occasional snow storms.  Several ski resorts are located nearby, including [http://www.skisantafe.com/ Ski Santa Fe] and [http://www.skipajarito.com/ Pajarito Mountain] above Los Alamos.  [http://www.skitaos.org/ Taos], [http://www.angelfireresort.com/winter/ Angel Fire] and [http://sipapunm.com/ Sipapu] are only slightly farther away.

== Getting to Santa Fe ==

The nearest major airport is in Albuquerque (ABQ), about 60 miles from Santa Fe.  From ABQ you can rent a car, or Roadrunner Shuttle Service (505-424-3367) will meet you at baggage claim and drop you off at your hotel for $30 each way.   Roadrunner operates by reservation only, without a fixed schedule, and they offer a discounted rate for groups.  If you would like to take a shuttle, please send an email to Elizabeth with your arrival/departure times and flights, and she will try to organize group transportation.  

To rent a car, take the free shuttle from the airport terminal (just outside baggage claim) to the nearby rental car center.  From there, follow signs to Interstate-25.  Take I-25 North toward Santa Fe, about 50 miles.  Just southwest of Santa Fe, exit onto NM-599 North (exit 276B), drive about 10 miles, then exit toward downtown on US-84/285 South (St. Francis Drive).  Turn right at the first light (Alamo Drive) and immediately turn right again onto the frontage road (Calle Mejia).  The Lodge at Santa Fe is at the top of the hill on the left. 

If you are driving south on I-25 (from Denver, say), take the St. Francis/US-84/285 North exit (282) toward Santa Fe/Los Alamos/Taos.  Follow St. Francis Drive through Santa Fe to the light at Alamo Drive; turn left, then immediately turn right again, onto the frontage road (Calle Mejia).  The Lodge at Santa Fe is at the top of the hill on the left. 

== Meeting room and meals ==

The meeting will be held in the Boardroom above the hotel lobby. We will have half an hour for breakfast and announcements before we begin at 8:30 am.  We will adjourn promptly at 5 pm on Thursday and at 4 pm on Friday, and we urge you to attend the entire meeting if possible.  If you leave Santa Fe at 4:30 pm on Friday, you should reach ABQ by 5:30, in plenty of time to catch flights leaving at 7 pm or later.  

Due to the economic downturn, the hotel's restaurant has closed for the season.  The hotel will provide continental breakfast for our group, and they are providing a shuttle bus to take us downtown for lunch on Thursday and Friday.   Following tradition, we will arrange an informal dinner at a local restaurant Thursday evening, with carpools as needed.  For those staying at the hotel without a car, there are options for the other meals: (1) a few restaurants are located in the nearby shopping center, a moderate walk away, (2) a hotel shuttle may be available, with some advance notice, (3) the hotel will provide a booklet of menus from restaurants that deliver, (4) Gardunos', in the Albuquerque airport, has good Mexican food.  Also, there will be a number of us around who live here, and we can cover transportation needs for anyone without a car.

== Presentations ==

If you would like to give a short presentation about your work, please send a title to the Co-Chairs by '''February 1, 2009'''.  We will confirm your inclusion on the agenda and request that you send your electronic presentation to [mailto:mholland@ucar.edu Marika Holland] no later than '''Tuesday, February 17'''.  Presentations will be projected from a Mac laptop.  

== Students ==

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s [http://www.lanl.gov/science/centers/igpp/ Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP)] has offered to provide travel funds for some students.  Please contact Elizabeth  for more information.

== Contact information ==
== Co-Chairs ==

[mailto:mholland@ucar.edu Marika Holland], National Center for Atmospheric Research
  mholland@ucar.edu (303-497-1734)

[mailto:eclare@lanl.gov Elizabeth Hunke], Los Alamos National Laboratory
  eclare@lanl.gov (505-665-9852)


== Related Links ==

 * [http://www.ccsm.ucar.edu/working_groups/Polar/ CCSM Polar Climate Working Group]
 * [http://www.lanl.gov/ Los Alamos National Laboratory]
 * [http://www.lanl.gov/science/centers/igpp/ Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP)]
 * [http://climate.lanl.gov/ Climate, Ocean and Sea Ice Modeling Project (COSIM)]