• Acronym: S-HD
• Parent Committee: SB
• Established: Oct. 2011
• Renewed: Oct. 2015 (renewed at PICES-2014; replaced by Human Dimensions Committee at PICES-2016)
• Duration: Oct. 2011 – Oct. 2016
• Chair: Keith R. Criddle (USA) kcriddle@alaska.edu
  Vice-Chair: Mitsutaku Makino (Japan) mmakino@affrc.go.jp

Section on Human Dimensions of Marine Systems (S-HD) is the scientific body responsible for the promotion, coordination, integration and synthesis of research activities related to the contribution of the social sciences to the second PICES integrative science program on “Forecasting and Understanding Trends, Uncertainty and Responses of North Pacific Ecosystems” (FUTURE), to PICES Scientific Committees, and to PICES as an organization.

1. S-HD will work towards SCIENTIFIC clarification of differences in societal objectives and needs among stakeholders in different sectors and countries. Based on that result, S-HD will develop an inventory of potential recipients, and their communication requirements for FUTURE and other PICES products, such as the state of the ocean reports (FUTURE Objective 2).
   
   
2. Based in part on the results of TOR 1, and with close coordination and communication with the Advisory Panel on Status, Outlooks, Forecasts, and Engagement (SOFE-AP) and other expert groups within PICES, S-HD will SCIENTIFICALLY explore the consequences to and responses of human social systems to factors such as climate-induced changes in marine ecosystems (FUTURE key question 3.4).  Social science tools summarized in Table 3.1 of the final report of the Study Group on Human Dimensions will be applied to such an analysis.
   
   
3. S-HD will contribute a Human Dimension Chapter to the next North Pacific Ecosystem Status Report (FUTURE Objective 2).
   
   
4. S-HD will facilitate academic cooperation with other international research activities such as ICES, IMBER, LOICZ, etc., and organize a symposium on the study of the human dimensions of marine ecosystems.