Full Proposals for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Proposed IPY Activity Details

1.0 PROPOSER INFORMATION

(Activity ID No: 196)

1.1 Title of Activity
International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere

1.2 Short Form Title of Proposed Activity
IASOA

1.3 Activity Leader Details
Taneil Uttal
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
United States

1.4 Lead International Organisation(s) (if applicable)

1.5 Other Countries involved in the activity
Canada
Finland
Norway
Russia
Denmark
China
Germany
Japan
Sweden
United States

1.6 Expression of Intent ID #'s brought together in this proposed activity
138, 721, 699, 325, 129, 544, 452, 436, 546, 597, 11, 212, 729, 732, 820, 787, 1097, 1265

1.7 Location of Field Activities
Arctic

1.8 Which IPY themes are addressed
1. Current state of the environment
2. Change in the polar regions
3. Polar-global linkages/tele-connections
4. Exploring new frontiers
5. The polar regions as vantage points
6. The human dimension in polar regions

1.9 What is the main IPY target addressed by this activity
4. Legacy

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2.0 SUMMARY OF THE ACTIVITY

To monitor and understand the Arctic atmosphere, there are number of key questions that need to be answered. In particular:

(1) How do clouds, aerosols and atmospheric chemistry interact to force the Pan-Arctic surface energy balances and albedo-temperature feedback?

(2) What is the relative role of tropospheric dynamics and stratospheric linkages in controlling the Arctic surface variability?

(3) What portion of the recent changes in the Arctic weather and climate can be attributed to increases in anthropogenic sources?

(4) How does the Arctic atmosphere interact with the rest of the Arctic (marine, cryospheric and terrestrial) system?

(5) To answer these questions (and others), all of the available observational resources represented by surface and upper air network observations, intensive observatories, satellite observations, manned and unmanned airborne measurements, and focused field campaigns must be utilized.

Specific tasks will be undertaken to:

* Coordinate the efforts at a number of atmospheric observatory sites that are year-round, intensive, permanent, and with sufficient infrastructure and personnel to operate sophisticated atmospheric instruments such as lidars and radars that can provide information for detailed process studies.

* Integrate and where possible, co-locate sensors from distributed networks measuring parameters such as precipitation, atmospheric radiation, water vapour, aurora activity, ozone, chemistry/radio nuclides, fractional cloud cover, temperature, and winds. The intensive observatories will become super nodes in the network systems.

* Promote and enhance campaign activities that provide opportunities to make atmospheric measurements in logistically difficult locations, especially over the Arctic Ocean and surrounding Seas which are typically data sparse for surface-based atmospheric measurements. Examples of intensive programs include the North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO – EoI 436), the Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea Ice-Snow pack (OASIS-IPY, Activity 38), and the Arctic Summer Cloud-Ocean Study (ASCOS, EoI 212).

* Utilize and support innovative technologies, for instance unmanned aircraft such as the High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAV program, automated station technologies, and wind energy technologies (CAPWE, EoI 721).

* Contribute observational products to modelling efforts such as POLARCAT (Activity 32).

* Contribute to defining the atmospheric component of larger, interdisciplinary Arctic observation coordination programs proposed for IPY such as Coordination of Observation and Monitoring of the Arctic for Assessment and Research (COMAAR – EoI 503).

The primary intention of this proposal will be to develop a legacy of continuous measurements of the Arctic atmosphere that will be combined with additional measurements from episodic, focused, campaigns. The goal will be to have sufficient understanding to determine relative contributions of natural versus anthropogenic forces in shaping the nature of the Arctic atmosphere. This activity will additionally contribute to an evaluation of the resulting impacts on the larger Arctic physical and biological system, as well as assess the impacts of Arctic atmospheric issues on global climate/weather.

A particular emphasis will be to promote and integrate the activities of about five major, intensive, and permanent, observatories. This element will be responsive to a number of international assessments (e.g. IPCC, ACIA, AMAP) and research programs (WCRP, CliC, GEWEX and SEARCH) that have recommended that multi-disciplinary “super-sites” be developed to collect the information needed to determine the processes and drivers of environmental Arctic change across disciplines.

An action item for this proposal will be to establish an active coordination committee that will develop plans to leverage individual efforts by information exchange, standardization of measurement practices, cooperative use of resources, and data exchanges. Scientific collaborations will be promoted between institutions, programs, and nations to produce a comprehensive understanding of the atmosphere in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions.

2.1 What is the evidence of inter-disciplinarity in this activity?
This atmospheric proposal is being coordinated with a number of other atmospheric and non-atmospheric IPY activities. Cross-reference discussions have been initiated with Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (SPARC - EoI 807), Polar Aerosol Optical Depth (Polar AOD- Activity 171), Hydrological Impacts of Arctic Aerosols (HIAA – Activity 140), University of the Arctic (EoI 404), Atmospheric Monitoring Network for Anthropogenic Pollution in Polar Regions (ATMPOL – Activity 76), Permafrost Observatory Project: A Contribution to the Thermal State of Permafrost (TSP, Activity 50). It is expected that the number of cross referenced projects will increase as funded activities continue to develop for the IPY. The cross referencing will be more than an academic exercise and will serve as a basis for concrete implementation planning, for instance locating atmospheric observations in river basins to determine links with hydrology, river runoff and coastal ocean processes.

2.2 What will be the significant advances/developments from this activity? What will be the major deliverables? What are the outputs for your peers?
This activity will support the development/enhancement of an Atmospheric Observing System composed of a several key intensive observatory sites located in key regions of the Arctic. Target locations are presently Barrow (Alaska), Eureka and Alert (Canada), Summit Station (Greenland), Ny-Alesund (Svalbard, Norway) and Tiksi (Russia). The observatories will be embedded within a network of in-situ and remote measurements with the plan of developing the observatories as super-nodes in the network systems. The Observatory/Network measurements will be supported by episodic campaigns and aircraft programs. A number of other sites will be of interest, for instance Chatanika (Alaska), Andoya (Norway), and Kangerlussaq (Greenland). It will be a particular focus to expand atmospheric measurements over the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas with ice camps, ice-breaker based programs, aircraft, balloon programs, and measurements from buoys. Innovative technologies will be tested and incorporated as appropriate to make measurements of key parameters that are presently unobserved or under-observed in the Arctic. Programs represented by this cluster are explicitly listed in section 3.11, however, it is expected that this will be an evolving list as programs become fully implemented in the IPY time frame.

Outcomes of this activity will be:

Ongoing coordination between nations and programs to produce standardized and calibrated databases of the Arctic atmosphere that are of sufficient quality to assess variability around the Arctic region both spatially and temporally.

A valuable exchange of technology, expertise and logistic support that can leverage efforts that might be cost or personnel prohibitive for any one program or country alone.

Integration of information from a variety of sensors and measurement systems to develop advanced data products that are not possible with single sensors operating in isolation (for instance using radar-lidar-radiometer combinations to retrieve cloud microphysics).

Advanced understanding of the processes in the Arctic atmosphere that determine the future of the Arctic and global climate.

2.3 Outline the geographical location(s) for the proposed field work (approximate coordinates will be helpful if possible)

2.4 Define the approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities?

2.5 What major logistic support/facilities will be required for this project?
Existing field stations
Icebreaker
New field station
Helicopters
Observatories
Radars
Fixed wing transport aircraft
Snow terrain vehicles

Further details – Continued support and enhancements for year round operations of existing observatories Development of new observatory or observatories, especially in the Russian Arctic Transportation to remote Arctic sites Support for web services, publications and committee membership Technology development for innovative instrumentation Expansion, maintenance and enhancement of existing networks

2.6 How will the required logistics be supplied? Have operators been approached?

2.7 If working in the Arctic regions, has there been contact with local indigenous groups or relevant authorities regarding access?
The existing observatories described in this proposal (Barrow, Greenland, Eureka, Ny-Alesund) have proper permitting and leases for operations with national and local indigenous authorities. Appropriate agreements will be developed for field campaigns.

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3.0 STRUCTURE OF THE ACTIVITY

3.1 Origin of the activity
This activity is the start of a new programme that will outlive IPY

3.2 How will the activity be organised and managed? Describe the proposed management structure and means for coordinating across the cluster
The management of this effort will be through a steering committee with members chosen by each of the participating programs and countries. A general membership will be open to all interested parties. The committee will meet once in 2006 and two times a year in 2007-2009. Coordination of measurement activities will be pursued on both logistical and scientific grounds and discussion forums will be initiated to encourage scientific collaborations.

A major facilitating tool will be a web site and regular newsletters/email notifications of activities. Links will be provided to individual programs and data archives organized along the lines of (1) Organizing Programs (2) Networks (3) Intensive Observatories (4) Campaigns and Innovative Technologies (5) Interdisciplinary Activities.

A preliminary web site is available at:
http://www.etl.noaa.gov/arctic/ipy_iasoa

Plans are to migrate this site from a U.S. government site to a Canadian University site at:
http://www.iasoa.org

3.3 Will the activity leave a legacy of infrastructure and if so in what form?
The legacy of infrastructure will include substantially enhanced atmospheric observatories with coordinated measurement programs in Barrow, Eureka, Greenland, and Ny-Alesund. The existing observatory at Eureka, Nunavut, Canada (PEARL – EoI 699) and the Meteorological Services Canada weather station in Alert is already being substantially upgraded and expanded for IPY. Another major new infrastructure element will be development of a new atmospheric observatory in Tiksi, Russia to begin filling the present measurement void across Siberia (Polar Atmosphere – EoI 820). It is expected that a number of networks will also be substantially enhanced and will be expanded to include the atmospheric observatory sites when practical and possible.

3.4 Will the activity involve nations other than traditional polar nations? How will this be addressed?
It is intended that the IASOA web site synopsis and news letter summaries will be routinely translated to facilitate and encourage participation by all interested nations, including not only the traditional Arctic coutries such as Russia, Canada, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the United States, but also the non-Arctic countries in Europe and Asia.

3.5 Will this activity be linked with other IPY core activities? If yes please specify
The primary IPY themes addressed by this cluster are:
THEME 1) Status (Weather and Climate)
THEME 3) Global (Tele-connections between poles and mid-latitudes)
THEME 5) Vantage Point – Observing System (Atmospheric and Climate Observations Systems).

The IASOA cluster intends to become an IPY core activity that will be responsible for coordination and implementation of Arctic atmospheric observations. Activities will be linked to companion Arctic IPY such as:

Arctic Circum-Polar Coastal Observatory Network (ACCO-Net, Activity 90)
Hydrological Impact of Arctic Aerosols (HIAA, Activity 140)
Permafrost Observatory Project (TSP, Activity 50)
Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea-Ice-Snowpack Interactions (OASIS-IPY, Activity 38)
International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC, Activity 48)
Developing Arctic Modelling and observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies (DAMOCLES, Activity 40)
Studies of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH, EoI 916)
POLar study using Aircraft, Remote sensing, surface measurements and modelling of climate, chemistry, Aerosols and Transport (POLARCAT, Activity 32)
Coordination of Observation and Monitoring of the Arctic for Assessment and Research (COMAAR, EoI 503)
State and Fate of the Cryosphere (CRYOS, Activity 105)
Hydrological Cycle (Arctic-Hydra, Activity 104)

3.6 How will the activity manage its data? Is there a viable plan and which data management organisations/structures will be involved?
Because of the diverse number of data sets, organizations and nations involved with this project, it is expected that data will be managed on a number of levels including the individual project level and the national archive level.

In addition, a new and important level of data management will include coordinating this atmosphere focused program with IPY projects proposing integrated Arctic measurements across disciplines such as COMAAR (EoI 503) and CEOP/CEOPOP (EoI 544). An important component of COMAAR will be the development of over-arching meta data bases and access links to databases. CEPOP will build upon CEOP where data management of satellite, model output and in-situ observations has been a central focus allowing multidisciplinary studies to be implemented globally. CEOPOP is also being submitted as a separate IPY Activity in addition to participation in this cluster.

3.7 Data Policy Agreement
Will this activity sign up to the IPY draft Data Policy (see website)
Yes

3.8 How will the activity contribute to developing the next generation of polar scientists, logisticians, etc.?
Operation of the observatories, networks, and field campaigns described will require training of highly skilled operators and continuous scientific oversight.

Many of the member institutions in this cluster are Universities committed to the education of scientists, engineers and technicians.

3.9 How will this activity address education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Outreach will be accomplished through
1) Programs developed by individual programs and institutions
2) Liaisons with IPY core outreach programs

Also, the IPY Activity “University of the Arctic” is being coordinated under EoI 404. This activity represents a network of 90 cooperating universities, colleges, indigenous organizations and institutes committed to higher education and research in the North. This IASOA activity will contributor to University of the Arctic program as appropriate.

3.10 What are the proposed sources of funding for this activity?
Funding Sources in Place:
********************************
Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Science, (CANDAC/PEARL Program)
US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (SEARCH Observatory Program) U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program
National Aeronautic and Space Agency

Funding Sources to be Sought:
***************************************
U.S. National Science Foundation
Norwegian Science Foundation
Ministry of Environment, Finland
Canadian Space Agency
Canadian IPY Funds

3.11 Additional Comments
Individual EoIs and programs presently coordinated in this cluster:
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U.S. NOAA Studies of Environmental Change Program (SEARCH)
Canadian Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL , EoI 699)
Canadian Network for Detection of Atmospheric Change (CANDAC)
Canadian Enhanced Northern Environmental Observations (ENEO, EoI 129)
WCRP/CliC Arctic Climate Observing System (EoI 546)
International Greenland Environmental Observatory (GEOSummit, EoI 452)
Pan-Arctic Study of the Stratospheric and Mesospheric Circulation (PASSMeC, EoI 11)
Russian Polar Atmosphere (EoI 820)
Climate and Meteorological Regime of West Arctic (CMRWA, EoI 729)
Canadian CircumPolar Assessment of Wind Energy (CPAWE, EoI 721)
Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period (CEOP, EoI 544)
Russian Network for Reconstruction of Meteorology, Radiation, Aerological and Sea level in the Russian Arctic (EoI 732)
Maritime Arctic Radiation and Cloud Observations: Polynas, Leads, Over-Ice (MARCO POLO, EoI 325)
North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO, EoI 436)
Enhancing Svalbard as a research base for IPY and beyond (SVALBASE, EoI 597)
Development of Polar Observing Balloon Airship “Vortex Chaser” as an Application of the Stratospheric Platform (Vortex Chaser – EoI 787)
The Arctic Summer Cloud-Ocean Study (ASCOS – EoI 212)

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4.0 CONSORTIUM INFORMATION

4.1 Contact Details

Lead Contact
Ms Taneil Uttal
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
325 Broadway Boulder,Colorado
80305
USA

Tel:          303-497-6409
Mobile:   N/A
Fax:         303-497-6181
Email:       Taneil.Uttal@noaa.gov

Second Contact
Dr James Drummond
University of Toronto
60 St. George Street Toronto, Ontario Ontario
M5S 1A7
Canada

Tel:          416-978-4723
Mobile:   N/A
Fax:         416-978-8905
Email:      james.drummond@utoronto.ca

4.2 Other significant consortium members and their affiliation