Full Proposals for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Proposed IPY Activity Details

1.0 PROPOSER INFORMATION

(Activity ID No: 76)

1.1 Title of Activity
Atmospheric Monitoring Network for Antropogenic Pollution in Polar Regions

1.2 Short Form Title of Proposed Activity
ATMOPOL

1.3 Activity Leader Details
Roland Kallenborn
Norwegian Institute for Air Research
Norway

1.4 Lead International Organisation(s) (if applicable)
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme Oslo, NORWAY
Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR), SPRI, UK
NULL
NULL

1.5 Other Countries involved in the activity
Poland
Iceland
USA
Australia
Norway
United Kingdom
Canada
Sweden
Finland
Germany
France
Denmark
NULL
NULL
NULL
NULL

1.6 Expression of Intent ID #'s brought together in this proposed activity
28, 89, 222, 268, 318 438, 530, 720, 748

1.7 Location of Field Activities
Bipolar

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
1. Natural or social science

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2.0 SUMMARY OF THE ACTIVITY

The project aims at establishing a long-term Arctic-Antarctic network of monitoring stations for atmospheric monitoring of anthropogenic pollution. Based upon the long and excellent experiences with different scientific groups performing air monitoring within the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), an expanded network will be established including all AMAP stations and all major Antarctic “year-around” research stations. As an integrated project within the “International Polar Year 2007-08” initiative, the ATMOPOL co-operation intend to
• Establish a long-term coordinated international Arctic-Antarctic contaminant programme.
• Develop and implement a joint sampling and monitoring strategy as an official guideline for all participating stations.
• Support bi-polar international atmospheric research with high-quality data on atmospheric long-range transport of contaminants (sources, pathways and fate).
• Support future risk assessment of contaminants for Polar Regions based on effects of relevant contamination levels and polar organisms
Based upon the well-established experiences of circum-Arctic atmospheric contaminant monitoring in the Arctic under the AMAP umbrella, a bi-polar atmospheric contaminant network will be established and maintained. In conjunction with the polar network of atmospheric monitoring stations for air pollution, surface-based and satellite instrumentation will be utilised to provide the characterization of the Arctic atmospheric-water-ice cycle. Together with numerical weather prediction and chemical transport model calculations, simultaneous measurements of pollutants at various locations in the Arctic and Antarctic will enhance our understanding of chemical transport and distribution as well as their long-term atmospheric trends. In addition to investigating the importance of atmospheric transport of pollutants an understanding of the transference and impact of these pollutants on both terrestrial and marine environments will be sought. A secretariat and a “scientific project board” will be established. During this initial phase of the project (2006), a guideline on priority target compounds, sampling strategies, equipment and instrumentation, analytical requirements, as well as quality assurance protocols (including laboratory intercalibration exercises) will be developed and implemented. The ATMOPOL initiative aims to address highly relevant environmental change processes and, thus, will strive to answering the following scientific questions:
• How does climate change influence the atmospheric long-range transport of pollutants?
• Are environmental scientists able to fill the gaps in international pollution inventories and identification of possible sources for atmospheric pollution in Polar Regions?
• What are the differences in transport pathways and distribution patterns of various atmospheric pollutants between Arctic and Antarctic environments? Why are there such differences?
What is the final fate of atmospherically transported pollutants and how does this impact on the environment and indigenous people?In order to understand the underlying atmospheric chemistry of pollution, e.g. atmospheric mercury deposition events, routine surface measurements of UV radiation as well as campaign related measurements of UV radiation profiles will also be included.The project will establish a cooperative network on atmospheric contaminant monitoring in Polar Regions far beyond the IPY 2007/08 period and is, thus, planned as an “open-end” programme. All produced data will be available for all participating institutions for scientific purposes as basis for joint publications and reports from the ATMOPOL database to be developed.

2.1 What is the evidence of inter-disciplinarity in this activity?
The project is designed as an integrated pollutant monitoring frame for both Arctic and Antarctic atmosphere. Thus, a joint core protocol will be developed allowing establishing basic monitoring programmes following a standardised scheme at all participating stations. In addition to the core program, voluntary measuring activities (campaign or long-term monitoring) will be developed and realised. The ATMOPOL initiative brings together specialists from various research disciplines including atmospheric chemistry, geophysics, biology, environmental modelling, ecotoxicology, meteorology and computer sciences.

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?
The overall objectives of ATMOPOL initiative respond directly to all four major environmental goals of the IPY 2007/08 program. ATMOPOL will firstly add new scientifically-based knowledge on the global aspects of atmospheric pollutant transport and potential effects on polar regions. Secondly, the monitoring program will serve as a scientific tool for early identification of environmental changes. This will include an assessment of the impact of atmospheric pollutants on the marine and terrestrial environments of the polar regions, which will inform on the socio-economic effects of atmospheric pollutants on the Arctic environment and its people. Thirdly, the logistic challenges for research in polar regions will lead to the development of new scientific solutions for long-term atmospheric monitoring (for example using newly developed passive air sampling methods) and for risk assessment of contaminants in polar regions. In addition, coordination strategies and instrumentation/ methods used will be highly advanced and adapted by all parties. As such, this concept will have the potential for a milestone in international cooperation for global monitoring and survey of anthropogenic pollution in the polar atmosphere. Last by not the least, the scientific results expected by the ATMOPOL initiative will be communicated to educational institutions and regulatory decision makers and, thus, will have significant impact on environmental education on all levels (including schoolchildren) as well as the public opinion and regulatory strategies.

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?
Ice strengthened research ship
New field station
Multi-instrumented platforms
Observatories
Fixed wing transport aircraft
Multi-instrumented platforms
Existing field stations

Further details – Norwegian Troll station 72° 01 S 02° 32 E Halley (BAS, UK) 65°31'S 26°39'W Scott Base (Australia) Div. Research vessels - The logistic and administrative background, the basic monitoring protocol as well as the access to the majority of the monitoring stations in the Arctic will be based upon the already existing atmospheric monitoring network of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP): This already established core program will be expanded to the new involved stations including the Antarctic monitoring sites and the research vessels involved. In close co-operation with the AMAP secretariat in Oslo, a joint ATMOPOL secretariat will be established lead by one of the participating research groups

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?

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3.0 STRUCTURE OF THE ACTIVITY

3.1 Origin of the activity
This is a new activity developed for the IPY period

If part of an existing programme please name the programme – AMAP, SAMS` Northern Seas Programme 1 (NSP1)

3.2 How will the activity be organised and managed? Describe the proposed management structure and means for coordinating across the cluster
The ATMOPOL initiative will be established as a cluster of nine initial IPY-EOIs. 28 (Trace gas Observations at the Primary Arctic NDSC Station Ny-Ålesund), 50 (The effect of changing climate on the long range transport of pollutants, TRANSARC) 89 (Atmospheric Monitoring Network for Antropogenic Pollution in Polar Regions), 268 (Synoptic Studies of Contaminants in Polar Environments) 318 (Pollution of atmospheric precipitation in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic) 438 (Future changes of climate, chemical composition, and UV at high latitudes) 530 (Aerosol Measurements at Summit), 720 (CANADA #3: Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment, ACE)
748 (Arctic risk assessment of PAHs)
In addition, the ATMOPOL cluster will substantially benefit from the already established AMAP co-operation in the Arctic and will adapt already implemented Quality control protocols and co-operation agreements. The ATMOPOL secretariat will, thus, liase between the partners, AMAP and other important stakeholders as International conventions, UNEP, WMAO, national and international regulatory institutions . In addition, scientific background, research frames and important findings will be communicated to the public, implemented into educational programs and transferred into regulatory procedures.

3.3 Will the activity leave a legacy of infrastructure and if so in what form?
The Arctic-Antarctic Atmospheric pollution monitoring network (Incl. AMAP) will be established based upon the co-operation agreements and procedures developed during the ATMOPOL initiative for the for the co-ordinated IPY research frame. The network will be developed as a long-term commitment reach far beyond the 2 years campaign during IPY. Logistics, secretariat and co-operation agreements between the stations will be established and maintained The ATMOPOL co-operation is meant to continue also after IPY is finalised. Only a long-term commitment of the stations will result in high quality monitoring data (after many years of measuring of the core program) because earlier experiences have shown that persistent pollutants, trace metals and other environmental pollutants need to be monitored over long time periods (decades) I order to establish reliable and scientifically sound data on time and spatial trends

3.4 Will the activity involve nations other than traditional polar nations? How will this be addressed?
Station with genuine interest in Polar research will be involved. But those institutions participating institute are not necessarily located in polar nations.

3.5 Will this activity be linked with other IPY core activities? If yes please specify
The ATMOPOL initiative is already firmly linked to several other core projects. There are agreements on exchange of scientific results and access to/ joint usage of infrastructures available. Regular meetings of the project co-coordinators will be established in order to allow co-ordination and collaboration between the projects. The following core initiatives will be closely co-operate:
129 CANADA #139:Enhanced Northern Environmental Observations for IPY213 Air-Ice Chemical Interactions – IPY coordinated studies (AICI-IPY)244 POLARCAT: Inter-continental Transport and Chemical Transformation of pollutants over the Arctic region.
268 Synoptic Studies of Contaminants in Polar Environments
299 POLAR-AOD: a network to characterize the means, variability, and trends of the climate-forcing properties of aerosols in polar regions.
313 Arctic Climate Diversity; Integrating physical and biological observations (ArcDiv)
344 Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea Ice-Snowpack (OASIS) Interactions542 ORACLE-03: Polar Ozone Loss

3.6 How will the activity manage its data? Is there a viable plan and which data management organisations/structures will be involved?
Administrative and logistic structures for data archiving, handling and access will be build upon already existing and running databases and agreements within the AMAP co-operation. The AMAP data centres at NILU (Kjeller, Norway) and other institutions will be adapted and expanded to the modified needs of the ATMOPOL initiative. The ATMOPOL secretariat will closely co-operate with the AMAP secretariat in OSLO and co-ordinate the monitoring activities as well as the databases. It is expected, that after the IPY period, a joint Polar Atmospheric Monitoring secretariat (POLAMON) will be established (under an international convention) as a permanent commitment to the global survey of anthropogenic atmospheric pollution.

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.?
Today, based upon the growing scientific knowledge, atmospheric pollution is not considered simply a national challenge requiring environmental regulations but as a global/international challenge in which pollution produced globally is detrimentally affecting the environment at the poles. In addition the pollutants arriving at the poles are transferred to the land and ocean which can ultimately end up in the food chain affecting the health and livelihood of the indigenous populations of the polar regionsThus, atmospheric pollution in its various forms (persistent pollutants, dust, aerosols, and volatile contaminants) is known to undergo global redistribution processes. Therefore, the ATMOPOL initiative will contribute to underpin the global aspects of these processes.The polar regions on our globe have often proven to be early warning sites, for environmental changes due to anthropogenic influences. Scientific knowledge about Atmospheric long-range transport as well as the effects of chlorofluorohydrocarbons (CFC) on Ozone depletion in the stratosphere as well as Arctic haze events opened the eyes of environmental scientists and led to international activities as countermeasures to this type of pollution. Today, climate change processes are a focus of modern environmental sciences. ATMOPOL will contribute to this research by collecting data on meteorological and climate conditions ruling distribution processes of atmospheric pollution. ATMOPOL will also contribute to outline future guidelines for risk assessment in the polar region.These scientific topics are and will be in the future major challenges for modern environmental sciences and ATMOPOL will contribute with data and new knowledge to the evolution of the modern environmental monitoring with respect to logistic requirements as well as quality assurance and atmospheric research.

3.9 How will this activity address education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
A major task of the ATMOPOL secretariat will be the communication to the public and important stakeholders. As a basic tool, a comprehensive ATMOPOL internet web page will be developed and actively advertised to teachers on all levels of education. The web page will offer information on monitoring aspects, global transport and other relevant environmental aspects prepared for all levels of education. A discussion forum open for the public and interested scientists will be initiated, which will be used to shape the logistic and scientific priorities for the ATMOPOL monitoring. Masters and doctorate students will have access to the data set for researhc and educational purposes upon request.
The ATMOPOL results will be summarised in as monograph in the planned “From Pole to Pole” series, designed to summarise the environmental science results within IPY. Furthermore, all relevant scientific results will be published jointly by all involved partners in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

3.10 What are the proposed sources of funding for this activity?
The AMAP atmospheric monitoring program is financed through circum-Arctic national co-operations. The basic AMAP monitoring program will, thus, be the fundamental basis for the ATMOPOL co-operation. Addition fund will be sought at the specific national IPY programs in the respective countries. All ATMOPOL applications are asked to include a lump sum for the planned secretariat and the co-ordination work included. The project co-ordinator will apply for a separate ATMOPOL management project at the Norwegian IPY programme. The application deadline is expected around December 2005. A first IPY meeting dealing with aspects of logistics, basic monitoring priorities and preparation for the 2007 campaigns is planned for February/ March 2006. Separate funding will be sought at different national and international funding bodies.

3.11 Additional Comments
In addition to the standard AMAP atmospheric monitoring programme, parameters like ground-based remote sensing in the infrared (FTIR) and microwave (MW), several anthropogenic trace gases, in the total column, and as VMR-profiles with a rough vertical resolution of 4-10 km will be included ( already established in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard). These observations will include e.g. CO2, CH4, N2O, CO, CH2O, CFC-12, CFC-22, SF6, O3. There are also access to long-term observations of several anthropogenic trace gases are performed in the whole atmosphere using remote sensingtechniques from the ground.

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4.0 CONSORTIUM INFORMATION

4.1 Contact Details

Lead Contact
Dr Roland Kallenborn
Norwegian Institute for Air Research
P.O. Box 100, Instituttveien 18, Kjeller
2027
Norway

Tel:          +47 63898000
Mobile:   +47 90879988
Fax:         +47 63898050
Email:       roland.kallenborn@nilu.no

Second Contact
Dr John Burhart
Science Coordination Office, Greenland Environmental Observatory-Summit
4225 N. Hospital Rd., Atwater, CA
95301
USA

Tel:          +1 209 658 7142
Mobile:   N/A
Fax:         +47 79 02 33 01 +1 209 724 445
Email:      jburkhart@ucmerced.edu

4.2 Other significant consortium members and their affiliation