Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Multi-disciplinary environmental investigations in high-latitudinal regions of the Arctic on the basis of research drifting stations “North Pole” during the IPY 2007/2008.  (Investigations on drifting stations “North Pole” 2007/08.)

Outline
Creation of a new international drifting station (or continuation of activity of the Russian drifting station) for performance of multi-disciplinary environmental investigations, monitoring of hydrometeorological parameters and contamination, study of climatic variability of the region, as well as collection of new data in the Arctic Basin of the Arctic Ocean on: characteristics of water masses; hydrometeorological and ice conditions, radiation processes in the system “atmosphere- sea ice-sea upper layer”, hydrobiology, cryobiology, cytology, structure and local dynamics of sea ice cover in high latitudes in the Arctic, new data on physical and mechanical, radiation and heat-transfer properties of snow cover and sea ice that characterize up-to-date ice conditions and their variability, variations of Arctic ecosystems. Logistic operations for organization of the station using vessel or aircraft support.Organization of base conditions for support of the station activity on land, using one or two islands in the Arctic Ocean (the Zhokhov Island or the Sredniy Island). Preparation of compatible instrumental stock for organization and conduction of experiments.Preparation and performance of preliminary field experiments and inter-calibration of devices on the basis of the acting drifting station NP-33 in 2005.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Data on environmental conditions in the Arctic, available at present time, confirm presence of significant variations in this region, aftermath of these variations can exert significant influence during the following decades both on the nature, as well as on social and economic activity, both locally and globally. In this field, necessity of elaboration of reliable methods of estimation and forecasting of processes in the polar atmosphere, ionosphere, cryosphere, and ocean, as well in social–economic systems is of great importance. These methods should be based on the data of joint observational systems and modern technique. Future results will allow us to obtain very important data in conditions of restructuring of the climatic system, information on environmental conditions in the Arctic Basin and marginal seas. The obtained data will be of great importance for understanding of variations of environmental conditions in high-latitudinal regions of the Arctic in the context of global variations. Validation of satellite data at sub-satellite polygons will significantly increase quality of satellite data analysis; as well as use of possibilities of remote sensing of ice cover surface in the framework of theoretical and applied investigations of the Rosgidromet in the polar latitudes along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and in perspective regions of Arctic shelf exploitation.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Bilateral cooperation between the AARI (Rosgidromet) and the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI).

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The Arctic Basin, island bases (the Zhokhov Island, the Sredniy Island).

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: March, 2007- August, 2008.            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
The logistic phase in this Project is of great importance, because organization of a station on ice and its support in operating mode requires use of ice class vessels and an nuclear icebreaker during the organization period, arrangement of conditions for aircraft flights to the chosen ice floe (remote bases on Arctic islands should be organized for this activity), organization of a combined group with appropriate permissions and licenses for provision of the flights. Delivery of personnel, scientists and specialists, equipment and devices deserves, in each case, special decisions and will be determined by a variety of factors, the main of them are location of the station and presence of a runway on it. Perfection and renewal of measuring tools is also a very important moment. These logistic/technical means can be used for other projects of the IPY 2007/08, related with activity on drifting stations.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Performance of multi-disciplinary environmental investigations in high-latitudinal regions of the Arctic is unique by its character for all the structure of the IPY 2007/08 projects, and it can pretend to be of special significance; because organization of experiments in this region, difficult of access, will allow us to obtain a wide spectrum of data on most environmental parameters in annual cycle of investigations. It also should be kept in mind, that collection of the most part of these data is possible only by contact methods.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?

The Russian Arctic Expedition was created in 2004 for organization and conduction of research work in the Arctic Basin. The drifting station NP-33 has been opened, it is planned to perform preliminary working stage for the IPY 2007/08 on this station.It is planned that these investigations will be supported by a joint program of the AARI (Rosgidromet, Russia), the NPI (Norway), the Polar Center of University of Washington (Seattle, USA).

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
The present Project is supported at the national level by the Rosgidromet.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
yes

The Project is a component of the long-term plan of Russian investigations in the Arctic.

How will the project be organised and managed?
It is proposed to provide Project management from the AARI (Rosgidromet). Basic structures for Project realization are active at the AARI. The High-Latitude Arctic Expedition was created at the AARI, this expedition has organized a working complex at the drifting station “North Pole -33”and is supporting it now. Creation of the international drifting station in the framework of the IPY goals can be considered as continuation of this activity.It is a real possibility to perform joint international experiments with specialists from Norway and the USA on the basis of NP-33 in 2005. These initiatives will serve as organization basis of the proposed Project.Project management will be realized in the framework of the joint program of the AARI (Rosgidromet, Russia), NPI (Norway), as well, possibly, by a number of European and American scientific organizations

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
It is planned participation of Russian and foreign students, holders of master’s degrees, scholars of scientific grants involved in educational program of courses of the University of Svalbard (UNIS, Spitsbergen), the Russian-German magistrates “Pomor” (St. Petersburg State University, Faculty of Geography and Geoecology, Russia) and the Russian-Norwegian laboratory “Fram” (AARI, St. Petersburg).

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
The new data, obtained in the course of Project realization on conditions in the ocean, ice and atmosphere, as well as special data, will be transferred to VNIIGMI-WDC (Rosgidromet, Russia) and world data centers in accordance with established procedure.

How is it proposed to fund the project?

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Director Ivan Yevgenievich Frolov
Department: SE AARI, Rosgidromet
Bering Str., 38; St. Peterrsburg
199397
Russia

Tel: 812 3521520
Mobile: no
Fax: 812 3522688
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation