Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

North Pole Environmental Observatory  (NPEO)

Outline
The North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO) was first established in 2000 to track long-term change in the central Arctic Basin. It is not limited to a single location, but is a distributed observatory consisting of three parts: an automated drifting station installed near the Pole that samples air-ice-ocean conditions as it drifts across the Eurasian Basin to Fram Strait, a deep ocean mooring approximately 50 km from the Pole; and repeated airborne hydrographic surveys that track changes along key sections radiating from the Pole.The North Pole region is sensitive to a changing Arctic climate. Hydrographic data gathered in the area during the 1990’s showed a strong increase in upper ocean salinity associated with a more cyclonic Arctic Ocean circulation. They also showed a large increase in Atlantic Water temperatures at depth. The decrease in sea ice thickness up through the ‘90s has also been apparent at the Pole. Hydrographic measurements made by the NPEO have shown that the conditions since 2000 have tended to relax toward pre-1990 climatology but that the changes still partly persist, particularly at deeper depths. The moored records from the first three years show both multi-year trends and rapid changes. These suggest a close connection of the interior ocean that overlies the abyssal plain with the boundary current that rings the Eurasian Basin. Atmospheric and ice measurements show a mix of 1990s-like conditions and a return to climatology. For example, while 2003 shows a minimum ice extent in the Beaufort Sea, the North Pole region had a particularly cold summer.NPEO is scheduled to continue through 2008. The investigators of NPEO intend the site to provide information and field research opportunities to a broad range of investigators. The automated drifting station and its installation provide opportunities for others to test new instrument designs and automated platforms in the presence of a wealth of background observations, and at a minimum incremental logistics cost. The North Pole mooring provides a unique view of the Arctic Ocean from the surface to the sea floor. The array is well suited for additional instrumentation that will broaden that view, including measurements from other disciplines. The hydrographic sections provide opportunities for added sampling and drifting buoy deployments. We make data from NPEO available to the research community as rapidly as possible on our web site: http://psc.apl.washington.edu/northpole.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The NPEO makes environmental measurements in a region that is particularly sensitive to change. NPEO's maintenance of long time series of observations is critical to knowing the current state of the Arctic (Theme 1) and tracking change in the Arctic (Theme 2). Its location makes it important to understanding linkages between the Arctic Ocean and sub-arctic seas and atmospheric measurements provided in the NPEO region are important in understanding the hemispheric atmospheric circulation (Theme 3). Insofar as the Arctic is an indicator of global change, the NPEO provides an important long-term vantage point for the global climate system (Theme 5).

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
So far, NPEO core participants are from the US and Japan (JAMSTEC), with substantial technical and logistical support provided by Canada. We are encouraging more international collaboration and anticipate more joint work with, among others, Russian and Canadian programs.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
NPEO operations presently extend roughly from the North Pole to 85°N, and from 85°N to about 80°N between 10°E and 90°W.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 04/00 – 9/08            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Various fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, shore support at Resolute and Alert in Canada and the Borneo tourist ice station. Our logistics are adaptable to different situations and we encourage other projects to take advantage of our logistics and operations support.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
One of our goals is that some form of program carries forward the operations of NPEO, perhaps as part of the SEARCH (Study of Environmental Arctic Change) or ISARC programs. Because the North Pole is covered with drifting sea ice, no enduring, bricks and mortar structures or facilities are possible.

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

We take advantage of Canadian Forces Station Alert, Canadian Polar Continental Shelf, the US ANG 109th squadron, and commercial Canadian and Russian aircraft operators. Logistics funding is from the US NSF Office of Polar Program Arctic Research Support and Logistics Section.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Our expression of interest is in the process of being considered by the US National Committee for IPY.

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

NPEO began in 2000 and is scheduled to continue through 2008 as funded by the US NSF.

How will the project be organised and managed?
NPEO management has been done as typical for NSF funded multi investigator projects with a Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PIs. The co-PIs are responsible for the various science aspects and one co-PI responsible for logistics/operations planning. The management plan is evolving to a more formal arrangement with our recent renewal including an improved data management scheme

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
NPEO maintains a heavily used Web site: http://psc.apl.washington.edu/northpole/index.html. Every year we take journalists to the Pole and consequently we achieve good public awareness. We have also developed an educational NPEO DVD, in part as a student project in communications.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
Our data management scheme is evolving but our general principal is to release the data over the web and to data archives as soon as practical after collection. Some data are released in near real time. A great amount is released after 4-6 months, while some mooring data takes longer. Data is archived with the Arctic Systems Science (ARCSS) Data Archive at the time of release.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
NPEO is funded by the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs Arctic Research Support and Logistics Section. The Japanese effort at NPEO is funded through JAMSTEC.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

James Morison
Polar Science Center, APL/UW
1013 NE 40thSt
Seattle, WA
98105
USA

Tel: 206 543 1394
Mobile: 206 310 5307
Fax: 206 6163142
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation