Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Establishment of a circumpolar monitoring program focussing on spatiotemporal trends in the snow cover in terrestrial ecosystems at a landscape scale.  (STORM: Snow Trends frOm Remote Monitoring)

Outline
Snow cover is among the most important parameters controlling the abiotic and biotic dynamics of arctic ecosystems. Snow cover strongly affects the terrain surface albedo and thereby the energy balance and it protects the terrain surface from low and fluctuating temperatures during the winter. The melting of snow affects the onset and duration of the growing season for Arctic plants, and it has a strong influence on the hydrological balance. Snow free areas are essential to the foraging of some Arctic animals, whereas snow cover provides protection for others.Traditionally, snow cover changes have been monitored either qualitatively by eye or quantitatively by use of satellite images. For snow cover mapping on a local scale the use of satellite images is not ideal as the images are expensive and sensitive to cloud cover especially during the melting season. Also satellites with high spatial resolution sensors (e.g. Landsat TM/ETM+ or SPOT HRV) only provide data with relatively low time resolution. As a result, a group of scientists at the Institute of Geography in Copenhagen has developed a new method for high spatial and temporal resolution snow cover monitoring using a modified digital camera and newly developed mapping software packages. This technique allows mapping of snow cover areas up to 20 km2 with a user specified time resolution and with a spatial resolution comparable to images from Landsat/SPOT. The technique has successfully been used for monitoring the snow cover distribution in the Zackenberg Valley in NE-Greenland since 1997. A snow cover depletion model has been developed in order to make retrospective analysis of snow cover depletion in the area before establishment of the camera. Based on data from seven years (1998-2004) it has been possible to model the snow cover depletion during the last fifteen years with daily temperature and a few satellite images as the only input parameters. The daily depletion of the snow cover and melt rate has been incorporated in the SNOWTRAN-3D model to generate the snow water equivalent/snow depth distribution. By using the developed interrelationships, the fundamental features of the seasonal snow cover evolution and the associated energy and moisture fluxes can be simulated. In the last two summer seasons the monitoring technique at Zackenberg has successfully been improved by using a digital NDVI-camera, which enable a separation between freezing and melting snow, but also allow monitoring of e.g. length of the growing season, vegetation cover, biomass production and leaf area index with a high spatiotemporal resolution at a landscape scale. A combination of the two new camera techniques in a simple standardised and co-ordinated monitoring program in an Arctic network covering all arctic bioclimate subzones will be of great value for the understanding of snow cover changes in time at a landscape scale. Such a program would also be valuable for other programs dealing with e.g. permafrost, CO2-flux, biomass production, energy and water balance modelling. The main proposal is to establish a network within SCANNET (Scandinavian/North European Network of Terrestrial Field Sites) and the IASC (International Arctic Science Committee) priority project on “The dynamics of the Tundra Taiga boundary Interface”, but the standardized methods can easily be replicated at many other long-term sites in the Arctic e.q. stations within the CEON (Circumpolar Environmental Observatory Network).

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
STORM will contributes as follows:Theme 1: Within a network the establishment of a simple standardised and well co-ordinated snow cover monitoring program will contribute to a better understanding of present environmental status of the terrestic snow cover changes in the polar region Theme 2: The improved techniques can easily extend the existing snow cover time series both for the past and for climate change under given scenarios. Theme 3: Improve the understanding of the linkage between climate change and arctic snow cover changes, and the snow cover control on abiotic and biotic dynamics of arctic ecosystems.Theme 4: At several of the High Arctic research sites long time series of snow cover with a high spatiotemporal resolution are rare and the new technique will be useful for several research categories and will open for a wider collaboration between these categories.Theme 6: Monitoring will improve the understanding of climate variability and its effect on landform processes affecting the infrastructure and the living conditions around the small vulnerable arctic human societies

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
During IPY the described technique will be implemented at all research stations inSCANNET (Scandinavian/North European Network of Terrestrial Field Sites), IASC (Dynamics of Tundra and taiga Interface) and representative stations in CEON (Circumarctic Environmental Observatories Network).

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The technique has been implemented at several research stations in Greenland and at other field sites within the framework of SCANNET, CEON and IASC. Implemented at all research sites the network will represent all current circumpolar climate conditions.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 05/06-09/06      05/07-09/07      05/08-09/08
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
At new research sites some kind of establishment support can be required, but the running supervision will be undertaken by local staff, as at the research sites were the technique already has been installed. STORM will produce a simple standardised and co-ordinated monitoring program, and during IPY STORM will initiate the future database. Some kind of courses for the local staff and coordinating meeting will be held during IPY, but they will all be within the ordinary logistic facilities.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
The STORM project will establish a baseline snow cover monitoring programme during the IPY. Implemented at all research sites all a simple standardised and co-ordinated program can be operated in the future. Within a database similar to other environmental programmes such as ITEX (International Tundra Experiment) and CALM (Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring), it could be important data providers to e.g. GTOS (Global Terrestrial Observing System), AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme), CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna) and ACIA (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment).

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

Through the framework of SCANNET, ENVINET and IASC the local logistics will be secured.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
YES - The project has previously been endorsed by SCANNET and IASC’s Tundra-Taiga project as Terry Callaghan in 2003 forwarded the STORM project as a proposal for AMAP support. The project is part of the Danish national IPY theme – Arctic Climate – Variability, Change and Impact, which is endorsed by the Danish 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

The technique has been implemented at several research stations in Greenland, in Abisko/Sweden, Sornfelli/Faroe Islands, at Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund, Norway. But the standardization and co-ordination of the monitoring program within an international network and initiation of a future international database is a new project.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The STORM researchers will form a Steering Committee, most likely with one of the participating Danish researchers as the leader. The Steering Committee will be responsible for designing and co-ordination of the future monitoring program and database. The Steering Committee will also be responsible for courses and coordination meeting for staff members at the individual research sites. STORM will also be responsible for documentation manual for the technique, monitoring program and database.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
The technique is developed for remote all year round snow cover monitoring, but can also work with more power consuming web-cameras. By then is can be used from primary school through university courses to the general public with instant access via web-cam or retrospective access via database. At the end of each melting it is possible to produce animations of the aerial snow depletion, which is extremely illustrative and instructive for both science and general education.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
Data will be organised into one database administered at Institute of Geography in Copenhagen and available to all participating students, scientists, but also with access for the general public. Data will also be submitted or linked to other international databases such as CEON-IMS and NSIDC and to databases for the individual research sites.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Hardware funding for the individual research sites would be from national funding agencies. Funding for the establishment of the STORM monitoring program and the initiation of the database will be applied for at the Danish national agency.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
When STORM is established approximately 25 research sites will represent all kind of environmental conditions within the circumpolar area and at least 10 countries will be represented in this new international framework.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Associate Professor, Ph.D. Birger Ulf Hansen
Institute of Geography, University of Copenhagen
Oester Voldgade 10
1350 Copenhagen K
Denmark

Tel: 0045 35322500
Mobile: no
Fax: 0045 35322501
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation