IPY Observing System - Creating a Polar Legacy

1. IPY Observing System Emerging Legacy Dr E. Sarukhanian, Special Adviser to WMO Secretary-General on IPY

2. International Polar Year 2007-2008 The IPY 2007-2008 has successfully started 1 March 2007 and at present IPY is approaching date of its nominal closure by 1 March 2009. A report “State of Polar Research” will be publicly presented to WMO and ICSU Executive Heads by IPY Joint Committee (JC) on 25 February 2009 at WMO headquarters

3. First IPY Conference Preliminary results were submitted and discussed at the first IPY Open Science Conference “Polar Research – Arctic and Antarctic Perspectives in the International Polar Year” which was the largest polar science meeting yet held, with over 1200 participants. “Observations form Space & Advanced Observing Technologies” was organized by STG. The next IPY Science Conference is planned to be held in Oslo, Norway from 8 to 12 June 2010 where an official closure of IPY is planned.

4. IPY Sub-Committee on Observations has developed a draft roadmap towards IPY observing systems legacy.Main observing initiatives contributing to the creation of an IPY Legacy: • Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON), • Integrated Arctic Ocean Observing System (iAOOS), and Arctic-HYCOS as parts of SAON, • Pan-Antarctic Observing System (PAntOS), • Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) as part of PAntOS, • The Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW), • Polar Satellite Constellation(PSC), • Polar Regional Climate Outlook Forum (PCOF)

5. SAON Workshops/Meetings Stockholm (November 2007) Edmonton (April 2008) St. Petersburg (July) Vancouver (September) Incheon (September) SAON - 3 Helsinki (15-17 October)

6. Summary of Main Observations Stockholm: emphasis on User Needs and Gaps Edmonton: continued work started in Stockholm, with additional emphasis on Agencies and Arctic Residents (need to be involved in defining SAON goals and mechanisms) St. Petersburg: focus on National Programs (at the core of observing) Incheon: contributions of Non-Arctic states and organizations Vancouver: perspective of building on existing and emerging networks (e.g. Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program)

7. Arctic Observing Operational Observing (international and national) Community-based Observing; Local & Traditional Knowledge Research Observing Arctic Building Blocks 1 2 3 4 5 etc. Global Observing SAON A Gateway to Arctic Data Scientific Research& Education Decision- Making Policy- Making Data Products Forecasting & Prediction Arctic and Global Value-added Services & Societal Benefits

8. Outcome of Helsinki workshop The main objective of workshop was to develop recommendations on how to achieve long-term Arctic-wide observing activities which provide free, open, and timely access to high-quality data that will realize pan-Arctic and global value-added services and provide societal benefits. Draft recommendations proposed by SAON Initiating Group was discussed in details by break-out groups. Groups provided extensive feedback to the draft recommendations, and clear guidance on actions and next steps. With this input, 4 draft recommendations will be finalised by IG and submitted by 15 December 2008 to AC. They will considered by Ministerial Meeting of Arctic Council in April 2009. Recently the AC has undertaken steps to ensure that IPY work, findings and experiences are used in a best possible manner for Arctic management and governance and established a contact group to develop a project “Maximizing the Legacy of IPY in the Arctic”.

9. Monaco Declaration The Conference “The Arctic: observing the environmental changes and facing their challenges” (Monaco, 9-10 November 2008) was organised by European Union with participation of ministers, government representatives, and the representatives of the European institutions, international organisations and programmes, including WMO, UNESCO-IOC, ICSU, and others. The “Monaco Declaration” in which the Conference • took note of the appeal of the scientists on the needto uphold the impetus launched by the IPY, and • called to make an important European contribution to support the future of the Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks process was endorsed.

10. Pan-Antarctic Observing System and Southern Ocean Observing System The PAntOS Group main goal is to address the scope and implementation strategies for the development of the multidisciplinary Pan-Antarctic observing network encompassing the Antarctic Continent and the surrounding Southern Ocean. Main steps: • Make a preliminary analysis of existing/planned observational networks with an initial assessment of where deficiencies or over-provision exist, and recommend protocols for assembling networks’ data via a family of Virtual Antarctic Observatories; • Prepare a Plan for development of Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) to provide integrated multidisciplinary observations in the Southern Ocean, which are necessary to understand key physical and biogeochemical processes in the Southern Ocean.

11. SOOS programme development A meeting of the SCAR/SCOR Oceanography Expert Group, focussing on the SOOS, was held in conjunction with the SCAR/IASC IPY Open Science Conference, in St Petersburg, 5-7 July 2008. The main aim of the meeting was to present some specific straw man plans for different aspects of the SOOS and to agree on some key recommendations and actions to move the process forward. Follow to the recommendations given by the meeting draft of Plan for SOOS development was prepared in December 2008 for submission to SCAR

12. Plans for monitoring in South Atlantic sector (SOOS draft, Nov. 2008)

13. Global Cryosphere Watch- A WMO Initiative “The 15th WMO Congress (May 2007) welcomed the proposal of Canada that WMO will create a Global Cryosphere Watch which would be an important component of the IPY legacy. Congress requested the WMO Inter-commission Task Group on IPY to establish an ad-hoc expert group to explore the possibility of creation of such global system and prepare recommendations for its development.” Legacy of CliC in the area of observations

14. Polar Satellite Constellation Purpose: To leave a legacy data set compiled from multiple space agency satellite data portfolios comprising a broad range of a “polar snapshot” products and propose a cooperation arrangement between major satellite agencies ensuring coordination of their polar observations beyond IPY in establishing a preliminary structure for sustaining observations into future towards achievinga Polar Satellite Constellation .

15. Polar Regional Climate Outlook Forum Polar Climate Outlook Forum (PCOF) should bring together national, regional and international climate experts to produce regional climate outlooks based on input from NMHSs, regional institutions, Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) and global producers of climate predictions. Through interaction with sectoral users, extension agencies and policy makers, RCOF can assess the likely implications of the outlooks on the most pertinent socio-economic sectors in Polar region and explore the ways in which the outlooks could be made use of. The PCOF will be more oriented towards the use of the future scientific achievements related to climate predictability in the Polar Regions in a changing climate.

16. Contribution of the IPY legacy observing initiatives to WIGOS • Atmosphere: SAON, PAntOS, PCOF & PSC -> WWW/GOS, GAW, GCOS; • Hydrology: SAON, Arctic HYCOS -> WHYCOS, GCOS/GTOS; • Ocean: iAOOS and SOOS • -> polar GOOS; • Cryosphere: GCW and PSC -> GOOS (sea ice),GTOS (the hydrological cycle, permafrost, ice sheets, glaciers), and GCOS as a whole. • Climate: PCOF ->to share currently available information, ->to improve climate adaptation strategies through establishment of PCOF as a sustained, regular international collaboration between climate research and user representatives with interests in polar regions.

17. New coordination bodies to contribute to secure IPY legacy • WMO EC Panel of Experts on Polar Observations, Research and Services to provide a high-level WMO partnership in the activities aimed to secure the IPY observing system legacy in the areas of polar meteorology, hydrology and glaciology in communication with operational agencies in Member countries and international organizations that have a great interest in Polar Regions such as AC, IASC, ATCM, SCAR and others. • IASC/SCAR Joint Bipolar Action Group was established to advise the SCAR and IASC Executive Committees on the development of mechanisms to nurture the IPY legacy, with a special focus on the roles of IASC and SCAR.

18. International Polar Decade - an opportunity to secure IPY legacy WMO EC-LX (June 2008), - recognized the unique opportunity for WMO in consultation with ICSU and other international organizations to consider launch ofan International Polar Decade as long-term process of research and observations in Polar Regions to meet requirements of climate change studies and prediction to benefit societal needs.

19. Thank you!