Summary of the Arctic GOOS planning meeting

1. Summary of the Arctic GOOS planning meeting Hosted jointly by Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center and EuroGOOS 12 - 13 September 2006 Venue: Thormøhlensgate 47, 5006 Bergen, Norway Presentations and documents from the meeting are available at http://www.nersc.no/ATT/

2. Objectives of the meeting • Discuss the development of operational oceanography services for the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. • Present brief state-of-the art of Arctic monitoring activities and plans by the EuroGOOS Arctic Task Team and other interested participants • Review the formal procedure to establish Arctic GOOS Regional Alliance and discussion of the MoU for this alliance

3. The Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic Seas • Bathymetry of the Arctic Ocean • and surrounding seas. • 1: Nordic Seas, • 2: Barents Sea, • 3: Fram Strait, • 4: Eurasian Basin, • 5: Canadian Basin, • 6: Bering Strait. (IBCAO, http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/bathymetry/arctic/arctic.html)

4. Main components of Arctic GOOS • In situ observation systems: ship-borne systems, moorings, ice buoys, floats and drifters • Satellite remote sensing: polar orbiting satellites using active and passive microwave, optical and infrared instruments • Modelling: data assimilation, nowcasting, short term forecasting, seasonal forecasting, climate modelling, model comparison and validation

5. Schematic of observation system Schematic of the vertical stack of observations from satellites to seabed that would be necessary to inform an iAOOS study focused on the present state and future fate of the Arctic perennial sea-ice.

6. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 15% water land water land Satellite observations of sea ice • Well-established for large-scale monitoring of ice area and extent • Development towards higher resolution products using SAR • Ongoing development to retrieve ice thickness from altimetry

7. 3 2 4 1 5 Modelling and forecasting MERESA Integrated Project: Global ocean modelling and observing system: Area I : Global Ocean Area II : North East Atlantic Area III : Arctic Area IV : Baltic Sea Area V : Mediterranean Sea

8. Next steps • US are informed and waiting • Sign an MoU, first draft distributed at meeting • Establish basic organisational structure • Update plans (use EuroGOOS publication 22) • Start to work • Present plans at 3rd GOOS Regional Forum • Propose a recommendation from I-GOOS VIII, spring 07. • Propose adoption at IOC Assembly 24, June 07

9. Role of EuroGOOS • One of the first GRAs • Instrumental in the creation of Black Sea GOOS and Mediterranean GOOS • Established early an Arctic Task Team in parallel with other regional task teams • Hosted the first GOOS Regional Forum • Has promoted an Arctic GOOS Alliance for a few years • Published 2005 : The Arctic Ocean and the need for an Arctic GOOS • Established 2005 a EuroGOOS Secretariat for Arctic GOOS in Bergen, NERSC

10. Potential Arctic GOOS partners from Europe • 25 participants from 17 institutions/organisations participated in the meeting and expressed interest to be partners in Arctic GOOS • Countries represented included Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, UK, Poland and France • Organisations: EuroGOOS and WMO/WCRP

11. Hans Dahlin, EuroGOOS Vladimir Smirnov, AARI, Russia Lena Shalina, NIERSC, Russia Ari Seina, FIMR, Finland Tapani Stipa, FIMR/FMI, Finland Lars Axell, SMHI, Sweden Erik Buch, DMI, Denmark Eberhard Fahrbach, AWI, Germany Pierre Bahurel, MERCATOR, France Nick Hughes, SAMS, UK Jan Piechura, IOPAS, Poland Helge Tangen, met.no, Norway Øyvind Sætra, met.no, Norway Vladimir Ryabinin, WMO/WCRP Harald Loeng, IMR, Norway Einar Svendsen, IMR, Norway Peter M. Haugan, GI-UoB, Norway Svenn O. Haugland, Storm Weather Center, Norway Gard Hauge, Storm Weather Center, Norway Dominique Durand, NIVA, Norway Henning Wehde, NIVA, Norway Laurent Bertino, NERSC/MSC Knut Arild Liseter, NERSC/MSC Johnny A. Johannessen, NERSC Lasse H. Pettersson, NERSC Stein Sandven, NERSC Meeting participants