Possibilities for NOAA Activities During the IPY

The International Polar Year and the Declaration from the Earth Observation Summit combine to offer a challenge and an opportunity to improve our knowledge of the polar environment. Within the constraints of available resources, NOAA will strive to emphasize polar observations during the IPY period. Among activities currently foreseen are publication of newly available and recalibrated historical data sets, accelerated deployment of in situ oceanographic sensors, full-scale operation of a network of Arctic atmospheric observatories, increased observation of the polar portion of the carbon cycle, improved access to polar satellite data, and an effort to ensure that all of this information is available to the broad science community. Many of NOAA's planned activities would benefit from close coordination with activities of other U.S. agencies and with agencies of other nations. The IPY offers an opportunity to improve collaboration and sharing of expensive observation platforms and other support facilities. Should the will and resources be available, the IPY could be the catalyst for a 3-5 year deployment of a robust pan-Arctic network of oceanographic moorings to obtain a synoptic view of Arctic Ocean circulation and ice thickness. This could allow more confident specification of a decadal-scale observing system for the Arctic Ocean. For the Arctic region, NOAA will look to the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Study of Environmental Arctic Change and its sub-programs for scientific guidance and priority.