HR: 0830h
AN: C41C-0980    [PDF]
TI: Observing the Arctic From Space: Educational Opportunities for an International Polar Year
AU: * Kelley, J J
EM: ffjjk@uaf.edu
AF: Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 United States
AU: Yanow, G
EM: gilbert.yanow@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: JPL, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Alexander, V
EM: vera@sfos.uaf.edu
AF: Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 United States
AU: Johnson, L
EM: Gljgerg1@aol.com
AF: Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 United States
AB: Recommendations for an International Polar Year (IPY) will require integrated circumpolar research projects using present and advanced technologies. The IPY will offer exceptional opportunities for participation by indigenous residents of the Arctic. Educational outreach will be an essential component of IPY programs, to improve science competence and citizen awareness through participation in IPY projects and utilization of educational products. An important and practical objective of IPY educational outreach is to recognize that the earth is a system and that it is best from space that we can acquire seasonal and secular atmospheric, terrestrial and oceanic environmental data. Acquisition of reliable ground truth data in support of remote sensing of geophysical and geochemical variables will be essential, especially with broad long-term coverage in the polar regions. It should be an essential element of the IPY program. In the United States NASA has developed a strategy for long-term monitoring of some key parameters needed to bring us closer to the answers we need regarding climate change in the Arctic and polar regions. Technology consists of a group of five polar satellites that make a suite of earth observations referred to as the "A-Train". Data from this group of satellites, as well as from the Orbital Carbon Observatory (OCO) and older Quikscat and new Seawinds radar missions, will provide focus for an education program based not only on the acquisition of polar data but also on how these data correlate with global observations. We recommend that an educational outreach secretariat be developed for each national program that will involve the indigenous people of the Arctic and elsewhere in acquisition of data relevant to satellite observations. The secretariat will provide for information transfer, coordination with scientific projects, opportunities for participation in project activities, communication of scientific results to the public, and greater participation of residents of circumpolar nations in polar science.
DE: 1640 Remote sensing
DE: 1699 General or miscellaneous
DE: 1823 Frozen ground
DE: 3360 Remote sensing
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting