HR: 1340h
AN: ED33B-0772    [Abstracts]
TI: Observing the Polar Regions from Space: Educational Opportunities for an International Polar Year and International Heliophysical Year
AU: * Kelley, J
EM: ffjjk@uaf.edu
AF: Institute of Marine Science, UAF, P.O. Box 7220, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 United States
AU: Prakash, A
EM: prakash@gi.alaska.edu
AF: Geophysical Institute, UAF, 903 Koyukuk Dr., Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320 United States
AU: Yanow, G
EM: gyanow@csudh.edu
AF: JPL/California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Gens, R
EM: rgens@asf.alaska.edu
AF: Geophysical Institute, UAF, 903 Koyukuk Dr., Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320 United States
AU: Johnson, L
EM: len.johnsoniii@verizon.net
AF: Institute of Marine Science, UAF, P.O. Box 7220, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 United States
AB: The International Polar Year (IPY) and the International Heliophysical Year (IHY) will require integrated circumpolar research projects using present and advanced technologies. The IPY/IHY will offer exceptional opportunities for participation world-wide and especially by indigenous residents of the Arctic. Educational outreach will be an essential component of these programs. Participation in IPY/IHY projects and utilization of educational products will improve science competence and citizen awareness of the importance of the polar regions. An important and practical objective of IPY and IHY educational outreach is to recognize that the earth is a system and that it is best to acquire seasonal and secular atmospheric, terrestrial and oceanic environmental data from space. 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. 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 and its relation to social systems. This technology consists of a group of six satellites that can make a suite of earth observations referred to as the "A Train". Data from this group of polar orbiting 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. Use of new technology to make data accessible to all users will be an important outcome of the International Polar Year and International Heliophysical Year.
DE: 9310 Antarctica
DE: 9315 Arctic region
DE: 6605 Education
DE: 2776 Polar cap phenomena
DE: 1640 Remote sensing
SC: Education and Human Resourcese [ED]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting