On the Need for Satellite Observations over the Arctic

As climate is changing, so does the environment and surrounding we live in. This creates not only opportunities, but also challenges. Particularly volatile is the Arctic region with sensitive flora and fauna and the people who make a living in a harsh environment. Of the 4 million people living in the Arctic roughly ten percent are indigenous. A critical point is not only to protect the current environment, but also to support adaptation and mitigation for a sustainable Arctic future.

As ground-based observations are scarce and difficult to maintain satellite observations are increasingly critical. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW)¹ is an international mechanism for supporting all key cryospheric in-situ and remote sensing observations. To meet the needs of WMO Members and partners in delivering services to users, the media, public, decision and policy makers, GCW provides authoritative, clear, and useable data, information, and analyses on the past, current and future state of the cryosphere. WMO maintains the observational requirements for the future, including the Arctic, specifically though the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) Vision for 2040.

However, in the end the national and multi-national space agencies are the ones that develop and deploy the observational baseline capabilities now and in the future. These are augmented by an increasing fleet of capable private and commercial enterprises.

This presentation will take stock on where we are with respect to the requirements and the current and foreseen future capabilities for space-based observations for the Arctic. A particular emphasis will be to identify potential critical gaps in the current plans and propose key missions to be pursued either at national level or through international collaborative efforts.