International Polar Year 2007–2008 - WMO

of the JC (JC-7, July 2008) as a discussion paper. The
roadmap was developed to provide a way forward
to creating a basic vision of an IPY observing systems
legacy that could then be used by decision-makers to
identify funding in support of IPY observing networks
in the post-IPY era. Some of the emerging initiatives
listed below were described in the document. The
SCOBS submitted a review of the results of the latest
developments of these initiatives to the eighth session
of the JC (JC-8, February 2009). That overview paper,
IPY Observing System Emerging Legacy (JC8/Doc.3),
covered the progress in five major observational
initiatives established during the IPY 2007–2008 years:
• Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON)
with an Integrated Arctic Ocean Observing System
(iAOOS);
• Pan-Antarctic Observing System (PAntOS) with a
Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS);
• The Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW),
• Polar Satellites Constellation (PSC),
• Polar Climate Outlook Forum (PCOF).
The chapters in this section of the IPY Summary
provide far more detailed and updated information
on most of the listed initiatives, in addition covering
several other observational networks developed
during IPY 2007–2008. They include:
• Satellite Observations Program (Chapter 3.1),
• Towards an integrated Arctic Ocean Observing
System (Chapter 3.2),
• Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) (Chapter
3.3),
• International Arctic System for Observing of
Atmosphere (IASOA) (Chapter 3.4)
• Meteorological Observations in the Antarctic
Fig. 3.0-1. NASA Ice,
Cloud and Land
Elevation Satellite
(ICESat) data
collection over
the Antarctic. ICESat
laser altimeters
measured ice sheet
mass balance, cloud,
and aerosol heights
during IPY.
(NASA/Goddard Space Flight
Center Scientific Visualization
Studio, RADARSAT mosaic of
Antarctica. Canadian Space
Agency)
o b s e r v I n g s Y s t e m s a n d d a t a m a n a g e m e n t 359