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International Polar Year 2007–2008 - WMO

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Fig. 3.7-1. Examples of<br />

the cryosphere.<br />

412<br />

IPY 20 07–20 08<br />

to IPY and to improving our ability to describe the<br />

state and fate of the cryosphere. We refer to the IGOS<br />

Cryosphere Theme’s goal of a coordinated, robust<br />

network of snow and ice measurements as CryOS, the<br />

Cryosphere Observing System.<br />

Three major workshops were held in Canada,<br />

sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Japan<br />

co-sponsored by the Japan Aerospace Exploration<br />

Agency (JAXA), in cooperation with the Japan Agency<br />

for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC),<br />

and the Netherlands sponsored primarily by the<br />

European Space Agency (ESA) to engage the scientific<br />

and user communities. Input from approximately<br />

100 scientists in 17 countries provided the basis for<br />

the IGOS Cryosphere Theme Report. The report is a<br />

robust compilation of observing system capabilities,<br />

needs and shortcomings, with separate chapters<br />

covering the elements of the cryosphere. Specific<br />

recommendations for each cryospheric element (e.g.,<br />

terrestrial snow, ice sheets, permafrost) are listed in the<br />

individual chapters of the report. An example for snow<br />

is shown in Table 3.7-1. General recommendations are<br />

given for the near-, mid- and long-term, with nearterm<br />

recommendations focussing on the IPY period.<br />

The report was accepted by the IGOS Partners in May<br />

2007, subsequently published with the support of<br />

the <strong>WMO</strong> and first “released” at the Group on Earth<br />

Observations (GEO) Plenary Meeting in Capetown,<br />

South Africa, November 2007. It has since been widely<br />

distributed and has provided the guidance for many<br />

IPY initiatives. More information is available at http://<br />

igos-cryosphere.org.<br />

The initial phase of CryOS development coincided<br />

with IPY. The approach was to engage relevant IPY<br />

projects and increase coordination between them with<br />

the objective of producing legacy datasets and the<br />

capability to extend them continuously after the end<br />

of IPY. In this regard, the IGOS Cryosphere Theme team<br />

and the collective cryosphere community have been<br />

very successful. Accomplishments during IPY include:<br />

• an evaluation of current measurement capabilities,<br />

observing system requirements and gaps;<br />

• a comprehensive set of recommendations in three<br />

time frames;<br />

• improved coverage of cryospheric elements in the<br />

GCOS Implementation Plan and contributions to<br />

the GCOS-CEOS (Committee on Earth Observation<br />

Satellites) plan for satellite-based products;<br />

• efforts to ensure an IPY legacy through the Group<br />

on Earth Observations (GEO) Work Plan;<br />

• involvement in the satellite mission planning<br />

process resulting in the approval of three orbital<br />

cycles of coordinated, experimental inter-satellite<br />

SAR interferometry, the Global Monitoring for<br />

Environment and Security (GMES) Sentinel-1A<br />

C-band SAR mission, the GMES Sentinel-3A SAR<br />

altimeter mission that will provide sea-ice thickness<br />

measurements, RADARSAT Modified Antarctic<br />

Mapping Mission (MiniMAMM) SAR mapping of<br />

Antarctica and CryoSat-2;<br />

• new satellite products for real-time applications,<br />

e.g. sea ice concentration, thickness and motion<br />

from optical imagers, and a variety of other new<br />

satellite products and acquisitions coordinated<br />

through Global Interagency IPY <strong>Polar</strong> Snapshot<br />

<strong>Year</strong> (GIIPSY) project and the IPY Space Task Group<br />

(Chapter 3.1);<br />

• contributions to the planning of ongoing SCAR<br />

scientific research projects including ISMASS<br />

(Ice Sheet MASS balance and sea-level), ASPeCT<br />

(Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate), PPE<br />

(Permafrost and Periglacial Environments) and<br />

AGCS (Antarctica in the Global Climate System).<br />

The community involvement in CryOS gave it the<br />

credibility needed for these accomplishments, the

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