International Polar Year 2007–2008 - WMO

Fig. 3.9-5. (left)
Data Coverage by
Taxonomic Class that
were represented
in the ASTI analysis.
Black bars represent
proportion of Arctic
species in each class
for which there are
population data
available. White bars
are the proportion of
Arctic species with no
available populationtrend
data.
(McRae et al., 2010)
Fig. 3.9-6. (right) ASTI
(with 95% confidence
intervals) for all
species within the
Arctic boundaries
and total population
(N) values for that
year, for the period
1970–2004. (ASTI,
n=306 species, 965
populations).
(McRae et al., 2010)
Table 3.9-1. General
timeline of the Marine
Expert Monitoring
Group
428
IPY 20 07–20 08
August 2008 MEMG established
December 2008 MEMG Background Paper edited
January 2009 1st MEMG Workshop
April 2009 First Workshop Report completed
November 2009 2nd MEMG Workshop
June 2010 Integrated Monitoring Plan completed and
submitted for CAFF review
This first workshop drew heavily on the background
paper (Volgrled, by the Norwegian Polar Institute).
This workshop report detailed the existing monitoring
programs and the focal ecosystem components,
drivers and indicators to be considered as part of a
monitoring plan for each focal marine area. Upon
completion of the draft plan, a second workshop
was held in Washington, D.C. (Fall 2009) to identify
key partners and a process for implementing the
monitoring plan.
The MEMG identified eight focal areas for the initial
monitoring program development: 1) Atlantic Arctic
Gateway, 2) Pacific Arctic Gateway, 3) Arctic Basin, 4)
Hudson Complex, 5) Baffin Bay – Davis Strait – Lancaster
Sound, 6) Beaufort Sea – Amundsen Gulf – Viscount
Melville – Queen Maud, 7) Kara – Laptev Seas and 8)
the Arctic Archipelago. The six countries participating
in the MEMG—Canada, Greenland/Denmark, Iceland,
Norway, Russia and the U.S.—have chosen or are
in the process of choosing sentinel stations in each
marine area that have long monitoring histories and
are likely to be monitored in the future. Stations are
chosen based on discipline e.g. benthos, plankton,
ice species, fish, seabirds, marine mammals and polar
bears. Sentinel station maps are being produced
for each of the disciplines and are supported by the
participating countries (Fig. 3.9-7).
Freshwater Expert Monitoring
Group—Integrated Arctic Freshwater
Biodiversity Monitoring Plan
The establishment of a Freshwater Expert
Monitoring Group (FEMG), suggested in 2008 (CBMP,
2008) and co-led by Canada and Sweden, is aimed at
facilitating an integrated, ecosystem-based approach
to the monitoring of Arctic freshwater biodiversity.
The group was created to support the development of
an integrated, pan-Arctic monitoring plan to include
optimal sampling schemes, common parameters and
standardized monitoring protocols, and to identify
critical monitoring gaps and develop strategies to
fill gaps in data. The group also serves as a forum
for providing on-going scientific and traditional
knowledge to enhance current monitoring. The FEMG
is expected to make full use of existing monitoring
and data drawn on the expertise from both inside and
outside the Arctic and from other relevant disciplines
(e.g. climate science), incorporate both communitybased
knowledge and science-based approaches, and
use new technologies, such as remote sensing and
genetic bar-coding, where appropriate.
The group was initiated in May 2010. It includes
community, scientific and indigenous experts. The
group will not only work with existing research
stations and monitoring networks to develop
integrated, forward-looking monitoring programs,