Updates on Summit, Greenland Environmental Observatory

First update, September 7, 1998

Dear Colleagues,

The U.S. National Science Foundation, in cooperation with the Danish Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland has initiated planning for a new Environmental Observatory at the summit of the Greenland ice sheet. This would be a year-round, multidisciplinary facility, offering the opportunity for European and U.S. scientists to make observations, do monitoring and carry out experiments throughout the year.

This proposal for a new facility builds on the successful year-round pilot project in which 4 individuals lived and worked at Summit from August 1997 through May 1998. They made measurements of atmospheric chemistry and energy balance, and collected atmospheric and snow samples for analysis in U.S. and European laboratories. This pilot project was part of the continuing studies of atmospheric chemistry and atmosphere-snow transfer functions that started during the drilling of the GISP2 and GRIP ice cores.

Involvement of the scientific community in planning for the proposed facility started with a May 1997 workshop in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Preparation of a draft science plan was initiated immediately after the workshop. At a subsequent workshop in Copenhagen in February 1998, Torben Jorgensen of the Danish Meteorological Institute and I were asked to prepare a white paper and draft science plan for consideration by the European Polar Board (EPB), the Danish Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland, the U.S. National Science Foundation, other governmental organizations and the scientific community. Over 25 individual scientists contributed to preparation of the plan. In August 1998 we submitted the plan to NSF and the EPB. The EPB considered the plan at its August 27 meeting. The plan was well received and the polar board supports it.

The plan is available at www.hwr.arizona.edu/Alpine/Summit/observatory.html

The plan calls for the facility to be in place and have science begin in the summer of 2000. It is likely that a European group will prepare a proposal by spring 1999; the corresponding NSF proposal deadline is February 1999. NSF is currently evaluating budgets and sources of funding for the facility and the science that would be carried out. Watch for updates.

We have set up a listserv for those who would like to receive updates as plans develop. Information on joining the listserv is on the above www page. Please send comments on the science plan to me. Contact information for NSF and European colleagues is also on the www page.