Science Coordination Office for Summit, Greenland Environmental Observatory (Cooperative Research with the University of New Hampshire)

Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Annual Report for Period:01/1999 - 08/2005 Principal Investigator: Bales, Roger C Organization: U of California, Merced Submitted on: 01/09/2007 Award ID: 9910303 transferred to: 0453758 Title: Science Coordination Office for Summit, Greenland Environmental Observatory (Cooperative Research with the University of New Hampshire) Project Participants Senior Personnel Name: Bales, Roger Worked for more than 160 Hours: Yes Contribution to Project: Provided oversight for design, content, and classification of data products for the GEOSummit web page Worked with scientists from institutions to define science aims and requirements for use of GEOSummit, promote sharing of data, facilitate future measurements, and prepared proposals for findings of baseline measurements Through these contacts actively encouraged multi-institutional, international scientific collaboration at GEOSummit Senior Personnel Name: Burkhart, John Worked for more than 160 Hours: Yes Contribution to Project: Dr Burkhart is the principal Point of Contact (POC) for the Summit Station Science Coordination Office (SCO) Over the past year, there has been extensive work between VECO Polar Resources (VPR) and the SCO A new Long Range Plan (LRP) for the station is being developed, and Dr Burkhart co-led this process with Sandy Starkweather from VPR He also been providing information to new incoming investigators, assisting with annual planning, and maintaining communication between the SCO and international research programs, including presentation of findings at last year’s Arctic Summit Science Week (2006) in Potsdam, Germany His role has grown extensively over the lifetime of the grant from data development and archiving to becoming a central participant on strategic planning and development of the station Research Experience for Undergraduates No REU projects have been covered directly through the SCO grant Organizational Partners University of New Hampshire Jack Dibb is a co-Investigator for the Science Coordination Office J Dibb provides significant input and contributions regarding on-site operational issues at Summit Station The UNH grant expired one year prior to the UCM grant as a result of a one year grant extension following relocation from UAZ by R Bales & J Burkhart Other Collaborators or Contacts VECO Polar Resources Logistical operation of Summit Station is managed by VECO Polar Resources (VPR) This grant funds a Science Coordination Office (SCO) for Summit which provides advisory oversight to VPR All operations and planning for the facility our conducted through regular interaction between these two organizations Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Activities and Findings Principal Activities: The purpose of this grant was to create a Science Coordination Office (SCO) for the Summit facility in Greenland In order to make efficient use of the facility and resources, the investigators involved must closely coordinate measurements, share facility resources and exchange data of common interest Over the course of the lifetime of this grant significant changes have taken place at Summit, and the SCO has provided an important role on several fronts Initially, the SCO provided critical knowledge transfer to the newly awarded VECO Polar Resources (VPR) logistical contract Members of the SCO had been working at Summit ‘Camp’ since 1989 when it was originally built The facility at that time was constructed as a seasonal camp for the collection of the Greenland Ice Sheet Project II ice core During the drilling, seasonal atmospheric measurements were initiated to improve interpretation of the ice cores The success of these measurements, and the further questions they raised, led to a continuation of the seasonal use of the station Ultimately, a ‘winterover’ was proposed for the 1997-1998 winter At this time logistical operations at Summit were conducted through a contract with the Polar Ice Coring Office (PICO) In 2000, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a contract to VPR to provide logistical support for NSF funded Arctic projects When VPR took over management of Summit, a number of changes were underway at the station A grant had been awarded to conduct year-round measurements on a continuous basis under the NSF’s Long Term Observatories (LTO) program The Greenland Environmental Observatory at Summit (GEOSummit) established the collection of continuous sampling of key climate and glaciological variables This grant, in particular, established that Summit would remain ‘open’ year round and be manned continuously VPR and the SCO worked together closely at this time to co-manage the station and personnel The development of the SCO provided a resource for the station and VPR with the principal objectives of: • • • coordinating measurements between investigators, sharing of facilities and personnel on site, and requests for upgrades and maintenance at the observatory, facilitating sharing of data and measurements from the observatory, and taking responsibility for communication between investigators using the facility, reporting, and planning To meet the grant objectives, the members of the SCO organized specific roles to simplify communications with VPR John Burkhart has acted as the Science Coordination Officer and the primary point of contact for the SCO The responsibilities associated with this role have involved clarifying conflicts on-site with respect to work areas, assisting with site selection for projects either requiring clean snow or likely to impact the clean air/snow regions, developing protocols for science technicians on-site, and regular communications with science technicians and the station manager regarding questions individual project investigators have not satisfactorily resolved He has also been extensively involved with international projects and acting to develop strategic plans for Summit as a research platform Roger Bales has primarily served in an advisory role for both the SCO and GEOSummit Regarding future planning and the development of new measurement programs, Dr Bales assisted with recommendations and coordination of the research In this role he has been responsible for the long-term strategic planning, coordination, and cooperation of future research campaigns at Summit, including partnerships with European programs Jack Dibb has also served as a scientific advisor for the SCO and GEOSummit His advisory role has included both on-site activities and scientific planning Regarding future planning and new measurement programs, Dr Dibb has had a critical role making recommendations and assisting with coordination of the research The extensive experience Dr Dibb has with Summit has been essential in the development of a long-term plan for the station, particularly with respect to on-site cooperation between investigators and the allocation of resources Since the establishment of the SCO significant changes have occurred at Summit both in the management of the station and the Activities Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 demands on the research infrastructure Through the activities discussed in further detail below, the SCO has provided a central resource for investigators, the NSF, and VPR to help maintain a focused direction for the development of the facility and to apply the available resources in the most efficient way Over the lifetime of the grant, specific tasks of the SCO have included: • Obtain from each investigator and maintain a current file on measurement objectives and protocols and on sampling procedures and requirements To the extent possible these are being posted on a www site that is accessible to all of the investigators using the observatory • Help determine the priorities and schedules for the rotation of personnel Evaluate and recommend the provision of backup systems, spare parts and redundancy in operations required to meet the science objectives of the observatory • Coordinate allocation of laboratory, personnel and other resources to meet measurement and sampling objective Particular attention is being paid to coordinating activities of the much larger science and logistics efforts during the summer season to ensure that continuing measurement programs are not disrupted Recommend minor modifications to facilities and operations on a continuing basis as needs arise • Make an annual visit to the observatory to an on-site assessment of operations and each measurement system Six winterover seasons have been successfully completed since 2000 During the summer, interim scientific personnel maintained activities at Summit Camp A new role for logistical staffing was the ‘science technician’ Science Technicians worked on various research projects which were to run continuously throughout the year The SCO had the direct responsibility of working closely with the Science Technicians and project investigators to assure measurements were feasible and made properly Specific activities and initiatives related to this grant include the following and are discussed in further detail below: Outreach and Synergistic Activities A principal activity of the SCO is facilitating outreach activities for Summit During the first years of this grant, extensive efforts were conducted with the objective of ‘putting Summit on the map’ The facility and the resources it provided were widely unknown to the scientific community In general, the location was only known as the location for the collection of the Greenland Ice Sheet II project Little was known about the continued seasonal and starting in 2000 year-round activities that were being conducted at Summit Furthermore, to the international community Summit was poorly represented A goal of the SCO was to increase international participation at the facility Numerous presentations were made over the course of the grant to a wide variety of audiences to outline the activities and the available resources at Summit In the first years of the grant, most outreach presentations were made at the American Geophysical Union annual meeting As a primary function of the grant was to assemble and collect current and historic data archives to make them available to the public, it was important to present this information the appropriate audience In year three, several major activities were conducted to broaden awareness of the station First, at the SEARCH meetings in Seattle, Washington, the first comprehensive set of available measurements were presented summarizing the year-round measurements and observations up until that time These included year round observations of accumulation, snow chemistry and firn microstructure In order to promote Summit internationally, a special ‘Splinter’ meeting was held at the European Geophysical Union (EGU) Meeting in 2003 This meeting was a side meeting held at the conference to offer interested investigators information about conducting research at the facility Attendance was open to anyone Prior to the meeting, presentations were solicited from current researchers with summaries of their projects, available data, and opportunities for collaboration Additionally, an overview brochure was created by the SCO which highlighted the research programs at the station The presentations and the brochures were given to attendees with an open ‘round table’ discussion session held afterwards Over the past five years, the SCO has often hosted site visitors to the station, providing ‘Distinguished Visitor’ (DV) tours of the station The DV’s are often media and representatives from national and international funding agencies In 2004, the SCO hosted at Summit Station the signing of a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ between the United States National Science Activities Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Foundation, The Danish Polar Centre, and the Greenlandic Home Rule Government The document was signed by the head of Greenland’s Ministry for Science, Education, and the Church (KIIP), and lead representatives from the USNSF and DPC The document served as a center piece for legislation between the Danish and U.S Governments and led to signing of the Joint Declaration on Economic and Technical Cooperation, Aug 2004 Every year since the SCO grant was formed, representatives from the SCO and LTO have made presentations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) Annual Meeting This meeting provides an important opportunity for investigator from various facilities located around the globe with common intention of global monitoring and climate research to get together and share results, findings, and data from their respective facilities The SCO attendance at the meeting has commonly provided an opportunity for ‘first looks’ at data from the Summit Observatory Finally, several members of the SCO have actively contributed to local and regional talks at high schools and other venues for direct public outreach These talks provide an important opportunity for the public to discuss openly and candidly the climate and to share general questions about the Arctic Often in smaller venues, the public has direct access to ask questions to the researchers directly For a comprehensive list of talks and presentations see the references provided under ‘Books and other one-time publications’ Summit Planning Meetings Over the years several Summit Science Planning meetings have been hosted by the SCO with logistical operations conducted by VPR The meetings have been held in the Denver area and bring together Principle Investigators, NSF Program Managers, and logistical staff in a two or three day forum to discuss the development of resources at the station As a priority for the station is the suitability for research, these meetings are always initiated with investigator presentations of their research and results from their activities at the station The SCO has also tried to use this forum as an opportunity to benchmark the success of the facility as a research platform and to solicit community input for areas of improvement The success of the meetings has led to increased attendance for each successive one In 2008 the SCO anticipates hosting a three-day meeting with a fully separate ‘science day’ to provide opportunities for young investigators to meet other scientists working at the station Research Sectors As use of the station has increased managing the Summit ‘real estate’ has become a greater challenge Historically, researchers would arrive at Summit and essentially choose freely any location where they would like to establish experiments, such that it best suited the requirements of the research There was limited cooperation between groups and no effort was made prior to the research team’s arrival to identify their needs As much of the research at Summit relies upon the ‘pristine’ environment’ and clean air, many projects would simply go ‘upwind’ to collect snow samples or sample air This approach was fine for an individual year, but led to challenges after successive seasons Firstly, some projects were interested in shallow coring and wanted to be sure to sample uncontaminated snow As the snow is an ‘integrating’ recorder of local air pollution it was essential to be able to provide a protected area for research such that year after year, records of work locations were maintained, and areas of the station were preserved for specific functions The SCO initiated the process of creating Controlled Traffic Sectors (CTS) on the station These areas would be defined for specific functions – both research and operational to meet the science and logistic requirements For instance, logistical operations required an area of clean snow which could be mined for fresh water Additionally, large areas were required for the clearing of snow from the station, a process which is required each year as a result of the extensive drifting in the buildings Research sectors had several requirements as well Some areas needed only pristine air, others required clean air and snow, while still others required snow which may be used experimentally, and thus, contaminated Furthermore, some research projects would require the use of auxiliary power – a source of contamination to air measurements The first step for the establishment of the CTS was to examine historical winds from the station An analysis of all wind data available, including the GC-NET AWS data from K Steffen was undertaken This analysis provided information about Activities Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Summit’s prevailing wind direction Unfortunately, unlike the South Pole, where similar measures are in effect, Summit lacks a clear prevailing wind direction Within the CTS several pie shaped sectors were defined These sectors originate on the Science Tower, the location at which most year-round atmospheric measurements were being made The sectors include a ‘No Traffic – Clean Air Zone’ which if flanked by two ‘Campaign Science – Clean Air Zone’ areas Finally, these combined sectors are flanked on each side by ‘Controlled Traffic Zones’ – meaning only research projects were permitted to work in these areas, and records of all experiment locations would be recorded A snapshot of the station showing the CTS sectors and other research areas is shown in the section on the Geographic Information System below Across the ski-way to the north of the station is an area that is also considered primarily a research area, but is less rigorously controlled For instance projects requiring the use of generators for the collection of shallow ice cores or other firn sampling programs which not require pristine surface snow are generally allocated this space However, as with all components of the station, project locations are also recorded The development of these research sectors was an iterative process which the SCO led with input from VPR and the Summit user community The result is now a much more tightly controlled allocation of the Summit region, leading to better use of resources and improved science at the facility WWW.GEOSUMMIT.ORG A webpage was created for the Greenland Environmental Observatory at Summit (GEOSummit) in 1999 The SCO used the same portal for dissemination of information and outreach for Summit Responsibilities for the web page were split between the LTO grant and the SCO In general, information regarding current research activities, logistical operations, meeting reports, planning and registration and other activities that were related to coordination of research activities were charged to the SCO Activities related to data from the year-round measurements were taken on as LTO tasking Several large initiatives were undertaken with the web portal by the SCO during the initial grant First, an archive of historical data was created and served to the public via a ‘digital library’ This database included data from measurements going back to 1992 conducted at Summit It primarily focused on datasets available to the individuals involved with the SCO, though repeated efforts were made for other investigators to contribute data As of January 2006, the database contained 94 records including snow pit, ice core, and atmospheric measurements of H2O2, HCHO, and ions Other data including the publicly available GISP2 data was also archived as a part of the activities The SCO also created an online archive of research activities and contact information The idea of the database was to help current and potential researchers identify other research projects with similar or complementary data and objectives A principle goal of the establishment of the SCO was to facilitate data exchange and collaboration amongst researchers working at the facility The online archive of researcher activities helped accomplish this task Today this archive is no longer updated at the geosummit.org site, rather a direct connection to VPR’s project repository and the NSF-funded Arctic Research Mapping Application (ARMAP) is utilized This connection allows for queried searches directly from the GEOSummit website to seamlessly pull the most current project information for research at Summit A primary function of the webpage is to provide a resource of outreach The unique character of Summit attracts significant interest from the public, and over the years, numerous articles in the popular press have been written about the facility The SCO, to the extent possible, has maintained active links to these articles as well as providing links to station researchers independent outreach activities More and more webpages are being created with Summit research as a focus A priority of the SCO is to provide a central point of reference for all the activities and to link together, the various research initiatives where appropriate Furthermore, over the lifetime of the grant there have been several meetings hosted jointly by VPR and the SCO All of the logistical information regarding these meetings is provided from the geosummit.org website with meeting summaries and, if available, presentations archived for reference Finally, while the logistical operation of Summit is not within the scope of the SCO activities, providing information for Activities Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 potential researchers and facilitating their queries regarding conducting research at the station is an objective of the office The webpage has always provided up to date links and contacts for various resources including logistics, information about the required permits, and details regarding station visits With regard to data sharing, the Summit, Greenland Environmental Observatory houses two types of investigators: i) those making specialized measurements that are a priority for the discipline that they represent, but that have few or no shared data interests with others at the observatory, and ii) those whose measurement needs overlap with other investigators at the observatory, and who can thus benefit from an active effort to share data The SCO continues to work closely with the individual investigators in carrying out several tasks • Identify priority data sets for sharing between multiple investigators and facilitate that sharing through the SCO (e.g instrumental measurements of atmospheric chemistry near the ground surface, balloon soundings, weather observations, regional atmospheric information and near-surface snow data) • Recover historical data from the various investigators who made measurements at Summit in the past, and make the data available through the SCO • Work with appropriate data centers to provide for long-term archiving and distribution of data The web site (http://www.geosummit.org) currently includes the following items: Science: • Science requirement plan from steering committee • Investigator activities and description • Facility capabilities • Scientific plan and objectives Logistics: • VECO Polar Resources (VPR) links • Links to VPR detailed schedule • Current 190th Airlift Wing Greenland Schedule • Links to Greenland Summit Camp webpage Links to Historical and recent Summit data: • Automatic Weather Station data for 1993-2000, including temperature, pressure, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and vertical temperature difference • Real time weather from GC-Net • Snow pit chemistry data for 1989, 1993-1996, 1999, and 2000 of H2O2 measurements • Snow pit chemistry data for 2000 of HCHO measurements • Atmospheric chemistry for 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, and 2000 of H2O2 in air • NOAA Carbon group measurements of CH4, CO2, CO, N2O, H2, SF6, δ13C, δ18O for 1997-1998 , 2001, and 2002 • NOAA Ozone measurements for 1993, 2000, and 2001, 2002 • Surface snow chemistry data for 1993 and 1996 containing H2O2 in surface snow and fog collected at ATM • Firn air chemistry measurements of H2O2 for 1993, 1994, 1999, and 2000, 2001, 2002 • Firn air chemistry measurements of HCHO for 2000, 2001, 2002 • Flux Measurements for 1994 containing wind speed and direction, temperature, heat, and momentum fluxes derived from the sonic anemometer mounted on the flux tower at Summit • Sounding (tethersonde) data for the summer months of 1991-1993, including temperature, wind speed and wind direction • Snow temperature data from a thermocouple string set up at the GISP2 site from 7/15/94 to 4/25/95 • Snow accumulation data for 1990 from the old bamboo forest at the original ATM site 28 km SW of the GISP2 site The data has been corrected from tape height measurements on the pole to accumulation height from 8/30/90 • Snow accumulation for the ATM transect for 1990-1995, 2000-2002, 2003-2006 • Snow accumulation at the Summit Camp bamboo forest for the winterover periods 1997-1998, 2000-2002 2003-2007 Activities Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Geographic Information System In order to establish improved controls on the year by year activities at Summit a Geographic Information System (GIS) was developed The purpose of this database is to maintain a record of project locations from year to year to assist with annual site selection and project locations Currently the GIS is in-house, but it is planned to be put online for public access With the system online, potential investigators could then select project locations based on their needs and the locations of prior studies For instance, a project requiring only clean surface snow could simply select locations that are upwind, located in the appropriate ‘Campaign Science’ zone of the Clean Air Sectors As part of the UNAVCO DGPS system which was installed in 2003 (see next section) an annual survey of the building locations and long term science projects is conducted This information is maintained as an archive and put into the GIS each season Individual researchers are requested independently to provide coordinates for their activities as well including the collection of snow samples, snow pit locations, or ice core locations Figure GIS Snapshot showing new Controlled Traffic Sectors (CTS) UNAVCO GPS System One of the objectives of the SCO is to broaden the user-base of the facility Through discussions with individuals at UNAVCO, it was found that the establishment of a Realtime Kinematic Differential GPS (RtK DPGS) system at Summit would not only provide a valuable piece of data to global monitoring programs, but would provide a unique resource at the facility for others to use Measurements of ice motion were initially conducted at Summit in 1988 At that time it was found that Summit was indeed moving westward and showing slight changes in surface height No subsequent studies had been conducted By installing a DGPS system at Summit the SCO enabled real-time measurements of ice motion to be included in larger analysis (See Findings Activities Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Section) For researchers coming to work at Summit the DGPS system offers an opportunity to create highly accurate spatial measurements The system has a base station which broadcasts, over radio, a continuous signal This signal can be received by roaming receivers allowing for real time measurement with an accuracy of better than 10cm Post processed data has even greater accuracy This system was immediately employed on the accumulation transect surveys which are conducted monthly by station personnel Still, the data from the GPS provides a different measurement than the traditional ‘bamboo stake’ measurements, but in conjunction give a more clear picture of accumulation and firn compaction processes at Summit One of the most exciting applications of the system are the monthly measurements conducted along the ICESat transect, which was established to underlie the satellite groundtrack A direct comparison of surface height changes will be made once enough data has been collected As for logistical operations, use of the DGPS system has provided good information regarding accumulation at Summit resulting from drifting snow Several times a year, accumulation surveys around the camp are conducted providing a ‘topographic’ map of the surface This map can be made before and after the winter grooming and snow removal operations are limited This information is used to help with the planning of new building locations and the relocation of existing structures In conjunction with the development of research sectors, the DGPS system is now employed to collect the locations of research projects This data is stored at Summit and collected for use in a GIS system which is then used for planning of station operations and selection of research sites Year-round Science Protocols With the continuous year-round measurements a regular part of the observatory, a new role for logistical staffing, the ‘science technician’, was created Science Technicians work on various research projects and maintain instrumentation which will be operating throughout the year The SCO had the direct responsibility of working closely with the Science Technicians and project investigators to assure measurements were feasible and made properly Furthermore, after the first few seasons of winter-over measurements, it became clear there were communication gaps between the researchers and the science technicians One problem was simply a result of the ‘turnover’ of the science technicians, such that it was impossible for each one to be individually trained by the project investigator Operationally, there were also challenges as problems would arise at unpredictable times and replies from investigators might not be immediate To overcome these challenges, the SCO enacted the development of a year-round experiments ‘Protocols’ book, which collected basic configuration and trouble-shooting information for any instrument that was to be left at the facility under the science technicians supervision Initially the book was related primarily to the LTO GEOSummit measurements program, but quickly grew to include all the activities The format was discussed with experienced technicians Each protocol is not intended to be a complete ‘operating manual’ for the experiment, but rather a basic reference for the configuration, start up/shut down, collection procedures, or other essential information for the equipment As the variety of experiments running year round is great, there is not set format However, at a minimum, each protocol includes: • • • • • Contacts – primary and secondary Schedule of activities / Frequency of tasking Sampling requirements and Supplies A project overview General procedures / requirements / guidelines This book is updated annually by the SCO In its current version there are 28 tasks covered in 96 pages of instructions Long Range Plan (LRP) for Summit Station Starting at the GEOSummit meetings in 2006 it was discussed that more strategic and meaningful long range planning for Activities Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Summit was necessary On behalf of the SCO, John Burkhart initially led this activity to produce a draft document for VPR and the SCO The process is now being led cooperatively by Sandy Starkweather from VPR with extensive input from Jack Dibb and John Burkhart The initial SCO input on the Long Range Plan was to create a ‘Strategic Plan’ which defined a set of goals for Summit station development The Strategic Plan is available through the SCO to those interested in participating or contributing to the process of the LRP The process of writing the LRP has had a series of steps involved Initially, following the 2006 meeting, the process was led by the SCO Frequent phone calls between VPR and SCO were conducted to keep everyone informed as to the status and what the direction of the document would be The single greatest challenge early was in simply defining the purpose of the document From the science community, the SCO felt it was important that operational ‘goals’ be established for the station outlining the target research community, and defining priority developments moving forward From these goals, VPR and SCO drafted an LRP presentation which highlights a development plan for Summit leading ultimately to a highly advanced, self-sufficient and sustainable clean air research observatory on the Summit of the Greenland Ice Sheet The process was in response to the NSF’s request to evaluate the long-term sustainability of the summit facility Activities Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Principal Findings: The role of the SCO has notably expanded over the past several years as a result of increased use and demand of the station facilities During the January 2004 planning meeting it became apparent that there would need to be close oversight of individual investigators using the site in order to assure that the facilities would be operated in a manner that would be acceptable for interdisciplinary research projects A clean air sector was designated with input from NOAA-CMDL using the archived wind data The sectors were established on site in June by a representative from the SCO Staff and investigators involved with research at the station were given the location of the controlled traffic sectors and explained the purpose so as to prevent any confusion over there purpose The SCO now maintains this increased role providing oversight on proposals submitted to conduct research at Summit (with PI approval) As the site is ideally suited for several various types of research, proposals with varying site requirements are expected The SCO will assist to determine the impacts of the proposed research on other projects already in place at the station and the relevance of the research to the community If needed, the SCO will provide assistance in designating the placement of research platforms and campaigns at the station to minimize impacts to other projects Enhancing efficient use of facility resources Figure Total user days at Summit The SCO has been working to balance the logistics / science demand on the station As science usage grows, it is not uncommon in challenging environments such as Summit for the logistic burden to outpace the science usage The SCO works consistently with VPR to find ways to streamline station personnel and improve the ratio of science to logistic personnel Figure shows the total user days at the facility, with a breakdown of the logistic versus science usage The latest year is encouraging showing a decrease in the logistic burden with an uptick in science usage In year 2005, the data is notably skewed as a result of the DISC drill test Internationalization of Summit Another initiative of the SCO is the promotion of the facility internationally This endeavor has proved more challenging than first anticipated Despite a slower-than-expected response from the international science community to the open access to the facility, there are indications that usage by European partners is increasing Figure shows the breakdown of countries represented at the facility; while the Figure shows the percentage of international projects at the station Findings Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Figure International participants Figure Total number of research projects at Summit with breakdown of international versus US Large-scale international project participation A significant result of the activities of the SCO is the inclusion of Summit into several international monitoring networks and research programs From the initial establishment of the facility as a year-round observatory the measurements have been contributed to the Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) program of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) However, the SCO has facilitated coordination between measurements and investigations at the station and several other large-scale projects For instance, measurements from the Swiss radiometer instruments are now a regular component of the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) Biospherical Instruments has established a station at the facility to contribute to the UV Polar Monitoring Network Below, contributions to the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) are discussed Measurements from the numerous air-snow investigations are contributed to the Air Ice Chemical Interactions (AICI) program, and results in general form a basis for improved interpretation of climate change in the Arctic contributing directly to the goals of the Study for Environmental Arctic CHange (SEARCH) As of 2006, Summit is now a part of the Atmospheric Composition Change – European NeTwork (ACCENT) The primary aim of this task is to enhance accessibility to European research infrastructures, promote the generation of high quality data for modelling purposes at the Regional, and provide information on current research activities performed at national and/or international scales Incorporation into this network requires standardized data protocols and QA/QC compliance for transfer of data, in co-ordination with the ACCENT "Quality assurance" task The SCO ensures the high quality of generated data sets from Summit complies with the ACCENT requirements As a result Summit is included as a facility for the purposes of hosting: training programs and specialized workshops on the development of new instrumentation, quality control procedures, harmonization of experimental procedures, data processing, validation and distribution Funding for these events favor both young scientists from EU member countries as well as scientists from candidate EU countries Additionally, “Access to field Findings Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 stations” is aimed at facilitating access to selected sites but also at promoting efficient and reliable sampling and analysis strategies as well as rapid diffusion of generated data Through the initiative of the SCO, Summit has been selected as a European Super-Site allowing funding for EU and candidate-country scientists to apply for funding to conduct research at the station In March of 2007 the International Polar Year (IPY) was initiated This initiative will last until 2009 Summit is a central component of several IPY projects including the Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements and Models, of Climate, Chemistry, Aerosols, and Transport (POLARCAT), the International Arctic System for Observing the Atmosphere (IASOA), and the Arctic Observing Network (AON) Findings resulting from the installation of the UNAVCO DGPS: A geodetic system consisting of dual-frequency base station and roving receivers, capable of centimeter-level accuracy, is available at Summit Camp Real-time kinematic (RTK) broadcasts provide real-time capability within a five kilometer radius of Summit Camp, and centimeter-level accuracy can be realized over 100 kilometers away from the station by collecting and postprocessing data A computer is available for data downloading and processing at the Green House facility Data from the base station are available on-line from the UNAVCO Data Archive • • • Trimble NetRS Base Station Geodetic GPS base station for data collection and RTK broadcasting Trimble R7 Rover Receiver Geodetic GPS receiver that provides centimeter accuracy in real-time (RTK) or through data collection and postprocessing Data Processing Computer A shared computer with Trimble Geomatics Office data processing software and other GPS utilities Data from the GPS system is regularly uploaded to UNAVCO’s Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) Real time motion and elevation data are available over the internet A plot showing the rime series for the facility is shown below Findings Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Figure Real time data from the GPS Station showing daily position and elevation of the Summit facility Publications Publications resulting directly from this grant are limited to the Strategic Plan and the Summit Station Protocols A partial listing of other publications resulting from research projects which have had interaction, use of data, facility management, or other coordinating services from the SCO are also listed in the publications section Each year an average of 25 projects come to Summit to conduct research or directly use data collected at the facility It is estimated that, as an average, at least one publication results from each of these activities annually Therefore, data and research at Summit over the lifetime of the first SCO grant has produced over 125 publications In actuality, this is likely a low estimate for the number of publications when taking into account synthesis studies in which Summit data partially contributes to the analysis Findings Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Project Training and Development: The SCO has continued to coordinate logistics for the winterover research at Summit camp Data transmittal, archiving and distribution has been coordinated through a combined effort of individual researchers, camp staff, and the SCO In addition, the SCO provides technical assistance with to camp staff for sample collection, maintenance, and handling Outreach opportunities and activities constitute a significant area of training externally for the SCO Through hosting workshops, participating in meetings, hosting visitors, and working with the popular media much educational material has been provided to the public Furthermore, datasets from the SCO and GEOSummit provide interesting case studies for in-class activities for graduate student training Research Training: John F Burkhart was funded in part through this grant activity Burkhart completed his Ph.D at the University of Arizona in 2005 Outreach Activities: www site, email list serve Journal Publications Burkhart, JF Protocols for year-round http://www.geosummit.org/resources measurements at Summit (2006) Available online at: Burkhart, JF., Dibb, JE, Starkweather, S Summit Station Strategic Plan (2007) Available online at: http://www.geosummit.org/resources Below is a partial listing of manuscripts which resulted from research conducted at Summit with guidance and input from the SCO This list is intended to provide examples of the research activities coordinated through the Summit SCO Guidance and input consisted of a variety of activities including: • Facilitation of data sharing or access to historical data • Direct use of yearround observations • Coordination of space or resources during field campaigns Anastasio, C.; Galbavy, E.; Hutterli, M.; Burkhart, JF; Friel, D (2007) Photoformation of Hydroxyl Radical on Snow Grains at Summit, Greenland Special issue of Atmospheric Environment on Air-snow exchange at Summit, Greenland Dibb, JE; Albert, M; Anastasio,C; Atlas,E; Beyersdorf,J; Blake,N; Blake, DR; Bocquet,F; Burkhart,JF Chen,G; Cohen,L; Conway,T; Courville,Z Frey,M; Friel,D; Galbavy,ES; Hall,S; Hastings,MG; Helmig,D; Huey,G; Hutterli, MA; Jarvis, J; Lefer, B; Meinardi,S; Neff, W; Oltmans,S; Rowland,S; Sjostedt, SJ; Steig, S; Swanson,AL; Tanner, D (2007) AirSnow Exchange at Summit, Greenland: An Overview of Experiments and Findings Special issue of Atmospheric Environment on Air-snow exchange at Summit, Greenland S J Sjostedt, L G Huey, D J Tanner, J Pieschl, G Chen, J E Dibb, B Lefer, M A Hutterli, A J Beyersdorf, N J Blake, D R Blake, D Sueper, T Ryerson, Burkhart JF, and A Stohl (2007): Observations of hydroxyl and the sum of peroxy radicals at Summit, Greenland during the 2003 summer field study Atmospheric Environment doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.06.065 Findings Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Banta, J R., and J R McConnell (2007), Annual accumulation over recent centuries at four sites in central Greenland, Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, D10114, doi:10.1029/2006JD007887 M A Hutterlii, T Crueger, H Fischer, K K Andersen, C C Raible, T F Stocker, M.-L Siggaard-Andersen, J R McConnell, R C Bales, Burkhart, JF The influence of regional circulation patterns on wet and dry mineral dust and sea salt deposition over Greenland, Climate Dynamics, 28(6), 635-647 Stohl,A, Andrews,B, Burkhart,JF, Forster,C; Kowal,D; Lunder,C; Meord, T; Ogren,JA; Sharma,S; Spichtinger,S; Stebel,K; Stone,R;, Strom,J ; Torseth, K; and Wehrli, C Pan-Arctic enhancements of light absorbing aerosol concentrations due to North American boreal forest fires during summer 2004, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 111(D22), 20 Burkhart JF, Bales RC, McConnel, JR, Hutterli, MA Influence of North Atlantic Oscillation on anthropogenic transport recorded in northwest Greenland ice cores, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 111(D22), 14 Jacobi, H W.; Bales, R C.; Honrath, R E.; Peterson, M C.; Dibb, J E.; Swanson, A L.; Albert, M R.; (2004), Reactive trace gases measured in the interstitial air of surface snow at Summit, Greenland, Atmospheric Environment, 38(12), 1687-1697 Burkhart, JF., M Hutterli, R C Bales, and J R McConnell (2004), Seasonal accumulation timing and preservation of nitrate in firn at Summit, Greenland, J Geophys Res., 109, D19302, doi:10.1029/2004JD004658 Hutterli, M A.; McConnell, J R.; Bales, R C.; Stewart, R W.; (2003), Sensitivity of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and formaldehyde (HCHO) preservation in snow to changing environmental conditions: Implications for ice core records, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 108(D1) Burkhart, JF; Hutterli, M; Bales, RC (2002) Partitioning of formaldehyde between air and snow at –35o to –5o C Atmospheric Environment 36 (21) p.2157-2163 Dassau, T.M., Sumner, A.L., Koeniger, S.L., Shepson, P.B., Yang, J., Honrath, R.E., Cullen, N.J., Steffen, K., Jacobi, H.W., Frey, M.M., Hutterli, M.A and Bales, R.C (2002) Investigation of the role of the snowpack on atmospheric formaldehyde chemistry at Summit, Greenland, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 107(D19), 14 Jacobi, H W.; Frey, M M.; Hutterli, M A.; Bales, R C.; Schrems, O.; Cullen, N J.; Steffen, K.; Koehler, C.; (2002), Measurements of hydrogen peroxide and formaldehyde exchange between the atmosphere and surface snow at Summit, Greenland, Atmospheric Environment, 36(15-16), 2619-2628 Hutterli, M.A., McConnell, J.R., Stewart, R.W., Jacobi, H.W and Bales, R.C 2001 Impact of temperature-driven cycling of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) between air and snow on the planetary boundary layer Journal Of Geophysical ResearchAtmospheres 106:(D14)15395-15404, McConnell, J.R 2002 Continuous ice-core chemical analyses using inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Environmental Science & Technology 36:(1)7-11, Yang, J., Honrath, R.E., Peterson, M.C., et al 2002 Impacts of snowpack emissions on deduced levels of OH and peroxy radicals at Summit, Greenland Atmospheric Environment 36:(15-16)2523-2534, Choi, J.; Conklin, M H.; Bales, R C.; Sommerfeld, R A (2000), Experimental investigation of SO2 uptake in snow, Atmospheric Environment, 34(5), 793-801 Hutterli, M A.; Rothlisberger, R.; Bales, R C.; (1999), Atmosphere-to-snow-to-firn transfer studies of HCHO at Summit, Greenland, Geophysical Research Letters, 26(12), 1691-1694 Books or Other One-time Publications Bales, R Science at Summit, Greenland, Talk presented by R Bales to Congressional and NSF visitors, Ilulisat, Greenland, July 20, 2007 Bales, R., J., Burkhart, T Cahill, J McConnell, and R Banta (2007), Baseline measurements and results from the Greenland Environmental Observatory (GEOSummit), European Geosciences Union, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol 9, Findings Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 09984, Vienna, Austria Banta, J R., J McConnell, T Cahill, J Burkhart, and R Bales (2007), GEOSummit baseline measurement results and long term plans, NOAA Global Monitoring Annual Conference, Boulder, CO Burkhart, JF., Hansen, G., Tørseth, K., Uttal, T., Drummond, J IASOA in a global context: requirements for inclusion into the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Presented at American Meteorological Society / Canandian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Joint Conference, St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, May 2007 Burkhart, JF., Bales, RC., Summit Station contributions to POLARCAT Presented at the First International POLARCAT Science Planning meeting, Paris, France June 2007 Burkhart, JF Arctic Ice: Scientific Explorations in the Greenland Outreach presentation as part of the Acadian 2007 Lecture Series, Lenox, MA (April 2007) Uttal, T., Drummond, J., Burkhart, JF., Makshtas, A., Paatero, J Interational Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere (IASOA) IPY Activity 196, Presented at American Meteorological Society / Canandian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Joint Conference, St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, May 2007 McConnell, J (2007), Continuous ultra-trace analysis of ice cores: Industrial pollution to crustal dust, Presented at the Department of Physics, Curtin U., Perth, Australia (June 2007) McConnell, J., and J Arnone (2007) Grasslands to Greenland (and Antarctica) – What are we learning about global change, Presented as part of the 2007 SmartLiving Lecture Series, Reno, NV (May 2007) McConnell, J R., and J R Banta (2006), Ultra trace element ice core laboratory at the Desert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents Meeting, Las Vegas Burkhart, JF; Information by Integration: air-to-snow transfer and ice core interpretation, Presented at the Physics and Chemistry of Planetary Ices Seminar, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA Nov 10, 2006 Burkhart, JF; Summit Station Greenland: background, research, and potential collaborations with NILU, Presented at the Atmospheric monitoring division for NILU colloquium May 22, 2006 Burkhart, JF; Ice Cores in Paleoclimatology Lecture for Stanford University, GES 210, January 12, 2006 Bales, RC; Burkhart, JF; McConnell, JR The role of long-term atmospheric measurements in Arctic research: The Greenland Summit Environmental Observatory, Poster presented by R Bales at ICARP II meeting, Copenhagen, Nov 9-12, 2005 Bales, RC; Burkhart, JF; Glueck, M Greenland accumulation & analysis of regional ice core-climate connections, Talk by R Bales at NASA polar meeting, Baltimore, Oct 24, 2005 Burkhart, JF; Bales, RC Educational and Outreach Programs and Opportunities: GEOSummit and KIIIP Cooperation During IPY Presented to the Greenland Home Rule, Nuuk, Greenland, August 5, 2005 Bales, RC; Burkhart, JF; Global, regional & local results from studies of atmospheric chemistry & the ice sheet, Talk by R Bales at Greenland Technological Society, Nuuk, Greenland, August 5, 2005 Burkhart JF; Modes of temporal variability recorded in nitrate and accumulation records from six Greenland ice cores EGU05A-05847; European Geophysical Union, Vienna, Austria, April 2005 Burkhart JF; International collaborative research programs at the Greenland Environmental Observatory Splinter meeting presentation at the European Geophysical Union, Vienna, Austria, April 2005 Burkhart JF; Bales RC; Year-round baseline measurements at the Greenland Environmental Observatory, Summit NOAACMDL annual meeting Boulder, Colorado, April 2005 Burkhart JF Protocol development for data management at GEOSummit GEOSummit planning meeting, Denver, Colorado, 29-30 Jan 2004 Burkhart JF; Bales RC; McConnell JR Year-round baseline measurements at the Greenland Environmental Observatory, Summit GEOSummit planning meeting, Denver, Colorado, 29-30 Jan 2004 Findings Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Burkhart JF; Hutterli MA; Bales RC; McConnell JR Importance of accumulation timing in preservation of Total Inorganic Nitrate (TIN) at Summit, Greenland: implications for surface snow reconstructions The 33rd Annual Arctic Workshop, Tromsø, Norway, 3-5 April 2003 INTERNRAPPORT Nr 13 – Tromsø 2003 Burkhart JF; Bales RC; McConnell JR Core atmospheric measurements at the Summit, Greenland Environmental Observatory: GEOSummit SEARCH Open Science Meeting, Seattle, WA, 27-30 October 2003 Burkhart, JF; Hutterli, MA; Bales, RC; McConnell, JR Importance of accumulation timing in preservation of nitrate at Summit, Greenland Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 83(47), F2002 (A72A-0148) Jacobi, H.W., Frey, M.M., Hutterli, M.A., Bales, R.C and Schrems, O (2001) Simultaneous measurements of firn air concentrations of H2O2 and HCHO Geophysical Research Abstracts 3, (Abstract) Jacobi, H.W., Hutterli, M.A., Frey, M.M., Bales, R.C and Schrems, O (2000) Are photochemical processes on the snow surface important for the exchange of H2O2 and HCHO between the atmosphere and snow? Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 81, F169(Abstract) Dibb, J.E., Arsenault, M.A., Honrath, R.E., Peterson, J.T., Yang, J., Blake, N., Swanson, A., Blake.D.R., Shepson, P., Sumner, A.L., Ford, K., Frey, M.M and Bales, R.C (1999) Photochemistry in snow: Recent findings in Greenland and Michigan and their implications for Antarctic tropospheric chemistry Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 80, F191(Abstract) Frey, M.M and Bales, R.C (1999) Impact of solar radiation and temperature on atmospheric H2O2 variations in and above snow at Summit, Greenland Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 80, F198(Abstract) Web/Internet Site URL(s): http://www.hwr.arizona.edu/geosummit Description: The website contains numerous resources for investigators and the general public to gather more information about the conditions at Summit There are links for logistics, scientific coordination, and data availability Additionally, besides the publications listed above, which are limited to those that have received support directly under this grant, there is a more comprehensive publications list for which any SCO-coordinated activities were involved Other Specific Products Product Type: Data or databases Product Description: A database of atmospheric and surface data for summit is being compiled, and is accessible via the website Sharing Information: Data is accessible via the website and through direct contact of the SCO Contributions Contributions within Discipline: Facilitate and coordinate cooperative research, and dissemination of measurements Contributions to Other Disciplines: Facilitate and coordinate cooperative research, and dissemination of measurements Contributions to Human Resource Development: One post-doc, one graduate student, and one personnel were involved in this interdisciplinary effort Findings Page Final Report: 9910303 / 0453758 Contributions to Science and Technology Infrastructure: Valuable, but widely scattered surface and atmosphere data from Summit are being compiled, checked and documented; and are being made available via the web These data are unique and are of interest to a number of investigators interested in surface and atmospheric processes at Summit This effort will serve to support and stimulate a number of scientific publications Researchers are downloading data from the www site for analyses and publications Contributions Beyond Science or Engineering: Numerous outreach activities were conducted in the form of public talks at local venues or popular media contributions Also, on the PI’s maintains a blog of activities related to the Arctic field work Special Requirements Special reporting requirements: None Change in Objectives or Scope: None Unobligated funds: less than 20 percent of current funds Animal, Human Subjects, Biohazards: None Categories for which nothing is reported; Any Journal Any Book Findings Page ... Activities: The purpose of this grant was to create a Science Coordination Office (SCO) for the Summit facility in Greenland In order to make efficient use of the facility and resources, the investigators... has acted as the Science Coordination Officer and the primary point of contact for the SCO The responsibilities associated with this role have involved clarifying conflicts on-site with respect... presentations of their research and results from their activities at the station The SCO has also tried to use this forum as an opportunity to benchmark the success of the facility as a research platform