Arctic Observations Research Articles

Arctic Observation and Reanalysis Integrated System: A New Data Product for Validation and Climate Study

Arctic Observation and Reanalysis Integrated System: A New Data Product for Validation and Climate Study

LABEX L-IPSL Arctic Metadata Portal

The Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL) encompasses a wide diversity of projects that focus on the Arctic. From these observations the IPSL has generated a large number of datasets gathering Arctic observations. These observations include measurements on atmospheric chemical composition, snow micro-physical properties or ocean measurements. However, some of these datasets remain locally stored and there is a lack of public awareness regarding these resources, which has hindered their visualisation and sharing. This motivated the creation of the LABEX L-IPSL Arctic metadata Portal ( http://climserv.ipsl.polytechnique.fr/arcticportal/ ), presented here, which improves the visibility of the variety of observations collected within the institute as well as the evaluation of numerical models. The LABEX L-IPSL Arctic metadata Portal will also promote new avenues in Arctic research within the IPSL and with other collaborating institutions.

Examination of Surface Temperature Modification by Open-Top Chambers along Moisture and Latitudinal Gradients in Arctic Alaska Using Thermal Infrared Photography

Passive warming manipulation methodologies, such as open-top chambers (OTCs), are a meaningful approach for interpretation of impacts of climate change on the Arctic tundra biome. The magnitude of OTC warming has been studied extensively, revealing an average plot-level warming of air temperature that ranges between 1 and 3 °C as measured by shielded resistive sensors or thermocouples. Studies have also shown that the amount of OTC warming depends in part on location climate, vegetation, and soil properties. While digital infrared thermometers have been employed in a few comparisons, most of the focus of the effectiveness of OTC warming has been on air or soil temperature rather than tissue or surface temperatures, which directly translate to metabolism. Here we used thermal infrared (TIR) photography to quantify tissue and surface temperatures and their spatial variability at a previously unavailable resolution (3–6 mm2). We analyzed plots at three locations that are part of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX)-Arctic Observing Network (AON-ITEX) network along both moisture and latitudinal gradients spanning from the High Arctic (Barrow, AK, USA) to the Low Arctic (Toolik Lake, AK, USA). Our results show a range of OTC surface warming from 2.65 to 1.27 °C (31%–10%) at our three sites. The magnitude of surface warming detected by TIR imagery in this study was comparable to increases in air temperatures previously reported for these sites. However, the thermal images revealed wide ranges of surface temperatures within the OTCs, with some surfaces well above ambient unevenly distributed within the plots under sunny conditions. We note that analyzing radiometric temperature may be an alternative for future studies that examine data acquired at the same time of day from sites that are in close geographic proximity to avoid the requirement of emissivity or atmospheric correction for validation of results. We foresee future studies using TIR photography to describe species-level thermodynamics that could prove highly valuable toward a better understanding of species-specific responses to climate change in the Arctic.

Tourism and Arctic Observation Systems: exploring the relationships

The Arctic is affected by global environmental change and also by diverse interests from many economic sectors and industries. Over the last decade, various actors have attempted to explore the opt ...

IAOOS Microlidar Development and First Results Obtained During 2014 and 2015 Arctic Drifts

The development of a first ever autonomous aerosol and cloud backscatter lidar system for on-buoy arctic observations has been achieved in 2014, within the French EQUIPEX IAOOS project developed in collaboration with LOCEAN at UPMC. This development is part of a larger set-up designed for integrated ocean-ice-atmosphere observations. First results have been obtained from spring to autumn 2014 after the system was installed at the North Pole at the Barneo Russian camp, and in winter-spring 2015 during the Norwegian campaign N-ICE 2015. The buoys were taking observations as drifting in the high arctic region where very few measurements have been made so far. This project required the design and the conception of an all-new lidar system to fit with the numerous constraints of such a deployment. We describe here the prototype and its performance. First analyzes are presented.

Additional Arctic observations improve weather and sea-ice forecasts for the Northern Sea Route.

During ice-free periods, the Northern Sea Route (NSR) could be an attractive shipping route. The decline in Arctic sea-ice extent, however, could be associated with an increase in the frequency of the causes of severe weather phenomena, and high wind-driven waves and the advection of sea ice could make ship navigation along the NSR difficult. Accurate forecasts of weather and sea ice are desirable for safe navigation, but large uncertainties exist in current forecasts, partly owing to the sparse observational network over the Arctic Ocean. Here, we show that the incorporation of additional Arctic observations improves the initial analysis and enhances the skill of weather and sea-ice forecasts, the application of which has socioeconomic benefits. Comparison of 63-member ensemble atmospheric forecasts, using different initial data sets, revealed that additional Arctic radiosonde observations were useful for predicting a persistent strong wind event. The sea-ice forecast, initialised by the wind fields that included the effects of the observations, skilfully predicted rapid wind-driven sea-ice advection along the NSR.

The Melting Arctic and Midlatitude Weather Patterns: Are They Connected?*

Abstract The potential of recent Arctic changes to influence hemispheric weather is a complex and controversial topic with considerable uncertainty, as time series of potential linkages are short (<10 yr) and understanding involves the relative contribution of direct forcing by Arctic changes on a chaotic climatic system. A way forward is through further investigation of atmospheric dynamic mechanisms. During several exceptionally warm Arctic winters since 2007, sea ice loss in the Barents and Kara Seas initiated eastward-propagating wave trains of high and low pressure. Anomalous high pressure east of the Ural Mountains advected Arctic air over central and eastern Asia, resulting in persistent cold spells. Blocking near Greenland related to low-level temperature anomalies led to northerly flow into eastern North America, inducing persistent cold periods. Potential Arctic connections in Europe are less clear. Variability in the North Pacific can reinforce downstream Arctic changes, and Arctic amplification can accentuate the impact of Pacific variability. The authors emphasize multiple linkage mechanisms that are regional, episodic, and based on amplification of existing jet stream wave patterns, which are the result of a combination of internal variability, lower-tropospheric temperature anomalies, and midlatitude teleconnections. The quantitative impact of Arctic change on midlatitude weather may not be resolved within the foreseeable future, yet new studies of the changing Arctic and subarctic low-frequency dynamics, together with additional Arctic observations, can contribute to improved skill in extended-range forecasts, as planned by the WMO Polar Prediction Project (PPP).

Institutional Dimensions of Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON)

Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) implies a system of different sensors that are generating data to be preserved, interpreted, and applied in a continuous manner over a long period on a pan-Arctic scale. This note summarizes the current institutional framework that relates to data generation and use, as well as decision making and operational responses, around the Arctic Ocean. Sustainable solutions will necessarily involve those institutions that have the financial, logistic, policy, and legal capacity to support infrastructure in the Arctic Ocean region into the future. Three options are introduced for supporting SAON as a key element of the sustainable Arctic Ocean infrastructure that governments and Indigenous peoples hope to develop. Option 1 would be for the Arctic coastal states to mandate that a portion of leasehold payments from energy companies be earmarked for general-purpose infrastructure development in the Arctic Ocean region, with specific inclusion of SAON. Option 2 would be for the Arctic Council, as the high-level forum for international cooperation in the Arctic, to spread the burden of supporting SAON among the Arctic states, non-Arctic states, and Indigenous peoples. Option 3 would be to support SAON through coordinated public-private partnerships among diverse organizations and institutions with Arctic remits. Compelling justification for supporting SAON is that it is needed to inform decision making about both sustainable infrastructure development and maritime domain awareness for commercial operations in the Arctic Ocean.

The Influence of Whaler William Scoresby, Jr. on the Arctic Observations of Sir James Lamont

Scottish adventurer James Lamont led hunting expeditions to Svalbard (1858 and 1859) and to Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya (1869 to 1871), voyages chronicled in his two publications, Seasons with the Sea-horses (1861) and Yachting in the Arctic Seas (1876). These works were modeled on the English whaler William Scoresby, Jr.’s An Account of the Arctic Regions, with a History and Description of the Northern Whale-Fishery , Vol. 1, written in 1820. Scoresby’s book, as well as a correspondence with evolutionary theorist, Charles Darwin, inspired Lamont to pursue science during an Arctic hunt. Lamont’s scientific endeavours included geographical surveys, the collection of geological specimens, and basic experiments in physical oceanography. However, most importantly, Lamont provided the first account of Arctic wildlife in the context of natural selection. Lamont’s legacy as an Arctic explorer linked the early sea-hunters like Scoresby to a later generation of Victorian hunter-explorers, such as Benjamin Leigh Smith, who followed Lamont’s lead and journeyed northward to hunt and conduct scientifically grounded explorations.

The U.S. Arctic Observing Viewer: A Web-Mapping Application for Enhancing Environmental Observation of the Changing Arctic

Malgre les progres realises dans le cadre de nombreux efforts d’observation de l’Arctique, les progres peuvent etre difficiles a evaluer. Quelles initiatives de collecte de donnees sont en cours ou sont etablies? A quel endroit? Et qui gere ces initiatives? Pour aider a repondre aux besoins strategiques de programmes comme ceux de l’organisme americain Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH), du reseau Arctic Observing Network (AON), des reseaux Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) et d’autres programmes connexes, on a procede a la mise a jour de l’Arctic Observing Viewer (AOV; http://ArcticObservingViewer.org). Ce systeme d’information jumele a une application de mappage sur le Web a amorce la compilation des coordonnees et des renseignements se rapportant a des milliers de sites de collecte de donnees (comme les trous de forage, les trajets de navires, les bouees, les tours, les stations d’echantillonnage, les reseaux de capteurs, les sites de vegetation, les fluviometres et les observatoires) ou des donnees marines, terrestres ou atmospheriques sont prelevees. Parmi les partenaires qui collaborent a cette ressource, notons U.S. NSF, ACADIS, ADIwg, AOOS, a2dc, AON, ARMAP, BAID, CAFF, IASOA, INTERACT et d’autres encore. Bien que l’AOV se concentre sur les activites americaines, il accepte l’echange d’information avec des groupes internationaux lorsqu’il existe des avantages mutuels. Les utilisateurs peuvent visualiser les donnees, naviguer dans le systeme, faire des selections et des recherches, dessiner, imprimer et ainsi de suite. L’AOV fonctionne moyennant des principes d’interoperabilite, avec des metadonnees ouvertes et des normes de service sur le Web afin que les organismes et les organisations puissent utiliser les outils et les services de l’AOV pour leurs propres fins. De cette facon, l’AOV sera en mesure de consolider et de completer d’autres cyberressources a la fois reparties et interoperables, en plus d’aider les planificateurs de la science, les bailleurs de fonds, les chercheurs, les specialistes des donnees et d’autres encore a evaluer les statuts, a reperer les dedoublements, a combler les ecarts, a optimiser les plans d’echantillonnage, a raffiner le rendement des reseaux, a clarifier les consignes, a acceder aux donnees, a coordonner la logistique, a collaborer et ainsi de suite afin de repondre aux objectifs d’observation de l’Arctique.

A Framework for Prioritization, Design and Coordination of Arctic Long-term Observing Networks: A Perspective from the U.S. SEARCH Program

Arctic observing networks exist in many countries and often cross international boundaries. We review their status and the development of networked long-term observations as part of a U.S. Arctic Observing System, highlighting major challenges and opportunities for prioritizing observations, designing a network, and increasing coordination. Most Arctic observing activities focus on specific themes and ecosystem services, resulting in a relatively narrow scope of observations for each network. Across all networks there is a need to improve national and international coordination to (1) reduce potential mismatch between identified science needs and outcomes desired by society, (2) link current observing networks to emerging agency and private-sector observing programs across disciplines, and (3) present a stable set of goals and priorities to increase network utility in view of the limited funding resources. We survey the landscape of observing activities and efforts to coordinate them internationally and present a framework for prioritization and coordination based on the activities of the U.S. Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH). This framework includes a hierarchy of interconnected activities involved in the design and implementation of observing networks. Across the hierarchy, definition of “actionable” science questions helps drive network design, with priorities set by the breadth and depth of the societal applications or policy requirements that these questions can inform. We present an example of applying this design hierarchy to observations that support policy and management decisions about offshore resource development in the Chukchi Sea.

The Arctic Observing Summit 2013

The Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) was initiated in 2013 as a high-level international forum to provide community-driven, science-based guidance for the design and implementation of a sustained, comprehensive, and integrated Arctic observing system. The biennial summits target scientists, managers, stakeholders, agencies, Arctic community members, and the private sector across all levels, from local to international. The AOS is a Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) task led by the International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC). The inaugural Arctic Observing Summit was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from 30 April to 2 May 2013. In preparation for that meeting, AOS participants and members of the research community provided input and perspectives on specific themes related to the design, implementation, and utility of an adaptive Arctic observing system. To capture and integrate input from a broad range of participants, the AOS encouraged contributions of community-based white papers and statements. This activity continues and will form a part of AOS 2016, to be held in Fairbanks, Alaska. Building on this input and stemming from the AOS white papers, a thematic cluster of papers was selected for publication in this special issue of Arctic. The resulting collection includes both peer-reviewed scientific articles and reports that address AOS themes such as the following:

Coordination and Sustainability of River Observing Activities in the Arctic

To understand and respond to changes in the world's northern regions, we need a coordinated system of long-term Arctic observations. River networks naturally integrate across landscapes and link the terrestrial and ocean domains. Changes in river discharge reflect changes in the terrestrial water balance, whereas changes in water chemistry are linked to changes in biogeochemical processes and water flow paths. Sustained measurements of river water discharge and water chemistry are therefore essential components of an Arctic observing network. As we strive to establish and sustain long-term observations in the Arctic, these two measurements must be coupled. Although river discharge and chemistry measurements are already coupled to some extent within national boundaries, this is not done in a consistent and coordinated fashion across the pan-Arctic domain. As a consequence, data quality and availability vary widely among regions. International coordination of river discharge and chemistry measurements in the Arctic would be greatly facilitated by formal commitments to maintain a set of core sites and associated measurements that are mutually agreed upon among pan-Arctic nations. Involvement of the agencies currently operating river discharge gauges around the Arctic and establishment of an overarching coordination entity to implement shared protocols, track data quality, and manage data streams would be essential in this endeavor. Focused studies addressing scale-dependent relationships between watershed characteristics and water chemistry, in-stream processes, and estuarine and coastal dynamics are also needed to support interpretation and application of Arctic river observing data as they relate to land and ocean change.

The Contributions of Community-Based Monitoring and Traditional Knowledge to Arctic Observing Networks: Reflections on the State of the Field

Community-based monitoring (CBM) in the Arctic is gaining increasing support from a wide range of interested parties, including community members, scientists, government agencies, and funders. Through CBM initiatives, Arctic residents conduct or are involved in ongoing observing and monitoring activities. Arctic Indigenous peoples have been observing the environment for millennia, and CBM often incorporates traditional knowledge, which may be used independently from or in partnership with conventional scientific monitoring methods. Drawing on insights from the first Arctic Observing Summit, we provide an overview of the state of CBM in the Arctic. The CBM approach to monitoring is centered on community needs and interests. It offers fine-grained, local-scale data that are readily accessible to community and municipal decision makers. In spite of these advantages, CBM initiatives remain little documented and are often unconnected to wider networks, with the result that many practitioners lack a clear sense of the field and how best to support its growth and development. CBM initiatives are implemented within legal and governance frameworks that vary significantly both within and among different national contexts. Further documentation of differences and similarities among Arctic communities in relation to observing needs, interests, and legal and institutional capacities will help assess how CBM can contribute to Arctic observing networks. While CBM holds significant potential to meet observing needs of communities, more investment and experimentation are needed to determine how observations and data generated through CBM approaches might effectively inform decision making beyond the community level.

Highly Elliptical Orbits for Arctic observations: Assessment of ionizing radiation

The ionizing radiation environment was analyzed for a variety of potential Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEOs) with orbital periods ranging from 6h to 24h suitable to continuously monitor the Arctic region. Several models available from the ESA Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS) online tool were employed, including the new-generation AE9/AP9 model for trapped radiation. Results showed that the Total Ionizing Dose (TID) has a well-pronounced local minimum for the 14-h orbit, which is nearly identical to the overall minimum observed for the longest orbital period (24h). The thickness of slab aluminum shielding required to keep the annual TID below 10, 5 and 3.33krad (i.e. 150, 75 and 50krad for 15years of mission duration) for a 14-h orbit is 2.1, 2.7 and 3.1mm respectively. The 16-h orbit requires an additional 0.5mm of aluminum to achieve the same results, while the 24-h orbit requires less shielding in the order of 0.2–0.3mm. Comparison between the AE8/AP8 and AE9/AP9 models was conducted for all selected orbits. Results demonstrated that differences ranged from −70% to +170% depending on orbit geometry.The vulnerability to the Single Event Effect (SEE) was compared for all orbits by modeling the Linear Energy Transfer (LET) for long-term conditions and for the 5min “worst case” scenario. The analysis showed no preference among orbits with periods longer than 15h, and in order to keep the 14-h orbit at the same level, the shielding should be increased by ∼33% or approximately by 1mm. To keep the Single Event Upset (SEU) rate produced by the “worst case” event at the same order of magnitude as for the “statistical” long-term case, the thickness of aluminum should be as high as 22mm. The overall conclusion from a space environment point of view is that all HEO orbits with periods equal to or longer than 14h can be regarded as good candidates for operational missions. Therefore, selection of orbit should be based on other criteria, for example, uniformity of spatial coverage for meteorological imaging or the configuration of the ground network for data reception.

A Mobile Instrumented Sensor Platform for Long-Term Terrestrial Ecosystem Analysis: An Example Application in an Arctic Tundra Ecosystem

To address impacts of climate change on natural ecosystems, researchers need efficient and integrated ground-based sensor systems capable of detecting plant to ecosystem alterations to productivity, species composition, phenology, and structure and function over seasonal, inter-annual, and decadal time scales. Here, we introduce the Mobile Instrumented Sensor Platform (MISP), a versatile robotic sensor system that is suspended above or within the canopy and is designed to be adaptable for both short and long-term observations, and suitable for multiple ecosystems. The system is novel in that it is mobile, rather than static, the suite of sensors can be customized, and installation and operation requires minor surface distur bance relative to comparable systems already in use. MISP was developed as a contribution to the Arctic Observation Network’s International Tundra Experiment (AON-ITEX), where at five locations between the low and high Arctic we record observations of different tundra plant communities over a 50 m transect. Observations include air temperature, surface temperature, incoming and outgoing long- and short-wave radiation, albedo, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), three-dimensional video, two and three-dimensional photography, and hyperspectral reflectance. Data analysis has proven the system’s suitability for detecting subtle ecosystem changes across small-scale soil moisture and other gradients due to the mobile nature of the sampling. Long-term studies will benefit from this approach because sampling is repeatable with high spatial and temporal resolution and the system can be adapted to incorporate future technologies.

Recent Arctic amplification and extreme mid-latitude weather

The Arctic region has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average — a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. The rapid Arctic warming has contributed to dramatic melting of Arctic sea ice and spring snow cover, at a pace greater than that simulated by climate models. These profound changes to the Arctic system have coincided with a period of ostensibly more frequent extreme weather events across the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, including severe winters. The possibility of a link between Arctic change and mid-latitude weather has spurred research activities that reveal three potential dynamical pathways linking Arctic amplification to mid-latitude weather: changes in storm tracks, the jet stream, and planetary waves and their associated energy propagation. Through changes in these key atmospheric features, it is possible, in principle, for sea ice and snow cover to jointly influence mid-latitude weather. However, because of incomplete knowledge of how high-latitude climate change influences these phenomena, combined with sparse and short data records, and imperfect models, large uncer - tainties regarding the magnitude of such an influence remain. We conclude that improved process understanding, sustained and additional Arctic observations, and better coordinated modelling studies will be needed to advance our understanding of the influences on mid-latitude weather and extreme events.

Future-Proofing Japan’s Interests in the Arctic: Scientific Collaboration and a Search for Balance

In May 2013 the Arctic states convened in Kiruna, Sweden, in part to decide on whether six new states should be admitted as observers to the Arctic Council. Japan's application was accepted along with those of China, India, Italy, Singapore, and South Korea. At a glance, one might ask what credentials Japan has to be involved in the leading Arctic forum. However, a closer look at its engagement in the Arctic indicates that Japan has genuine interests in political, economic, and environmental developments there. This essay examines Japan's interests in the Arctic, its new role as an observer to the Arctic Council, and the international relationships that will affect Japan's engagement in the region.Japan's Current Engagement in the ArcticJapan is no newcomer to the Arctic. Already in 1925, the country became one of the fourteen high-contracting parties to the Spitsbergen Treaty, which recognizes the sovereignty of Norway over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. In 1990, Japan formally joined the Arctic research community by becoming a member of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) as a non-Arctic state. In the same year, the Centre for Arctic Research at the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) was established in Japan.According to the Japanese government, the country's primary aim of engagement in the Arctic has been and remains understanding and protecting the natural environment.1 As the negative impacts of climate change became more apparent, policies related to scientific research were given higher priority. Since May 2011, the NIPR has led a nationwide project that seeks to integrate the various strands of Japanese scientific research related to climate change in the Arctic.2 In addition, since Japan made the decision to prioritize becoming an observer in the Arctic Council, the region has gained a certain level of political momentum and Japan's Arctic policies have started to gather pace and shape. For instance, just before the council's decision, an Arctic ambassador was assigned by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in March 2013, and the Arctic was included in the central government's new Basic Plan on Ocean Policy, published in April 2013.3This greater focus on the Arctic can be partly attributed to a stronger lobby from the Ocean Policy Research Foundation (OPRF). OPRF is a think tank and lobbying organization for the Japanese shipping and manufacturing industries and has conducted several research projects on the Arctic, especially regarding the Northern Sea Route (NSR). Guided by the Basic Plan on Ocean Policy, a new interministerial committee on the Arctic (called Hokkyokukai Ni Kakaru Shomondai Ni Taisuru Kankei Shocho Renraku Kaigi, or the Liaison Committee among Ministries and Agencies on Various Issues Related to the Arctic) was set up in July 2013. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)-one of the more proactive and powerful ministries of Japan-has also shown an interest in the Arctic. In 2013, MLIT conducted a small project to study the practical legal implications of using the NSR along the Russian coast, with a view toward developing the sea route further. More recently, in January 2014, OPRF began collaborating with MLIT and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on a new project to specifically consider the construction of a new icebreaker for Arctic observations.4Japan's Reasons for Joining the Arctic CouncilJapan's decision to apply for observer status on the Arctic Council came at a time when the council was beginning to take on new responsibilities. As the Arctic region underwent climate changes, the council's adoption of new roles related to safety of navigation and search and rescue was taken as an indication that the council itself was changing and that the positions of member states were shifting.5 The council is the only formal mechanism in the Arctic similar to the Antarctic Treaty System. …

Power and Inclusion

This article is a critical study of the planning and design process of the Sustaining Arctic Observing Network (SAON). SAON, in its ambition to build a comprehensive, pan-Arctic monitoring system, seeks to integrate all relevant scientific and environmental monitoring sites in the Arctic, guided by an ethic of inclusion regarding the knowledge of indigenous Arctic peoples (KIAP). It is argued that the logics of inclusion in play, paradoxically, risks limiting the capacity for Arctic indigenous peoples to control their knowledge and its uses, to monitor the activities and outputs of SAON itself, and to appropriate the SAON system and its data for uses they control. This article also suggests an alternative approach: rather than place KIAP within SAON, it calls for planners to consider establishing knowledge relations between SAON and KIAP so that the distinct status of KIAP—in a position of exteriority to the comprehensive monitoring system—is acknowledged. Within these knowledge relations, differences in the production of knowledge can be effectively recognized, a site can be created for reviewing SAON’s monitoring work by local communities and practices, and strategies for open, adaptable data systems for local users can be established.

Understanding Terrestrial Ecosystem Response to Antarctic Climate Change

International observing platforms, such as the Arctic Observing Network (AON) and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS), have become a primary method for detecting the long‐term effects of climate change on complex ecosystems. Based on the success of this model for research coordination, a workshop was held in Portland, Oregon, in July 2012, with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Polar Programs Antarctic Integrated Systems Science program, to develop criteria for the implementation of a McMurdo Dry Valleys Terrestrial Observation Network (TON).