GCW-CryoNet Background Questions: Zackenberg (Northeast Greenland)
(with contributions from the programme managers of the Zackenberg glaciological, terrestrial and
climate components within GEM Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring)
1. How could GCW-CryoNet help meet your national, regional or global interests?
- Distribution of our monitoring data for climate change studies – a national contribution to the Arctic
Council AMAP program for climate change
- Review and circumpolar studies on ecosystem dynamics where snow and ice are major factors
2. What could you or your organization contribute to the implementation of GCW-CryoNet?
- The Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring program can deliver snow, ice and climate observation data from
a High-Arctic (Zackenberg) and a Low-Arctic (Nuuk) site on Greenland where a broad scale of ecosystem
variables are being monitored.
3. What do you see as the benefits of CryoNet: (e.g. for operational and research network operators,
scientific and decision/policy making community, environmental monitoring and modelling, scientists,
satellite data providers, etc.)?
CryoNet can facilitate the continued sustainability of the ground observational capability required to
enable the calibration and ground truthing of remote sensing and modelling products.Cryonet may help
promote in situ monitoring in regions where observations are scarce, improve the monitoring of
‘difficult’ parameters such as precipitation, and promote process studies relying on a coordinated
infrastructure of existing supersites.
CryoNet can be a central network for setting standards for snow and ice monitoring as well as being a
main distribution network for monitoring data from individual sites. This will greatly help up-scaling (e.g.
of ecosystem processes) and modelling (e.g. snow distribution) through integration of modelling, ground
monitoring and remote sensing.
4. What do you see as existing gaps in cryospheric observations (e.g. thematic, spatial, temporal,
availability, exchange, data policy, etc.) and how might CryoNet address these?
- Winter precipitation is currently not well described and represented in reanalysis data as e.g. North
American Regional Reanalysis data. A structured sampling and use of data through a monitoring
network might greatly improve this.
5. Please prioritize CryoNet activities according your personal view (indicate HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW):
Establishment of CryoNet tier#1-tier#4 network:
High
Establishment of supersite network:
Medium
Harmonisation of cryospheric network:
High
Standards, guidelines and training for observations:
High
Inter-comparison experiments (e.g. sensors, methods):
High
Cooperation with existing networks:
High
Data policy on archiving, accessibility and exchange:
Medium
Support national needs:
Medium
6. Please share any other thoughts for participant to consider at the meeting:
We believe it is important to outline and set high standards for snow and ice monitoring data. However,
in order to get as much data included in the network the tier-network should be established with clearly
defined demands for every tier. This is similar to other programs like ICOS, CALM a.o. Tiers should be
defined so all related and “useable” data are possible to include in the network.
High emphasis should be directed towards covering the different climatic (boreal, low-Arctic, HighArctic) as well as regional (circumpolar) regions.