This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
This award supports the continuation and expansion of long-term measurements of the Arctic atmosphere, snow, and other Earth system components at the Summit, Greenland, Environmental Observatory (GEOSummit). The original measurement program began in 2003 and contributes to the Arctic Observing Network (AON) and the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH). Year-round measurements at least 10 years in duration are required to observe and quantify the roles of large-scale, multiyear oscillations in oceanic and atmospheric circulation (e.g., Arctic Oscillation) as well as long-term changes in industrial emissions and land use. Long-term, broad-spectrum, and high-time-resolution measurements also are required to determine transport pathways and other linkages between low- and mid-latitude industrial emission sources and Arctic climate. Because transport pathways vary strongly with altitude and Summit is the only high elevation observing site in the Arctic and well separated from local emission sources, it is an essential node in AON. Located at an elevation of 3,100 m on the Greenland ice sheet, GEOSummit is part of an network that includes sites at Barrow, Alaska, Alert, Canada, and Mt. Zeppelin, Svalbard. The "Broader Impacts" of these observations are numerous and include the potential to transform understanding of the role of natural and anthropogenic aerosols in climate forcing, improve climate models and the prediction of future Arctic environmental change, and enhance the interpretation of ice core records of palaeo-environmental variability. The program also will include education and training, with an emphasis on the participation of under-represented groups, through the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students, and a postdoctoral associate.
