Collaborative Research: Science coordination office for Summit Station/ISI Observatory and the Greenland Traverse

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The Division of Polar Programs has been funding substantial scientific activities at Summit Station, Greenland (72°N 38°W, 3250 meters above sea level), for over twenty years. Summit Station hosts the Greenland Environmental Observatory (GEOSummit), a cooperation between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration with permission from the Danish Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland to provide long-term environmental measurements. Summit is the only high-elevation, free-tropospheric, inland environmental observatory in the Arctic which is manned throughout the year. Summit therefore fills a unique niche in the international scientific community?s global measurement capability. The Science Coordination Office (SCO) for Summit Station and the Greenland Ice Sheet serves in an advisory capacity to NSF?s Arctic Research Support and Logistics Program. SCO?s primary role is to present the needs and desires of the science community working on the Greenland Ice Sheet in discussions and decision making processes involving NSF, its primary logistics support contractor, and other stakeholders. The SCO also works with NSF, NSF?s contractor, and science teams to work out equitable and efficient use of resources, and strives to ensure that the wide range of science and support activities impact the pristine character of Summit as lightly as possible. SCO shares in the long-range goal of redeveloping Summit infrastructure in ways that will reduce long-term operation and maintenance costs, and reduce the emissions of pollutants by facilities on the station and the aircraft and traverse vehicles that visit. The SCO also helps coordinate visits to Summit for educational groups at all levels, from high school to post-graduate. The SCO will work closely with NSF and all relevant stakeholders in the design of a revitalized Summit Station where reducing operational and maintenance effort (and costs) will preserve the site for future science by reducing emissions. Additional scientific communities, including astronomy and astrophysics, have recently expressed interest in using Summit Station as an Arctic base for new observations. SCO will actively participate in discussions with all interested parties to develop a site plan to accommodate an influx of additional research activities while maintaining long-standing focus on climate-relevant research which requires clean air and snow conditions. SCO?s website is a keystone of communication to the science community, with several new features added over the past few years, including; a Google Earth based GIS recording activity in the region over the past 9 years, a virtual tour using Streetview images, a new Working at Summit section that targets new investigators, a comprehensive bibliography of published work near Summit, and a quarterly Newsletter). SCO will conduct a comprehensive overhaul of the web site to improve navigation, and will continue to add new features.