Theme 2: Observing, Technology, Logistics, Services

Representatives of 64 organizations gathered at the 4^th European Marine Board (EBM) Forum to discuss how to best manage the consequences of a changing Arctic Ocean. The forum delegates represented a wide range of stakeholders, spanning industry, policy, and academia as well as NGOs and consultancies. The forum included sessions on “Living with a Changing Arctic Ocean”, “Arctic Ocean Observation” and “Utilizing and Managing Arctic Ocean Resources”. Forum participants stressed the need for industry and science to work together, with the main priorities requiring collaboration identified as concerted data collection and analysis, which would contribute to sustainable management of the Arctic Ocean by providing data for mitigating the impacts and addressing the opportunities posed by current environmental changes in the region.

Key Messages of the 4^th EMB Forum:

• A strategic plan for data collection in the Arctic Ocean is urgently needed, along with new observation technologies.
• Developing a marine spatial plan for the Arctic is necessary for managing marine and maritime activities, e.g. shipping and resource extraction, as well as protecting biodiversity hotspots.
• More effective use must be made of local and traditional knowledge by engaging Indigenous communities in citizen science for data collection and ecological management.
• Arctic Ocean research investment requires multidisciplinary and cross-sector partnership for securing long-term strategic funding.
• With the Arctic being perceived as a new market by the shipping industry, associated activities like maritime trade, tourism and transport are likely to emerge faster than the necessary infrastructures for safe, secure and reliable shipping in the Arctic Ocean. Therefore, it is critical to anticipate infrastructure changes in the Arctic rather than respond to them.

In April 2014, a session on Current Issues and the Future of Polar Technology and Innovation was organized by the Forum of Arctic Research Operators (FARO) in collaboration with the European Polar Board (EPB) and IASC as a contribution to the Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) and ICARP III. The session addressed the need to promote interaction between the polar science community and innovation and technology development communities. A series of plenary talks followed by a panel discussion highlighted issues such as remotely operated and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones, robotics), reducing the footprint and environmental impact of field data collection, state-of-the-art in deep field communications, needed technologies, and barriers to technology sharing in polar research. Contributions from industrial and commercial stakeholders were also achieved.  Over 150 persons attended the session.

This was followed by a posters session, with presentations on technologies for performing science in polar regions, or relevant to polar science, including sensors, instruments, power systems, vehicles and drones, buildings, experiment coordination etc., as well as practical aspects of operating in polar regions.

The meeting aimed to discuss research priorities with the cryospheric science community and defining the next decade of priorities for Earth Observations within Arctic Research where ESA data may contribute. The meeting was held on 20 January 2015 at the Fram Centre in Tromsø, Norway. With this meeting ESA and CliC collected recommendations to:

• Define the main long-term priorities and scientific requirements to guide ESA scientific activities on Arctic research for the time frame 2015-2021
• Develop shorter-term recommendations that will define two potential ESA Support to Science Element projects that will address the major topics of Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Earth Observation for Arctic science.