Arctic Mayors’ Forum is a proud partner of ‘Beyond Arctic PASSION’
Partners of the EU Horizon Europe project Beyond Arctic PASSION gathered for the kickoff meeting at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, UK, this week. The initiative will strengthen how the rapidly changing Arctic is observed, understood, and monitored. Among the more than 40 partner organizations is the Arctic Mayors’ Forum, which will help connect scientific knowledge and data with the needs of Arctic communities.
This week, representatives from more than 40 organizations from 15 countries across Europe, North America and Asia met at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, UK, to kick off Beyond Arctic PASSION.
The four-year, €8.5 million EU Horizon Europe project brings together scientists, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, local community representatives, governments, data services and operational organizations to build a more coordinated and accessible Arctic Observing System for the environment.
Urgent need for reliable and trusted information
The initiative comes as the Arctic experiences rapid environmental and societal change, increasing demand for reliable observations and trusted information to support communities, policymakers, researchers and industry.
“The need for improved Arctic observations has never been greater,” said Dr Michael Karcher, co-lead of Beyond Arctic PASSION at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany.
“As the Arctic warms nearly four times faster than the global average, reliable observations and trusted information are essential for understanding change and ensuring that communities, policymakers, academia and industry have the knowledge they need to respond.”
Coordination across knowledge systems
Dr Jeremy Wilkinson, co-lead of the project at the British Antarctic Survey, said no single organization or country could address the challenge alone.
“By bringing together scientific expertise, Indigenous Knowledge and local knowledge from across the Arctic and elsewhere, Beyond Arctic PASSION will help create a more coordinated, trusted, accessible and equitable observing system that supports decision-making, adaptation and sustainable development.”
Connecting the dots
For decades, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and governments have worked to develop a more coordinated Arctic Observing System connecting people, knowledge and technology.
But observations remain spread across national borders, research infrastructures, data platforms and different knowledge systems. This fragmentation can make it difficult to find, access and combine information needed to understand interconnected environmental and societal changes.
Beyond Arctic PASSION aims to address this challenge by connecting observations from satellites, research vessels and automated monitoring systems with Indigenous-led and community-based observing programs.
The project will strengthen coordination between these different sources of information and knowledge systems, helping create a more accessible and trusted body of Arctic knowledge for those who use it.
Aligning observations with community needs
Its partners include universities and national research institutes alongside Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, operational data services, local and regional authorities and organizations working on science communication, policy, gender and inclusion, and early-career research.
A central focus of Beyond Arctic PASSION will be making Arctic information easier to discover, access and use.
Through improved coordination, data sharing and co-production of knowledge, the project will seek to ensure that Arctic observations are better aligned with the needs of the people and organizations using them.
“Arctic communities are living the realities of climate change. To adapt and build resilience, they need access to trusted information and the opportunity to help shape the observations and data they rely on. That is why I am proud that the Arctic Mayors’ Forum is a partner in Beyond Arctic PASSION, helping connect community needs with knowledge and data,” says Patti Bruns, Secretary General of the Arctic Mayors’ Forum.
An international and transdisciplinary consortium
The project builds on work undertaken through previous major Arctic observing initiatives, including Arctic PASSION and INTAROS, bringing together their achievements as part of a longer-term effort to establish a sustained and operational Arctic Observing System of Systems.
The consortium includes the Arctic Mayors’ Forum, European Polar Board, SIOS Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System, the International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme Secretariat, Saami Council, Inuit Circumpolar Council-Greenland, Inuit Circumpolar Council-Canada, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, and Women of the Arctic.
Partners also include the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, GRID-Arendal, Mercator Ocean, PANGAEA, Seascape Belgium and O.A.SYS, as well as universities and research institutes across Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Italy, Norway, Poland, the UK, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
The project is coordinated by the British Antarctic Survey and jointly led by Dr Michael Karcher of the Alfred Wegener Institute and Dr Jeremy Wilkinson of the British Antarctic Survey.
This article is adapted from the British Antarctic Survey’s original release.
Beyond Arctic PASSION is funded by the European Union, Horizon Europe Funding Programme for research and innovation under grant agreement No. 101295797.
