Grand Opening of SEARCH Observatory in Eureka, Canada
July 20, 2006
The NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories (ESRL), in conjunction with the Canadian Network for Detection of
Arctic Change (CANDAC) program, and the Meteorological Service of Canada, is co-hosting a grand opening of a
research site located in Eureka, Nunavut on Ellesmere Island; one of the most northerly research stations in
Canada. On July 24, 2006 scientists, government representatives, and media from Canada and the U.S. will
attend official activities and have the opportunity to visit an observatory established through the NOAA Atmospheric
Observatory Program, Canada's Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL), the newly rebuilt
meteorological Services Canada weather station, and experience the surroundings and wildlife of this remote region
of Canada.
Background:
The NOAA observatory is operated in Canada's High Arctic by the NOAA Arctic Programs Office through ESRL
as a contribution to the U.S. Studies of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) program. The observatory was
established in August 2005 by the ESRL Physical Sciences Laboratory and ESRL Global Monitoring Laboratory in
collaboration with the University of Wisconsin, the University of Idaho, and the CANDAC program. It was designed
to make long-term climate measurements of Arctic clouds and aerosols. A collection of state-of-the-art scientific
measurement equipment has been assembled at the site, including cloud radar, high spectral resolution lidar and
spectral and narrow-band radiometers.
Significance:
NOAA-SEARCH seeks to establish a number of intensive measurements that can be compared between Arctic
regions. The emphasis of these activities will be on determining attribution and developing databases and
information that can be used for mitigation and adaptation strategies not only in the Arctic, but throughout
the global climate system which is inextricably linked to Arctic changes. International cooperation and
collaboration, as in this case with Canada, is a crucial component in successful and comprehensive global
climate research. These activities support NOAA's mission goal of understanding climate variability and change to enhance society's ability to plan and respond.
Contact: Taneil Uttal