International Collaboration Sites
As Research Infrastructure for promoting international joint research and human resource development, NIPR and JAMSTEC allocated overseas research and observation facilities in partnership with research institutes in Arctic countries as International Collaboration Sites and utilized them as collaborative research facilities for the project. The nine sites in five countries sustained from the ArCS project: Ny-Ålesund NIPR Observatory and the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) and the Poker Flat Research Range super site (PFRR) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the U.S., the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay, Canada, and ｔhe Centre d'études Nordiques (CEN) in eastern Canada, the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR) in Greenland, Denmark, and Spasskaya Pad Scientific Forest Station and Ice Base Cape Baranova in Russia. In addition to these sites, the ArCS II project newly established two research sites: Qaanaaq-Siorapaluk in Greenland and Pallas-Sodankylä in Finland.
The Ny-Ålesund NIPR Observatory and other sites were used for research and observation, while the IARC, CHARS, and Qaanaaq-Siorapaluk sites were also used for Priority Subject 1: Capacity Building and Research Promotion, leading to activation of international collaboration. There were no site visits to the Pallas-Sodankylä, the Spasskaya Pad and the Cape Baranova. However, important research data were obtained by commissioning local institutes. In FY2020, the number of site visits was limited to 28 person-days due to the expansion of COVID-19. In some cases the agreements with the local institutes helped visitors to proceed with travel procedures smoothly even under restrictive circumstances. In FY2021, despite the impact of COVID-19, the total number of site visits was 559 person-days, mainly at Ny-Ålesund NIPR Observatory and Qaanaaq-Siorapaluk, thanks to close communication and support from the local institutes. In FY2022, the interim period of the project, with the easing of travel restrictions, full-scale use resumed mainly for each Research Program and the Priority Subject 1, with a total of 1,665 person-days of site visits. However, due to the Russia-Ukraine situation, it is no longer possible to transmit observation data from the two sites in Russia to Japan after April 2022. In FY2023, the total number of site visits was 1,407 person-days, but there was no progress regarding the two Russian sites, and they remained in a suspended status.
Research Vessel
In the Arctic Ocean, rapid sea ice reduction due to Arctic warming and resulting environmental changes are occurring, and the effects of these changes are affecting the ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean as well as the society and lives of people living in the Arctic. In order to achieve the project goal, this project aims to contribute to the solution of the Arctic problem by clarifying the ocean, sea ice, and atmospheric changes occurring in the Arctic Ocean and assessing their impact on human society. The data and findings from the Arctic cruises were made public.
- R/V Mirai Arctic Cruise in 2024 (in Japanese)
- T/S Oshoro-maru Arctic Cruise in 2023 (in Japanese)
- R/V Mirai Arctic Cruise in 2023 (in Japanese)
- R/V Mirai Arctic Cruise in 2022 (in Japanese)
- R/V Mirai Arctic Cruise in 2021 (in Japanese)
- R/V Mirai Arctic Cruise in 2020 (in Japanese)
Earth Observation Satellite Data
The role of the Research Infrastructure "Earth Observation Satellite Data" is to contribute to achieving the goals of the Research Programs, Priority Subjects and Strategic Goals of this project by preparing and providing earth observation satellite data from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in an easy-to-use format for researchers to enhance their observation data of ocean, land, ecosystem and snow, etc. Satellite observations have great advantages in monitoring and analyzing a wide range of areas, including polar and global regions, because they enable homogeneous observations with wide coverage and provide information of "area", whereas field observations are "point" observations. In addition, by linking with earth observation satellite data operated by other organizations, we can obtain high-frequency information.
We converted satellite data into user-friendly formats and information and developed new geophysical products in response to requests from the Research Programs compiled by the ArCS II Secretariat and the Arctic Data archive System (ADS). These products were provided to researchers through ADS and JAXA's data distribution services, etc.
In this project, we mainly utilized data from the Global Change Observation Mission - Water "SHIZUKU" (GCOM-W) carrying the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2), which is capable of observing sea ice, sea surface temperature, snow depth, etc. in all weather conditions, the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 "DAICHI-2" (ALOS-2) carrying the L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (PALSAR-2), which can observe sea ice and land surface information through clouds, and the Global Change Observation Mission - Climate "SHIKISAI" (GCOM-C) carrying the Second generation GLobal Imager (SGLI) capable of observing aerosols, sea color, sea surface temperature, snow and ice, and albedo with a resolution of 250 meters.
The Earth Cloud Aerosol Radiation Mission (EarthCARE) was launched in May 2024, and the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (DAICHI-4), the successor to DAICHI-2, was launched in July 2024, and initial calibration and verification is underway for data release. The Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle (GOSAT-GW) carrying AMSR3, the successor to AMSR2, is also scheduled for launch in FY2025, and we will continue our observations of the polar regions in the future.
- JAXA Satellite Product Catalog (in Japanese)
Arctic Data archive System (ADS)
The Arctic Data archive System (ADS) developed an "open science" infrastructure for Arctic research with the main purpose of storing, managing, publishing, and distributing research data acquired in the Arctic, and promoted the domestic and international interactive distribution of "big data" on Arctic research. We have promoted international distribution by strengthening the adaptation of metadata standards that are currently in widespread use. We also aimed to enhance the website to visualize the online data of other institutes through the linkage of these actual data. In addition, we developed a workbench that will serve as a web platform for searching, analyzing, and visualizing "big data," including data acquired to date and data from other institutes, with the aim of creating new value from "big data".
For this purpose, the ADS was positioned as the data infrastructure for the storage, management, release, and distribution of survey observation data and model simulation data acquired in this project. At the beginning of this project, the ArCS II Data Policy was formulated to inform the project members of the basic rules for data handling. The data published on the ADS include data obtained through the GRENE Arctic Climate Change Research Project (GRENE-Arctic) and the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS) project, as well as satellite data (GCOM-W, GCOM-C, ALOS, ALOS-2) provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as infrastructure data regarding the Arctic. These data are made available to researchers under the data policy of each project and ADS and can be searched and used by data users using the KIWA, a research data retrieval system, which is the main tool of ADS. The Visualization Service of Horizontal scale Observations at Polar region (VISHOP) and the VISualization Interactive tool on Online Network (VISION), which are part of the ADS workbench, enable the use of satellite data registered in the ADS. Through sharing research observation data, model simulation data, and other data acquired through this project with researchers, and the publication of information with new value created by using such data, the ADS served as a basis for the dissemination of information to the general public and stakeholders.