Seeking Comments on Southern Ocean Satellite Needs Community Report

Dear Antarctic Colleagues,

In order to address growing disparities in Polar remote sensing, and in particular to articulate the satellite needs specific to the Southern Ocean, last year SOOS (The Southern Ocean Observing System) and CliC (Climate and the Cryosphere Project) coordinated a community survey to canvas uses of remote sensing and define limitations and recommendations for improvement of Southern Ocean remote sensing.

These survey responses have been brought together into a summary report, which we are now circulating again around the entire Southern Ocean community (both operational and research). Sections of the report include sea ice variables, atmospheric parameters, SST, SSH, SSS, terrestrial cryospheric connections, marine microbes / ocean color, marine biology, surface winds, and more.

We encourage all interested members of the Southern Ocean community to review relevant sections and submit any comments edits by the end of July. We want you, the community, to ensure that the content is complete and that the report’s recommendations are detailed, innovative, and accurate. The aim is that this review will represent the Southern Ocean community’s satellite data needs for the coming decade. It is designed to stand as an important strategy paper that provides the rationale and information required for future strategic planning and investment.

We ask that you use a Google Doc <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oCXwPU8ykGYv9h4W0i5lzIqWpcpF0m4JX6MRP6BjEJs/edit?usp=sharing> to provide feedback, so that it can be a more collaborative effort ( https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oCXwPU8ykGYv9h4W0i5lzIqWpcpF0m4JX6MRP6BjEJs/edit?usp=sharing; there is a linked table of contents to make it easier to access your section of interest). However, if you are unable to access the Doc for some reason, please contact us (info at climate-cryosphere.org; subj: Southern Ocean Satellite Report) and we will be able to provide you with a PDF or Word version.

Thank you for taking the time to contribute to this valuable community effort!

Sincerely,
Allen Pope, NSIDC/UW
Penelope Wagner, MetNo
Rob Johnson, UTAS
Jenny Baeseman, CliC
Louise Newman, SOOS