ABOUT

In 1999 the NSF funded the formation of a Science Coordination Office (SCO) for the observatory to help with the on-site science tasking, development of a data archive, and long term science planning for the station. The original proposal was in response to the demand of coordinating projects and requests from over 50 interested investigators from the U.S. and Europe who had expressed interest in making measurements or using data from Summit.

In January 2006 a planning meeting was held for the facility with members of the SCO, NSF, Danish Polar Centre (DPC), and the European Polar Research Board (PRB), as well as interested investigators, attending. At this meeting it was clear the demand for research at the station is increasing, and the facility will necessarily need to accommodate a greater number of research programs. The challenges of maintaining the scientific integrity of the site for atmospheric research while increasing the usage of the site were discussed. The NSF is interested in expanding the facility with cooperative support from European agencies. Planning for major station improvements would necessarily require input from the science steering committee of the SCO as well as logistical oversight from VECO Polar Resources (VPR). In July 2004 a Memorandum of Understanding between the NSF, the DPC, and the Greenlandic Home Rule was signed at Summit Station. The purpose of the document was to foster international collaboration at the site and throughout Greenland. The success of research at Summit over the past decade and the increasing interest in use of the facility demonstrates that challenges faced to maintain a multidisciplinary research facility will only increase in the coming years.

As the station has already outgrown the major upgrades initiated in 2000, the NSF is discussing plans to make a major station transformation from a scattering of several buildings to the development of a singular, or possibly two, modular structures designed for efficient operation with atmospheric chemistry maintained as a priority while meeting the demands of other research programs.  A key to success of the facility will be to closely coordinate measurements, share facility resources and exchange data of common interest between investigators to make most efficient use of the facility and resources.  Since this coordination goes well beyond what individual investigators can efficiently do through one-to-one interactions, NSF, the DPC, and the principal investigators who use the observatory recognize there is a need for joint U.S.-European science coordination activities. The SCO acts to fill that role as well as facilitate science, logistical, and strategic planning for the station.