Greenland Integrated Observing System
About GIOS
Greenland plays a unique and central role in the global climate system. The purpose of the Greenland Integrated Observing System (GIOS) is to resolve and understand the mechanisms behind climate and environmental change in Greenland and beyond. GIOS is a new coordinated network of sustainable long-term research infrastructures in and around Greenland observing the changing air, ice, land, and ocean conditions. GIOS is an important and timely national research infrastructure linking all institutions and universities currently carrying out Arctic research in the Danish Realm.
GIOS observing system
The ability to predict future changes are strongly dependent on concurrent and long-term records of glaciological, terrestrial, oceanic, and atmospheric processes. Arctic communities depend on knowledge especially at the ice sheet/ocean margins – where exchanges of heat, greenhouse gases, nutrients and freshwater are occurring. Sea level changes require monitoring of glaciers and ice sheets and have a global impact. In order to promote sustained data observations, we are developing a new and integrated system, the Greenland Integrated Observing System (GIOS).
Land
The temperature dependency of Arctic ecosystems is very sensitive. We will use 25 years of systematic observations of ecosystem functioning and greenhouse gas exchanges at the Zackenberg research facility and GEM-database (www.g-e-m.dk) as a reference. We will deploy autonomous operating measurement units in comparable vegetation types to make continuous measurements of key climate and (vegetation and soil) biogeochemical parameters at locations distributed from natural gradient from Villum Research Station over Zackenberg south to the Upernaviarsuq area.
