SIOS
SIOS is a regional observing system for long-term measurements in and around Svalbard addressing Earth System Science questions. SIOS integrates the existing distributed observational infrastructure and generates added value for all partners beyond what their individual capacities can provide.
SIOS brings observations together into a coherent and integrated observational programme that will be sustained over a long period. Within SIOS, researchers can cooperate to access instruments, acquire data and address questions that would not be practical or cost effective for a single institution or nation alone.
By bringing many types of observations together and asking questions about how these are influenced by each other SIOS generates new insights about the Svalbard region’s role in the Earth system. Thus, SIOS offers unique opportunities for research and the long-term acquisition of fundamental knowledge about global environmental change. SIOS focuses on processes and their interactions between the different spheres, i.e. biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere and hydrosphere.
The core observational programme of SIOS provides the research community with systematic observations that are sustained over time, yet dynamic enough to be adapted as new methods and questions from society appear. SIOS sets an example for how to systematically construct observational networks in the Arctic and how joint efforts provide added value to the user community.
The services benefit the international polar research community as a whole and make SIOS a unique international meeting place for developing the science of long-term monitoring in Polar Regions.