Monitoring the Arctic area...

Two of the Arctic Council's working groups are cooperating with NOOA to provide new usable knowledge about the changes and the effects of climate changes in the Arctic.

Arctic Report Card: Tracking Recent Environmental Changes is the title of a project which is conducted in cooperation between CAFF and AMAP, two working groups under the Arctic Council and NOAA - the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Arctic Report Cards offer a means of presenting clear, reliable and concise information on recent observations of environmental conditions in the Arctic, relative to historical time series records. Issued annually, they provide a method of updating and expanding the content of the State of the Arctic Report, published in fall 2006, to reflect current conditions.  The Report Cards cover several thematic areas i.e. Atmosphere, Sea Ice, Biology, Ocean, Greenland and Land.

Material presented in the Report Card is prepared by an international team of scientists and is peer-reviewed by topical experts of the Climate Experts Group (AMAP) of the Arctic Council. CAFF's Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) of the Arctic Council provides collaborative support through the delivery and editing of the biological elements of the Report Cards.  The audience for the Arctic Report Card is wide and includes scientists, students, teachers, decision makers and the general public interested in Arctic environment and science. The web-based format facilitates future timely updates of the content.

The Report cards have generated a lot of interest and media attention. The successful deployment of the arctic report cards in mid-October included significant international media publications citing the main findings.