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FORINFRA-Nasj.sats. forskn.infrastrukt

Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS)-Norway and Ocean Thematic Centre (OTC)

Alternative title: ICOS Norge og havtematisk senter OTC

Awarded: NOK 96.2 mill.

ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) is a European Research Infrastructure programme that was created to establish a greenhouse gas observation system enabling high quality climate change research and increase usability of the research data. ICOS builds a network of measurements of key Greenhouse Gas concentrations on land, sea and air, at various sites, and integrates the data into a single, coherent, data product. ICOS-Norway is the integrated Norwegian component of ICOS. The infrastructure will, after installation and updates of measurement instrumentation, deliver high-quality carbon data from different sites and platforms from Norwegian territories. These include towers for air measurements in southern Norway and at Svalbard, a forest station in south-eastern Norway, and the use of two research ships and two commercial ships in the North Atlantic, the Nordic Seas, and areas around Svalbard. When everything is up and running at these sites all data will be thoroughly quality controlled. Data from the various platforms will be integrated and made available, in usable format, to carbon system scientists and various interested parties such as research communities, national agencies, oil and energy companies, and fisheries. Norway will also co-host the ICOS OTC (Ocean Thematic Centre) in co-operation with the UK. Norwegian scientists have long experience in developing and coordinating ocean carbon measurements through international high quality data efforts on surface and deep-ocean carbon data, and this experience will be used within OTC. The activities include quality labelling of different marine ICOS stations, training, and quality control and distribution of data from the ICOS network.

ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) is a programme within the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) list of European infrastructures. ICOS is now mature and will be signed to become a legal entity under ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium). Norway is now a full member of ICOS ERIC. Through the current proposal, ICOS-Norway will be upgraded towards the highest quality of stations and activities, and OTC (Ocean Thematic Centre) will be established as one of the important Central Facilities (CF) in ICOS research infrastructure dedicated to collect, process, and store data measured by ICOS marine stations, and provide them technical support and training. Norwegian scientists are crucial in on-going SOCAT and GLODAP activities, which fit intimately into the ICOS CF mission for OTC, skills that cannot easily be replaced. ICOS builds a network conducting standardized, long-term, high precision measurements of key Greenhouse Gas concentrations. The infrastructure integrates terrestrial, oceanic and atmospheric observations at various sites into a single, coherent, precise data product. ICOS contributes to the implementation of the Integrated Global Carbon Observation and Analysis System. We request funding to establish the infrastructure ICOS-Norway, as the integrated Norwegian component of ICOS. Through the proposed RI, ICOS will be provided with much needed top quality ocean, atmosphere, and terrestrial carbon data from Norway, our territories, the northern North Atlantic, Nordic Seas, and waters around Svalbard. Further, we will supply integrated products and assessments to carbon system science and various stakeholders. We also request funding to co-host the ICOS OTC in co-operation with the UK, building on the leading international role of Norwegian scientists in developing and coordinating ocean carbon measurements. This includes station labelling, training, and data quality control and distribution.

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FORINFRA-Nasj.sats. forskn.infrastrukt

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