An extensive research community launched a new kind of dialogue about the biggest challenge for the future in the Arctic region

In the Arctic Meteorology Summit organised by the Finnish Meteorological Institute on Tuesday, the research community was very vocal about their concerns on the Arctic climate change already affecting us all.

Climate change is faster in the Arctic region than anywhere else and its impact is already visible. The effects of climate change are materialising throughout the world. For example, the average temperature of December has already increased by almost 5 degrees in Finland.

“The impact of climate change will be largely visible in society, and therefore research and services will be needed in various fields. The biggest contribution of the Arctic Meteorology Summit has been the dialogue between climate experts from different countries and policymakers, representatives of the industrial world, safety authorities and the indigenous peoples”, Director General, Finnish Meteorological Institute Juhani Damski stresses.

Researchers released joint statement

At the event a statement was issued by researchers of the Arctic areas in which the researchers emphasise the importance of scientific information, communications, and cooperation in the fight against climate change. The researchers put particular emphasis on the need to develop a comprehensive observation system with whose help we can get information about the state of the Arctic region and an overall picture of development on whose foundation the future can be built.

In Levi, a clear understanding between all parties has been observed about the fact that safe and sustainable operations in the Arctic region require close cooperation. One example of such cooperation is the development and construction of infrastructure supporting activities in the Arctic region. ‘One positive point is that meteorology has already earlier this year been accepted as a part of the AMAP group of the Arctic Council, as it is seen as a concrete affirmation to the group’s activities’, the Director General of the Finnish Meteorological Institute emphasises.

A concrete example of cooperation that has already been launched is the new satellite product published by the Finnish Meteorological Institute which tells about the ice and snow situation of the Northern Hemisphere almost in real time. The service can be accessed at: http://ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/arktis-nyt. The ice data in the service comes from the Norwegian-operated OSI SAF project, which is funded by EUMETSAT. The Finnish Meteorological Institute provides the data on snow cover.

Main speakers at the Summit held on Tuesday, 20 March included World Meteorological Organisation WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas, Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications Anne Berner and Finland’s Ambassador for Arctic Affairs Aleksi Härkönen. Also taking part were specialists from companies and communities operating in the Arctic region. The event can be followed on Twitter on the hashtag #metarctic.

More information:

Johanna Ekman, tel. +358 29 539 2079, johanna.ekman@fmi.fi

Katso video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO-4omwEtBc

The statement can be found here: https://ilmatieteenlaitos.studio.crasman.fi/bank/levi