Monitoring the Arctic environment

The Arctic is a vital region of our planet. It has a significant impact on the weather in the Northern Hemisphere, while its processes are closely linked to the global climate at large. Moreover, the Arctic is a home for people and a unique habitat for animals and plants. 

Consequently, the ecological, social and economic impacts of human-induced climate change on this region – which is more sensitive to climate change than most other regions on Earth – are particularly far-reaching and severe. The Arctic is undergoing unprecedented change: temperatures are rising almost four times faster than the global average. Dramatic changes, such as the retreat of land and sea ice, more frequent and severe wildfires, thawing permafrost and coastal erosion – along with the associated major risks to the livelihoods of local communities and indigenous peoples – call for a coordinated, adaptive and integrated approach to environmental monitoring in a well-coordinated observing system. 

This observing system must shift away from current too fragmented and isolated efforts by individual nations or research groups and create a more interconnected, networked system. Such a network must be based on scientific findings, Indigenous Knowledge and local knowledge, and provide practical information for decision-makers, businesses, researchers and the local population alike.

Despite the considerable efforts of many nations and substantial support from the EU, the individual monitoring activities, data exchange and organisational structure of environmental observation activities in the Arctic remain too fragmented. Some of the data is difficult to access and frequently not tailored to the needs of users, rights holders or stakeholders. 

In order to overcome these shortcomings, more than 40 partners from 17 countries joined forces in the EU- and Canada-funded Arctic PASSION project, under the auspices of the AWI, to work together towards improving the environmental observation system, the Arctic Observing System of Systems (AOSS). Thanks to this approach, Arctic PASSION has enhanced the ability to observe, interpret and respond to changes in the Arctic in a scientifically sound and socially relevant manner.

At its core, Arctic PASSION’s approach to strengthening the AOSS addresses a fundamental challenge. No single organisation or technology is capable of comprehensively monitoring and overviewing the vast and complex Arctic environment. Instead, the system links various observation approaches – from satellite networks to community-based monitoring – into a network that provides reliable and readily accessible information for climate adaptation, sustainable resource management and disaster risk reduction. Proceeding with this approach, Arctic PASSION has helped to promote inclusive governance structures that involve Indigenous Peoples and other Arctic residents as equal partners in the planning and implementation of observations. 

The development of a database by our partners from eight Arctic indigenous communities is one salient example of the work performed within the context of Arctic PASSION. The database preserves and presents unpublished Indigenous Knowledge, while also providing insights into environmental change in the Arctic from local perspectives, in some cases stretching further back in time than scientific observations have been recorded there. 

Furthermore, Arctic PASSION has significantly improved the collection, processing and use of Arctic data for end-users. Thanks to innovative services such as the Arctic Landscape EXplorer (ALEX) for permafrost monitoring, developed at the AWI, the Integrated Fire Risk Management (INFRA) service for forest fire information, and many others, Arctic PASSION has demonstrated how observations can be transformed into practical tools for the resilience of communities and to support decision-making. These services, some of which were developed in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples communities and local authorities, highlight the project’s commitment to making data not only available but also genuinely usable in actual practice. 

In the area of strengthening scientific measurements in the Arctic, both land and sea ice observations, as well as measurement programmes for the ocean, the atmosphere and Arctic land areas, have been expanded and standardised, while better coordination mechanisms for future measurement programmes have been initiated. The Atlantic-Arctic Distributed Biological Observatory (A-DBO) is one example of the latter, which was established in the region between Greenland and Svalbard with significant involvement on the part of the AWI. 

The improved standardisation of data flows and data availability for the Arctic has also helped to ensure that Arctic information can flow more smoothly between scientific databases and decision-makers, while being secured over the long term (with Pangaea co-leading this effort). In this context, the FAIR, CARE and TRUST principles are adhered to in order to guarantee ethical standards and cultural relevance:

• FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable): The data collected is functional and can be easily shared. This means there is a central repository and the data is described in such a way that it can be found directly, as well as being formatted so that it can be combined and used across multiple systems. Furthermore, it is ensured that the information is freely and easily accessible.
• CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, Ethics): The data collected primarily serves the welfare and benefit of Indigenous peoples communities. Their rights and needs are at the heart of the AOSS, and they have a say in what data is collected and retain control over their own data. Researchers demonstrate, in a fully transparent manner, what data they are collecting and how they handle it.
• TRUST (Transparency, Responsibility, User focus, Sustainability, Technology): As a data archive, the AOSS ensures that data is freely accessible, while remaining protected and preserved. To this end, it is important that data is planned, managed and funded in a sustainable manner.

Another key aspect of Arctic PASSION was the dialogue with policy-makers at local, national and international levels, in order to ensure that their needs for reliable information are taken into account in the further development of the observation network, and, conversely, that the project’s results are made available to them. The German Arctic Office at the AWI coordinated this work in collaboration with the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. 

The Arctic PASSION team was also very active in engaging with the people who live and work in the Arctic regions. This included a series of webinars and the organisation of a ‘Sharing Circle’, which brought together young people from a wide variety of backgrounds – but with a shared desire to learn from one another and exchange ideas – in the homeland of the Sámi.

Additional background information on the findings of Arctic PASSION and the information services developed, as well as a series of fact sheets on various topics, are available on the website https://arcticpassion.eu/ and in the synthesis report.

The Arctic PASSION network has translated the project’s objectives into tangible results and built bridges between science, indigenous knowledge, politics and society. By linking diverse and multifaceted perspectives, infrastructures and methods, it has created a model for Arctic research and observation systems that extends well beyond the sum of its parts.

While the work of Arctic PASSION has been a great success, however, there is still much to be done to build up the Arctic observation network and make it more useful, more equitably organised and better integrated.

Beyond Arctic PASSION, the follow-up project funded by the EU, offers the opportunity to build on this work and address further key aspects. The project was launched in September 2026. Over the next four years, the project partners aim to jointly develop a network to channel Arctic observations into actionable solutions for people in the Arctic regions, the scientific community and policymakers.

With another highly diverse and international team of more than 40 partners from 15 countries, Beyond Arctic PASSION will tackle the following challenges:

• Governance & Sustainability: Inclusive, long-term coordination jointly shaped by Indigenous Peoples, scientists, industry and policy-makers.The aim: a coordinated Arctic observation system that remains resilient, usable and effective – also well beyond the project’s duration.
• Open, interoperable data: Interconnected, networked data and knowledge systems that enable forecasting, modelling and risk assessment. The aim: accessible knowledge that enables more informed, evidence-based decisions.
• Closing observation gaps: autonomous sensors, AI and jointly developed monitoring concepts, combining with Indigenous Knowledge and local knowledge. The aim: actionable information and tools that can already be used today by various protagonists in the Arctic regions and beyond.

Beyond Arctic PASSION will continue to drive the development of a sustainable, advanced and inclusive system of systems for Arctic observation forward – through an inclusive approach with of leading-edge research, Indigenous Knowledge, local knowledge, modern technologies and transparent governance.

The strength of Beyond Arctic PASSION lies in the breadth and long-standing experience of our partners. Here, Indigenous Peoples’ organisations are working alongside national research institutes and universities, operational data services, representatives of local authorities and industry stakeholders, covering Europe, North America and Asia. This diversity of expertise and perspectives forms the foundation that enables a coordinated, trustworthy and inclusive monitoring and observation system.