21 January 2015
WCRP Launches Polar Challenge
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The World Climate Research Program (WCRP) is launching a Polar Challenge to reward the first team able to send an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) for a 2,000 kilometer mission under the Arctic or Antarctic sea-ice.

The challenge will address under-ice navigation, endurance and environmental monitoring.

It aims to stimulate the development of a monitoring tool for the Polar regions and expand scientific research capabilities and climate services.

WCRPlogo16 January 2015: The World Climate Research Program (WCRP) is launching a Polar Challenge to reward the first team able to send an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) for a 2,000 kilometer mission under the Arctic or Antarctic sea-ice. The challenge will address under-ice navigation, endurance and environmental monitoring. It aims to stimulate the development of a monitoring tool for the Polar regions and expand scientific research capabilities and climate services.

WCRP Director David Carlson underlined that the reliability of long-term climate change outlooks in the Polar regions is limited by the scarcity and cost of in situ systematic observations of the sea-ice to complement satellite observations.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) , new generation AUVs, such as underwater gliders, provide a potential low-risk, cost-effective option to scale up observing networks for the regions. The competition aims to inspire technological innovation towards a ‘cost-effective, autonomous and scalable observing network’ for ice-covered ocean regions.

The Polar Challenge was announced on the sidelines of the Arctic Frontiers conference, taking place from 18-23 January 2015, in Tromsø, Norway. The challenge is expected to contribute to WMO’s Polar initiatives and benefit the wider stakeholder community. WCRP is sponsored by WMO, the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). [WMO Press Release] [WCRP Website]

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