The proposed project will integrate citizen science, remote sensing and related environmental information sources for the arctic its twofold objective is (a) to place local observations into a broader…

This is a $163,156.51 cooperative agreement awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) to integrate citizen science, remote sensing, and environmental information sources for the Arctic region. The project aims to: (1) place local observations into a broader geospatial framework, and (2) enable the use of local observations as ground truth for evaluating remote sensing products. The project focuses on monitoring sea ice, snow cover, ground wetness, and vegetation, which are crucial environmental indicators for northern residents. While the initial pilot will be in northern Alaska, the full project will expand to include other parts of Alaska and additional environmental variables. This contract does not have a set-aside designation, as UAF is a public university. UAF frequently collaborates with other research institutions and private companies on federal contracts and grants, leveraging its specialized facilities and expertise in Arctic and climate-related research.

The proposed project will integrate citizen science, remote sensing and related environmental information sources for the arctic its twofold objective is (a) to place local observations into a broader geospatial framework and (b) enable the use of local observations as the ground truth for evaluation of remote sensing and related products. The project is a leveraged collaboration with the alaska observatory and knowledge hub (a-OK), the alaska native tribal health consortium, the global learning and observations to benefit the environment (globe) program and NASA marshall space flight center. The project will combine the following main components: (1) coordination of local observations of sea ICE and snow, which will be the foci of the pilot project; (2) synthesis of this local information with remote sensing and other products in order to provide a holistic description of environmental events affecting arctic communities; (3) visualization and distribution of this synthesized information via the arctic collaborative environment (ACE); and (4) use of the citizen science information from the local scale to evaluate remote sensing products for key environmental variables: coastal sea ICE, snow cover, ground wetness and vegetation. These surface variables are sensitive environmental indicators and are also crucial to the activities of northern residents. The focus on these variables serves to give the project a manageable scope while maximizing the scientific return on the investment. While the pilot project will focus on sea ICE and snow observations from northern alaska coastal communities, the full project will expand to include other parts of alaska including interior regions, as well as additional variables such as soil state and vegetation.