OBSERVER: An in-depth look at the Copernicus Arctic Hub

The Arctic, a region rich in unique ecosystems and home to fascinating wildlife such as polar bears, walruses and narwhals, plays a pivotal role in the Earth’s climate system. The extensive snow and ice cover reflects a large portion of sunlight back into space, balancing global temperatures. However, this critical balance is being disrupted by the effects of climate change, leading to the Arctic warming four times faster than the rest of the world. Rapid warming, and melting of Arctic sea ice, not only threatens the region’s unique ecosystems and wildlife, but is also making it more navigable, attracting an increasing number of ships through its waters. This increased accessibility coupled with the region’s significant oil and natural gas reserves is making the Arctic a region of significant geo-economic interest. The geopolitical implications of this, combined with the environmental changes driven by climate change, underscore the need for a comprehensive approach to preserving and protecting Arctic regions and its inhabitants.

Earth Observation (EO) data and products provide a range of crucial information to support decision-making and policy development on a diverse array of interconnected Arctic issues, making EO ideally suited for managing the complex challenges of this region. In this week's Observer, we'll explore the recently launched Copernicus Arctic Hub and see how it is improving our understanding of the Arctic regions and supporting the implementation of EU policies.

Arctic regions are warming four times faster than the rest of the world as a result of climate change. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery (2023)

About the Arctic Hub

Established by the European Commission, the Copernicus Arctic Hub is a one-stop-shop for access to Copernicus knowledge and applications on climate, ocean, land and emergency-related issues, focusing on Arctic regions. Around 150 EO-based products are available free of charge in the hub catalogue, providing a wide range of datasets from satellite imagery to in situ observations and model outputs, giving the user an informative, data-rich and science-based view of the region.

The Copernicus data and products made available through this hub focus on three areas: safety, climate change, and sustainability, which correspond the areas and objectives in the EU’s Arctic Policy. With its simple interface, it is designed to be easy to navigate, allowing users to access data from different sources of Arctic relevance, including data from all Copernicus services concerned. While it's coordinated by Mercator Ocean International, which also implements the Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS), the hub aims to promote knowledge sharing between all Copernicus services and facilitate the process of identifying thematic needs and gaps.

This infographic shows the different data sources and which Copernicus Services provide them. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Marine Service, implemented by Mercator Ocean International

An eye on policy

The hub is also helping on the policy front, particularly with the EU's Arctic Policy which was updated in 2021 and is a crucial step towards preserving Arctic ecosystems and promoting sustainable development in this fragile region. This policy is in line with the objectives set out in the EU Green Deal and is essential for safeguarding Europe's geopolitical interests in Arctic regions. It aims to facilitate peaceful cooperation in the region, mitigate the effects of climate change and support Arctic communities.

The Copernicus Arctic hub supports the EU's Arctic Policy by facilitating access to data and enabling a wide range of users, including policy makers, industry stakeholders, students, and researchers to better understand the complexities of the social, economic, political, and environmental landscapes in the Arctic, which are crucial for the EU's strategic and day-to-day interests in these regions. This allows for better navigation of the Arctic's challenges and opportunities, and the development of better informed and more effective policies, at both regional and EU level.

Exploring the hub

When entering the hub, users are presented with links to basic background information on the content. Users can start by exploring the different datasets available, as well as some use cases with applications that companies and researchers are using. The use cases are divided into three main areas of application: security, climate change, and sustainability. Persons who are already using Copernicus EO-based products to study Arctic regions can also add their own use case to the platform by submitting a form describing how they're using the Arctic Hub. 

Navigating the data viewer - Three main areas of application

The data viewer is a valuable tool for exploring Arctic regions. It provides users with access to EO data from a wide range of Copernicus products and services, which can be visualised on a map or easily downloaded. By including products based on satellite and in situ data, the viewer provides detailed, near real-time information about Arctic regions. Users can browse the catalogue of products and easily add new layers to the map view. There are more than 100 layers to choose from, all useful in one of the three main areas of application.

For safety applications, the hub showcases important tools and data to address the challenges of navigating the Arctic’s extreme weather conditions and arduous environment. The objective of the EU Arctic Policy is a safe, stable, sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous Arctic. In the context of Arctic maritime safety, Copernicus can provide reliable data products that can make an important contribution to disaster risk reduction and support maritime navigation in Arctic waters. The Arctic Hub highlights several safety use cases, including Drift+Noise Polar Services for operational ice maps, IcySea for ice information apps, the Greenland Community Ice Information Service for community safety, and the ARCOS early-warning system, among others, helping to reduce the risk of disasters and supporting Arctic maritime navigation. 

For climate change monitoring, Copernicus Marine products such as sea ice thickness are useful for measuring ice melt. Arctic sea ice extent has declined significantly since 1979. The decline tends to occur in all months of the year, but has been greater in September, the time at which the ice extent reaches its annual minimum. By activating this layer and moving the cursor over different years in the map view of the data viewer, users can see how sea ice has changed in thickness over time. Looking at sea surface temperatures can also be useful. Global mean sea surface temperature has increased since pre-industrial times. Although this increase has not been uniform across all parts of the ocean, parts of the Arctic Ocean are among the fastest warming areas, making this an important variable to look at.

Finally, sustainability is a fundamental area of application of the Arctic Hub, particularly with regard to the fragile Arctic ecosystems and the increasing human activity in the region. Arctic regions are home to many unique and diverse species of flora and fauna. Until recently, the permanent sea ice cover has served as a protective shield for these ecosystems, limiting anthropogenic interference. In recent years, however, the Arctic ice cap has begun to retreat, opening up new shipping lanes which provide significant revenues for the Arctic shipping industry. This new accessibility can attract economic development, including the establishment of new ports and related shipping infrastructure, which in turn can lead to increased urbanisation. Layers that include global atmospheric composition forecasts from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), for example, help stakeholders monitor atmospheric changes, such as emissions from high latitude fires and how these threaten local flora and fauna.

The Copernicus Arctic Hub is emerging as a key platform to better address the many challenges facing Arctic regions. By bringing together information from the Copernicus services, the hub provides users with a data-rich and detailed understanding of the Arctic environment in crucial areas of application such as security, climate change and sustainability. Its user-friendly interface facilitates access to a wide range of datasets, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among stakeholders. In line with the EU's Arctic Policy, it supports efforts to preserve Arctic ecosystems, promoting sustainable development and safeguarding Europe's geopolitical interests in the region. 

References and notes

1. The Copernicus Marine Service is implemented by Mercator Ocean International.