RESOLUTION 1: Monitoring of Active Layer and Permafrost Thermal State
Recognizing the increasing concern of the World Climate Research Programme and GCOS/GTOS Terrestrial Observing Panel for Climate (TOPC) to identify functional networks for permafrost monitoring (GCOS Report No. 32, 1997: GCOS/GTOS Plan for Terrestrial Climate-Related Observations, p. 19–20, 76–77), The International Permafrost Association resolves:
- to undertake coordination and collection of annual active layer depth and permafrost temperatures; and
- to ensure their timely reporting on the IPA Web site and the annual transfer of these data to WDC-A for Glaciology.
Furthermore, through the IPA Executive Committee, the IPA and its relevant Working Groups will address the following issues:
- assigning CALM, PACE and other representative monitoring sites to the GCOS/GTOS tier structure;
- assessing the representation of various permafrost climatic regimes in the network and identifying any gaps in coverage;
- evaluating options for filling any gaps in the network;
- formalizing organizational arrangements within the IPA/CALM structure; and
- finalizing the strategy and guideline documents to enable the preparation of invitation letters to the World Meteorological Organization representatives of the participating countries.
RESOLUTION 2: Antarctic Permafrost Monitoring and Research
Recognizing that the Antarctic continent serves as a rich archive and laboratory for paleoenvironmental information and present-day environmental processes; the fact that there is no systematic program for monitoring recent changes in the thermal history of the permafrost or active layer properties in the ice-free areas; and the growing requirements to coordinate with similar monitoring programs in the Northern Hemisphere and elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere (see Resolution 1), the International Permafrost Association resolves:
- to encourage the establishment of a circum-Antarctic Permafrost Monitoring Network and related periglacial research activities;
and furthermore recommends:
- that the newly formed IPA Working Group on Southern Hemisphere Permafrost serve as the formal link with SCAR.