Local Climate and Environmental Changes in High Latitudes Observed by Satellites

Dear Colleagues,

High latitudes are regions of accelerated and amplified climate change. A large number of studies documents the changes observed by ground-level stations. Although the satellite records are relatively short, their contribution to the monitoring and documenting of changes is essential for many areas of science and human activity as well.

The most influential changes in the high latitudes have begun relatively recently during the satellite era. For example, significant sea ice and temperature changes in the Arctic began in the 1990s, whereas environmental changes related to permafrost thaw are emerging now.

Although satellite remote sensing of the high latitudes is actively developing, and many significant results are reported every year, the remote sensing of local climate and environmental changes is less visible in the published literature. There are very few publications addressing changes in anthropogenic (urban) or natural (bioclimatic) systems. Extended verification of the remote sensing datasets in harsh climate conditions of high latitudes is also needed. It has been recognized that the quality of many global datasets deteriorates in the Arctic. Even regionally specific datasets, such as those tracing the sea ice and snow extent, need reconciling and better calibration.

This Special Issue invites contributions to close the knowledge gaps, to resolve methodological difficulties, and to improve penetration of the satellite remote sensing dataset in high latitudes. We hope to create a more coherent and holistic picture of the local climate and environmental changes in this remote region of our planet. As such, this collection of work will improve the scientific basis and demonstration cases of the Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX; https://www.atm.helsinki.fi/peex/index.php), the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI; http://www.neespi.org/), and the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP; https://www.polarprediction.net/) collaborations.

Dr. Igor Esau
Dr. Alexander V. Chernokulsky
Guest Editors

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