The six-person team including Jonassen won the 2023 SIOS Innovation Award for their work on mobile atmospheric observations in Svalbard. The projects aims to develop a prototype atmospheric boundary layer observing system to increase the coverage of in-situ observations in the Arctic. The idea is to mount meteorological sensors on snowmobiles and beltwagons that are regularly used during field operations. The mobile platforms represent untapped potential for filling data gaps in the operational network of weather stations.
In October 2022 Marius O. Jonassen and Hanne H. Christiansen became the second winners of the Arctic Academic Action Award (FP Award) with their PermaMeteoCommunity project. Their project develops an advanced permafrost and meteorological climate change response system based on real-time environmental data in order to build resilience and safety in Arctic communities. Jonassen and Christiansen are both based at University Centre in Svalbard.
The SIOS Innovation Award enhances the innovative aspect of science in Svalbard, and thus the entire Arctic. The aim is to spark the development of innovative technologies or methods in order to improve observation capabilities and/or decrease environmental footprint of research and monitoring in the field of Earth System Science in Svalbard. In 2023, the SIOS Innovation Award was granted to two projects of equally excellent quality.
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