Together with IASC, AC now takes the lead in a continuation of the SAON process.
The Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Tromsø April 2009 agreed on the Tromsø Declaration which expressed
- Support for continued coordination to maximize the legacy of IPY in a number of areas, including observations and data access and management … and
- Recognition of the valuable contribution of the Sustained Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) process as an IPY legacy to enhance coordination of multidisciplinary Arctic data acquisition, management, access and dissemination, encouraged the continuation of this work with emphasis on improved sustained long-term observation, and welcomed the participation of indigenous organizations in future work
- Decided to take the lead, in cooperation with IASC and other relevant partners, in the continuation of the SAON process, including considering ways to develop an institutional framework to support circum-Arctic observing, and the preparation and implementation of a work plan for the next two years to initiate work on priority issues including sustained funding and data management.
