The Troll Observing Network (TONe): plugging observation holes in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

Abstract

Antarctica-key to global changeHuman societies are currently confronted with a wide range of interconnected and interacting challenges, as highlighted inter alia in the latest assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Shukla et al. 2022) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Díaz et al. 2019). The consequences of the ongoing climate and environmental changes permeate numerous aspects of human existence, including food security, health risks, disrupted livelihoods and relocation needs. Understanding how the key climate and biodiversity drivers evolve, as well as implications of these changes, is crucial to enable mitigation and societal adaptation.Long-term observations enhance our understanding of the processes, provide an early warning system for potential disruptions and help the development of informed policies for societal development and environmental conservation.Antarctica and the Southern Ocean play important roles in the ongoing change. Its physical and biological properties interlink with the rest of the Earth through atmospheric, cryospheric and oceanic connections and, as a result, impact climate, weather, ecosystems, ecosystem services, etc. well beyond the region. Chown et al. ( 2022) provide a summary of, and insight into, the key Antarctic global connectors. Understanding how Antarctica is changing and how these changes influence global changes is fundamental to future global societal robustness.