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Polar Space Task Group


The Polar Space Task Group (PSTG) was established under the auspices of the WMO Executive Council Panel of Experts on Polar and High Mountain Observations, Research, and Services (EC-PHORS, originally EC-PORS). The group’s mandate is to provide coordination across Space Agencies to facilitate acquisition and distribution of fundamental satellite datasets, and to contribute to or support development of specific derived products in support of cryospheric and polar scientific research and applications. More information on the PSTG is available on the WMO Polar Space Task Group (PSTG) website.

GCW is collaborating with the PSTG on observing requirements. The PSTG is formulating requirements for the acquisition of satellite information, particularly SAR, for ice sheets, permafrost, snow, and floating ice. The documents, which are available below and on the PSTG WMO website, are

Another significant achievement of the PSTG is the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Data Compendium from the SAR Coordination Working Group (SCWG). The SCWG coordinated the acquisition of several thousand images over a period of more than two decades, providing a rich and diverse dataset that can be used to examine changes in the polar regions.