Polar Research Institute of China provides a ISK 300 million grant for the China-Iceland Joint Aurora Observatory (CIAO) Project

Project narrative

In March 2014, the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC) — the main Chinese research institute for the study of Earth's polar regions, under China's Ministry of Natural Resources — committed to provide a ISK 300 million grant for the China-Iceland Joint Aurora Observatory (CIAO) Project. The CIAO Project was sought to construct research facilities to support Arctic research cooperation between Chinese and Icelandic research institutions. The specific research goals of the CIAO included solar-terrestrial interaction and space weather via conducting polar upper atmosphere observations such as auroras and geomagnetic field variations, climatology, glaciology, oceanography, biology, ecology, and other related fields. Aurora Borealis, magnetic fields, and the upper atmosphere was a special emphasis of the station, as Iceland is located at the aurora belt and suitable for such research. Public outreach was also paramount to the CIAO. The CIAO is located at Kárhóll, about 1.5 kilometers south of the small community of Laugar, approx. 60 kilometers east of Akureyri in Northern Iceland at 65° 42.431’N, 17° 22.017’W. It is in the rural municipality of Þingeyjarsveit, on the main nr. 1 ring road. The land of CIAO, within the valley of Reykjadalur, covers a plot of 156 hectares, on land that was previously a private-owned farmed with agricultural land and a forestry area. The land extends 2 kilometers from the small salmon river Reykjadalsá at about 50 meters altitude to the top of the soft hill of Mýraöxl at 301 meters, it is all vegetated and the middle part is forested and managed under a contract with the Forestry Service. The CIAO itself consists of a research building of 763 square meters on three floors including a guest center and auditorium seating for 56 people, a second floor with meeting rooms, work spaces, work spaces, a cafeteria, and research facilities, and a third floor with research facilities, work spaces, six camera towers, and laser/lidar rooms. Outside, there was a rio-meter field with 37 antennas installed, two magnetic meters, weather stations, and more. Additionally, the CIAO has a farmhouse with accommodation facilities for a minimum of 10 persons and older farmhouses for service, wet-labs, workshops and storage. The land and buildings of CIAO were owned by Icelandic non-profit foundation by Aurora Observatory (AO) and operated by PRIC under a long-term lease agreement. In 2011, a delegation from the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) of China visited Iceland and discussed potential research collaboration including the establishment of a joint observatory. In August 2012, the Science Institute of the University of Iceland signed the Agreement on Scientific Cooperation on China-Iceland Joint Aurora Observatory with PRIC. In 2012, Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannís) signed the Framework Agreement on China-Iceland Joint Aurora Observatory with PRIC. In addition to providing a grant for the project, PRIC provided technology for the observatory. Icelandic entities reportedly were responsible for construction. Arctic Portal, a company led by Halldór Jóhannsson, an Icelandic consultant who had worked on behalf of Chinese investors such as Huang Nubo (who had attempted to build a luxury resort in Iceland, as captured by Record ID#99208), had supported the Aurora Observatory foundation's purchase of the land. It was hoped that CIAO would expand Iceland's corps of aurora scientists and host researchers from all the world, not just China or Iceland. Still, there were national security concerns floated with CIAO. The expanded focus of CIAO on researching satellite remote sensing raised concerns whether the station had security implications. Other figures, such as Pascal Heyman, former Deputy Director of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), alleged that the technology at the observatory was to be used to monitor NATO airspace. Jóhannsson denied those claims and former President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson said that China's choice to build in a place as transparent and democratic as Iceland was emblematic of its desire for scientific collaboration. In 2012, Aurora Observatory, as backed by Arctic Portal, purchased the land for the observatory for a consideration under $700,000 USD. Construction formally began on June 2, 2014. A cornerstone was laid on October 10, 2016. Installation of first three observational cameras began in October 2017. CIAO was formally opened on October 18, 2018. At opening, the China-Iceland Joint Aurora Observatory was renamed as China-Iceland Arctic Science Observatory.