Citizen Science on the Faroe Islands in Advance of an Eclipse

TL;DR

This paper describes a citizen science project in the Faroe Islands that collected weather data to assess eclipse viewing conditions and validate short-term forecasts ahead of the 2015 solar eclipse.

Contribution

It introduces a citizen science approach for weather monitoring in remote areas to support eclipse observation planning and forecast validation.

Findings

Weather data collected in 2014 provides insights into local conditions.

Short-term weather forecasts can be validated for eclipse planning.

Community engagement increased awareness of the eclipse.

Abstract

On 2015 March 20, a total solar eclipse will occur in the North Atlantic, with the Kingdom of Denmark's Faroe Islands and Norway's Svalbard archipelago (formerly Spitzbergen) being the only options for land-based observing. The region is known for wild, unpredictable, and often cloudy conditions, which potentially pose a serious threat for people hoping to view the spectacle. We report on a citizen-science, weather-monitoring project, based in the Faroe Islands, which was conducted in March 2014 - one year prior to the eclipse. The project aimed to promote awareness of the eclipse among the local communities, with the data collected providing a quantitative overview of typical weather conditions that may be expected in 2015. It also allows us to validate the usefulness of short-term weather forecasts, which may be used to increase the probability of observing the eclipse.