HELSINKI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Meteorologists from the Arctic area underlined on Tuesday the need to develop comprehensive observation and monitoring of the Arctic area.

The appeal was made at a summit of meteorologists hosted by Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) in Kittila, northern Finland. The event gathered together directors-general of the meteorological institutes of the Arctic countries and various stakeholders.

A statement was issued at the event stressing the importance of "scientific information, communications, and cooperation in the fight against climate change".

The researchers noted that climate change is faster in the Arctic region than anywhere else and its impact is already visible. For example, in Finland the average temperature of December has already increased by almost 5 degrees.

Earlier this year, meteorology was accepted as a part of the Arctic monitoring and assessment program (AMAP) under the Arctic Council.

FMI has recently launched a new satellite product that tells about the ice and snow situation of the Northern Hemisphere almost in real time. The Finnish Institute provides the data on snow cover, while ice data comes from Norway.

Juhani Damski, director general of FMI, noted in a press release that in the event, a clear understanding between all parties has been observed about the fact that safe and sustainable operations in the Arctic region require close cooperation. "One example of such cooperation is the development and construction of infrastructure supporting activities in the Arctic region."

"The biggest contribution of the Arctic Meteorology Summit has been the dialogue between climate experts from different countries and policymakers, representatives of the industrial world, safety authorities and the indigenous peoples", Damski said.