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SCAR Circular no 748
Implementation of the SCAR Review: 2
3 December 2001
- To:
- SCAR Executive Committee
- SCAR National Committees
- SCAR Delegates
- SCAR Chief Officers
- ICSU Secretariat
- ICSU Unions
SCAR Circular no 748
Dear Sir or Madam
Implementation of the SCAR Review: 2
The attached document entitled Implementation of the SCAR Review sets out the details for implementing some specific provisions of the SCAR Review. This material has been circulated electronically as above and also to secretaries and chairmen of SCAR subgroups. The material will also be placed in the "Members Only" section of the SCAR website.
National Committees and Chief Officers are particularly requested to ensure that their respective SCAR communities are given access to copies.
Yours faithfully
P D Clarkson
Enc: Implementation of the SCAR Review
Implementation of the SCAR Review
-
- Contents
page Introduction 1 I Structure of SCAR Groups 2 II Procedure for the Development and Approval of a SCAR Research Programme 5 III Standing Committees 7 IV Structure of SCAR Meetings 8 V XXVII SCAR 10 Appendix List of Acronyms and Abbreviations 12 - At XXVI SCAR in Tokyo, Japan, July 2000, the SCAR Delegates received the Report of the ad hoc Group on SCAR Organization and Strategy entitiled Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research: preparing SCAR for 21st Century science in Antarctica. The Delegates also adopted in principle all of the 20 Recommendations made in the report.
An ad hoc Group on Transition was established to provide detail on the implementation of the recommendations where these needed further elaboration. The ad hoc Group on Transition met in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, August 2001, and submitted a report to the SCAR Executive Committee.
The SCAR Executive Committee received that report and has now issued a set of guidelines for implementing the provisions of the Review, with specific reference to Recommendations 4, 5, 9 and 10 or aspects of them.
Chief Officers should be reassured that there are no plans to close any existing groups, subcommittees or programmes, other than closures that might occur in the routine biennial review of the Working Groups and Groups of Specialists.
- Executive Committee
- SCAR Secretariat
- Cambridge December 2001
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to provide SCAR National Committees, Delegates and Chief Officers with guidelines for implementing the provisions of the SCAR review in the period leading to XXVII SCAR in Shanghai, China 15&emdash;26 July 2002, during XXVII SCAR, and into the future. The re-structuring of any organization will undoubtedly have teething problems and SCAR is unlikely to be an exception. However, the SCAR Executive Committee has approved the structure and procedure in the following pages as the basis on which to proceed.
I. Structure of SCAR Groups
The following table and the text below show how the existing Working Groups and Groups of Specialists will be incorporated into the proposed new structure of Standing Scientific Groups, Standing Committees and Scientific Programme Groups.
-
Standing Scientific Groups Standing Committees GEOSCIENCES PHYSICAL SCIENCES LIFE SCIENCES INFRASTRUCTURE and OUTREACH - ANTOSTRAT
- ANTEC
Astronomy Climate Change
Oceanography
Seals Bird Biology
Evolutionary Biology
Human Biology
ATS (GOSEAC) Data (JCADM)
Finance (Finance)
MAGMAP, BEDMAP ADD, Place-names
GIANT, AGEANT
AGONET READER
EVOLANTA EASIZ
RiSCC
| Scientific Programme Groups | ||||
| ANTIME | ASPeCt | APIS | ANTEC | SALE |
| ISMASS | ||||
| ITASE | ||||
| PICE | ||||
The Standing Scientific Groups comprise the existing Working Groups as follows:
PHYSICAL SCIENCES Glaciology, Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere, Solar-Terrestrial and Astrophysical Research
LIFE SCIENCES Biology, Human Biology and Medicine
The Working Groups will take with them their existing sub-committees and programmes. The current disciplinary Groups of Specialists are also included in the structure above. In addition, under Physical Sciences, three new "sub-committees" are listed as examples of new Action Groups that might be established to cater for specific needs.
The Standing Committees comprise the current Finance Committee, an equivalent of JCADM and an equivalent or successor to GOSEAC. The last group will advise SCAR on issues for the Antarctic Treaty and much of the time these will likely centre on environmental matters, specifically management plans for protected areas.
A Scientific Programme Planning Group will be a temporary group established by one or more Standing Scientific Groups to prepare and propose a new SCAR programme to the SCAR Delegates. If the proposal is accepted, the SCAR Executive Committee will appoint a small Scientific Programme Group to include members of the Scientific Programme Planning Group.
The Scientific Programme Groups include the programmes of the current Groups of Specialists although, at present, ANTEC and SALE do not have formal programmes.
The Standing Scientific Groups report to the SCAR Delegates. The Standing Committees and the Scientific Programme Groups report to the SCAR Executive Committee.
Standing Scientific Groups
1. There shall be three Standing Scientific Groups on Geosciences, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences;
2. Each Standing Scientific Group shall elect a Chief Officer, Deputy Chief Officer and a Secretary from among its nominated voting members.
Terms of Reference
The Terms of Reference for a Standing Scientific Group will be:
- • to share information on disciplinary scientific research being conducted by national Antarctic programmes;
- • to identify research areas or fields where current research is lacking;
- • to coordinate proposals for future research by national Antarctic programmes to achieve maximum scientific and logistic effectiveness;
- • to identify research areas or fields that might be best investigated by a SCAR Scientific Research Programme and establishing a Scientific Programme Planning Group to develop a formal proposal to the Executive Committee;
- • to establish Action Groups to address specific research topics within the discipline.
Membership
The membership of a Standing Scientific Group will be:
(b) the nominated representatives of other SCAR groups and other organizations with a specific Antarctic research interest in the work of the Standing Scientific Group;
National Committees may nominate up to four representatives to a Standing Scientific Group, one of whom will be identified as the leader who holds the vote of the National Committee.
Scientific Research Programmes
1. It is proposed to establish a small number (² 5) of Scientific Research Programmes (SRPs). These will:
• address major, priority scientific issues of global or fundamental importance requiring field work and/or observations in the Antarctic.
2. The SRPs will be developed and proposed by Scientific Programme Planning Groups (SPPGs) fostered by one or more of SCAR's Standing Scientific Groups.
3. Proposals for Scientific Research Programmes will be subjected to a review and selection process managed by the SCAR Executive.
4. Approved Scientific Research Programmes will be directed by Scientific Programme Groups (SPGs) appointed by the SCAR Executive with the approval of the delegate body.
5. The Scientific Programme Groups will be responsible for all aspects of their research programme including reporting to the Executive on progress, and the delivery of agreed scientific outcomes.
Scientific Programme Planning Groups
Terms of Reference
The Terms of Reference for a Scientific Programme Planning Group will be:
- • to formulate a science plan with explicit, clear and feasible scientific aims and outcomes;
- • to formulate an implementation plan indicating the activities, equipment, infrastructure, logistics and national involvement required, showing clearly the contributions of each to the successful achievement of the science outcomes.
- • to indicate clearly the value added by the proposed programme being coordinated by SCAR;
- • to indicate clearly the scientific quality, importance and relevance in the context of Earth System Science generally and Antarctic science specifically.
Membership
The membership of a Scientific Programme Planning Group will be:
- (a) open to any scientist with an interest in the Antarctic who wishes to propose or join such a group;
- (b) fostered by one or more of the SCAR Standing Scientific Groups;
- (c) for the duration of the proposal process.
Scientific Programme Groups
Terms of Reference
The Terms of Reference for a Scientific Programme Group will be:
- • to oversee and guide the development and execution of the programme's implementation activities, adjusting and optimizing the science and implementation plans in the light of events and progress.
- • to actively seek support of the programme's implementation through national and international mechanisms
- • to ensure the delivery of agreed/approved scientific outcomes, including synthesis activities and public/policy outreach
- • to respond to requests for expert advice/support from the SCAR Executive in a timely and effective manner
- • to ensure appropriate exchange and archival of data generated as a result of the programme
- • to establish scientific liaison and logistic cooperation with other Antarctic activities as appropriate
- • to advise the SCAR Executive on progress and on the use of funds provided
Membership
The membership of a Scientific Programme Group will be:
- • explicit
- • appointed by Executive with approval by delegates
- • based primarily on internationally recognized scientific expertise fulfilling required mix of skills and experience with national and gender mix taken fully into consideration
- • 15 years maximum
- • 3-year terms with the possibility of one 3-year extension depending on contribution/performance
- • phased rotation scheme
II. Procedure for the Development and Approval of
a SCAR Research Programme
1. SCAR Standing Scientific Groups, either alone or jointly may establish a Scientific Programme Planning Group that will propose:
- • a title for the Scientific Research Programme;
- • a leader for the Scientific Programme Planning Group;
- • an initial "core" membership for the Scientific Programme Planning Group as a result of networking and workshop(s)
2. Scientific Programme Planning Group will produce an outline bid for submission to the SCAR Executive Committee for review.
3. The outline bid will consist of:
- • science aims/outcomes plus rationale for their quality, importance, feasibility ("So what?" "Why SCAR?" "Why now?")
- • general approach to implementation
- • anticipated degree of national/international involvement
- • time-scale, milestones
- • Logistic requirements
- • Costs
- • any other relevant facts
- • a maximum of 6 pages of text and 4 pages of tables/figures
- • with a deadline 6 weeks prior to the Executive Committee meeting in non-delegate body years.
4. Executive Committee and Chief Officers of Standing Scientific Groups and Scientific Programme Groups will review and select/reject outline bids using the following criteria:
- • science quality/proposal quality
- • science importance/relevance/timeliness
- • "fit" to current SCAR science strategy as determined by the SCAR Delegates
- • operational and technical feasibility
- • degree of international involvement/likely commitment
- • public/policy profile
- • value added by SCAR involvement
5. Review group to obtain additional expert comments and advice as deemed necessary. Approved outline bids to be developed into full science and implementation plans (100 pages maximum) to be submitted 8 weeks prior to the biennial SCAR meeting.
6. Executive Committee to select and appoint Scientific Programme Group.
7. Timeline
III. Standing Committees
1. There will be three Standing Committees as follows:
• Antarctic Treaty Standing Committee
• Data Standing Committee
• Finance Standing Committee
2. The Standing Committees report to the SCAR Executive Committee and may also report to the SCAR Delegates Meeting.
Antarctic Treaty Standing Committee
Terms of Reference
1. To provide independent scientific advice and information to SCAR on scientific and technical matters relevant to the implementation of the Madrid Protocol:
- • CEP environmental issues (conservation, protected species, protected areas, review of the Protocol annexes);
- • scientific environmental research;
- • Interaction between tourism activities and field research;
- • Living resources;
2. Prepare documents or technical reports at the request of the Executive Committee on scientific and technical matters, such as listed on 1;
3. Identify upcoming issues on the agendas of the ATCM and CEP
- • other AT bodies;
- • pertinent international organizations.
4. Establish and maintain links with all Antarctic Treaty bodies, such as CCAMLR, CCAS, IWC, and CEP. (Positive interactions)
5. Report to the SCAR Executive Committee as appropriate.
Membership
- 1. The Antarctic Treaty Standing Committee shall have three members appointed by the Executive Committee.
- 2. Two of the members will be appointed Chief Officer and Deputy Chief Officer by the Executive Committee.
- 3. With the approval of the Executive Committee, the Chief Officer may co-opt additional members to a meeting where the expertise of the additional members will be relevant to the issues for discussion.
Data Standing Committee
Terms of Reference
- 1. To advise SCAR on all matters relating to the cataloguing, archiving and accessing of Antarctic scientific data.
- 2. To provide advice to National Antarctic Data Centres as required.
Membership
- 1. The Data Standing Committee shall have three members appointed by the Executive Committee.
- 2. Two of the members will be appointed Chief Officer and Deputy Chief Officer by the Executive Committee.
- 3. With the approval of the Executive Committee, the Chief Officer may co-opt additional members to a meeting where the expertise of the additional members will be relevant to the issues for discussion.
Finance Standing Committee
Terms of Reference
- 1. To advise SCAR on all financial matters.
- 2. To prepare annual statements of SCAR.
- 3. To prepare annual balanced budgets of SCAR income and expenditure based on SCAR's operational needs and applications for funds from Chief Officers.
Membership
- 1. The Finance Standing Committee shall have three members appointed by the Executive Committee.
- 2. Two of the members will be appointed Chief Officer and Deputy Chief Officer by the Executive Committee.
- 3. Prior to the SCAR Delegates meeting, and with the approval of the Executive Committee, the Chief Officer will co-opt two additional members to form the SCAR Finance Committee for the immediately following SCAR Delegates Meeting.
IV. Structure of SCAR Meetings
A new structure of SCAR meetings will be implemented in which the Delegates Meeting will take place approximately three months after the SCAR Science Meeting that will be held in conjunction/parallel with COMNAP and SCALOP during even numbered years. The objectives of this structure will be:
• To create an open forum to which SCAR scientists will be attracted in order to participate in cooperative scientific activity such as workshops and symposia in the fields of interest of the Standing Scientific Groups and Scientific Programme Groups.
• To focus of one aspect of Antarctic science by organizing a one-day multidisciplinary Symposium on a topic of special interest. This Symposium will be a flagship activity of the SCAR meeting and is expected to be a vehicle through which scientists can present papers which define the current state of knowledge in a chosen field of multidisciplinary activity, and through which the activities of SCAR can be publicized and brought to the attention of politicians, the media and the public.
• To provide a set of keynote addresses in which scientific matters of strong current interest will be described and reviews by invited speakers, so that the community can be informed about progress in a wide variety of SCAR scientific activities.
• To provide an opportunity for Standing Scientific Groups and Scientific Programme Groups to hold business sessions and plan future activities.
• To provide a three month period in which the proposals of Standing Scientific Groups can be properly prepared for presentation to the Meeting of Delegates.
• The SCAR Science Meeting will take place every two years during a one-week period in June or July at a place to be determined by the invitation of the host countries.
The proposed structure of the week's activities is shown in the diagram below. If Standing Scientific Groups need a longer planning period, the sessions may start in the previous week and extend through Monday and Tuesday of the following week. The increase in size of the SCAR meeting implies that it will need to be funded through registration fees for participants not being formally nominated representatives of Standing Scientific Groups or formally appointed members of Scientific Programme Groups and Standing Committees . The meeting may also be funded by other fund-raising activities.
The members of the SCAR Executive Committee will attend the SCAR Science Meeting. This will allow the members to attend the symposium and working sessions as required and provide the opportunity for Chief Officers to meet formally with the Executive Committee. COMNAP will meet in parallel with the SCAR Science Meeting and the two Executive Committees will hold a joint meeting.
Proposed structure of the SCAR Science Meeting
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Standing Scientific Groups Scientific Programme Groups |
Symposium on a selected theme | Keynote
Addresses |
SSGs SPGs |
|
| Scientific and Poster sessions Workshops Science Planning Sessions |
Business sessions
Report preparation |
|||
The SCAR Delegates Meeting will take place approximately three months later in late September or in early October. Chief Offiers of Standing Scientific Groups will attend the Delegate Meeting to present their proposals. It will take place over a short time, possibly including a weekend, at a place chosen to minimize the overall cost of attendance. It is expected that Delegates, who as Antarctic scientists are likely to have attended the SCAR Science Meeting and who will have received the papers in advance, will be well-prepared to make decisions over a shorter period of time than is currently needed.
At the SCAR Delegates Meeting there will be two Delegate Committees. One Delegate Committee will consider matters concerning two of the Standing Scientific Groups, the other Delegate Committee will consider matters concerning the third Standing Scientific Group and the Standing Committees. Two Vice-Presidents will be assigned to each Delegate Committee as most appropriate to the two agendas. The Delegate and Alternate Delegate representing each National Committee will decide who will attend each Delegate Committee.
At the SCAR Delegates Meeting, each Delegate Committee will examine the reports and other documents submitted by the Standing Scientific Groups, Scientific Programme Groups, Scientific Programme Planning Groups and the Standing Committees. The SCAR Executive Committee may also assign additional tasks to the Delegate Committees as appropriate. Both Delegate Committees will report to the plenary session of the SCAR Delegates Meeting that will make decisions and recommendations based on the reports of the Delegate Committees.
At the end of the SCAR Delegates Meeting, the Executive Committee may assign other tasks to the Delegate Committees to be progressed intersessionally. The SCAR Vice-Presidents leading the Delegate Committees will report to the SCAR Executive Committee at its meeting in odd-numbered, non-SCAR years. At that meeting, the Executive Committee may assign further tasks to the Delegate Committees and the Vice-Presidents will report to the Executive Committee at its meeting during the SCAR Science Meeting.
V. XXVII SCAR
Shanghai, China, 15&emdash;26 July 2002
Week One
At XXVII SCAR two of the major changes to the structure and organization of SCAR will be implemented:
1. the re-organization of the existing Working Groups and Groups of Specialists into the new Standing Scientific Groups and Standing Committees;
2. the establishement of the Delegate Committees.
The first three days of the first week of XXVII SCAR will begin as a traditional SCAR meeting with all the existing Working Groups meeting as normal. For the last two days of the first week the Working Groups will reform into the three new Standing Scientific Groups. The first task in each new Standing Scientific Group will be to elect a new Chief Officer, a Deputy Chief Officer and a Secretary. Each group will then have to establish the necessary Action Groups to continue the operation of those former subcommittees and programmes that are still required. Each group may also need to establish some new Actions Groups to cover those former Groups of Specialists and other specific activities that no longer have a formal structure. Each Action Group must have a Chairman and two other formal members who will constitute the contact point and core membership for the activities of the group. There will be no formal limit to the membership of an Action Group.
It is recognized that the present Working Groups may need more than the first three days of the first week to complete their normal business. Our Chinese hosts have agreed that space for extra meeting time can be made available during the weekend of 13 and 14 July 2002. Similarly, meeting rooms will also be available for those groups that frequently meet in the week preceding the formal SCAR meeting (notably the Group of Specialists on Seals and the Bird Biology Subcommittee).
Working Groups should complete their business by the end of Wednesday 17 July and submit their reports to the Executive Secretary by 1800 on Saturday 20 July. The Chief Officer of the new Standing Scientific Groups should submit a brief report of activities to the Executive Secretary by 1800 on Sunday 21 July. This report will show the internal structure of the Standing Scientific Group, listing the new officers of the group, the Action Groups established with the names of their Chairmen and core members.
Provisional applications for SCAR funding should, as far as possible, be submitted to the SCAR Secretariat and the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Dr R Schlich, by 15 June 2002. Revised applications must be submitted no later than 1800 on Saturday 20 July.
All current Chief Officers and the new Chief Officers of the Standing Scientific Groups are invited to attend the SCAR Delegates Meeting, 22&emdash;26 July 2002.
Week Two
The meeting will open with plenary sessions on Monday morning 22 July. The Delegate Committees will meet on Monday afternoon, Tuesday and Wednesday to receive the presentations of the Chief Officers, including funding applications, and will discuss related matters. Thursday will be a plenary session to receive the reports and recommendations of the Delegate Committees and to elect a new President and two Vice-Presidents. Friday morning will be a plenary session to adopt the report of the Delegates Meeting. The meeting will close at lunchtime on Friday, 26 July, and the new Executive Committee will hold a short meeting after lunch.
Prior to XXVII SCAR
Chief Officers should discuss the implementation of these proposals with the members of their groups to determine how they will conduct their business and close their existing groups. Chief Officers should also have preliminary discussions with other Chief Officers on the procedures to be followed during the last two days of the first week when their groups come together as the new Standing Scientific Groups
The Executive Committee is well aware that there are still details missing from these guidelines but to cover every eventuality would be too prescriptive and practically impossible. The President proposes to speak to all current Chief Officers on Sunday 14 July and to the entire company of SCAR on Monday morning, 15 July. The exact timetable of events will be circulated in due course.
Appendix
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
| ADD | Antarctic Digital Database |
| AGEANT | Age, Growth and Evolution of Antarctica |
| AGONET | Antarctic Geospace Observatory Network |
| ANTEC | Group of Specialists on Antarctic Neotectonics |
| ANTIME | Late Quaternary Antarctic Sedimentary Record of Ice Margin Evolution |
| ANTOSTRAT | Antarctic Off-shore Stratigraphy Programme |
| APIS | Antarctic Pack Ice Seals |
| ASPeCt | Antarctic Sea-Ice Processes and Climate |
| AT | Antarctic Treaty |
| ATCM | Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting |
| ATS | Antarctic Treaty System |
| BEDMAP | Antarctic Bedrock Mapping Project |
| CCAMLR | Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources |
| CCAS | Convention on Conservation of Antarctic Seals |
| CEP | Committee for Environmental Protection |
| COMNAP | Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes |
| DIVERSITAS | Integrated Programme of Biodiversity Science |
| EASIZ | Ecology of the Antarctic Sea-Ice Zone |
| EVOLANTA | Evolution in Antarctica |
| GIANT | Geodetic Infrastructure for Antarctica |
| GOSEAC | Group of Specialists on Environmental Affairs and Conservation |
| IGBP | International Geosphere&emdash;Biosphere Programme |
| IOC | Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission |
| ISMASS | Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Sea Level |
| ITASE | International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition |
| IWC | International Whaling Commission |
| JCADM | Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management |
| MAGMAP | Magnetic Anomaly Map |
| PICE | Palaeoenvironments from Ice Cores |
| READER | Reference Antarctic Data for Environmental Research |
| RiSCC | Regional Sensitivity to Climate Change in Antarctic Ecosystems |
| SALE | Group of Specialists on Subglacial Antarctic Lake Exploration |
| SCALOP | Standing Committee on Antarctic Logistics and Operations |
| SCAR | Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research |
| SCOR | Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research |
| SPG | Scientific Programme Group |
| SPPG | Scientific Programme Planning Groups |
| SRP | Scientific Research Programmes |
| SSG | Standing Scientific Group |
| WCRP | World Climate Research Programme |
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