SCAR News - Archive from 2007
(Most recent first)
SCAR Recognises the Urgent Need for Improved Models of Ice Sheet Decay
Recent studies have focused attention on dynamic behavior of the Greenland Ice Sheet and on rapid changes occurring that cannot be explained by existing ice-sheet models. Peripheral outlet glaciers are thinning rapidly at rates that cannot be explained by increased ablation, pointing to ice-dynamical effects. No consensus has emerged about processes controlling onset and stoppage of fast glacier flow. Improving our understanding of these issues is imperative for developing better numerical ice-sheet models and constraining future evolution of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Accurate forecasts of sea-level rise in response to global warming will be impossible without a better understanding of and ability to model ice sheet dynamics. IPCC forecasts of sea-level rise are based on inadequate models of ice sheet behaviour and are thus likely to be conservative. A new SCAR Report, number 30 recognizes the need for improving numerical ice-sheet models, identifies major challenges, and suggests strategies for overcoming these. A workshop on "Incorporating Non-Linear Ice Sheet Behaviour into Prognostic Models" is being organised for the SCAR Business Week in St Petersburg, Russia, July 5-7, 2008. Contact Kees Van der Veen for further details (email: cjvdv@ku.edu).
SCAR Establishing an Action Group on Antarctic Fuel Spills in the Aftermath of the M/V Explorer Incident
In the aftermath of the M/V Explorer incident, SCAR is establishing an "Action Group on Antarctic Fuel Spills" of oceanographers, ecologists and other specialists to respond to requests from the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat and/or Antarctic Treaty Parties for assistance or advice. SCAR has also contacted the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) to jointly coordinate advice on potential response scenarios.
For further details see the Press Release.
SCAR-MarBIN user survey
The SCAR Marine Biodiversity Information System (www.SCARMarBIN.be) provides Free and Open Access to Antarctic Marine Biodiversity Data. MarBIN is seeking to improve its usefulness to the scientific and academic communities involved in Antarctic marine biodiversity research. We hereby invite you to take part in this process by completing the SCAR-MarBIN user needs survey. Completing the questionnaire should only take you a few minutes (only 8 simple questions), but will help us a lot in strategic decisions. Also, don't hesitate to disseminate this news item.
Take the Survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=8Xal6Gis1cnmnE5_2fgHHRHA_3d_3d
Replies to Dr Bruno Danis, Scientific Coordinator <bruno.danis@scarmarbin.be>
Evolution of the Global Cryosphere: SCAR Report 31
In October 2007, an international workshop was held at the headquarters of the British Antarctic Survey to assess our ability to predict the evolution of the global cryosphere over the next century and to propose new research activities. The meeting was one initiative of the World Climate Research Programme's Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) project, which SCAR co-sponsors. With the expected increases in greenhouse gas concentrations over the next century, we anticipate significant loss of sea ice and permafrost, along with a reduction in seasonal snow cover. However, state of the art climate models give a wide range of predictions, especially at the regional scale. Improvements are needed in cryospheric models, along with better atmospheric and oceanic forcing data. There is still a large uncertainty over the amount of melting we can expect from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, which makes predicting sea level rise very difficult.
Details are presented in SCAR Report 31.
Honours for Past SCAR President Jörn Thiede
Jörn Thiede, immediate past President of SCAR and immediate past Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research was presented with the Georg Von Neumayer Medal for "outstanding and deserving achievements in the field of polar research", by the State Minister for the Environment, in Bad Durkheim, Germany.
Abstracts needed for SCAR/IASC IPY Open Science Conference, St Petersburg 8-11 July 08
SCAR and its Arctic counterpart IASC (International Arctic Science Committee) have now issued the plan of sessions for the joint SCAR/IASC IPY Open Science Conference that will take place in St Petersburg, Russia, on 8-11 July 2008. Natural and social scientists are invited to present abstracts under a series of session headings that address the themes of the International Polar Year (IPY). Abstracts are due by January 15.
For information on the sessions, see the First Circular; further details are available from the Conference website, where information regarding registration, accommodation and visas will soon be posted. Please spread the word among your colleagues and students. St Petersburg is a well known tourist destination, so it is advisable to book a place early to avoid disappointment.
SCAR is mapping Southern Ocean seabed
Jointly with other international agencies, SCAR's Expert Group for the compilation of the new International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO) is making good progress in building the digital database for an up-to-the-minute digital ocean map of the Southern Ocean. This map, based on nationally sourced data, will be of fundamental value to all SCAR's Standing Scientific Groups - firstly to Geosciences, in that seafloor shape is the first clue to seabed processes, whether they be sedimentary or tectonic; secondly to Physical Sciences, in that seafloor shape controls tides and currents and has become an essential input parameter for ocean models and ocean and tidal forecasts; and thirdly to Life Sciences, in that depth is a primary factor in ocean ecology. For more details see the IBCSO web site (http://www.ibcso.org/) and download the article on the return of the IBCSO mapping project.
News of SCAR science activities
The quarterly SCAR newsletter is not the only source of SCAR news. The Standing Scientific Group (SSG) on Geosciences issues a newsletter entitled GeoReach; the October issue is now on the Geosciences web site at http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/geoscience/. The newsletter of SCAR's Scientific Research Programme on Antarctica and the Global Climate System (AGCS) can be downloaded by clicking on AGCS on the SSG-Physical Sciences page at http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/physicalscience/). And news from SCAR's Census of Antarctic Marine Life can be downloaded by clicking on CAML on the the SSG-Life Sciences page at http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/lifescience/, which takes you to the CAML web page where there are several news options including an archive.
Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM) Meeting
The Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM) met in Rome during September. JCADM welcomed several new member states bringing the total number of countries represented in JCADM to 31. The meeting involved consultation on the new (draft) SCAR Data Strategy, saw presentations on new tools and services for the science community, and examined further developments of links with the SCAR Science Groups.
Central to the draft data strategy is the need to enable interdisciplinary science through adopting new technologies and standards for enabling novel ways of accessing and integrating data, and building on the expertise of international data initiatives. This was recognised as becoming increasingly important as SCAR embarks on several initiatives to build Antarctic and Southern Ocean Observing Systems.
New directions for data management were discussed, including advances towards new models of highly distributed data collaborations based on networking and common data standards, the increasing use of virtual globes for integrating interdisciplinary data, and the increasing use of web services.
JCADM will provide support to the SCAR Scientific Research Programmes in implementing these new tools and technologies, and will enable further consultation on the SCAR Data Strategy through the JCADM representatives within the Scientific Research Programmes. For more information, view the report on New Directions for Data Management.
Explorers Club Honours SCAR Medallist and Others
On Oct. 18, Paul Mayewski, SCAR science medallist and founder and lead investigator of SCAR's International Trans Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE), which comprises scientific teams from 21 countries, will be honored for work that the Club says has "revolutionized the field of climate change through the discovery of abrupt climate change and human impacts on the chemistry of the atmosphere." Paul is Director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. Paul and three other scientists will receive the Lowell Thomas Award from the New York-based Explorers Club in recognition of their work at the frontiers of climate research. This year's awards theme is "Exploring Climate Change." Other Antarctic researchers who will receive the award are: W. Berry Lyons, Director of the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University and lead principal investigator for the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) project - for his studies of the geochemistry of global climate change; Julie Palais, Director of the Antarctic Glaciology Program in NSF's Office of Polar Programs - for research into the use of volcanic ash in ice cores to study the paleoclimate record of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets; and Susan Solomon, a senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado - for her climate and ozone work, including research that led to determining the chemical cause of the Antarctic "Ozone hole."
SCAR/SCOR Oceans Group Leader Wins Prize
Dr. Eberhard Fahrbach, Co-Chair of the SCAR/SCOR Expert Group on Oceanography, has received the Georg Wüst Prize 2007. This biannual prize is given by the German Society for Marine Research and Ocean Dynamics to excellent mid-career scientists for outstanding contributions to the general field of oceanography. The citation notes that Eberhard has covered a wide range of studies to understand the ocean as an essential component of the climate and ecosystem. He conducted his investigations according to the tradition established by Georg Wüst as a combination of well-planned field work and careful analysis of the obtained data. He carried out studies on the dynamics of coastal and equatorial upwelling processes ranging from internal waves to the equatorial current system. After switching to polar oceanography, he focussed his work on the circulation and water mass formation in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean and the Greenland Sea. He dedicated significant efforts to design and build up observation systems in the polar oceans by stimulation of international cooperation and launching new technical developments. Beyond his research he proved his leadership by serving in key international committees and conducting numerous cruises.
Georg Wüst led the famous Meteor oceanographic expedition to the South Atlantic in 1925-27; it was the first systematic study of an entire ocean basin reaching from the Antarctic to the tropics, and remains one of the most extensive oceanographic surveys ever undertaken. He directed the Institute for Marine Research at Kiel from 1946 until he retired in 1959. Fittingly, part of the prize consists of a 3-D laser-engraved picture of the old Meteor in a glass block.
Update on the Organisation of XXX SCAR in Russia, 2008
XXX SCAR will comprise three sets of meetings: SCAR science business meetings from July 5-7, the joint SCAR/IASC IPY Open Science Conference from July 8-11, and the SCAR Delegates meeting from July 14-17. The first two are in St Petersburg and the last one is in Moscow. The theme for the conference is Polar Research - Arctic and Antarctic Perspectives in the International Polar Year, and it has been adopted by the IPY Joint Committee as the first of a series of 3 IPY conferences (the others will be in 2010 in Norway and in 2012 TBA). The first day will include a new element, a prestigious SCAR lecture named the Weyprecht Lecture after the man who invented the IPY concept back in 1875 before the first IPY (1882-83). For further details, see the First Circular at: http://www.scar.org/.
Update on the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS)
A meeting to develop a Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) was held in Bremen on October the 1-3.
The importance of the Southern Ocean to the global climate system and the uniqueness of its ecosystems are well known. The region is remote and logistically difficult to access and thus is one of the least sampled regions on the planet. Design and implementation of an observing system that encompasses physical, biogeochemical and ecological processes is therefore a formidable challenge.
Thirty two participants from backgrounds as diverse as Marine physics, ecosystem studies and the tourist industry discussed various aspects of the observing system during the three days. At various times people split into different groups to focus on particular aspects of the system, for example biogeochemistry or the cryosphere and sea ice. During these times they looked at the main science questions that any hypothetical observing system should aim to answer and the types of measurements that would be needed in order to do so. The state of the observing system and gaps were also examined. Cross group interaction was actively encouraged and each group reported back on progress at regular intervals.
A plan for production of a SOOS document, with lead authors identified as responsible for writing sections and identifying others to do so, was drawn up. This will be worked on over the next few months, with the idea that a near final draft document will be discussed at the SCAR/IASC Open Science Conference being held in St Petersburg in July 2008.
For further details see: http://www.clivar.org/organization/southern/expertgroup/SOOS.htm or email Mike Sparrow (mds68@cam.ac.uk)
Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML)
The publication of scientific papers from the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) is well advanced, with over 20 papers in 2007. However the scientific highlight of the year was the publication in Nature by Angelika Brandt's team on significant additions to our knowledge of Antarctic deep-sea biodiversity. The recent German cruises have discovered over 700 new species in the isopod crustaceans alone. With efficient data flow, it may be expected that thousands of new species might be discovered, especially when microbes become integrated in the system.
A major accomplishment of the CAML team was the culmination of work to obtain the maximum amount of ship-time through the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties; 18 research vessels will participate in CAML during the International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007/08. The decision by the New Zealand government to fund a CAML voyage in the 2007/08 Antarctic season (NZ$ 6.5 million) was particularly pleasing.
Guided by the Science Statement, in 2007 CAML finalized for all voyages the uniform sampling protocols, the development of an expedition module for at-sea data acquisition and an integrated approach to publicity. In data management, CAML has made substantial contributions to ), SCAR's Marine Biodiversity Information Network (MarBIN), which is the Antarctic regional node of the international Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). The data portal now hosts 26 original datasets (394,172 geo-referenced species records) and is growing rapidly.
Facilitating the rescue of the historical circum-Antarctic marine biodiversity data from the Zoological Institute and Shirshov Institute in Russia has been a particularly valuable and gratifying addition to the database, saving this heritage for future generations.
A barcode coordinator was appointed in April to manage sequence data for CAML projects over the next three years. Funding for SCAR-MarBIN has been extended until 2010 through the generosity of the Belgian Government. It will provide a significant legacy of IPY by access to the data needed to improve our overall understanding of marine biodiversity and its role in ocean ecosystems.
Vacancy for Director of Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) International Project Office
The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) invite applications for the position of Director of the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) International Project Office (CIPO), at the Norwegian Polar Institute Tromso, Norway. The CliC programme is co-sponsored by SCAR. The Director will lead the international coordination and support of CliC activities and will ensure that the Project Office operates efficiently, while actively serving the needs of the WCRP. Application Deadline: 16 November 2007. For further information please contact: Vladimir Ryabinin (WCRP) Phone: +41-22-730-8486 E-mail: vryabinin@wmo.int
International Antarctic Earth Sciences meeting
The first major polar science conference of the IPY was held in Santa Barbara, California, from August 26-31, 2007. This was SCAR's International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences (ISAES), the 10th in a series of 4-yearly international geoscience meetings that bring geologists, geochemists, paleontologists and geophysicists together to explore the land beneath the ice. NSF provided major co-sponsorship for the meeting. 400 people attended, from some 30 countries, to address the evolution of Antarctica and its role in the Earth's climate system from the perspective of the geosciences. Each of the 4 days began with two keynote talks in a single plenary session, addressing Antarctic geoscience topics in a pan-Antarctic way, after which talks continued in 4 parallel sessions supported by poster sessions. Geologically, Antarctica is one of the last scientific frontiers on Earth, not least because most of its rocks are hidden beneath the ice sheet. Small amounts of new information can provide big breakthroughs. New ideas abounded, and stimulated vigorous discussions. The proceedings are already published electronically on the Internet and can be accessed at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1047/. 961 researchers from 34 countries wrote the 326 research papers and extended abstracts that are now available for download in the Online Proceedings, which gives an impressive description of the scope and breadth of involvement by Antarctic geoscientists in the collaborative research presented at this SCAR-sponsored syposium. For information on SCAR's Standing Scientific Group on Geosciences (SSG-GS) see http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/geoscience/
IPY Sea Ice Day, Friday 21 September 2007
The International Polar Year (IPY) will launch "Sea Ice Day," its first International Polar Day, on Friday, 21 September 2007. A new website with information for the press and educators, details of current projects and expeditions, contact details for scientists in the polar regions and around the world, images, background information, and useful links and resources is available at: http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/sea_ice
More than thirty IPY projects presently study some aspect of sea ice or sea ice ecology. These investigations include ship expeditions (some of which have failed to find sea ice where expected), satellite remote sensing, ecosystem explorations, and monitoring of the health and abundance of bears and other ice-dependent marine mammals. The IPY Sea Ice Day represents an opportunity to learn about these sea ice projects and to talk to sea ice experts.
The Sea Ice Day will also include educational and community activities including classroom experiments, posters, fact sheets, and a virtual balloon launch. Information for educators is available at: http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/sea_ice_day_educators
For more information regarding Sea Ice Day please go to: http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/ipy_presents_sea_ice_day/, or contact: Rhian Salmon, Education and Outreach Coordinator IPY International Programme Office Phone: +44 7711 181 509 E-mail: ipy.ras@gmail.com
New climate blog on Antarctic Climate Evolution (ACE)
It contains news, events, and research updates or relevance to the SCAR ACE programme. Please see http://www.antarcticclimate.blogspot.com
World Conference on Marine Biodiversity
SCAR is cosponsoring a World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, which will be held in Valencia, Spain in November 2008. The meeting will review the current understanding of marine biodiversity, its role in the marine ecosystem and its socio-economic context. It will also assess current and future threats and potential mitigation strategies for conservation and regulation of marine resources as well as identifying future research priorities.
For further details see: http://www.marbef.org/worldconference/
3rd SCAR Workshop on History of Antarctic Research
From 25 - 26 October 2007, the SCAR History Action Group will hold its 3rd meeting, on 'National and transnational agendas in Antarctic research from the 1950s and beyond'. The meeting will take place at the Byrd Polar Research Centre at Columbus, Ohio, USA. For details please see 2nd Circular
News of Antarctic in the Global Climate System (AGCS)
Latest news of progress in SCAR's AGCS programme is now available. Read the second issue of the AGCS Newsletter
Progress with the organisation of XXX SCAR in Russia, 2008
XXX SCAR will comprise three sets of meetings: SCAR science business meetings from July 5-7, the joint SCAR/IASC Open Science Conference, from July 8-11, and the SCAR Delegates meeting from July 14-17. The first two are in St Petersburg and the last one is in Moscow. The theme for the conference is Polar Research - Arctic and Antarctic Perspectives in the International Polar Year, and it has been adopted by the IPY Joint Committee as the first of a series of 3 IPY conferences (the others will be in 2010 in Norway and in 2012 TBA). The Scientific Organising Committee, led by Chuck Kennicutt for SCAR and Louwrens Haquebord for IASC, has suggested that the conference be organised into 5 thematic areas reflecting the main themes of the IPY, namely: (i) status and change; (ii) polar/global linkages; (iii) a sense of discovery; (iv) the poles as vantage point for observations; and (v) people and resources at the poles. This broad programme was approved by the SCAR Executive Committee - EXCOM - at its meeting in Washington in July. In late September/early October a First Circular will appear listing these themes, with, under each of them a set of sessions against which abstracts will be requested. We are currently in the process of determining who will be the session chairs. The first day will include a new element a prestigious SCAR lecture, which will be named the Weyprecht Lecture after the man who invented the IPY concept back in 1875 before the first IPY (1882-83). That will be followed by some 8-9 keynote addresses of half an hour each, on topics selected from the 5 IPY themes. These will be exciting leading edge science talks. The list of keynote speakers is currently being determined, as is the name of the Weyprecht Lecturer. Following discussions between SCAR's EXCOM and the Local (Russian) organising Committee, it is agreed that the bulk of the meetings in St Petersburg will take place either in the Prebaltiskaya Hotel or at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute - AARI. The Plenary will probably take place at a nearby conference centre on July 8. The final details will be ironed out when Volker Rachold (for IASC) and Colin Summerhayes (for SCAR) and Ed Sarukhanian (for IPY) visit Russia during the first week of September to meet the Local Organising Committee.
Ice and Climate
Did you know that European alpine glaciers lost about 35% of their total area between 1850 and the 1970s, or almost 50% by the year 2000? You'll find this and more in the latest version of the WCRP/SCAR Climate and Cryosphere Newsletter - 'Ice and Cimate', now available on the CliC website at http://CLIC.npolar.no/ There it appears at top left under 'news'. Click on 'Ice and Climate News - Mountain Cryosphere focus' to obtain your own copy. There are fascinating articles on the decline of mountain glaciers in the Alps, Norway and other places.
SCAR President takes new appointment
As of 1st September, Chris Rapley, President of SCAR and Director of the British Antarctic Survey, will take up the post of Director of the Science Museum in South Kensington, London. Chris is thrilled at the prospect of taking on the leadership of such a cherished national institution, especially as the task he has been set is to make it the most admired museum of its type in the world. This will include building the museum's international profile and reputation, strengthening its national position and being the benchmark for best practice.
Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) News
The Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) is SCAR's contribution to a global Census of Marine Life (CoML). The Scientific Steering Committee of CAML and invited experts met in Bialowieza, Poland, from June 4-6, 2007, in conjunction with the SCAR-MarBIN Workshop on 7-8 June. Participants discussed a planned synthesis of CAML activities, in the context of the CoML and of the International Polar Year. Critical delivery dates for CAML's synthesis plan are the end of the IPY in March 2009 and the annual 'CoML All Program' meetings, leading up to the CoML finale in 2010. With 13 other Census field projects, CAML will present the results from its initial year of fieldwork at the CoML All Program Meeting 12-18 November 2007 in Auckland, New Zealand. The synthesis will appear in an integrated series of scientific publications and media announcements, and significant scientific publications bearing CAML's imprimatur are appearing already.
The data for the synthesis are being collected during CAML's field work activity for IPY 2007/09. CAML is coordinating Antarctic biodiversity projects on 18 research vessels, together with data from tourist vessels, from the Continuous Plankton Recorder programme, and from historical collections. For consistency in comparison, uniform sampling protocols and an expedition database have been developed in support of quantitative synthesis with a statistically-robust design. Special resources have been dedicated to barcoding and microbes. A CAML barcoding coordinator has been appointed, based at BAS. The four-pronged approach to identification (voucher specimen, gene sequence, image, metadata) is coming together under plans for an Encyclopaedia of Antarctic Marine Life including "wikispecies" pages.
Venezuela has joined Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay in the Consortium of South American nations called I Oficina Latinoamericana para el Census of Antarctic Marine Life (OLÁ-CAML). The Antarctic Institute of Peru (INANPE) recently completed a voyage on "Humboldt" 9 January-12 February from Punta Arenas, with a project on benthic biodiversity in Admiralty Bay.
Further details are available on the CAML website and the Antarctic data portal SCAR-MarBIN
New Executive Officer for SCAR
As from 2 July 2007, SCAR will be joined by a new Executive Officer, Dr Mike Sparrow of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK.
Update on Integrating analyses of Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Southern Ocean (ICED)
The ICED website has recently been updated with the latest news, events and products. Visit http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Resources/BSD/ICED/index.htm
The final draft of the ICED Science Plan is currently under the last stages of review by the ICED Interim Steering Committee. It will go for formal review to GLOBEC and IMBER during early June 2007. Activity has been relatively limited to date given the focus on developing the science plan and on establishing the website. Once the science plan is formally adopted, ICED will appoint a steering committee and become a fully active programme. IPY will be an initial focus. Please read ICED Update Report for more information.
Cryosphere Theme approved
At the 14th meeting of the Partners for an Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS), at UNESCO's HQ in Paris on May 30, the plan for CryOS, an observing systems for the cryosphere, was approved as a theme document. The comments by the Partners were unanimously positive and glowing. They liked how comprehensive the report is, and referred to it as the "bible" of cryospheric observations. Keith Alverson, one of the two IGOS co-chairs, concluded the comment period stating that "Ice is now a component of the Earth System"! The latest (May 29) version of the plan is available at http://stratus.ssec.wisc.edu/cryos/documents.html, which is the Documents page of the IGOS Cryosphere website. Congratulations to Jeff Key, of NOAA NESDIS, for leading the process. The Cryosphere theme document is considered to be a product of the SCAR Standing Scientific Group for the Physical Sciences. It is also a key component of the IPY Cryosphere programme. The observing system, CryOS, will be a major legacy of the IPY. It is relevant to the work of SCAR's glaciological groups including ISMASS, ASPecT, ITASE and AGCS.
SCAR attends XXX Antarctic Treaty Meeting, New Delhi
Between 30 April 7 and 11 May 2007, SCAR was represented at the XXX Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM), which included the X meeting of the Committee on Environmental Protection (CEP) by the SCAR President: Chris Rapley, the Executive Director: Colin Summerhayes, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Antarctic Treaty System: Prof Steven Chown. SCAR presented 3 working papers and 9 information papers, but unfortunately had to withdraw its working paper on the listing of the Giant Petrel as new but unpublished data arrived late to suggest that the population of this bird might not be at risk in the region. The submitted papers are readable at http://www.scar.org/treaty/atcmxxx/. SCAR's papers were well received and led to the creation of 2 Resolutions, one regarding what to do about Giant Petrels between now and the next ATCM (June 2008) - Resolution E, and one on the need to establish and'or maintain the environmental observing systems that will form a key legacy of the International Polar Year - Resolution G. The SCAR Lecture, given by Prof Chris Rapley, on 'Climate Change and the Antarctic: What Next?' was very well received, and a number of requests were made for copies of the Powerpoint presentation, which is posted on the SCAR website at http://www.scar.org/communications/. along with his lecture notes. A full report of the meeting wil be provided to the SCAR Executive Committee at it's meeting in July, and subsequently will be published on the SC-ATS webpage at http://www.scar.org/about/standingcommittees/antarctictreatysystem/
Exploration of Antarctic Subglacial Aquatic Environments: Environmental and Scientific Stewardship
Radar measurements have revealed a vast network of lakes, rivers and streams beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. The next stage of exploration requires direct sampling of these aquatic systems. However,if sampling is not done cautiously, the environmental integrity and scientific value of these environments could be compromised. Carefully managed research should proceed, guided by internationally agreed upon research protocols.
Read The National Academy of Sciences report
Southern Ocean Bathymetric Chart making progress
One of SCAR's goals is an improved International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO), which is run by agroup at the Alfred Wegener Institute. Details can be seen on the IBCSO website. All scientistists interested in contributing to this programme are invited to attend the IBCSO business meeting during the 10th International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Science (ISAES) at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) on 1 September 2007. Please see details of the Meeting.
Bizarre new deep-sea creatures found off Antarctica
A treasure trove of more than 700 new species has been uncovered in the dark depths of oceans surrounding Antarctica, during the ANDEEP cruise led by Angelika Brandt from Hamburg University. ANDEEP is making a contribution to SCAR's Census of Antarctic Marine Life, itself a component of the global Census of Marine Life. For details see 'National Geographic News'
SCAR Fellowship Programme for 2007-2008 season
REVISED DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS - 31 MAY 2007. Please see details and application form. Among others, the new fellowship programme includes 2 fellowships for research either at an Antarctic base or on an Antarctic research vessel.
SCAR Winds Workshop Report
SCAR and Partners Launch IGOS Cryosphere Theme Report
In May 2004 the Partners for an Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) approved the development of a Cryosphere Theme. The Theme was initiated by the World Climate Research programme (WCRP) through its Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) project and by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), representing the International Council for Science (ICSU).
The intent of the Theme is to increase support to, and improve coordination of, cryospheric observations and to enhance data and information systems for the cryosphere. The core theme group from CliC, SCAR, and WCRP worked with a broad spectrum of international scientists to draft a theme report. Workshops held in Canada, Japan, and the Netherlands ensured that this would be a truly international effort. Toward the end of 2006, the draft report was made available to the worldwide cryosphere community for comment. Ultimately, approximately 80 scientists from 17 countries provided input. On April 15th the report was submitted to the IGOS Partners for review and approval at the upcoming IGOS-P-14 meeting in Paris on 30 May 2007.
The report is available on the Theme development site at http://cryos.ssec.wisc.edu/cryos/docs/cryos_theme_report.pdf. The report describes the current observational systems for the cryosphere and addresses their shortcomings. It presents a comprehensive list of recommendations and implementation actions for improving the global cryospheric observing system, and details linkages with other programsmes that are an integral part of the implementation process.
We are already seeing the benefits of our community report as new observing networks such as the Sustained Arctic Observing Network (SAON) and the Pan Antarctic Observing System (PAntOS) are being developed. This is a crosscutting theme and is unlike the other themes in terms of its scope. The many domains of the cryosphere - glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice, freshwater ice, snow, solid precipitation, and frozen ground - justify the level of detail without compromising the delivery of a robust set of recommendations for each domain.
The theme team was led by Jeffrey R. Key, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Progress with SCAR-sponsored Southern Ocean GLOBEC Programme
SCAR co-sponsors the Southern Ocean component of the international Global Ecosystems Dynamics programme (GLOBEC). A special section on Southern Ocean GLOBEC progress can be found on pages 49-85 of a recent issue of the GLOBEC International Newsletter.
Download the GLOBEC International Newsletter
SCAR Research Fellow attends ICSU Young Scientists' Meeting
In early April, ICSU held a major international meeting for young career scientists from 63 countries, to enable them to explore the scientific issues of today, and the scientific challenges of tomorrow. SCAR's representative was a SCAR Research Fellow, Verónica Fuentes, from Argentina.
Future Directions in Subglacial Environments Research
The March 13 issue of EOS (V 88, No 11) contains an extended article by M. Kennicutt and Jean-Robert Petit on progress with the activities of SCAR's Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments (SALE) research programme. Copies may be obtained from m-kennicutt@tamu.edu, or can be downloaded from the AGU EOS website by AGU subscribers.
Aliens in Antarctica (IPY-project nr. 170)
The study of non-indigenous organisms (aliens) in the Antarctic and especially the sub-Antarctic has focused mainly on the ecological effects of species which colonised these regions successfully (animals such as cats, rabbits, reindeer, and rats; angiosperms such as Poa annua and Agrostis stolonifera). Apart from a few pilot experiments, this project will be the first study to obtain a comprehensive insight in the extent of propagules (e.g. spores, seeds, eggs) which are unintentionally imported either by cargo, or in or on the clothes, shoes, or hand luggage of people visiting the region (for scientific reasons or as tourists). This IPY project will use special vacuum cleaners to sample the clothing, shoes, and "carry-on" luggage of a randomly chosen set of passengers from ships and planes entering the region from outside the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic region. Each passenger will be asked to complete a questionnaire, explaining their itinerary prior to their journey to the Antarctic region. The project will also sample the cargo of a selection of ships of National Antarctic Research Organisations, as well as fresh food supplies from research and tourist ships. This will be the first ever systematic and comprehensive sampling of non-indigenous propagules imported into the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic. Eight countries collaborate in the project, which will be executed in the first Austral summer of the International Polar Year.
Trends in Antarctic Terrestrial and Limnetic Ecosystems: Antarctica as a Global Indicator
This new book, edited by Dana Bergstrom, Pete Convey, and Ad Huiskes, has just been published by Springer (ISBN: 978-1-4020-5276-7). The book provides an account of the activities of the SCAR programme RiSCC (Regional Sensitivity to Climate Change in Antarctic Terrestrial and Limnetic Ecosystems), which investigated a suite of scenarios useful for investigating the range of climate change effects on terrestrial and limnetic biota, in order (i) to understand the likely response of Antarctic biota to changing climates, and (ii) to contribute to the development of theory concerning interactions between climate change, indigenous and introduced species, and ecosystem functioning. The book provides a synthesis of the likely effects of climate change on Antarctic terrestrial and limnetic ecosystems and, thereby, contributes to their management and conservation. The book is described as "a milestone as it has collected the most actual facts about the Antarctic region and allows us to look at the phenomenon from physical and biological perspectives. It is a 'must' for all who are concerned about our environment."
XXX SCAR Meeting in Russia
The XXX SCAR Meetings including the 3rd Open Science Conference (organised jointly with IASC) and the Delegates' Meeting will take place in 2008 in Russia:
St Petersburg, Russia:
- 5 - 6 July 2008 - Standing Scientific Groups' business meetings
- 7 July 2008 - Science Workshops
- 8 - 11 July 2008 - Open Science Conference
Moscow, Russia:
- 14 - 16 July 2008 XXX SCAR Delegates' meeting
Further information will be available when the first circular is developed.
Report of the XXV CCAMLR Meeting available
Graham Hosie, SCAR Observer to CCAMLR reports on the XXV CCAMLR meeting, which took place on 23 Oct - 3 Nov 2006 in Hobart, Tasmania.
The CLIVAR/CliC/SCAR Southern Ocean Region Panel - 4th Meeting Report available
The 4th Meeting of the CLIVAR/CliC/SCAR SO Region Panel took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 14 - 17 November 2006. The report was published in CLIVAR Exchanges No. 40, January 2007.
3rd workshop of the SCAR History of Antarctic Research Action Group: 'National and transnational agendas in Antarctic research from the 1950s and beyond'
25 - 26 October 2007, Byrd Polar Research Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Deadlines:
- 15 July 2007: Registration (and providing tentative title of the presentation and/or poster)
- 31 August 2007: Abstracts
For details please contact: Dr Cornelia Lüdecke, email: C.Luedecke@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
See First Circular
SALE 2006 workshop report
The report from the 2006 SALE workshop is available on the SALE website at:
http://salepo.tamu.edu/saleworkshop2006
SCAR and INQUA organise joint meeting on 'Climate and ice in Antarctica and Southern Ocean since the Last Glacial Maximum'
SCAR's Antarctic Climate Evolution (ACE) programme will be organising a session with this title for the next meeting of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), which became a Union Member of SCAR in July 2006. The session will concentrate on interactions between the Antarctic ice sheet, the surrounding Southern Ocean, and global climate change, from the Last Glacial Maximum onwards. Recent evidence suggests that these interactions are far stronger than previously thought and that changing ocean temperatures may well be one of the primary controls on the growth and retreat of the ice sheet. Study of the period of the Last Glacial Maximum onwards allows us to address high profile issues such as the timing and controls of grounding line retreat in the Amundsen, Ross and Weddell Sea sectors. It also allows a focus on the highly contentious source of Meltwater Pulse 1A. Contributions from marine and terrestrial geomorphological communities are anticipated, as well as from modelling, paleoceanography and ice-core groups.
The meeting takes place in Cairns, Australia, 28 July - 3rd August 2007, and the session is organised by Martin Siegert (Edinburgh, UK), Eric Wolff (British Antarctic Survey) and Mike Bentley (Durham, UK). The deadline for abstracts is 31st January (www.inqua2007.net.au)
Launch of the International Polar Year (IPY), 2007-2008
It's official: The International Polar Year 2007-2008 will be launched on 1 March 2007 at the "Palais de la Découverte", a famous science museum in central Paris. A press conference is being organized for the event by IPY's co-sponsors, ICSU and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the IPY Programme Office in Cambridge. The event will take place in conjunction with the IPY Joint-Committee meeting being held on 28 February and 2 March. More than a dozen countries are also planning national launch events on or around 1 March and an international IPY group is working hard to stimulate activities in schools and science centres around the globe.
Travel Grants available for attending the Antarctic Meteorology Meetings in Rome and Perugia, Italy, June-July 2007
Application Deadline: Friday, 12 January 2007
For further information, please go to:
http://polarmet.mps.ohio-state.edu
or contact: David Bromwich, Byrd Polar Research Center, E-mail: bromwich.1@osu.edu
New SCAR Publications on the web
SCAR Secretariat has published SCAR Report 27 (Nov 2006): SCAR Strategy for Capacity Building (Education and Training) and SCAR Report 28 (Dec 2006): Report on the Workshop for the Antarctic Seismic Data Library System for Cooperative Research (SDLS) as well as SCAR Bulletin 161 covering two issues: Report on SCAR Science Week (8-14 July 2006) and the Report on the XXIX Meeting of the SCAR Delegates (17-19 July 2006). The publications can be found at:
http://www.scar.org/publications/
SCAR calls on National Committees to nominate people to carry out SCAR business
The Circular Letters 765 (Programme of Secondments to the SCAR Secretariat), which calls for National Committees to nominate individuals to serve for a time in the SCAR Secretariat, and Circular Letter 766 (SCAR Standing Committee on Antarctic Geographic Information: SC-AGI),which calls for National Committees to nominate individuals to the SC-AGI are published on the website and available to all SCAR Members (to access the Circular Letters the SCAR user name and password are required, these can be obtained from info@scar.org).
An e-mail letter in lieu of a Circular Letter was sent earlier on to the National Committees to nominate representatives to the new SCAR Committee on Capacity Building Education and Training (CBET).
We look forward to responses from National Committees before end of January 2007.
Request for comments on Draft Report on Cryosphere: Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS)
Comment Submission Deadline: Monday, 15 January 2007
The IGOS Cryosphere Theme is a combined initiative of the World Climate Research Programme, Climate and Cryosphere Project, and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. The intent is to increase support for, and improve coordination of, cryospheric observations conducted by research, long-term scientific monitoring, and operational programs and to enhance data and information systems for the cryosphere.
The draft report is a product of Cryosphere Theme workshops convened internationally to examine observational capabilities and requirements and develop recommendations that will improve IGOS ability to monitor the cryosphere, assess its impact on climate and society, and foster the exchange of cryospheric information. Authored by IGOS, workshop attendees, and other interested scientists, the draft report describes and addresses shortcomings of the current observational systems for all elements of the cryosphere, presents a comprehensive list of recommendations and implementation actions for improving the global cryospheric observing system, and outlines linkages with other programs that are integral parts of the implementation process.
For further information and to access the draft report, please go to: http://igos-cryosphere.org
or contact Jeff Key, Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin Madison, E-mail: jkey@ssec.wisc.edu
Census of Antarctic Marine Life - first ocean cruise
Huge areas of sea floor (around 3,250 km²) have been freed up by the collapse 4 years ago of the Larsen B platform along the Antarctic Peninsula - leaving a blank spot on Antarctic maps. Polarstern, the research flagship of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, will shortly bring the scientist involved in CAML and other projects to this area to conduct the first major biological research, studying living communities, from microbes to whales, including bottom fish and squids.
More news from CAML are available at:
http://www.caml.aq/news/
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