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SCAR News - Archive from 2010

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SCAR Updates its Logo

13 December 2010

SCAR has recently updated its logo. Copies (in .jpg and .eps formats) are available from the logos page of the SCAR website or from the SCAR Secretariat.

Antarctica Day

16 November 2010

Antarctica Day, on December the 1st, is conceived as an enduring legacy to celebrate the 1st December 1959 signature of the Antarctic Treaty, which was adopted "with the interests of science and the progress of all mankind." As part of a series of events being held at Cambridge University, Professors Berkman and Walton, co-chairs of the Antarctic Treaty Summit, will highlight lessons from the first fifty years of the Antarctic Treaty that have enabled humanity to manage nearly 10% of the Earth for "peaceful purposes only," establishing precedents for our children to share as they build a world with hope and inspiration for future generations.

For further details, please see the Antarctica Day flyer.

SCAR Membership

10 November 2010

At the last SCAR Delegates' meeting in Buenos Aires in August, Monaco became the latest country to join the SCAR family, having successfully applied to become an Associate Member of SCAR. In view of its increased profile in Antarctic and Southern Ocean research, the Republic of Korea also recently elected to increase its membership level to category B (SCAR currently has four Full Member Categories, A to D plus Associate Members, who are category E.)

SCAR has three categories of membership: Full Members, ICSU scientific unions members and Associate Members. Full Members are those countries with active scientific research programme in Antarctica, currently 31; union members are those ICSU scientific unions that have an interest in Antarctic research, currently 9; and Associate Members are those countries without an independent research programme as yet or which are planning a research programme in the future, currently 5.

GBIF grant awarded for development of Nodes Portal Toolkit (NPT)

4 November 2010

Bruno Danis and Nabil YoudjouDr Bruno Danis and Mr Nabil Youdjou have been awarded a Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) grant to become Project Coordinators for the development of the Nodes Portal Toolkit – NPT.

The NPT is broadly defined as a suite of tools that will enable GBIF Participants to easily deploy biodiversity data portals at the national, regional or thematic level. It has been envisaged as a community-led project, involving active engagement from GBIF Participant Nodes, strategic partners, and other key stakeholders.

'Our vision is inspired by the Antarctic Treaty (1959): "[...] scientific observations and results [...] shall be exchanged and made freely available." It is time that this vision is translated into tangible actions. We think that the NPT is a crucial part of the puzzle and will be another catalyser to shift the data sharing norms from our community', commented Danis and Youdjou.

Dr Danis (on the left in the photo above) works for the Belgium Biodiversity Platform as project manager for the SCAR-MarBIN and AntaBIF initiatives. Mr Youdjou (on the right) also works for the Belgium Biodiversity Platform, in the role of IT Engineer since 2006. Both Danis and Youdjou bring to the NPT development a wealth of experience in working with large scientific communities, and also in the planning, design, and implementation of biodiversity data portals.

Danis and Youdjou will be working together with the various NPT stakeholders towards the development of the NPT core modules.

Further information on the NPT is available on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility website.
www.gbif.org/communications/news-and-events/showsingle/article/the-gbif-secretariat-is-seeking-a-project-coordinator/

New SCAR Action Group on Ocean Acidification

29 September 2010

During the SCAR meetings held in Buenos Aires in August, SCAR approved a new Action Group on Ocean Acidification.

The oceans provide an important service in absorbing from anthropogenic CO2 perturbations of the natural carbon cycle and therefore lowering the warming effect of a larger atmospheric CO2 reservoir. To date, the oceans have absorbed around 50% of anthropogenic CO2 (defined as the excess CO2 in the system over the natural cycle) and at present are taking up about 25% annually. There is, however, a cost to this natural carbon mitigation. As carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater the speciation of dissolved inorganic carbon is altered - a process termed ocean acidification. There are measurable changes in marine carbonate chemistry that have been shown to change physiological and biogeochemical systems. Although there are developments towards a greater understanding of global acidification and development of observational and experimental strategies, the Southern Ocean is poorly represented. To date there has not been a group who focus specifically on coordination of Southern Ocean acidification research, hence SCAR approved the formation of the new group. The initial form of the action group will consist of a cross-disciplinary team of ocean acidification experts representing the fields of marine carbonate chemistry, global and regional modelling, pelagic marine ecology, benthic marine ecology, ecotoxicology/physiology and paleoceanography. The group will be setup and led by Richard Bellerby, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Norway.

Professor Helen Fricker awarded the 2010 Martha T Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica

28 September 2010

An outstanding glaciologist, Associate Professor Helen Fricker from Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California, San Diego, has been awarded the prestigious 2010 Martha T. Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica. Professor Fricker is widely recognized for her discovery of active subglacial lakes, and she has shown that these lakes form dynamic hydrologic systems, where one lake can drain into another in a short period of time. She is also known for her innovative research into Antarctic ice shelf mass budget processes such as iceberg calving and basal melting and freezing. The Selection Committee of leading Antarctic scientists and policy makers cited her leadership in the application of remote sensing techniques using laser altimetry to detect current changes in the Antarctic ice sheet in response to rising sea level and climate variability and her individual activities promoting educational outreach about ice sheets of Antarctica.

Professor Fricker will be awarded the Prize and deliver the Muse Lecture at the American Geophysical Union meeting to be held in San Francisco in December 2010.

Read an interview of Professor Fricker in Nature

Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) plan available for community comment

The Southern Ocean provides the principal connection between the Earth's ocean basins and between the upper and lower layers of the global ocean circulation. As a result, the Southern Ocean strongly influences climate patterns and the cycling of carbon and nutrients. Changes in the Southern Ocean would therefore have global ramifications. However, the short and incomplete nature of existing time series makes the causes and consequences of observed changes difficult to assess. Sustained, multi-disciplinary observations are required to detect, interpret and respond to change.

The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) plan outlines the scientific rationale and strategy for the SOOS; identifies the variables to be observed; presents a draft plan for an integrated multi-disciplinary observing system for the Southern Ocean; and identifies the next steps required for implementation. We encourage all interested parties to provide feedback (email: soos@scar.org) before the 1st of October after which a final version will be produced. Further details are available from the SOOS page.

International Polar Palooza at SCAR Open Science Conference in Buenos Aires

Grab lunch and come along to be "entertained" by cutting-edge research! Fresh from appearances in China, Australia, Brazil and Norway, see for yourself the dynamic outreach project/science road show that makes working researchers the "stars" of a multimedia programme reaching tens of thousands via science centres, natural history museums and the Internet. Presenting their latest work in Antarctica, Manuela Bassoi from Brazil, Bob Bindschadler from the USA, Mary Albert (on tape) on the Norwegian-US Traverse of East Antarctica - and a premiere of a new video featuring an Argentinian-Spanish-US IPY research cruise. Moderator: SCAR's very own Chuck Kennicutt. POLAR-PALOOZA is supported by the US NSF and local polar research agencies.

Call for session proposals at next International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences

The next International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences (ISAES XI) will be held on 10-16 July 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

We invite proposals for Sessions up until 31 August 2010. To propose a session, simply fill in the session proposal form (MS Word document) and return it by email to the organisers listed on the form. Alternatively, visit the ISAES XI website and download the form from there.

Abstract submission will open on 30 September 2010.

We look forward to seeing you in Edinburgh next July!

SCAR and IASC meet to discuss bipolar initiatives and the IPY Legacy

During the IPY meeting in Oslo, members of the SCAR and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Executive Committees met to discuss the way forward for future bipolar cooperation and the legacy of the IPY. SCAR and IASC already cooperate in a number of bipolar projects and this was felt to be a fruitful relationship. It was also agreed that SCAR and IASC should certainly play a lead role in taking forward IPY legacy issues, but this must be done taking into account the resource limitations (both human and financial) of both organizations. The outcomes and implications of the meeting will be discussed by both Executive Committees. It was also felt that another joint meeting of representatives of both Executive Committees should be arranged in the future to continue discussions.

International Polar Year comes to a close

The International Polar Year 2007–2008 (IPY), the largest polar research and education venture ever undertaken, formally came to a close at a ceremony in Oslo on Saturday 12 June — the final day of the IPY Oslo Science Conference. The IPY sponsors, the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), thanked the many thousands of participants who made the IPY a spectacular international success, before passing the baton to those who will secure the legacy of this important initiative — including the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the WMO Executive Council Panel on Polar Observations, Research and Services.

Deliang Chen, Executive Director of ICSU, added: 'IPY has paved the way for a solid understanding of the polar regions at a critical time for society's relationship with the Earth. The collaboration among many nations and among many scientific disciplines has been critical to the success of IPY, and it is crucial that the energy and partnerships that converged in IPY are sustained in the long-term.'

SCAR Medals for Achievement to be awarded in Buenos Aires

During the SCAR Open Science Conference in Buenos Aires, two SCAR medals will be awarded. The first, the SCAR Medal for Excellence in Antarctic Research will go to to John Turner for his extensive contributions to Antarctic Science and to SCAR; and the second, the SCAR Medal for International Scientific Coordination, will be awarded jointly to Bob Rutford and Alan Cooper for their collaborative and coordination roles in the science community and the leadership and vision they have both shown to the community.

The medals will be awarded during the banquet by the SCAR President, Professor Mahlon "Chuck" Kennicutt II.

SCAR congratulates the Awardees and wishes them continued success in their scientific endeavours.

APECS Panel and networking event at the SCAR Open Science Conference

An APECS panel and networking event, entitled "Antarctic Science: Role of SCAR in promoting early career research opportunities", is being held on Wednesday the 4th of August during the SCAR Open Science Conference.

Antarctica is facing major challenges scientifically. Climate change, melting ice at an increasing rate and sea level rise are common themes associated with Antarctica. With a major burst of energy from the International Polar Year, new opportunities have risen addressing these and other research questions. APECS will bring together polar research experts to discuss the following issues:

For further details, please contact José Carlos Caetano Xavier <jccx@cantab.net>.

New printed copies of Climate Change Report available

SCAR will be carrying out a second print run of the Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment report. The number of copies printed will be based on demand. Cost including postage will be £30/$44. For further details please contact Rosemary Nash (RN283@cam.ac.uk) or see the ACCE book flyer.

Based on the latest evidence from over 100 world-leading scientists from eight countries, the review focuses on the impact and consequences of rapid warming of the Antarctic Peninsula and the Southern Ocean; rapid ice loss in parts of Antarctica and the increase in sea ice around the continent; the impact of climate change on Antarctica's plants and animals; the unprecedented increase in carbon dioxide levels; the connections between human-induced global change and natural variability; and the extraordinary finding that the ozone hole has shielded most of Antarctica from global warming.

Co-chair of IPICS honoured

Dr Eric Wolff, co-chair of the SCAR supported International Partnership in Ice Core Sciences, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Dr Wolff, who works for the British Antarctic Survey, is a world-renowned scientist most notable for his contributions in the study of ice core palaeoclimate.

Read the full story on the BAS website.

SCAR Presentations on ACCE and Psychrophiles now available

The two SCAR presentations given at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Punta del Este, Uruguay in May are now available to download. The first is a short presentation by SCAR Executive Director Mike Sparrow on the Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment report (a zipped file of the Powerpoint presentation, along with its associated video clips, is available from the SCAR Secretariat). The second presentation is the SCAR Lecture by Professor Charles Gerday on "Psychrophiles: a challenge for life". Both are available on the Communications page.

SCAR Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment Report and the Antarctic Treaty

The SCAR Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment (ACCE) report was well received at the 33rd Antarctic Treaty Meeting held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, this year. A Resolution (Resolution 4, 2010) and a Decision (Decision 5, 2010) were adopted welcoming the report and associated updates and encouraging the dissemination of the findings of the ACCE report to relevant national and international bodies. SCAR has committed to providing regular updates to the ACCE report, the first of which was presented at this meeting. The ACCE report was also used extensively at an Antarctic Treaty Meeting of Experts on Climate change held in Svolvaer, Norway, in April. A presentation on the report was made by the SCAR Executive Director and the slides are available to view and download.

Exploring Polar Science - Strengthening future generations of polar researchers

An information flyer to 'explore' polar science is now available for students and early career scientists. The flyer is a shared initiative of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the University of the Arctic (UArctic), SCAR, the International Antarctic Institute (IAI) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). With a simple overview it aims to inform about international opportunities to study the richly diverse and challenging world of the polar regions. It contains information on, and links to international organizations that inform and advise early career scientists on career development, networking, funding opportunities and communication and outreach. The flyer offers a first step in the advancement and support of a strong future of polar researchers.

View the 'Exploring Polar Science' flyer. A higher resolution version can be downloaded from the news page of the IASC website.

News from SCAR's GeoSciences Group

The latest issue of GeoReach, the newsletter of the GeoSciences Standing Scientific Group, is now available on the GeoSciences page.
View the May 2010 GeoReach issue.

Position Available: IPY Education and Outreach Assessment Project

A project assistant is being sought, on a part-time basis, to help coordinate an initial assessment of the outcomes of International Polar Year (IPY) Education and Outreach. The scope of the project is to help outline the lessons learned and any internationally coordinated efforts that should continue after the closure of the IPY International Programme Office. The project background and further details of the post are described in the detailed job description. Ideally the position will be located in Tromsø, Norway, but those wishing to work on contract remotely are also encouraged to apply.

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) will work together with the IPY Office on this International Council for Science funded project over the next year.

Inquiries about the position should be sent to the APECS Director, Jenny Baeseman (jbaeseman@gmail.com).

UK National Committee on Antarctic Research discusses future priorities

The UK National Committee on Antarctic Research (UKNCAR) held an Antarctic town meeting at the Royal Society in London, on 20th April 2010. The purpose of the meeting was to determine UK-wide priorities for future Antarctic research by:

The day focused on the three main scientific strands of SCAR: Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences and Geo-Sciences. It comprised keynotes from these three areas, followed by open discussion. For further details see the UKNCAR website.

Tinker Foundation travel grants for Latin American participants at IPY Oslo Science Conference

Applications for Travel Grants are sought from South American researchers participating in the International Polar Year (IPY) Oslo Science Conference (8-12th June 2010). These grants will provide partial or full support for travel and related expenses (including the registration fee) to attend the Oslo IPY Conference. The grants will be provided by the Tinker Foundation and are administered by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.

Eligibility: Applicants must be Citizen and current resident of a South American Country. Successful applicants must have had an abstract (either poster or oral presentation) accepted at the IPY Oslo

Submission of Application and contact for further information: Completed Application forms as Word Documents must be submitted by e-mail to Renuka Badhe (rb302@cam.ac.uk). Please mention "IPY Oslo Travel Grant application" in the subject of email. Please direct any further queries to the same email.

Deadline for Applications: 17:00 GMT on the 23rd of April, 2010. (We hope to have decisions on or before the 1st of May, 2010).

Travel Grant Application Form

Summary Report from IPY International Early Career Researcher Symposium

There are many skills that early career polar researchers require for the basis of a strong career. To help address this, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), together with the ArcticNet Student Association, and the Northern Research Forum held the IPY International Early Career Researcher Symposium in Victoria, B.C, Canada from December 4-8, 2009. The symposium was sponsored mainly by the IPY Canadian Federal Programme and the Canadian Polar Research Commission, with SCAR also providing sponsorship, and a total of 71 participants and 20 mentors from 14 different countries took part.

This career development workshop brought together early career polar researchers from a range of disciplines for a series of training sessions to develop professional skills, work with senior mentors, and develop international and interdisciplinary collaborations. This Symposium had seven themed sessions, all of which included a plenary talk attended by all symposium participants, and a hands-on training session. All plenary talks and breakout sessions were recorded, and recordings will be available on the APECS website by June (www.apecs.is/workshops/victoria09). In addition, the Symposium organizers hired a conference facilitator, who led icebreaker activities, and discussed different personality traits and how they affect different people's perception.

The evaluations from both participants and mentors have been extremely positive, with the vast majority ranking the quality of the breakout sessions as "Good" or "Excellent". Participants of the workshop said that less than 20% of what they learned from the three days together had been taught in their graduate programmes and all stated the need for more events like this on an international and interdisciplinary level.

A summary report of the symposium has been produced.

Teams set for first taste of Antarctic lakes

Over the past 40 years, radar imagery has revealed more than 150 freshwater lakes of various sizes and ages beneath the massive Antarctic ice sheet. Some of these Subglacial Aquatic Environments (SAE) have been isolated from the outside world for millions of years, raising the possibility that they hold unique life forms. Scientists have longed to draw samples from the lakes, but technical problems and justifiable environmental concerns have slowed their progress.

SALE - Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments - is the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) programme that brings together an international confederation of scientists dedicated to understanding the interplay of biological, geological, chemical, glaciological, and physical processes within subglacial environments. At the recent American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference, which was co-sponsored by SCAR, scientists from Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States described their plans to explore the planet's last uncharted ecosystems by drilling into three very different examples of these subglacial lakes.

Lake Vostok is the best known and largest of the subglacial lakes, measuring roughly the size of Lake Ontario. Buried beneath almost 4,000 metres of ice in eastern Antarctica, the lake is thought to be 35 million years old and could host ancient microbial life. The Russian team expects to reach Lake Vostok by February 2011. The Americans and British will follow with forays into lakes with different hydrological and geological characteristics.

Read the full Nature article.

SCAR President analyses SCAR's role in promoting Antarctic science

An article by the SCAR President on the importance of SCAR's role in Antarctic science is due to appear soon in Research Media's International Innovation series. In it, Mahlon 'Chuck' Kennicutt II, President of SCAR, highlights the increasing role played by polar research as a measure of our changing climate, and sets out the importance of a political consensus in managing this challenging area. Read the full article or visit Research Media's website for more information.

Colin Summerhayes leaves SCAR Secretariat

As from April 1, 2010, Dr Mike Sparrow will be SCAR's Excecutive Director, taking over from Colin Summerhayes, who has been with us for six years since leaving UNESCO in 2004. Colin said that "It has been a great privilege and great fun to work closely with the far-flung SCAR science community and its many partners over the past six years as SCAR became reinvigorated following its major external review, and as we went through the International Polar Year making a significant contribution to its success. We are on the right track now, and doing well, thanks to the enthusiasm of our many volunteers and the continuing support of the national academies of science. I wish you all well in the future and look forward to seeing many of you at the IPY polar conference in Oslo in June and at the SCAR Open Science Conference in August."

Colin will be lecturing on "Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment" at the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Science in Goa on April 1, and again at the Antarctic Treaty Meeting of Experts at Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands on April 6-9, before attending the planning meeting for the 3rd IPY science conference (Montreal 2012) in Oslo on April 9-10. His last day with SCAR is April 9. However, that does not end his polar connection. From April 1, he becomes an Emeritus Associate of the Scott Polar Research Institute, so will be in Cambridge periodically and can still be contacted at his current e-mail address cps32@cam.ac.uk.

SCAR/COMNAP Action Group Meets

SCAR and COMNAP met in Baltimore, US for their first SCAR/COMNAP Action Group meeting. The meeting, chaired by Berry Lyons, discussed the TORs of the group, which included:

All agreed the meeting was very useful and opened the way for a more strategic partnership between SCAR and COMNAP. A second meeting will be held on the fringes of the Antarctic Treaty meeting in Uruguay.

Education and Outreach Lessons from IPY

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) have won funding from the International Council for Science (ICSU) for a project "Education and Outreach Lessons from IPY". This project will involve an assessment and compilation of recommendations that capture Education and Outreach lessons from the IPY.

The International Polar Year (IPY 2007-2008) is recognised as one of the largest international and interdisciplinary science efforts in history. Aside from ground-breaking research, the IPY has established innovative and effective international education and outreach programmes while stimulating perhaps the largest focused investment in science education in recent times. The IPY education programme represents, in microcosm, a wealth of practical and real-world information by which to address shared IPY and ICSU goals. The outcomes of the Education and Outreach Lessons from IPY - an inventory, preliminary assessment and plans for a more substantive assessment, and recommendations for future activities in polar science education and in science education generally, will prove immensely valuable to the ICSU community and educators and researchers the world over.

SCAR Partner in ICSU MicroPerm Project

The International Permafrost Association has been awarded a grant from the International Council for Science (ICSU) to launch its MicroPerm project in partnership with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the International Union of Geodesy and Geology (IUGG) and the International Union for Quaternary Science (INQUA).

The project, led by Dr. Dirk Wagner, at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Potsdam, Germany, is the first of its kind, in that it will bring together all investigations related to permafrost microbiology to assess its relation to climate.
Permafrost microbiology focuses on the life and activity of microbes in frozen ground, which underlays 24% of the land mass in the northern hemisphere. Microbial activity is the primary process involved in the conversion of carbon stored in permafrost, which is thought to bear twice as much carbon as in the atmosphere, into carbon dioxide and methane.

The resilience of microbes in permafrost and their reaction to climate is well understood at the local scale, yet "the integration of permafrost microbiological studies at the circumpolar scale would be a great leap forward to understand the reaction of microbes and in particular of methane-producing bacteria to climate" says Dr. Wagner.

EBA Researchers Discover Deep Ocean Vents and Organisms in Scotia Arc

The UK consortium ChEsSO (Chemosyntheticallydriven Ecosystems South of the Polar Front: Biogeography and Ecology) led by Prof. Paul Tyler of the National Oceanographic Centre, Southampton has discovered the first active Antarctic black smokers at the East Scotia Ridge. The ChEsSO team has video surveyed the vent field with the ISIS, the UK's deep‐diving remotely operated vehicle (ROV) using HD technology, leading to fantastic footage. See the EBA Newsletter for details.

News from SCAR Open Science Conference, Business and Delegates' Meetings

The SCAR Business meetings (July 30-August 2), SCAR Open Science Conference (August 3-6) and SCAR Delegates Meeting (August 9-11) are being held in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

For further information on all the meetings, please see the meeting website.

Travel Grants for SCAR Open Science Conference

Applications are sought from students, post-doctoral researchers, and other early career investigators for travelling to and attending the SCAR Open Science Conference. Applications are particularly sought from countries with less developed Antarctic programmes. Travel grants will provide full or partial support for travel and related expenses to attend the Conference to be held at Buenos Aires from Tuesday 3 August to Friday 6 August, 2010.

Applicants must either be current students or early career researchers and successful applicants must present a talk or poster at the Conference. Completed application forms must be submitted by e-mail to Renuka Badhe (rb302@cam.ac.uk). The deadline for applications is 17:00 GMT on 15 April 2010. See our OSC Travel Grants page for more information.

SCAR MarBIN wins IPY data sharing award

The SCAR Marine Biodiversity Network (SCAR MarBIN), coordinated by Claude de Broyer and Bruno Danis, has been honoured with an IPY data sharing award (see the IPY Data and Information Services Discussion Forum for details of the scheme).

The data set in the Global Change Master Directory, "Checklist of Antarctic and Subantarctic Hyperiidea" was selected as the Grand Prize winner in the IPY data sharing contest. The award includes full travel, lodging and registration costs for the IPY Open Science Conference in Oslo in June.

SCAR announces the launch of its 2010-11 Fellowship Programme

SCAR has launched its 2010-11 Fellowship Programme for PhD students and post-doctoral researchers (within 5 years of completing their PhD) from within the 35 SCAR Member countries to undertake research at an institute in another SCAR country. The Programme is designed to encourage the active involvement of early career scientists and engineers in Antarctic scientific research, and to strengthen international capacity and cooperation in Antarctic research. Please encourage candidates to apply to this scheme, which has proved very successful to date.

For full details, please go to the SCAR Fellowships page. Note that the deadline for submissions is 15th May 2010.

SCAR Executive Officer Appointed

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research now has a new SCAR Executive Officer, Dr Renuka Badhe. Renuka is from India, and holds dual Indian (OCI) and British citizenship. She is a marine biologist (PhD from the British Antarctic Survey) but with some policy background (Mphil from Cambridge university in Environmental Policy). Since she completed her PhD in October last year, she has been working with the IUCN on climate change and species in polar regions. She has also been involved in conference organisation, including responsibility for the budgets and has experience of being the treasurer of a small charity.

XXXI SCAR Meeting Website Open for Registration and Abstracts

The website for the XXXI SCAR meeting is now open for business. The meeting includes (i) SCAR Business week (July 30-August 2) for meetings of the Standing Scientific Groups and their subgroups, and for small workshops; (ii) the 4th SCAR Open Science Conference (August 3-6); and (iii) the SCAR Delegates meeting (August 9-11). The Second Circular with further details is now available.

Abstract deadline for IPY Oslo Science Conference extended until 25th January

Meeting of the IPY Conference Planning Group in Oslo on 21 January 2010

The IPY Conference Planning Group Meeting in Oslo on
21 January 2010

More than 2200 abstracts have been submitted on deadline as of 21 January. The conference planning group meeting in Oslo notes that this Conference will be the biggest polar science meeting ever. The steering committee feels that we are a long way towards a great success. To cater for some groups, the committee has decided to accept abstracts submitted up until 25 January.

"We have sufficient content to prepare a very attractive programme", says Dr Olav Orheim, chair of the steering committee. "The turnout is impressive from most disciplines. All together, 850 people have applied for the early career stipends. The committee has devoted a lot of attention to the scientists recruited to polar science through IPY, so this turnout is a remarkable achievement."

The IPY Oslo Science Conference is already twice as large as the last (and up until then largest) global polar science meeting in terms of submissions. "The brief extension of the deadline is a courtesy to some of our partners," Dr Orheim continues. "The submission system has in general been smooth. But in particular some scientists, that have just now returned from Antarctica, need some extra lead time."

The submitted abstracts are quite well distributed amongst the 6 conference themes and in general between the various sessions:

The IPY Oslo Science Conference has so far received abstracts from 58 nations. This largely overlaps with the 60 nations that participated in the International Polar Year. Some regions of the world are underrepresented. This includes parts of Asia/Pacific and South-America. "We will use the extension period to encourage participation from those regions", Dr Orheim says.

New Year Honour for Peter Clarkson

In the UK's New Year's Honours List for 2010, Peter Clarkson, the former Executive Secretary of SCAR and currently an Emeritus Fellow of the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) is made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for "services to Antarctic Science". This reflects his many years of service to SCAR, to Scott Polar Research Institute, to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to Antarctic Treaty Parties, to Antarctic tour operators, and to charitable activities including the BAS Club (of which he was Chairman from 2003-4 and Treasurer from 1984-90), and the Trans-Antarctic Association (of which he was Secretary from 1980-96, and Trustee from 1996-2000). Peter was previously awarded the prestigious UK Polar Medal for his work with the British Antarctic Survey (1967-1989). Well done Peter - well deserved indeed!

SCAR Executive Director appointed President of Society for Underwater Technology

On December 10, at a ceremony on the HMS Wellington (headquarters ship of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners), moored alongside the Victoria Embankment in London, SCAR's Executive Director was awarded Honorary Fellowship in the International Society for Underwater Technology, and made its President for 2010-2011. The Society has branches in the UK (London HQ, North of England and Aberdeen), Australia (Perth and Melbourne), Brazil (Rio), USA (Houston), Malaysia, Norway, and Sub-Saharan Africa (Lagos). Colin says that he hopes this will keep him busy following his retirement from SCAR at the end of March 2010.

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