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bulletin 133

SCAR Bulletin No 133, April 1999

Twenty-fifth Meeting of SCAR Concepción, Chile, 27–31 July, 1998

Executive Committee: A C Rocha-Campos (President); R M Laws (Past President); F J Davey, R H Rutford, O Orheim, P G Quilty (Vice Presidents); P D Clarkson (Executive Secretary).
Delegates: C A Rinaldi, L R Fontana (Argentina); G W Paltridge, P G Quilty (Australia); T Van Autenboer, R Herman (Belgium); A C Rocha-Campos, A J Teixeira (Brazil); O H Loken (Canada); J A Valencia, A Foppiano (Chile); Z Dong, G Jia (China); J Siivola, P Mälkki (Finland); J-C Hureau, R Schlich (France); J Thiede, G Kleinschmidt (Germany); A E Muthunayagam, A Mitra (India); A Meloni, M Zucchelli (Italy); Y Naito, K Shiraishi (Japan); B-K Park, Y Kim (Korea); W J Wolff, (Netherlands); F J Davey (New Zealand); O Orheim, A S Blix (Norway); S Rakusa-Suszczewski (vice K Birkenmajer (Delegate) Poland); V M Kotlyakov, M Yu Moskalevsky (Russia); A D M Walker, S L Chown (South Africa); J López-Martínez, J J Durán-Valsero (Spain); D U Hedberg (Sweden); C G Rapley, R M Laws (United Kingdom); R H Rutford, M C Kennicutt II (United States); J J Abdala, B Grillo (Uruguay).

Union Members: I W D Dalziel (IUGS); D J Lugg (IUPS).

Associate Members: G Sanchez-Rivas (Peru); C Schlüchter (Switzerland).

Honorary Member: R M Laws.

Observers: H Hutchinson (WMO), J H Priddle (SCOR).

SCAR Subsidiary Groups

Working Groups: P D Shaughnessy (Biology); A L Clarke (Geodesy and Geographic Information); M R A Thomson (Geology); H Miller (Glaciology); D J Lugg (Human Biology and Medicine); H Hutchinson (Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere); A D M Walker (Solar-Terrestrial and Astrophysical Research); D J Damaske (Solid-Earth Geophysics).

Groups of Specialists: J H Priddle (Global Change and the Antarctic); D W H Walton (Environmental Affairs and Conservation).

SCAR-COMNAP Joint Committee: L Belbin (Antarctic Data Management).

Advisors: J L Agraz, E H Capella, C A Fernández, D R Ferraris, J C Ianuzzo (Argentina); B Hrycyk (Canada); Z Zhu, S Xu (China); C A Ricci (Italy); M Cacho, M Garcia, M Gutierrez, L Zuazo, (Peru); A Renaud, M Frachelle (Uruguay).

1. Opening business

The President of SCAR, Professor A C Rocha-Campos, opened the meeting and thanked the Chilean hosts for the arrangements and facilities provided. He commented on the value of the SCAR-COMNAP Discussion Forum held immediately prior to the Delegates Meeting that helped to improve the flow of information to COMNAP on scientific programmes. He expressed the view that such a forum should become a regular feature of the SCAR meeting and noted that COMNAP is considering re-scheduling the timing of its meeting at SCAR meetings to facilitate this.

1.2 New Membership Applications

The President invited Dr O Loken of Canada to make an oral presentation of Canada's application for Full Membership of SCAR. Dr Loken spoke of Canada's research programme to date and the programmes being planned for the future.

Delegates agreed unanimously that Canada should be welcomed to Full Membership of SCAR.

2. Reports of SCAR Meetings

2.1 Reports of XXIV SCAR

The reports of XXIV SCAR, (published in SCAR Bulletin nos 125 and 126, April and July 1997) were approved by Delegates.

2.2 Report of Executive Committee Meeting

The report of the SCAR Executive Committee Meeting, held in Cape Town, South Africa, during August 1997, (published in SCAR Bulletin no. 130, July 1998) was approved by Delegates.

3. SCAR Positions

3.1 Election of President

Professor AC Rocha-Campos completed his term of office and Dr R H Rutford was elected.

3.2 Election of Vice-Presidents

Professors O Orheim and P G Quilty completed their terms of office and Dr J A Valencia and Professor A D M Walker were elected.

Following the election of Dr Rutford as President, while a serving Vice-President, Dr R Schlich was elected for a 2-year term to fill the vacancy created.

3.3 Appointment of Standing Finance Committee

Professor A D M Walker was appointed to the Standing Finance Committee, joining R Schlich (Chairman) and J Valencia.

3.4 Appointment of XXV SCAR Finance Committee

The Standing Finance Committee was augmented by G Kleinschmidt and M Yu Moskalevsky to form the XXV SCAR Finance Committee.

4. Meetings of SCAR Subsidiary Groups, and COMNAP and SCALOP

Summary reports of meetings held in Concepción, Chile, immediately prior to the XXV SCAR Delegates Meeting were presented by the Chief Officers or their representatives (see above for the list of SCAR Subsidiary Groups represented) as follows:

Working Groups: Biology, Geodesy and Geographic Information, Geology, Human Biology and Medicine, Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere, Solar-Terrestrial and Astrophysical Research, Solid-Earth Geophysics, and Geology and Solid-Earth Geophysics Joint Meeting.

Group of Specialists: Seals

SCAR-COMNAP Joint Committee: Antarctic Data Management

Groups Federated to SCAR: COMNAP and SCALOP.

In addition, a written report was received from the Group of Specialists on Environmental Affairs and Conservation (to be published in the SCAR Report series), and an interim report was presented orally for the Working Group on Glaciology that will meet in Lanzhou, China, during September 1998, in conjunction with the Sixth International Symposium on Antarctic Glaciology. The report of the Group of Specialists on Global Change and the Antarctic was taken at Agenda Item 5 (see below).

Following further consideration of these reports and the recommendations to SCAR by the subsidiary groups, the Delegates decided to approve and adopt recommendations as shown below. Recommendations that are internal to SCAR are not recorded here but will be found attached to the reports of the subsidiary groups; recommendations adopted by SCAR for onward transmission to National Committees and other organisations are numbered and listed as SCAR Recommendations at the end of this report.

Biology: Twelve recommendations were approved. Those concerning the biology of Lake Vostok (which was modified); biological prospecting; research on threatened bird species; and management plans for protected areas were adopted as SCAR Recommendations XXV-1 to XXV-4 respectively. SCAR Recommendation XXIV-2 was re-adopted as SCAR Recommendation XXV-5; and SCAR Recommendation XXIV-3 was retained with replacement wording as SCAR Recommendation XXV-6.

Geodesy and Geographic Information: Four recommendations were approved and those concerning place-names; permanent geodetic observatories; and bathymetric data; were adopted as SCAR Recommendations XXV-7 to XXV-9 respectively.

Geology: SCAR Recommendation XXIV-6 was retained as SCAR Recommendation XXV-10.

Glaciology: H Miller, Chairman of the Working Group on Glaciology, reminded Delegates that the Working Group would be meeting in conjunction with the VIth International Symposium on Antarctic Glaciology to be held in Lanzhou, China, during September 1998. He gave Delegates an informal account of the Group's activities since XXIV SCAR and indicated that those Recommendations from the Working Group adopted at XXIV SCAR would be proposed for retention at the forthcoming meeting. Delegates, therefore, agreed to re-adopt SCAR Recommendations XXIV-7 to XXIV-9 as Recommendations XXV-11 to XXV-13, respectively.

Human Biology and Medicine: Three recommendations were approved and those concerning research in health promotion; and recurrence of Antarctic accidents; were adopted as SCAR Recommendations XXV-14 and XXV-15, respectively.

Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere: Eleven of the twelve recommendations were approved and those concerning meteorological data from Automatic Geophysical Observatories (AGOs); the International Programme for Antarctic Buoys (IPAB); solar spectrophotometers; rationalization of scientific activities on King George Island; and an International Symposium on Operational Weather Forecasting; were adopted as SCAR Recommendations XXV-16 to XXV-20, respectively. Delegates agreed that the recommendation concerning an oceanographical group within SCAR should be discussed under SCAR strategy by the ad hoc group on the internal review of SCAR (see item 6) and that it would also be considered by an ad hoc group on this subject that will report to XXVI SCAR.

Solar-Terrestrial and Astrophysical Research: Delegates approved the recommendation concerning the importance of magnetometer data and encouraged the Working Group to liaise with the Working Group on Solid-Earth Geophysics which had a similar recommendation on this subject. Delegates agreed that the recommendation concerning the costs of SCAR meetings should be considered by the ad hoc group on the internal review of SCAR (see item 6).

Solid-Earth Geophysics: Six recommendations, including five continued or revised from XXIV SCAR, were approved. The Working Group was encouraged to liaise with the Working Group on Solar-Terrestrial and Astrophysical Research concerning the recommendation on geomagnetism.

I W D Dalziel, IUGS Delegate, presented to Delegates a joint recommendation from the Working Groups on Geology, on Solid-Earth Geophysics, and on Geodesy and Geographic Information, that SCAR should establish a new Group of Specialists on Antarctic Neotectonics (ANTEC). He outlined some unique aspects of the Antarctic continent:

The lack of intra-plate seismicity, coupled with abundant evidence suggesting rapid deformation, presents an unusual geodynamic paradox.

He emphasized the development of new technologies that are making possible new studies in geodynamics and neotectonics that allow Antarctica to be placed more precisely in the global framework and thus provide an unusual opportunity for earth scientists.

Delegates agreed that SCAR should establish a new Group of Specialists on Antarctic Neotectonics (ANTEC) as proposed and that it should have the following Terms of Reference:

  1. The preparation of an Implementation Plan that should include, but not be limited to:
  1. Promotion of scientific research opportunities and directions by:

The Working Groups proposed several names for possible membership of the Group of Specialists which will be considered by the Executive Committee.

Seals: One recommendation was approved, that Recommendation XXIV-3, concerning the re-introduction of indigenous species, should continue as Recommendation SCAR XXV-6 (see above under Biology).

Global Change and the Antarctic: Eight recommendations were approved and SCAR will act on those concerning support for the development of the WCRP Climate and Cryosphere (CLIC) project; and co-sponsorship of SO-JGOFS and SO-GLOBEC.

Environmental Affairs and Conservation: Nine recommendations were approved and the recommendation concerning management plans for the Dry Valleys was adopted as SCAR Recommendation XXV-21.

Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management: Three recommendations concerning National Antarctic Data Centres; metadata records; and funding of the Antarctic Data Directory System; were adopted as SCAR Recommendations XXV-22 to XXV-24 respectively.

5. SCAR Global Change Programme

5.1 Report of the Group of Specialists

J H Priddle, convenor of the Group of Specialists on Global Change and the Antarctic presented a report of activities since XXIV SCAR

Many of the key issues in global change science require a cross-disciplinary approach. GLOCHANT now forms a network of research programmes. In order to maximize

the value of these programmes, GLOCHANT will place special emphasis on multi-disciplinary, commonly cross-programme, activities such as workshop initiatives, data syntheses and scientific assessments.

The GLOCHANT network comprises multi-disciplinary programmes in four major areas. The following summaries give the current status and highlights of achievements in each programme. Full details are available in the report of the 6th meeting of GLOCHANT (to be published in the SCAR Report series). The Science or Implementation Plans for ANTIME and ASPeCt are nearing completion and that for the ITASE programme was published recently in the report of the PAGES Meeting (PAGES Workshop Report, Series 97-1).

A. Antarctic Climate and Environmental History
Joint Glochant/Pages Programme on the Late Quaternary Sedimentary Record of Antarctic Ice-Margin Evolution (ANTIME)

The first ANTIME workshop on the Late Quaternary sedimentary record of Antarctic ice margin evolution was held in July 1997 in Hobart. An Implementation Plan and Research Protocol is being prepared by the ANTIME SSC and the wider palaeoscience community. Further workshops are planned for 1999 onward.

The Scar-Pages Programme on the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (Itase)

ITASE has scheduled a workshop on "Recent Antarctic climate history", co-sponsored with PAGES, to be held in the University of New Hampshire at Durham, United States, 19–23 April 1999 (contact P A Mayewski < p_mayewski@unh.edu >). The workshop will focus on the development of a time series data bank of accumulation, proxy temperature and environmental indicators for the last 20-200 years. PAGES has allocated partial funding for the workshop. a widely-based field programme is being undertaken by four national programmes.

Joint Glochant/Pages Programme on Palaeoenvironments from Ice Cores (PICE)

This group was constituted originally to coordinate ice-coring in the Antarctic, but has subsequently evolved to facilitate a synthesis of past global change from global ice core records. PICE will hold the GLOCHANT/PAGES workshop to review the Holocene ice core records of changes in climate variability and forcing at a date and place to be decided.

B. Southern Ocean Sea Ice-Ocean-Atmosphere System
GLOCHANT Programme On Antarctic Sea-Ice Processes And Climate (ASPeCt)

ASPeCt has been very active since 1996 and the major landmarks have been: Framework and draft production for the ASPeCt Science and Implementation Plan; development of ship-based ice observation software, users manual, observers' handbook and CD-ROM; Russian sea ice chart translation into standard format which will contribute to the Antarctic Ice Thickness Climatology for the period 1980–97. Ten major sea-ice transects are planned for the first ASPeCt season (1998–99)

Southern Ocean Regional Programme of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (SO-JGOFS)

JGOFS is concerned with the role of the oceans in the global carbon cycle, with special emphasis on biogeochemical processes. The Southern Ocean is the site of one of four regional studies. Fieldwork in the study has been undertaken since 1991 and is now coming to a close, although important investigations of potential iron limitation are planned for 1999-2001.

C. Antarctic ice-sheet mass balance and its contribution to global sea-level
GLOCHANT Programme on Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Sea-Level (ISMASS)

The best estimates of the modern state of mass balance are required to be determined from internationally planned fieldwork, advance in satellite altimetry, in measurements of ice sheet surface changes and in ice sheet modelling. A new initiative using a basin-scale approach to the problem has been proposed by the ISMASS group.

D. Impacts of physical and biological changes on Antarctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems

Terrestrial Ecological Programmes of the Working Group on Biology

The SCAR Working Group on Biology are developing a new initiative, TRECAPE, whose principal focus will be on the response of Antarctic terrestrial biota and ecosystems to contemporary and future environmental changes, especially climatic shifts and ultraviolet radiation. This will replace the previous BIOTAS programme.

Working Group on Biology programme on Ecology of the Antarctic Sea-Ice Zone (EASIZ)

The EASIZ programme has an active programme of field research, based principally at coastal research stations. It has also undertaken dedicated research cruises and plans workshops on Antarctic benthic ecology.

Southern Ocean Regional Programme of the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Study (SO-GLOBEC)

The SO-GLOBEC Planning Group has updated its implementation plan and considered other issues related to data management and modelling. The SO-GLOBEC programme will focus on krill as a target species, including krill habitat, prey, predators and competitors. It will be a year-round study with emphasis on winter processes.

5.2 Inter-Programme Relationships

GLOCHANT, IGBP and WCRP

The global focus for most of the regional activities supported by GLOCHANT is in the two major global change programmes IGBP and WCRP. GLOCHANT works closely with IGBP and WCRP and the appropriate core projects to promote the integration of Antarctic and Southern Ocean studies within the overall assessment of the Earth System.

The core projects of IGBP are placing greater emphasis on analysis and synthesis and reducing their investment in new campaigns of field data collection. GLOCHANT and its component programmes are participating in this process. In particular, GLOCHANT is promoting cross-programme activities such as workshops which will address key multi-disciplinary questions. It is important that synthesis and analysis in GLOCHANT programmes makes a key input to the IGBP synthesis and it is similarly important that the timings of the global and regional syntheses are compatible.

GLOCHANT places great emphasis on optimizing its capacity to link diverse programmes in synthesis and analysis. Workshops addressing multi-disciplinary problems were seen as an effective strategy and three have been proposed.

A. Interannual variability in the Southern Ocean.

This workshop, to be held at the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2–7 August 1999 (contact Dr J H Priddle < j.priddle@bas.ac.uk >), will be a major GLOCHANT activity for 1999. It will examine and collate data on interannual variability in the physical environment and in biological response; will evaluate the current status of research on teleconnection between Southern Ocean processes and those at lower latitudes and will identify the impacts of such changes. Publication of a synthesis volume will be the end-product of the workshop.

B. Sea-ice physics and biology.

This workshop is being planned for 2000 and organization will be led by ASPeCt and SO-GLOBEC. The relationship of marine ecosystems to the physical structure of sea ice will be examined at a range of scales and feedbacks between biota and ice considered.

C. Overwintering strategies in marine ecosystems.

EASIZ and SO-GLOBEC plan to collaborate to examine a topic of mutual interest that is identified by both groups as a key determinant of ecosystem function in the Southern Ocean.

All three workshops, within a practical planning time-frame, link programmes in the Southern Ocean system. Outline plans for other workshops included comparisons of different palaeo-environmental records and linking these to contemporary physical and biological processes.

Assessment of the Status of Global Change in the Antarctic

At the fifth meeting of GLOCHANT in Hobart in 1997, the Group of Specialists suggested the preparation of a synthesis of the current status of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in the context of the global environment and environmental change. Since then, some progress has been made, with the preparation of initial drafts of the introduction and extended section listings for five of the eight central chapters. Completion of the synthesis has been identified as the major task for the next meeting of GLOCHANT (April 1999). The end-result of this effort will be in the form of a book, which GLOCHANT intends will be of use to the broader global change community.

5.3 SCAR Global Change Programme Office

The SCAR Global Change Programme Office acts as a project office for three SCAR-sponsored or co-sponsored global change projects (namely ITASE, ANTIME and ASPeCt) and also for a SCAR programme with potential global change output (EASIZ of the Working Group on Biology). The tasks involved in this function vary from project to project, but have involved the generation of science and implementation plans, publication of newsletters and compilation and dissemination of web-based material and collation and synthesis of key datasets. In these functions, the GLOCHANT office acts very much like project offices in other major international scientific programmes such as core projects of IGBP. In some cases, for example production of the EASIZ Newsletter, the task could not be achieved at all without the existence and support of the Programme Office.

The Office supports the work of the Group of Specialists. This comprises two major tasks. The first is assisting the Group of Specialists in discharging its responsibilities to SCAR to advise on current perspectives in global change and their consequences for science in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean and to represent SCAR's interests in the global change community. This is achieved through the preparation of reports and other documents and the attendance of the programme coordinator at programme meetings (eg IGBP, WCRP, START). The second and scientifically more important role of the Group of Specialists is in promoting cross-project and cross-disciplinary studies. Such synthesis is becoming increasingly important within global change research as modelling methods evolve rapidly (eg the IGBP GAIM programme) and is clearly an area where GLOCHANT can make a major impact. The Programme Office is crucial in this endeavour. Several of the global change activities have identified existing data sources that would make major contributions to fulfilling their objectives. These data are either not accessible at a single source, or they are not in usable format. As a programme-oriented organisation the GLOCHANT office is in a better position than a generic Data Centre to gather programme specific data; and it has the capacity to interpret the data in terms of the programme objectives - something no data centre is in a position to do.

The Office also acts as the main means of regional dissemination of global change information to the Antarctic research community. The Antarctic Global Change Research newsletter contains information on SCAR and other projects, including current field studies. The Web site ( < http://www.antcrc.utas.edu.au/scar/ > ) provides parallel information, but more importantly it provides a link into the world-wide global change community. Together these two types of communication put Antarctic scientists in touch with regional and global environmental research.

The Programme Coordinator has a special role in all these functions. Together with the Convenor, he often represents GLOCHANT and thus SCAR, in the international global change arena. This and other roles extend well beyond that of a secretariat. A significant level of scientific expertise is required to be able to represent adequately the diverse suite of projects which form the GLOCHANT community. The Group of Specialists considers it highly desirable that the Programme Coordinator is closely involved with global change science and is active in one or more areas. At present, the scientific skills of the coordinator and convenor are complementary and this allows SCAR global change to be readily represented in a range of fora.

After a wide discussion the Delegates welcomed this full report and the President thanked Dr Priddle for his presentation.

6. SCAR Strategy

The Delegates embarked on a major discussion to examine the strategy of SCAR and how its operation needs to evolve to implement the strategy. The President re-stated the primary objectives of SCAR: to initiate, promote and coordinate scientific research in the Antarctic. Six papers addressing different aspects of SCAR strategy and operation were tabled and the President proposed that these should be introduced by the authors to develop the discussion.

P G Quilty spoke first to the two papers on functioning of SCAR and on issues likely to influence the direction of future Antarctic research. Attention was focused on the first paper that highlighted questions of communication, operation of subsidiary groups, SCAR meetings and funding. C G Rapley then amplified some aspects of the United Kingdom paper, particularly the expectations of funding agencies and society at large that put pressure on scientists to provide answers to major questions. He expressed concern that the Antarctic was not always contributing to global research to the extent that it should. He proposed that SCAR should conduct its own review of its own operation to bring a consolidated position to XXVI SCAR.

A discussion on communication, both within and without SCAR, centred on the use of electronic communication as a fast and effective means of distributing information. It was proposed that more use should be made of electronic mail. The current SCAR web site was not being used as effectively as it might and this should be developed to provide a wider range of facilities. It should also be used much more extensively for posting notices, reports and other documents. It was proposed that the web site should be moved to Cambridge to facilitate maintenance of the site. On behalf of the Chief Officers, J H Priddle proposed that communication within SCAR, among Chief Officers and between the Executive and Chief Officers could be improved by developing a Chief Officers electronic network. The Chief Officers had held a meeting at XXV SCAR for the first time and this had been very valuable. He suggested that a 2-day meeting of Chief Officers with the Executive Committee would also provide a useful forum for the integration of science and science policy. There was also comment that the Working Groups should have much closer links with the Delegates meeting.

The concern that Antarctic science was not reaching out to the wider global scientific community as well as it should led to the proposal that SCAR should take the lead on those programmes that were coming into Antarctica. The situation could be improved to some extent by various types of publicity. In particular, it was thought that a set of posters illustrating SCAR science would be a valuable way to supplement papers for informing delegates to the ATCM.

On the conduct of SCAR meetings, M Zucchelli strongly supported the idea of splitting into small groups at the Delegates Meeting. The Executive Committee had proposed The Executive Committee proposed that in order to progress the discussions in the Delegates meeting, some agenda items should be discussed in smaller sub groups of Delegates, chaired by a Vice-President who would report the views of the sub group to the plenary of the Delegates meeting. The Executive felt that smaller groups would encourage greater participation by more Delegates and would enable two or more items to be discussed simultaneously.

Some Delegates spoke in favour of this arrangement but others were not in favour for this meeting. Following a focused discussion, it was agreed that this arrangement should be seriously considered for future meetings.

It was also agreed that the Executive would discuss the arrangement with the Japanese hosts of XXVI SCAR with the intention of ensuring that appropriate facilities would be available to implement the arrangement.

After further discussion, C G Rapley proposed that the Executive Committee should establish a small ad hoc group to conduct an internal review of SCAR. It should have four or five members with wide experience of SCAR, including working scientists, but that there should be an independent Chairman who has wide experience of ICSU and other ICSU bodies. He also produced the following draft terms of reference for such a group:

The Delegates approved this proposal and agreed that the Executive Committee should set this in motion.

7. SCAR Functions

7.1 Internal
7.1.1 Review of SCAR Working Groups

Delegates approved the reports of the SCAR Working Groups and agreed that the Working Groups should continue. In particular, the changes to Chief Officers were noted and those retiring, Dr P D Shaughnessy (Biology) and Dr D H Bromwich (PACA), were thanked for their work in running their groups over several years. Their successors as Chief Officers are Dr Y Le Maho (France) and Dr J Turner (United Kingdom), respectively. It was also recalled that Professor J R Krynauw (South Africa) had been elected as Secretary of the Working Group on Geology at XXIV SCAR but had felt obliged to resign following a career move from academia into the commercial sector. Dr M R A Thomson had kindly agreed to stand in as Chief Officer by becoming Acting Secretary until XXV SCAR when Dr R A J Trouw (Brazil) was elected.

7.1.2 Review of SCAR Groups of Specialists

The Delegates noted the changes to membership proposed by the Group of Specialists on Seals and approved the new membership. The meeting paid tribute to Professor D B Siniff who had resigned as Convenor and noted that he had been a member of the Group since its inception. Delegates welcomed the appointment of Dr J L Bengtson as his successor. The membership of the Group is now: J L Bengtson (Convenor); A S Blix; I L Boyd (secretary); M N Bester; H R Burton; and J Plötz. C J Southwell is to be a member for two years during the APIS programme.

The Executive Committee had reviewed the membership of the Group of Specialists on Environmental Affairs and Conservation (GOSEAC) and decided that this should continue at present while recognizing the desirability of reducing the membership of Groups of Specialists in general. The Delegates approved the decision of the Executive Committee.

The Group of Specialists on Global Change and the Antarctic should continue as at present.

7.1.3 Review of other subsidiary groups

Delegates reviewed the SCAR-COMNAP Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM) and agreed that the group should continue. The membership of the Steering Committee for overseeing the development of the Antarctic Master Directory (AMD) was accepted and, on the recommendation of the Executive Committee, it was agreed that A L Clarke should represent SCAR on the Steering Committee. The new membership of the Steering Committee was noted: national representatives of the funding consortium – E Chiang (United States, Chairman); the French representative has still to be appointed; M Zucchelli (Italy); G Wratt (New Zealand); L Belbin (JCADM); J R Dudeney (COMNAP) and A L Clarke (SCAR).

Delegates also noted that several SCAR members has not yet designated their National Antarctic Data Centres and their managers. One member pointed out that this would be difficult for some countries because this implied funding an institutional structure that would not be financially possible. However, such countries could expect to designate a person as the appropriate contact point with the AMD.

Delegates adopted a new Recommendation (SCAR XXV–22) encouraging National Committees to designate their NADCs as soon as possible. It was also noted that Resolution 6 (1998) had been adopted at XXII ATCM encouraging governments to support the Antarctic Data Directory System by identifying NADCs in their countries.

7.1.4 Review of Rules of Procedure for SCAR -Subsidiary groups.

Delegates approved the change made to paragraph 1.1.2 (see below) of the draft version of the Rules of Procedure for SCAR subsidiary groups and then adopted the new Rules of Procedure. The new Rules of Procedure for SCAR subsidiary groups will enter into force when they have been circulated to national Committees.

7.1.5 Review of National Reports to SCAR

Delegates noted the proposal in the Information Paper (XXII ATCM/IP28) that the Antarctic Treaty Annual Exchange of Information should be amalgamated into a single report to avoid unnecessary duplication and that the resulting report should be posted on a web page. The merit of this proposal was noted but it was felt that such an amalgamation should logically also include the COMNAP Advance Exchange of Information. However, it was also recognized that these three reports had different objectives and currently required different timing to be effective. It was also suggested that the reports to SCAR should be more forward-looking to assist with future planning. It was noted that this matter would be addressed at XXIII ATCM and that the Executive should deal positively with the issue.

This matter was also discussed in the context of re-development of the SCAR Web site and that these other documents should be published on this site. The goal should be maximize electronic publication in this way and thereby minimize the circulation of paper documents while recognizing that the SCAR Secretariat should hold a paper archive of such documents.

7.1.6 Publications

The SCAR Bulletin will continue to be published quarterly within Polar Record and as a separate for distribution within SCAR. SCAR Reports will be published as required.

Proceedings volumes of forthcoming SCAR-sponsored symposia will be published commercially or in dedicated, thematic issues of journals. The proposed new publication by the SCAR Global Change programme is now also expected to be published commercially.

7.1.7 Activities of the Executive

The principal activity of the Executive Committee since XXIV SCAR was the meeting of the Executive Committee held in Cape Town, South Africa, 25-29 August 1997. The report of this meeting is published in SCAR Bulletin no. 130, July 1998. The Executive also held a joint meeting with the COMNAP Executive Committee. A specific outcome of the latter meeting was an agreement with COMNAP to hold a Discussion Forum at XXV SCAR to improve the flow of information between the two organisations, with particular respect to informing Managers of National Antarctic Programmes of current and future scientific programmes in the Antarctic and their associated logistic requirements. This will enable Managers to schedule more effectively the major logistic facilities that will benefit scientific research.

In addition, members of the Executive present at XXI ATCM in Christchurch, New Zealand, and also at XXII ATCM in Tromsø, Norway took the opportunity to hold impromptu meetings. These meetings also provided an opportunity to meet with other members of SCAR, who sat on national delegations, and to meet with members of the NGO community to discuss matters of mutual interest.

In late 1997 the Executive Committee began a process of recruitment for the appointment of the Executive Secretary of SCAR. Following advertisement of the post a shortlist of interview candidates from several countries was drawn up by the Executive. Interviews were held in April 1998 by three members of the Executive and Dr P D Clarkson was re-appointed with effect from 1 October 1998. The Executive had agreed new terms for a 5-year contract that included a revised salary scale and appropriate benefits.

In addition, the post of secretary within the SCAR Secretariat was terminated and a new post of personal assistant to the Executive Secretary was advertised at a higher grade for a candidate with higher qualifications and experience. Miss M J Dykes (subsequently Mrs M J Hassett) was appointed in June 1998 to start on 1 July 1998.

7.2 External
7.2.1 Antarctic Treaty System

XXII ATCM and CEP I

The Legal Expert Group, under the chairmanship of Professor R Wolfrum, submitted a final report to XXII ATCM. The Group had developed an extensive text to provide the basis for an Annex to the Protocol on Environmental Liability but could go no further without receiving guidance from the ATCM on seven key questions that needed policy decisions. As a result, the ATCM disbanded the Legal Expert Group and referred the development of the Annex to Working Group 1 for further progress. The Working Group will seek to elaborate draft texts submitted by Parties for further consideration at XXIV ATCM. The ATCM also asked for advice from SCAR on scientific aspects of environmental damage.

Several delegates expressed serious concerns that the current draft texts involving "joint and several liability" will be a major disincentive to international scientific cooperation and collaboration in the Antarctic. Such a position would be in direct contradiction to Article II of the Antarctic Treaty that encourages scientific cooperation. Delegates agreed that SCAR should prepare a position paper for tabling at XXIII ATCM in Lima, Peru, during May 1999. Delegates were also encouraged to bring the concerns of SCAR and the scientific community to their own national delegations now that the liability discussions have moved into the political arena of Working Group 1. National Committees should bring their concerns on these matters to the attention of their delegations attending XXIII ATCM.

Following the entry into force of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and its Annexes I–IV on 14 January 1998, the Committee on Environmental Protection (CEP) was established and held its first meeting (CEP I). Professor O Orheim (Norway) was elected Chairman. Business included a discussion of the Rules of Procedure, matters relating to the Protocol and its annexes, including area protection and management, data and information exchange, environmental monitoring, and the development of a State of the Antarctic Environment Report (SAER). The future role of SCAR in relation to the CEP is not yet clear but it may be reduced from its previous scope; this is already apparent in the examination of management plans for protected areas in that SCAR is now requested to comment on the scientific aspects only.

Professor A C Rocha-Campos, President of SCAR, Dr D W H Walton, Convenor of GOSEAC, and Dr P D Clarkson, Executive Secretary, represented SCAR at XXI ATCM in Christchurch, New Zealand, May 1997, and XXII ATCM in Tromsø, Norway, May 1998. The Executive had discussed the difficulty of covering adequately all the parallel meetings that take place at the ATCM and agreed that in future, the SCAR Delegation to ATCMs will include a Vice-President of SCAR.

CCAMLR

The request from CCAMLR for SCAR to appoint an observer to meetings of the CCAMLR Scientific Committee was noted and the proposal by the Executive to appoint Dra E S E Fanta (Brazil) was approved.

It was also noted that CCAMLR had appointed the following observers to XXV SCAR: Dr B Fernholm (Working Group on Biology); Dr J P Croxall (Subcommittee on Bird Biology); Dr E S F Fanta (Subcommittee on Evolutionary Biology of Antarctic Organisms); Professor D Torres N (Group of Specialists on Seals).

7.2.2 Other Organizations

ICSU

Delegates noted the implications for SCAR of the new ICSU Constitution adopted at the Extraordinary Session of the ICSU General Assembly in Vienna, 25 April 1998. A particular concern for SCAR is the frequency of the ICSU review of SCAR and the association of "sunset clauses". Delegates, recalling the previous ICSU review of SCAR, agreed that SCAR should be aware of the procedures for such reviews and should be in much closer contact with the review panel when the next review became due.

A letter inviting SCAR, as an ICSU body, to participate in the UNESCO international science meeting in Budapest, Hungary, during June 1999 was tabled. It was agreed that the Executive Committee should pursue this matter with ICSU to determine the nature and extent of SCAR involvement. Delegates also recalled the discussion on the presentation of SCAR science to the ATCM and suggested that it may be possible to repeat this presentation at the UNESCO meeting.

SCOR

Two of the component programmes of GLOCHANT are regional elements of IGBP core-projects. SO-JGOFS and SO-GLOBEC had informal linkage with SCAR, first through the Group of Specialists on Southern Ocean Ecology and later through GLOCHANT. This relationship was formalized when Group of Specialists GLOCHANT was reconstituted to include the chief officers of all active Antarctic and Southern Ocean global change programmes.

The regional programmes, together with SCOR as the sponsoring body, have both expressed their agreement and GLOCHANT is keen that this co-sponsorship should proceed. It would provide SCAR-GLOCHANT input to the regional programmes, providing important symmetry in communication between SCAR and IGBP and SCOR at the programme level.

SCAR agreed to co-sponsor SO-JGOFS and SO-GLOBEC in order to promote integration between the Southern Ocean programmes and closer linkage with SCOR and IGBP

Following a proposal from the Working Group on Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere to form closer links with the oceanographic community, Delegates agreed to form an ad hoc group:

Delegates also approved the Executive proposal to appoint J H Priddle as the SCAR representative to SCOR.

7.2.3 Bi-polar relations

The forthcoming Symposium on Polar Aspects of Global Change to be held in Tromsø, Norway, was be noted.

It was agreed that relations with IASC on scientific matters of mutual interest should be strengthened and that M Zucchelli (Italy) should be the SCAR representative at the relevant meetings of IASC.

7.3 Financial
7.3.1 Report of the XXV SCAR Finance Committee

Delegates adopted the Report of the XXV SCAR Finance Committee and the President thanked the members for their work

7.3.2 Financial statements for 1996 and 1997

The Finance Committee reviewed the SCAR budgets and statements of income and expenditure for the years ending 31 December 1996 and 1997 and found them to be in order. These were approved by the Delegates.

7.3.3 Financial strategy

The Finance Committee reviewed the 1998 SCAR budget and made one adjustment concerning the allocation to the IASC/SCAR Global Change Symposium (+20,000 US$).

The requests for support of scientific activities represent, for the two fiscal years 1999 and 2000, a total of 537,000 US $, corresponding to an increase of about 22% when compared to the two previous years.

The committee proposed that the accumulated reserve should be reduced to move towards meeting these increased requests.

Considering the accumulated balance on 31 December 1997, the Finance Committee recommended maintaining the national contributions for 1999 and 2000 at the current level. If the scientific and administrative needs continue to increase it will become necessary to consider the level of the national contributions.

The Committee welcomed the intentions of those countries with serious arrears in contributions to settle these in the near future. However, Delegates agreed that those Associate Members with serious arrears should be asked if they wished to continue their membership of SCAR.

7.3.4 Budgets for 1999 and 2000

The XXV SCAR Finance Committee proposed budgets of $ 390,000 and $ 380,000 for the years 1999 and 2000 respectively and these were approved by the Delegates.

8. Future Meetings

8.1 XXVI SCAR
8.1.1 Arrangements for XXVI SCAR

The Japanese Delegate announced that Japan would host the XXVI SCAR in central Tokyo. The precise venue and date had still to be determined but it would most likely be in mid July 2000, taking due account of any other relevant meetings to avoid a clash of dates as far as possible. Further details will be provided as soon as possible.

8.1.2 Activities at XXVI SCAR

It was agreed that all the Working Groups of SCAR and the Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management would meet during the first week of the SCAR Meeting. Chief Officers would be asked to confirm their requirements for planned activities as early as possible. Currently these are as follows: all Working Groups require five days for their meetings and within these the Working Group on Physics and chemistry of the Atmosphere plans to hold a 1-day workshop on atmospheric chemistry, a half-day meeting of King George Island activities; a 1-day meeting on climate variability; and a 1-day meeting on the FROST and READER programmes; and the Working Group on Solar-Terrestrial and Astrophysical Research plans to include five workshops.

The Group of Specialists on Seals will meet during the week immediately preceding the first week of the SCAR meeting.

The Groups of Specialists on Global Change and the Antarctic (GLOCHANT); on Environmental Affairs and Conservation (GOSEAC); and on Antarctic Neotectonics (ANTEC) will meet apart from the SCAR meeting at times and places to be determined.

8.2 SCAR Executive Meeting

It was agreed that the SCAR Executive Committee would meet in Goa, India, 20–24 September 1999, in conjunction with the COMNAP XI meeting.

8.3 XXVII SCAR

The Chinese Delegate confirmed the offer to host XXVII SCAR in China during 2002. The venue and dates of the meeting will be advised at XXVI SCAR.

9. Adoption of the Report of XXV SCAR

Delegates adopted the report of the meeting, subject to some amendments and additions being made by the Secretariat.