SCAR XXXV Paper 17: Physical Sciences Group (PSG) Report Popular

SCAR XXXV Delegates Meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 25-26 June 2018

SCAR XXXV Paper 17: Physical Sciences Group (PSG) Report

Agenda Item: 4.3.3.

Person Responsible: D. Bromwich et al.

Executive Summary

Authors

David H Bromwich (USA), Adriana Gulisano (Argentina), Steven Colwell (UK)

Summary of activities and other important issues

Of the many research, meetings, and publishing activities by the 14 active groups that come under PSG selected highlights are:

• IPICS Expert Group (EG): Publication of synthesis papers on the 2000-year behavior of temperature and snow accumulation over Antarctica.

• ISMASS EG: Organized a workshop on the impact of 1.5°C global warming on the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets and the resulting contribution to sea level rise. A review paper was prepared.

• GRAPE EG: Coordinating/leading efforts addressed to the new Scientific Research Programproposal RESOURCE (Radio Sciences Research on AntarctiC AtmospherE).

• SORP EG: Organized a joint meeting with the Year of Polar Prediction in the Southern Hemisphere (YOPP-SH) effort that lead to the continuation of the Ocean Observatories Initiative buoy (west of Drake Passage) through the YOPP-SH Special Observing Period, mid Nov. 2018-mid February 2019.

• ANTOS EG: Created a survey to identify candidates for new terrestrial and marine observing sites.

• Remote Sensing Action Group (AG): Initiated a request to the European Space Agency to extend Sentinel-2 satellite coverageto Antarctica to identify new penguin colonies.

• ACA AG: Development and submission of European Union Horizon 2020 proposal looking at clouds over the Southern Ocean that will (if funded) include a wide range of European partners but also Chile and US project partners.

Recommendations

• Disband SERAnt AG that has been dormant and its functions subsumed under GRAPE EG.

• Four new groups will likely be proposed to the Delegates at Davos. With the present limited monies for PSG, the funding for up to 18 groups in 2019-2020 is very challenging to provide worthwhile amounts.

• Encourage SCAR members to update meteorological station data for their stations in the WMO OSCAR/SURFACE system https://oscar.wmo.int/surface//index.html#/

• Encourage SCAR members to make meteorological data available to Steve Colwell This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. updating the SCAR READER database http://legacy.bas.ac.uk/met/READER