Transcript The Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research

The Scientific Committee for
Antarctic Research (SCAR) and
its Scientific Research Programs
(SRP’s)
M. Candidi
Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research
Standing Scientific Group on Physical Sciences
chair
IFSI-INAF, Roma, Italia
Outline of presentation
• SCAR: the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research
• SCAR Standing Scientific Groups (SSG’s)
• SCAR Scientific Research Programs (SRP’s)
• IASC the International Arctic Scientific Committee
SCAR history
www.scar.org
ICSU established the IGY, the International Geophysical Year,
1957-58, which included a major Antarctic component, the
Special Committee on Antarctic Research to coordinate the
scientific research of the twelve nations which were active in Antarctica. The success of
the IGY led to the establishment of the ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
(SCAR) and to the development of the Antarctic Treaty.
initiation, promotion and coordination of scientific research in Antarctica. SCAR provides
international scientific advice to the Antarctic Treaty System
(ATS). SCAR is the interdisciplinary, non-governmental organization which draws on
SCAR is charged by ICSU with the
the expertise of an international mix of scientists across the complete scientific
spectrum. After the IGY, SCAR has provided scientific advice to the ATS and made
recommendations, most of which have been incorporated into ATS instruments, like the
international agreements which protect the ecology and environment of Antarctica.
The appointed national Delegates from the member states of SCAR, meet every
two years. They decide SCAR policy and strategy. They also elect from among themselves
an Executive Committee.
Executive Committee
President
As determined in
Hobart, July 2006
Prof. Chris G Rapley
British Antarctic Survey
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Executive Director
Dr. Colin Summerhayes
Past-President
Prof. Dr. Jörn Thiede
Scott Polar Research Institute
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Alfred Wegener Institut
Bremerhaven,
Germany
Vice-Presidents
Two stay, two go at each SCAR assembly
Prof. Mahlon Kennicut
Director Sustainable Development
College Station USA
Prof. Antonio Meloni
Istituto Nazionale Geofisica Vulcanologia
Roma, Italia
Prof. Zhanhai Zhang
Polar Research Institute
China
Prof. Sergio Marenssi
Instituto Antarctico Argentino
Buenos Aires
Full member countries,
and unions
Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
China
Ecuador
Finland
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Korea
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Peru
Poland
Russia
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
URSI
SCAR Membership growth chart
IUPS
IUPAC
IAU requested to join SCAR in 2006, John
IUGS
IUGG Storey nominated as IAU representative to
IUBS SCAR. Decision to be made in St. Petersburg
IGU
Denmark
Malaysia
Pakistan
Portugal
Associate member countries
Article III of The Antarctic Treaty
1. In order to promote international cooperation in scientific investigation in
Antarctica .. the Contracting Parties agree that, to the greatest extent feasible
and practicable:
a. …
b. …
c. scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and
made freely available.
Scientific Programs of SCAR
• ACE (Antarctic Climate Evolution) expressed by SSG/GS
• EBA (Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica) expressed by SSG/LS
• SALE (Sub Antarctic Lake Exploration) interdisciplinary
• AGCS (Antarctica in the Global Climate System) expressed by SSG/PS
• ICESTAR (Interhemispheric Conjugacy Effects in Solar Terrestrial and
Aeronomy Research) expressed by SSG/PS
All established in Bremen at SCAR XXVIII
In Hobart, at SCAR XXIX, the Delegates have welcomed the proposal to establish a third
SRP within SSG/PS, on Antarctic Astronomy. This will be drafted before July 2007 and
presented officially to the Delegates in Saint Petersburg, at SCARXXX, in July 2008
Programs of the Standing Scientific
Group on Geo Sciences
• ACE (Antarctic Climate Evolution)
• to continue the study of Antarctic climate and
glacial history, during the last 140 million years,
by linking climate and ice sheet modelling studies
with geophysical surveys and geological
investigations on and around the Antarctic
continent
ACE - Antarctic Climate Evolution
http://www.ace.scar.org/
Programs of the Standing Scientific
Group on Life Sciences
• EBA (Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica)
• Understand the evolution and diversity of life in the Antarctic.
• Determine how these have influenced the properties and dynamics
of present Antarctic ecosystems and the Southern Ocean system.
• Make predictions on how organisms and communities are
responding and will respond to current and future environmental
change.
• Identify EBA science outcomes that are relevant to conservation
policy and to communicate this science to the SCAR Antarctic
Treaty System via the SCAR ATS Committee
Outcomes of EBA: scientific applications
• Comprehensive and evolutive census of Antarctic
marine biodiversity
• Assessment of effects of climate change
• Assessment of effects of global scale pollution
• Prediction of spread of invasive species
• Detection of biodiversity hotspots from species to
phylum levels
• Facilitation of biogeographic synthesis
• Identification of gaps in biodiversity surveys
Interdisciplinary Program of the three
Standing Scientific Groups
• SALE (Sub Glacial Lake Exploration)
• Advance our understanding of the geological evolution of our planet’s 5th
largest continent, through a holistic view of the forces that have shaped
Antarctica, and the subglacial sedimentary records of Antarctic
paleoclimate and ice sheet history, and stability
• Develop the next generation of ice sheet models incorporating subglacial
environments
• Refine and improve accurate portrayal of the complex interplay of
tectonics, ice sheet dynamics and climate.
• Define the role of subglacial discharges in (past) ocean circulation and deepwater formation, past and future climate change, geomorphic change, and
material exchange and biological diversity among lakes
• Identify seed organisms and their adaptations in response to tectonic,
geological and climatic forcings.
• Establish the phylogenetic and metabolic diversity of subglacial organisms
and their evolutionary position in the Tree of Life.
Latest Scientific Findings
 Subglacial Lakes are Common Features of Ice Sheets - more than 145
identified Subglacial Lakes
 A Spectrum of Subglacial Environments – the beginnings of a
classification system
 Subglacial Hydrologic Systems – rapid water movement beneath ice
sheets
 Linkage of Subglacial Lakes and Ice Streams –subglacial lakes
influence ice sheet movement
 Paleo-outbursts of Subglacial Waters – possible links to global climate
change
Programs of the Standing Scientific
Group on Physical Sciences
• AGCS (Antarctica in the Global
Climate System) .. the role of Antarctica in the
global climate system and in Global Change ... a crossdisciplinary Scientific Programme Planning Group ..
Determine the future directions of SCAR climate
science. Provide a climate system research network to
advise SCAR and enhance cooperation between
SCAR and major international climate programmes
(WCRP, IGBP, IHDP, etc)
The Goals of AGCS
To understand the mechanisms controlling the climate of the
Antarctic – its cycles and variability
To explain why the climate has changed in the past – roughly the
last 20K years since the Last Glacial Maximum
To predict how the climate of the Antarctic might change over the
next century under various greenhouse gas emission scenarios
Theme 1 – Decadal time scale variability (Dave Bromwich)
Theme 2 - Global & Regional Signals in Ice Cores (Paul Mayewski)
Theme 3 – Natural/Anthropogenic Forcing on the Antarctic Climate System (John Turner)
Theme 4 - The Export of Antarctic Climate Signals (Mike Meredith)
Programs of the Standing Scientific
Group on Physical Sciences
• ICESTAR (Interhemispheric Conjugacy
Effects in Solar Terrestial and Aeronomy
Research) Solar-terrestrial, geophysical and atmospheric
physics observations in the Arctic and Antarctic, to study two
kinds of interhemispheric conjugacy: (1) Antarctica is a
landmass, but an ocean covers the Arctic; asymmetry in the
physics and chemistry of the polar atmosphere. (2)
geomagnetic: The geomagnetic poles are shifted with respect to
the geographic poles (9° in the north, 15° in the south).
SCAR Cross-Linkages Workshop
6-8 November 2006
Societa Geografica Italiana,
Villa Celimontana, Rome, Italy
(i) primary objective: to encourage the development of crossdiscipline research within SCAR, to develop concrete actions that
will lead to a closer working relationship between SCAR's SRPs and
the SSGs, including ways to make these interaction work better –
such as joint sponsorship of workshops, science sessions at meetings,
combining efforts on education, outreach and communication, and
on data where appropriate, and other activities that will bring the
communities together.
(ii) how are the different SRP’s planning to deal with the data
sharing and archiving issues.
(iii) IPY developments
With regard to combining efforts on education, outreach and
communication:
What is expected of SSG’s, in view of the SCAR communication plan?
SRPs and SSGs should be developing their ideas on how to implement
the SCAR capacity building education and training plan and the SCAR
communications plan in their specific areas.
With regard to data sharing, this is the province of JCADM working with
the SSGs and SRPs. The development of a SCAR data and information
strategy has been postponed pending the development of such a strategy
by the IPY data committee, which is co-chaired by the chair of JCADM.
4. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR IMPROVING LINKAGES
4.1 IASC
… SCAR and IASC intend to combine their efforts in selected fields and
activities .. so as to raise the level of impact of both organizations in
terms of scientific advances and of advising policy makers (for example of the likelihood
and likely effects of climate change), as well as to avoid duplication. These linkages are
now the subject of a Letter of Agreement under which SCAR and IASC agree:
(i) to invite each other to attend the meetings of their major bodies (SCAR Delegates’
Meeting and IASC Council);
(ii) to encourage appropriate linkages between the relevant existing SCAR and
IASC scientific projects;
(iii) to encourage their scientific communities to develop joint bipolar projects and
approaches in appropriate fields;
(iv) to work together in arranging workshops, conferences, and reports on
topics of mutual scientific interest;
(v) to exchange ideas on best practices in data and information management;
(vi) to exchange newsletters and advertise each other’s newsletters and web sites on
their own web sites;
(vii) to develop combined approaches to communicating with the wider community on
the significance of polar research to the solution of societal issues, including their
respective experience in giving advice to the AC and ATCM.
The agreement will remain in force for 5 years, thereafter be reviewed and
continued as appropriate.
Examples of cross-linkages in ICESTAR activities:
(a)monitoring ionospheric electron content and
irregularities using GPS receivers. If we know more
about the ionosphere and its effects we can make GPS
more accurate. There is also a potential link to
POLENET, which has a wide network of GPS receivers.
(b) TIMIS studies the possible link (transfer of energy)
between powerful weather systems and the upper
atmosphere/ionosphere.
The IPY requests bipolar attitude: most of the
scientists involved in ICESTAR have a bipolar
program; I would like to check whether any of
them is officially involved with IASC.
Suggestion: ICESTAR to request the addition
of a representative of IASC, a scientist mostly
involved with northern hemisphere STP
science, to the Steering Committee. (This
would be a sign to SCAR and to the IPY of the
attention that ICESTAR gives to the bipolar
theme).
The International Arctic Science Committee
IASC Membership
Canada
China
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Iceland
Italy
Japan
The Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Republic of Korea
Russia
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States of America
The IASC member organisations are national science organisations covering all fields
of Arctic research. Each national member organisation has a mechanism to provide
ongoing contact between its council member and its Arctic science community.
IASC Mission
IASC is a non-governmental organisation whose aim is to
encourage and facilitate cooperation in all aspects of Arctic
research, in all countries engaged in Arctic research and in
all areas of the Arctic region.
IASC Structure
Executive Committee
• President
• Four Vice Presidents
• Chair or Regional Board
• Executive Secretary
Council
Regional Board
• National Representatives • Representatives from
the eight Arctic countries
Secretariat
• Executive Secretary
• Assistant
IASC uses this structure to identify scientific priorities, members of working groups, etc. A science
programme recommended by IASC should be of high priority to Arctic or global science.
IASC Projects
IASC assists with project development by
providing
• guidelines for preparation of project proposals
• seed money for project planning
• travel support for younger scientists
IASC projects cover all fields of Arctic research
Emphasis is on circum-Arctic cooperation
IASC supports 10 – 15 projects which are described in the IASC Project Catalogue
and on the IASC web site: www.iasc.se.
International Polar Year 2007/2008 (IPY)
Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA)
An international project of the Arctic Council and IASC to evaluate and synthesize
knowledge on Arctic climate variability, climate change, and their impacts.
ACIA Reports
• Scientific Report (1000 pages)
• Synthesis Report (140 pages)
• Policy Report
http://www.amap.no/acia/
2nd International
Conference on Arctic
Research Planning
• Prepares Arctic research plans to guide international cooperation over the next 10-15 years
www.icarp.dk
• Brings together senior and young scholars, policy experts,
Arctic indigenous and other residents, science and land
managers as well as funding agencies
• Conference took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, 10-12
November 2005
• Comprehensive pre-conference process engaged over 140
scientists in the preparation of 12 science plans
Thank you.
I hope to see you all in Saint Petersburg!
(2008! results to be highlighted, midway
through IPY)
The SOC is now in the process of listing
the session titles: I would like input from
ICESTAR and IHY