Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research SCAR An International Scientific Partnership

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Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
(SCAR) An International Scientific Partnership
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Presentation Outline

• What is SCAR?
• What is SCARs mission?
• How is SCAR organized?
• How does SCAR function?
• How does SCAR accomplish its science?
• What opportunities are there for you to
  participate?
• How do you stay informed about SCAR activities?

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What is the Scientific Committee on Antarctic
Research?

• An Interdisciplinary Scientific Body of the
  International Council of Science (ICSU)
• Meets every two years to conduct administrative
  business (now combined with an Open Science
  Conference)
• Secretariat is housed in the Scott Polar Research
  Institute in Cambridge, England
• Secretariat includes an Executive Director, an
  Executive Officer and an Administrative Assistant
  (1/2 time)

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A Brief History of SCAR

• SCAR was a creation of the International
  Geophysical Year and had its first meeting in
  February 1958
• "Antarctica" was defined as being bounded by the
  Antarctic convergence (Polar Front)
• There were 12 founding nations and 4 unions

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SCAR in the 21st Century

• 35 member nations and 9 ICSU Unions
• The Antarctic Treaty System - A Complex Array of
  Antarctic Governmental Organizations
• Convention on Antarctic Marine Living Resources
• Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals
• Protocol on the Environment (Committee on
  Environmental Protection)
• Council of Managers of Antarctic Programs
• Convention on the Conservation of Albatrosses and
  Petrels
• Proliferation of Global and Regional Scientific
  Programs with an Antarctic Focus or Interest

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SCARs Mission for 50 Years

• Science Leadership - initiate, develop and
  coordinate high quality international scientific
  research in the Antarctic region
• Scientific advice - provide objective and
  independent scientific advice to the Antarctic
  Treaty System (ATS)

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Targets of Scientific Investigations

• Climate change/global warming
• Ecosystem structure/functioning
• Census of living resources and biodiversity
• Astronomy and near-earth space science
• Recovery of paleo-climate records
• Satellite observations

• Remote sensing and mapping of the continent above
  and below the ice.
• Ice balance and sea level
• Subglacial environment hydrology and
  biogeochemistry
• Southern ocean and coastal oceanography

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Major Scientific Objectives

• Measure upper atmosphere physics
• Define the pre-Pleistocene history of Antarctica
• Refine ice sheet mass balance, stability, and
  global sea level estimates
• Recover paleo-records in the interior of
  Antarctica

• Understand evolution and biodiversity in
  Antarctica
• Study life in the cold and dark
• Map biological habitats, ecosystems and organism
  distributions in the Antarctic

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Major Scientific Objectives

• Assess the stability of the West Antarctic Ice
  Sheet (WAIS)
• Recover the oldest ice core record of climate
• Describe regional and temporal variability in
  Antarctic climate

• Enter and sample subglacial environments
• Establish atmospheric and oceanic observing
  networks
• Determine the nature and history of sub-ice
  basement geology in East Antarctica

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How Does SCAR Accomplish its Mission?

• Standing Scientific Groups
• Expert Groups
• Action Groups
• Planning Groups
• Standing Committees
• Scientific Research Programs
• Interdisciplinary Cross Linkage Workshops
• Partnerships
• Open Science Conference
• Thematic Symposia/Workshops

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SCAR Organogram
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Standing Scientific Groups and Committees

• Standing Groups
• Life Sciences
• GeoSciences
• Physical Sciences
• Standing Committees
• Antarctic Treaty System
• Antarctic Geographic Information
• Data and Information Management
• Capacity Building and Education

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SCAR Scientific Subsidiary Groups
Standing Scientific Group on the Life Sciences

• Expert Groups
• Birds and Marine Mammals, Human Biology and
  Medicine, and Continuous Plankton Recorder
• Action Groups
• Census of Marine Life, MarBIN, and Fuel Spills
• Shared Action Groups
• Seeps and Vents (GS), Prediction of Change (PS),
  and King George Island (GS,PS)

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SCAR Scientific Subsidiary Groups
Standing Scientific Group on the GeoSciences

• Expert Groups
• Geodesy, Permafrost, Southern Ocean Bathymetry,
  Magnetic Anomalies, and Sub-Ice Geological
  Exploration
• Action Groups
• Acoustics in the Marine Environment
• Shared Action Groups
• Vents and Seep (LS), King George Island (LS, PS),
  and GPS for Weather and Space Forecasting (PS)

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SCAR Scientific Subsidiary Groups
Standing Scientific Group on the Physical Sciences

• Expert Groups
• Oceans, Operational Meteorology, Ice Sheets and
  Sea Level, and Ice Core Science
• Action Groups
• Environmental Contamination, Observing Systems,
  and Polar Atmospheric Chemistry
• Shared Action Groups
• King George Island (LS, GS), GPS for Weather and
  Space Forecasting (GS), and Prediction of Change
  (GS)

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SCAR Scientific Research Programs

• Preceded by a Program Planning Group formed by a
  Standing Scientific Group
• Major cutting-edge research questions
• International in participation and
  interdisciplinary in scope
• Expected duration 6 to 8 years
• Strategic and implementation plan required
• 2-year internal and 4-year external review
• Data management policy and outreach plan

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SCAR Scientific Research Programs
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Antarctic Climate Evolution (ACE)
An international research initiative to study the
climate and glacial history of Antarctica through
paleo-climate and ice-sheet modeling integrated
with the geological record

• The scale rapidity of ice sheet and sea ice
  response to climate forcing
• Sea level changes
• Changes in heat sinks and insulators

http//www.ace.scar.org/
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Antarctic Climate Evolution (ACE)
Model past ice-sheet behavior in response to
change

• Climate
• ice cores
• sedimentary facies
• seismic data
• Paleo-oceanographic conditions
• paleo-ecology
• climate proxies in ocean sediments
• Paleo-geography
• recorded in landscape evolution

Hypotheses building and testing through modeling
of responses to future global change
http//www.ace.scar.org/
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Antarctica and the Global Climate System (AGCS)
Theme 1 Decadal Time Scale Variability
Theme 2 Global Regional Signals In Ice Cores
http//www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/SCAR_ssg_ps/AGCS.h
tm
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Antarctica and the Global Climate System (AGCS)
Theme 3 Natural and Anthropogenic Forcings On
the Antarctic Climate System
Five years of Summer Storm Tracks
The Deep Ocean Conveyor Belt
Theme 4 The Export of Antarctic Climate Signals
http//www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/SCAR_ssg_ps/AGCS.h
tm
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Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic (EBA)
The response of life to change

• Evolutionary history and adaptations
• Gene flow and population dynamics.
• Organismal, ecosystems and diversity patterns
• Environmental change, biodiversity and ecosystem
  function.

http//www.nioo.knaw.nl/projects/scarlsssg/eba/
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Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic (EBA)
Programs

• Census of Antarctic Marine Life
• Marine Biodiversity Information Network (MARBIN)

http//www.nioo.knaw.nl/projects/scarlsssg/eba/
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Interhemispheric Conjugacy Effects in
Solar-Terrestrial and Aeronomy Research (ICESTAR)
Linking Near-Earth Space to Polar Regions
Use the unique polar regions vantage point of
the polar regions to study the Earths inner
core, the Earths magnetic field, geospace, the
Sun and beyond
http//www.siena.edu/physics/ICESTAR/
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Interhemispheric Conjugacy Effects in
Solar-Terrestrial and Aeronomy Research (ICESTAR)
Thematic Groups

• Similarities and differences between polar upper
  atmospheres
• Atmospheric consequences of the global electric
  circuit
• Dynamics of the inner magnetospheric particles,
  fields and the polar atmosphere
• Creating a data portal for all polar data sets
  and modeling results

http//www.siena.edu/physics/ICESTAR/
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Subglacial Antarctic Lake Exploration (SALE)
Scientific Themes
http//scarsale.tamu.edu/
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Subglacial Antarctic Lake Exploration (SALE)
Scientific Foci

• Geological evolution of Antarctica
• Next generation of ice sheet models incorporating
  the subglacial aquatic environments
• Role of discharges of subglacial water in ice
  dynamics
• Evolution, phylogeny and metabolic diversity of
  subglacial organisms
• Seed organisms and subsequent adaptations.

http//scarsale.tamu.edu/
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SCAR Scientific Research ProgramsNext Generation
- 2010
Astronomy Astrophysics from Antarctica
Image David A. Hardy
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Strength Through Partnerships
Scientific Bodies of ICSU
Elements of the Antarctic Treaty System
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Conferences, Thematic Symposia,and Workshops
SCAR Biennial Open Science Conference

• Biology Symposium
• International Symposium on Antarctic Earth
  Sciences (ISAES)
• International Glaciological Symposium
• Thematic Workshops
• i.e., SALE 2006, Ice Drilling, ACE, AGCS,
  ICESTAR, SOOS, and ISMASS
• Joint Thematic Workshops
• SCAR-IASC Bipolar High Latitude Climate Workshops

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Data, Information and Products

• Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management
• Managers of National Antarctic Data Centers,
  Antarctic Master Directory
• Standing Committee on Antarctic Geographic
  Information
• Manages Geographical Information, Gazetteer of
  Place Names, Antarctic Digital Database, Features
  Catalogues, Map catalogue
• Other Products
• Reference Antarctic Data for Environmental,
  Research (meteorology, oceanography, ice data
  sets), Sea Ice Database, Terrestrial Biodiversity
  Database, Marine Biodiversity Information
  Network, Seismic Data Library, Antarctic Bedrock
  Map, Magnetic Anomaly Map

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SCAR Recognition Activities

• SCAR Fellowships
• SCAR Medals Outstanding Achievement in Science,
  Excellence in Research, and International
  Scientific Coordination
• Named Lectures Weyprecht OSC Lecture

• Young Scientists Presentation Awards - OSC
• Certificates of Appreciation
• Honorary Memberships
• Martha T. Muse Prize early to mid-career
  leaders
• Visiting Professor Program

Please Nominate Fellow Students, Scientists And
Researchers
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How Can I Participate in SCAR?

• Serve on Action or Expert Groups
• Form or Participate in a Program Planning Group
• Join an Existing Scientific Research Program
• Act as National Representatives to SCAR
  Delegates, SSGs

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How Can I Participate in SCAR?

• Propose Sessions for, Serve as Chairs of
  Sessions, and/or Submit Abstracts to the SCAR
  Open Science Conferences
• Propose or Participate in Workshops and Symposia
• Participate in Standing Committees
• Apply/Nominate for Fellowships
• Secondment to the Secretariat

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SCAR Fellowship Program

• Encourage involvement of early career scientists
• Strengthens international capacity and
  cooperation
• Awards up to US 15,000

To allow researchers from one SCAR Member country
to undertake short term visits to major
international laboratories, field facilities,
and/or home institutions of other SCAR Member
countries
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Administration of the Martha T. Muse Prize
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How do I Learn About SCAR Activities?

• Colleagues and peers
• Chairs, conveners, and leaders of SCAR subsidiary
  bodies
• Attend conferences, symposia, and workshops
• The SCAR Secretariat

• Web site
• Newsletters and Bulletins (quarterly)
• Publications and Proceedings
• SCAR National Committees
• Join SCAR Facebook

Contact me!!!!! m-kennicutt_at_tamu.edu
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Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
(SCAR)
We invite you to join an international community
of Antarctic scientists, researchers, and
enthusiasts!!!!
http//www.scar.org/
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Questions ?