Governance

From 2008 to 2021, SCAR was governed by its Memorandum of Association (the legal statement agreed when the organisation became a registered company) and its Articles of Association (the legal rules about how the organisation is run), the two documents forming SCAR’s Constitution. When the Articles of Association were revised in March 2021, the Memorandum was incorporated into the Articles so that a single Articles of Association document now forms SCAR’s Constitution.

SCAR is registered as a Company and a Charity in the UK: Company Number 6564642; Charity Number 1124840

More detailed rules about the duties and responsibilities of SCAR’s members are laid out in the Rules and Policies section.

SCAR Organisational Structure

(a list of acronyms for the chart is given below)

Download the Organogram and list of acronyms


Previous Versions of the SCAR Organisation Chart

Charts prior to 2013 are available on the SCAR Web Archive.

SCAR Reviews

SCAR conducts regular reviews of its overall performance, and of the performance of its subsidiary groups and programmes.

Report on the SCAR Structural Review, 20-21 April 2015

SCAR Activity Internal Review External Review
Science groups every 2 years
Scientific Research Programmes (SRPs) every 2 years every 4 years
2016 SRP Review
Co-sponsored activities every 2 years every 4 years
Partnerships every 5 years
Communication activities no official review
Award schemes every 5 years
Structure and organization every 5 years
2015 Structural Review		 2016 ICSU Review
Strategic Plan every 5 years

Acronym definitions and links to subsidiary groups

AAA Astronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica
ACA Antarctic Clouds and Aerosols
ADMAP Antarctic Digital Magnetic Anomaly Project
AGATA Antarctic Geospace and Atmosphere Research
AGE Antarctic Geological Evolution
AGIVA Action Group on Intrinsic Value in Antarctica
AnMAP Antarctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
AntArchitecture Antarctic Architecture Action Group
AntClimNow Near-term Variability and Prediction of the Antarctic Climate System
Ant-ICON Integrated Science to Inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation
ANTOS Antarctic Near-shore and Terrestrial Observing System
ANTPAS Antarctic Permafrost, Soils and Periglacial Environments
Ant-TAG Antarctic Tourism Action Group
AntVolc Antarctic Volcanism
ASPeCt Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate
BEPSII Biogeochemical Exchange Processes at the Sea-Ice Interfaces
C-CAGE Changes in Circumpolar Antarctic Gradients in Ecosystems
CBET Capacity Building, Education and Training Advisory Group
Development Council
Disease in Wildlife SCAR Action Group on Disease in Wildlife
EDI Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group
EG-ABI Antarctic Biodiversity Informatics
EG-BAMM Birds and Marine Mammals
EG-BAMM’s AWHN Antarctic Wildlife Health Network
EG-GEOCON Expert Group on Geological Heritage and Geoconservation
FRISP Forum for Research into Ice Shelf Processes
GIANT Geodetic Infrastructure of Antarctica
Groundwater Action Group Groundwater
IBCSO International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean
ICED Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics
ICEPRO Action Group on Improving Paleoclimate Research in the Southern Ocean
INSTANT Instabilities & Thresholds in Antarctica
ImPACT Input Pathways of Persistent Organic Pollutants to Antarctica
IPICS International Partnership in Ice Core Sciences (joint group with PAGES and IACS)
ISMASS Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Sea Level (joint group with IASC and CliC)
JEGHBM Joint Expert Group on Human Biology and Medicine (joint Expert Group with COMNAP)
OpMet Operational Meteorology in the Antarctic
PEAR Action Group on Public Engagement with Antarctic Research
Plastic Plastic in Polar Environments Expert Group
PoLSciNex Policy-Law-Science Nexus Action Group
RINGS Antarctic RINGS Action Group (Ice Sheet Margin)
SCADM Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management
SCAGI Standing Committee on Antarctic Geographic Information
SCARFISH SCAR Action Group on Fish
SCATS Standing Committee on the Antarctic Treaty System
SC-HASS Standing Committee on Humanities and Social Sciences
SSG Standing Scientific Groups
SKEG SCAR Krill Expert Group
SOOS Southern Ocean Observing System (joint initiative with SCOR)
SORP CLIVAR/CliC/SCAR Southern Ocean Region Panel
TATE Tropical Antarctic Teleconnections

Partner organisations which co-sponsor or support groups

CliC Climate and Cryosphere Project of the WCRP (World Climate Research Programme)
CLIVAR Climate and Ocean – Variability, Predictability and Change Project of the WCRP (World Climate Research Programme)
COMNAP Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs
IACS International Association of Cryospheric Sciences
IASC International Arctic Science Committee
IGBP International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
IMBeR Future Earth’s Integrated Marine Biosphere Research
PAGES Past Global Changes
SCOR Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research