The study of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean and their role in the global Earth system has never been more important as the region is experiencing dramatic changes that have global implications.  The climatic, physical and biological properties of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are closely coupled to other parts of the global environment by the oceans and the atmosphere.  In 2009, SCAR published the landmark Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment Report.

In 2022, SCAR undertook a comprehensive update to the ACCE report, pdf Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment: A Decadal Synopsis and Recommendations for Action (15.16 MB) which was presented to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XLIV on 24 May 2022.  The report showed that climate change is having significant impacts on Antarctica’s ice sheets, climate and life, with far-reaching global consequences.

Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment Reports

• Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment: an update (published in Polar Record, 18 April 2013)
• Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment Wiki

Annual updates to the ACCE Report, 2010-19

The Expert Group on Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment acted as an umbrella for SCAR activities and produced the yearly updates to the ACCE report that were presented to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings from 2010 to 2019: