ISMASS Expert Group Report 2020 Popular

Integrated Science for the Sub-Antarctic (ISSA) 2018-2020 Report

Expert Group of the Life Sciences Group

Report Author(s): Justine Shaw, The University of Queensland, Australia

Summary of activities from 2018-20 and any other important issues or factors

• Following Davos 2018, the programme grew in members and scope. Links were established with input to existing and emergent research groups.
• Several large international grants were submitted by members that focused on sub-Antarctic science, facilitated and through new collaborations formed in association with ISSA.
• We contributed to the ANTOS program, highlighting the need for more time series observations to document change in the environment and to processes.
• We have notable input to the development of the proposed SCAR SRP AntICON.
• An international ISSA workshop held in late 2018 in New Zealand brought together key researchers from across the region, with representatives from France, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
• During 2019 and 2020, considerable effort was put into the design and promotion of a sub-Antarctic Forum (to be held as part of the SCAR activities), in conjunction with the governments of Tasmania, Australia and New Zealand. During this process, new linkage were formed between responsible agencies, managers, researchers and national programs. There was considerable uptake for the Forum and it triggered sharing of information and links related to sub-Antarctic research in the lead. ECRs were engaged and many became involved in virtual discussion and sharing of ideas.
• ISSA members submitted a session to SCAR Open Science Conference in 2020 -Sub-Antarctic Islands: Sentinels of Change
• ISSA has maintained strong relationships with the Antarctic Nearshore and Terrestrial Observing System, Southern Ocean Observing System.