SCAR has three overarching Science Groups that help to coordinate activities on the disciplinary level – GeoSciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences. Some of SCAR’s Expert and Action Groups cover several disciplines. They are listed in this cross-disciplinary section.
AntArchitecture Action Group
This Action Group aims to develop a continent‐wide, age‐depth model of Antarctica’s ice using the internal layers and surfaces imaged by radar‐sounding and use this to determine the stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheets over past glacial cycles.
Antarctic Near-shore and Terrestrial Observing System – ANTOS
This Expert Group aims to establish a biologically focussed, integrated and coordinated Antarctic-wide observation system, to identify and track environmental variability and change at biologically relevant scales, and to use this information to inform biological, physical, and earth science studies. This group is co-sponsored by SCAR’s Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Geosciences Groups.
Groundwater Action Group
Groundwater plays a key role in critical Antarctic climate, environmental and biological processes. Despite this importance, many concepts are still hypothetical, awareness is low, and direct observations are limited. The aim of this Action Group is to bring the international scientific communities together to better address this cross-disciplinary topic.
Input Pathways of persistent organic pollutants to AntarCTica – ImPACT
This Action Group aims to facilitate coordinated investigation of chemical input to the Antarctic region, monitoring the routes through which toxic, environmental contaminants reach the continent.
RINGS – Ice Sheet Margin
This Action Group aims to clarify the current knowledge gap on ice sheet thickness across all the margins of Antarctica and assess the impacts of new data filling these knowledge gaps.