SCAR has three overarching Science Groups that help to coordinate activities on the disciplinary level. SCAR Member countries are asked to nominate at least one representative from their country to help oversee SCAR’s activities within the disciplinary Science Groups - GeoSciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences. These representatives help to guide the research undertaken as well as make decisions on approving new groups and setting group budgets. They are also asked to provide information on activities within their country that can be shared with the larger Antarctic community. For more information on how SCAR works, please visit the SCAR membership guide.
The Life Sciences Group oversees these groups:
Life Sciences Scientific Research Programmes:
- State of the Antarctic Ecosystem - AntEco
- Antarctic Thresholds - Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation - AnT-ERA
Life Sciences Expert Groups:
- Antarctic Near-shore and Terrestrial Observing System – ANTOS
- Biogeochemical Exchange Processes at the Sea-Ice Interfaces – BEPSII
- Expert Group on Antarctic Biodiversity Informatics – EG-ABI
- Expert Group on Birds and Marine Mammals – EGBAMM
- Joint Expert Group on Human Biology and Medicine – JEGHBM
- Southern Ocean Continuous Plankton Recorder Database – SO-CPR
Life Sciences Action Groups:
- Input Pathways of persistent organic pollutants to AntarCTica - ImPACT
- Integrated Science for the Sub-Antarctic – ISSA
- Plastic in Polar Environments - Plastic-AG
- Remote Sensing of Birds and Animals - Remote Sensing
- SCAR Krill Action Group (SKAG)
- Southern Ocean Acidification - Acidification
SCAR also co-sponsors the Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Southern Ocean - ICED. This group shares its activities and reports through the SCAR Life Sciences Group.
Terms of Reference:
- take a strategic view of scientific research requirements in the Antarctic, keeping under review scientific matters dealing with the Antarctic environment;
- share information on disciplinary scientific research being conducted by national Antarctic programmes, and identify research areas where current research is lacking;
- coordinate proposals for future research to achieve maximum scientific and logistic effectiveness;
- establish links and/or partnerships with other relevant international organizations having an interest in Antarctic science;
- identify research areas or fields that might be best investigated by a SCAR Scientific Research Programme and where appropriate establish a Scientific Programme Planning Group to develop a formal proposal for consideration by the Delegates;
- establish Action Groups and Expert Groups, either individually or jointly with either or both other Science Groups to address specific scientific topics;
- make funding requests where appropriate for SCAR support of Science Group activities (symposia, workshops, etc);
- provide scientific advice to the Meetings of Directors, Secretariat, or Standing Committees as required;
- keep other SCAR Subsidiary Bodies and the SCAR Secretariat aware of their actions and plans;
- encourage submission of data and metadata to the Antarctic Data Management System.