Documents

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 22: Capacity Building, Education and Training Committee Report

Agenda Item: 13.1
Person Responsible: M. Ravichandran

Authors: M. Ravichandran (India), Eoghan Griffin (Secretariat)

Summary

The CBET Committee has worked to advance SCAR activities in building capacity where possible, and in particular in addressing some of the issues arising from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic through 2020. The annual Fellowships and Visiting Scholar schemes have been reviewed, while issues of diversity and inclusion have also been addressed through the establishment of a scoping group to advise on the best approach.
In partnership with Polar Educators International (PEI), the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the International Arctic Scientific Council (IASC), the Polar Resource Book project has been advanced and a website launched to make the materials from the original book freely available.
The SCAR Medals are being reviewed before the launch of the next round in 2021, to be presented at the OSC in Hyderabad in 2022.

Recommendations

Delegates are asked to consider making additional voluntary contributions to the Fellowships and Visiting Scholar schemes to allow extra awards, following the example of India, Korea, Switzerland and France.
Delegates are also asked to authorise development of an Action Group to tackle Equality, Diversity and Inclusion issues, to work with the CBET Committee and to report to the Vice President for CBET.

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 23: INStabilities & Thresholds in ANTarctica (INSTANT) Science and Implementation Plan

Agenda Item: 14.1
Person Responsible: Tim Naish

Authors: Tim Naish and Florence Colleoni

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 24: Integrated Science to Inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation (Ant-ICON) Science and Implementation Plan

Agenda Item: 14.2
Person Responsible: Aleks Terauds

Authors: Aleks Terauds and Mercedes Santos

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 25: Near-term Variability and Prediction of the Antarctic Climate System (AntClimNow) Science and Implementation Plan

Agenda Item: 14.3
Person Responsible: Tom Bracegirdle

Authors: Tom Bracegirdle and Ilana Wainer

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 26: Report of Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management (SCADM)

Agenda Item: 15.1
Person Responsible: Johnathan Kool

Author: Johnathan Kool (Australia)

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 28: Final Report of SRP AntClim21 (Antarctic Climate Change in the 21st Century)

Agenda Item: 16.1
Person Responsible: Tom Bracegirdle

Authors: Tom Bracegirdle (UK), Nancy Bertler (New Zealand), Alia Khan (USA), Gerhard Krinner (France), Marilyn Raphael (USA), Joellen Russell (USA).

Introduction/background to the programme

AntClim21 has been focussed on the critical issue of estimating how the Antarctic climate system may change over the 21st century. Although the focus was on physical components of the system, specifically atmosphere, ocean and sea ice, strong links across disciplines led to some of the most exciting and high impact science. Key to making scientific progress has been the evaluation of climate models against observations and reconstructions of the past, ranging from the modern instrumental period to longer-term paleo-reconstructions.

Major achievements and legacies

AntClim21 led, and contributed to, major scientific advances. Improved estimates of Antarctic climate change to 2100 were achieved in a number of ways. A new method for combining information from many different climate models was developed to give more precise estimates of Antarctic temperature change. AntClim21 improved the climate model information used in collaborative inter-disciplinary studies of climate change impacts on the Antarctic ice sheet and Antarctic marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
The advances in climate projections were founded on improved knowledge how climate has behaved in the past (both recent and paleo) and on using this information to evaluate the reliability of climate models and the projections they produce. Other major achievements and legacies are:

• Contribution of scientific literature to IPCC reports, both special and full assessment reports.
• The provision of extensive support for ECRs, in particular inclusion in running AntClim21, support for attendance at AntClim21 workshops and meetings, support for attendance at major international conferences (both SCAR and non-SCAR) and through networking events at conferences.
• The development of a vibrant international community of Antarctic climate researchers connecting a range of disciplines.

Final procedural recommendations to Delegates (see main text for an explanation)

To help increase engagement of new participants to SRPs, AntClim21 recommends improvements to group webpages. Related to this, access for approved SRP members to make direct webpage edits would help improve efficiency of implementing updates.

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 29: Final Report of SRP AntEco (State of the Antarctic Ecosystem)

Agenda Item: 16.2
Person Responsible: Huw Griffiths

Authors: Jan Strugnell (Australia) & Huw Griffiths (UK), Steering Committee (international)

Background to Programme

AntEco aimed to increase the scientific knowledge of biodiversity, from genes to ecosystems that, coupled with increased knowledge of species biology, can be used for the conservation and management of Antarctic ecosystems.
Biological diversity is the sum of all organisms in a system. These organisms collectively determine how ecosystems function and underpin the life-support system of our planet. The SCAR-Biology Programme – State of the Antarctic Ecosystem (AntEco) was been designed to focus on past and present patterns of biodiversity across all environments within the Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and Southern Ocean regions. The broad objectives of the programme were to increase the scientific knowledge of biodiversity, from genes to ecosystems that, coupled with increased knowledge of species biology, can be used for the conservation and management of Antarctic ecosystems.

Major achievements and legacies

Networking, workshops and supporting early career researchers.
An Expansive list of publications (over 200 articles, reports and book chapters) including the SCAR Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean.
SO-AntEco expedition to the South Orkney Island Marine Protected Area.
Founding members of the Marine Ecosystem Assessment of the Southern Ocean.
AntEco has also had several new significant contributions to the Antarctic Environments Portal.

Final procedural recommendations to Delegates

AntEco members have played very active roles in formulating the new SRPs. As such, future research recommendations have been captured. We recommend that SCAR continues to support the community established by AntEco (and Ant-ERA) through continuing to support sessions at conferences and the existing mailing lists.(see main text for an explanation)

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 30: Final Report of SRP AnT-ERA (Antarctic Thresholds – Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation)

Agenda Item: 16.3
Person Responsible: Julian Gutt

Authors: J. Gutt (Germany), B. Adams (USA), I.-Y. Ahn (South Korea), V. Cummings (New Zealand), I. Hogg (Canada), E. Isla (Spain), L. Peck (UK), I. Schloss (Argentina), C.R. Smith (USA), A. Takahashi (Japan), C. Verde (Italy), D. Wall (USA), J. Xavier (Portugal)

Introduction/background to the programme

AnT-ERA was launched in 2013 with the mission to facilitate multinational inclusive research on primarily, but not exclusively, climate-driven biological processes in Antarctic ecosystems. This included marine, terrestrial and limnetic systems and covered all levels of biological organisation from molecules to entire ecosystems.

Major achievements and legacies

AnT-ERA focussed on the multifold exchange of experience and results at conferences, on capacity building during courses and research visits; as well as on conceptional brainstorming and synthesizing workshops, including the publication of their output. We formed an open network of experts in Antarctic ecology, who actively cooperated in fundamental, interdisciplinary and stakeholder-orientated research. Our support was inclusive in terms of ethnic affiliation, gender, stage of career and the highest possible diversity of newly emerging or small national programmes.

Final procedural recommendations to Delegates

We kindly ask the Delegates for a formal approval of our activities.
SCAR could make climate-change induced hazards of Antarctic ecosystems a focus of future research initiatives. SCAR could also play an active role in contributing ecological knowledge from Antarctic ecosystems to large international frameworks and assessments such as the UN Global Ocean Assessment, IPBES, IPCC, and the UN Decade of Ocean Science.

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 31: Final Report of SRP PAIS (Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics)

Agenda Item: 16.4
Person Responsible: Laura De Santis

Authors: Laura De Santis (Italy), Tim Naish (New Zealand), with the collaboration of the PAIS steering committee

Introduction/background to the programme

The Past Antarctic Ice Sheet (PAIS) program’s aim is to provide geological and ice core evidence of Antarctic Ice Sheet response to a broad range of past climatic and oceanic conditions. That evidence is used to constrain paleo-simulations of regional Antarctic climate, ice sheet dynamics and sea-level models, as well as to improve the physics of climate and ice sheet models used in projections. Improved representation of processes within models has to narrower uncertainties in future Antarctic Ice Sheet contribution to global sea level changes in response to on-going and projected global climate change. PAIS has delivered above expectation with respect to the implementation plan developed 8 years ago, and is now completing final products. Extensive information will be available in book “Antarctic Ice Sheet evolution”
(publication planned in 2021, ANNEX A). The book is the product of a large PAIS community’s effort and represents a comprehensive synthesis of the current knowledge of Past Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics, the legacy from previous SCAR programs, and of challenges for the future.

Major achievements and legacies

PAIS has coordinated the scientific community to share ideas, integrate multi-disciplinary knowledge, produce a large amount of high-impact scientific publications, to submit innovative international scientific proposals, and facilitate large international research consortia (e.g. IODP). PAIS catalysed the interest and facilitated the cooperation from other scientific programs and organizations by demonstrating the advantages of optimizing the use of research infrastructures and tools and of multidisciplinary teamwork. The main scientific achievements have progressed understanding of the complexity of the Antarctic ice sheet sub-glacial, ice proximal environments and distal environmental response to past global climate changes at different time scales over the past 34 Million years and at higher atmospheric CO2 levels. The PAIS Programme outputs are many, diverse and span: (i) the production of high-impact scientific publications in the world’s leading journals (ii) contributions to IPCC reports, Antarctic Treaty lectures and papers, and contributions to other international policy fora, (iii) building multi-disciplinary collaboration hosting ground-breaking community-driven international conferences (e.g. Trieste 2017), (iii) supporting student and ECR summer schools and training courses, (iv) leveraging more than USD $100M for international consortia to undertake geological drilling on the Antarctic margin, and (v) development a new generation of Antarctic ice sheet models for improved future projections of ice mass change and sea-level rise. We list below areas of major contribution:

• Fundamental new insights in Antarctic Ice Sheet sensitivity during past high-CO2 worlds and its contribution to global sea-level change.
• New knowledge on the extent and nature of major Antarctic glaciations
• Importance of evolving topography, bathymetry, erosion and pinning points in ice sheet dynamics
• Reconstructions of Southern Ocean sea and air surface temperature gradients and implications for polar amplification
• First geological evidence of ocean forcing and marine ice sheet instability
• Improved temporal and spatial patterns of AIS retreat and its contribution to rapid sea-level rise during global Melt-Water Pulse 1A
• A better understanding of ice-sheet-ocean interactions
• Co-produced with SERCE, fundamental insights into Antarctic ice-Earth interactions and their influence on regional sea-level variability and Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics
• Improved interpretation of subglacial processes from mapping the seabed
• Paleo-data calibrated ice sheets models provide revised global sea-level predictions for IPCC scenarios.

Finally, as PAIS evolved it became more transdisciplinary working with solid Earth geodynamicists, oceanographers, climate scientists and a modellers. This lead to the development of a white paper that reflected a convergence of scientific interest across SCAR’s science groups on improving the understanding of Antarctica’s dynamic ice sheet contribution to global sea-level rise and lead to the development of the multi-disciplinary INSTANT Programme.

Final procedural recommendations to Delegates

SCAR continues to face some organisational challenges within its Science Groups. There is a high degree of fragmentation that leads to some inefficiencies and overlap of effort and capabilities. The SRP’s have proven instrumental in helping co-ordinate and focus SCAR capabilities on high-priority scientific issues, such as those outlined in the SCAR Horizon Scan. Future SRP’s need to build strong links with action and expert groups in SCAR (some rationalisation is still required), as well as external partners to ensure SCAR’s scientific capability is most effectively contributing to issues of global importance.

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 32: Final Report of SRP SERCE (Solid Earth Responses and Influences on Cryospheric Evolution)

Agenda Item: 16.5
Person Responsible: Pippa Whitehouse

Authors: Pippa Whitehouse (UK), Matt King (Australia) 

Summary

The overarching objective of the Solid Earth Response and influence on Cryospheric Evolution (SERCE) scientific research programme has been to:

Advance understanding of the interactions between the solid earth and the cryosphere to better constrain ice mass balance, ice dynamics and sea-level change in a warming world.

This objective was achieved through integrated analysis and incorporation of geological, geodetic and geophysical measurements into models of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) and ice sheet dynamics.

In brief,

• SERCE has helped transform GIA science
• SERCE has accelerated and broadened research on GIA modelling, ice sheet modelling, glacial seismology, and other related fields, by training new cohorts of researchers through co-sponsored Schools
• SERCE has advanced understanding of Antarctic geothermal heat flow and its impact on ice sheet dynamics
• SERCE has elevated global understanding of the role of Antarctic ice mass balance in future sea-level change

SERCE has been particularly effective at facilitating the development of new communities which have opened new areas of scientific endeavour. The two major community-building achievements are:

• Building a new generation of scientists working on understanding glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) and notably the observation and modelling of spatial variations in solid Earth properties and their feedbacks on the ice sheet; and
• Facilitating the creation of a multidisciplinary community of scientists focused on quantifying spatially variable geothermal heat flow (GHF)

These communities have been built through support of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to travel to SERCE-supported meetings, including workshops and two highly successful GIA training schools which attracted a total of 87 in-person attendees and >100 virtual attendees. About 75% of SERCE funds have supported ECRs.

SERCE has represented its aims through a series of statements regarding scientific priorities. SERCE issued statements directed toward national funding bodies to continue and extend networks of GPS and seismic instruments, and to support the collection of in situ measurements of GHF and bedrock radiogenic heat production. SERCE articulated the need for individual scientists to make seismic and geodetic data freely and openly available within data repositories. SERCE successfully recommended to SCAR that geodetic monuments be maintained, and not removed at the end of individual studies, to enable long-term mm-level monitoring of the crust.

Finally, we would like to note that SERCE has been well supported through the SCAR office and particularly the work of Eoghan and Chandrika most recently. The funding level of $20k/yr has enabled targeted and well considered support and we remain convinced that ECRs in particular have benefited as a result. This is borne out in the testimony we have received from many individual researchers who replied to our call for input to this report.

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 33: Final Report of SRP AAA (Astronomy and Astrophysics in Antarctica

Agenda Item: 16.6
Person Responsible: Tony Travouillon

Authors: Tony Travouillon (Australian National University, AUS), Jennifer Cooper (University of Kansas, USA), Adriana Maria Gulisano (Instituto Antártico Argentino, Argentina)

Introduction to the Program

The Astronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica group (AAA). The group is led by a steering committee with representation from 9 countries. This program supports collaborations between astronomers using Antarctica as a platform to make observations of the cosmos that would be impossible from other locations on earth and at a fraction of the cost of operating in space. Astronomy is Antarctica represents over a thousand astronomers working with facilities located at 6 locations on the Antarctic plateau and spanning a wide spectrum of scientific specialties from cosmology to exoplanet searches. Facilities in Antarctica such as IceCube have played a central goal in the birth of “multi messenger astronomy” which has emerged over this decade.

The SCAR AAA SRP Planning Group was proposed at the Hobart XXIX SCAR in 2006. Creation of the AAA SRP was approved at the Moscow XXX SCAR Delegates meeting in 2008. AAA held its first formal meeting as a Scientific Research Program in August 2010 in Buenos Aires, followed by a kick-off meeting in Sydney in June 2011. At the end of the group tenure in 2018, a proposal was presented to the SCAR delegates for a SCAR Science Group dedicated to Astronomical and Spaces sciences called “Astro Sciences”.

Major Achievements and legacies

In its first four years (2011-2014), SCAR AAA has worked hard to meet its initial objectives; providing a forum to facilitate international cooperation, clarify science goals, consolidate comparative site testing data, and raise the profile of SCAR within the international astronomical community and the general public. Major meetings took place in Portland (2012), Siena (2013), and Auckland (2014).

During the second 4 years (2015-2018), SCAR AAA completed the Testing Site for the future ‘data portal’, convened and supported both a half-day science session and business meetings at the SCAR OSC in Kuala Lumpur and at POLAR2018 in Davos and held a 3-day meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Final procedural recommendations to Delegates

ASTRO Sciences seeks the endorsement of SCAR AAA efforts which would maintain momentum of the AAA community, entice new SCAR member countries with AAA opportunities and spur increased coordination and reduce redundancy of equipment on the plateau.

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 34: Norway’s Bid to Host 2026 SCAR OSC and Meetings

Agenda Item: 7.2
Person Responsible: Ole Arve Misund

 Author: Ole Arve Misund (Norway)

Summary

Proposal, on behalf of the Norwegian Polar Institute, to host SCAR’s Open Science Conference and Biennial Meetings in 2026 in the city of Oslo. The bid comprises a letter outlining the bid.

Recommendations

Delegates are asked to consider the bid from Norway for hosting the 2026 meetings.

SCAR XXXVI Delegates Meeting, Online, 16-25 March 2021

SCAR XXXVI Paper 35: Antarctic COVID-19 Project – Final Report

Agenda Item: 9.1
Person Responsible: Daniela Liggett

 Authors: Daniela Liggett (New Zealand), Andrea Herbert (New Zealand)

Summary

In late 2020 (30 September to 21 November), an online survey was distributed to Antarctic researchers as part of an international and interdisciplinary research project (“The impacts of COVID-19 on Antarctica”) led by Dr Daniela Liggett and Dr Andrea Herbert and supported by SCAR1. The aim of the survey was to determine (1) how the pandemic had affected Antarctic scientists professionally and personally, and (2) what SCAR could do to support the Antarctic research community.

Distributed via some of the key global Antarctic networks (SCAR, COMNAP, APECS, Polarpol and researchers’ personal Antarctica-related networks), the survey was completed in full, or partially, by 406 respondents from all continents, albeit with a strong representation from English-speaking countries (with 37% of respondents originating from the USA, UK, New Zealand or Australia). Efforts to boost non-Western participation by translating the survey into Spanish, Mandarin and Russian did not lead to a significant increase in response rates among Spanish-, Mandarin- or Russian-speaking Antarctic researchers.

Respondents identified as life scientists (38%), geoscientists (30%), physical scientists (10%), social scientists/humanities scholars (8%), or individuals working in Antarctic management (4%), logistics and operations (3%), or governance (1%)3 . Nearly half of respondents identified as early-career researchers (ECRs), which was defined in the survey to include research students or those within five years of finishing their PhD, excluding career breaks. 51% of respondents hold a permanent full-time position.

On average, around a third of participants (32%) reported that the pandemic had a significant or extreme negative impact on their mental wellbeing, while 23% reported no negative impact, and the rest fall between these two extremes. Despite additional stress arising from governments’ responses to COVID-19, some benefits of travel restrictions and various levels of lockdown/stay-home orders were perceived by our survey respondents. In fact, around half of participants (52%) were able to identify some form of positive impact of the pandemic on their lives. Examples cited included working from home, attending online conferences, or completing online trainings.

The survey results make clear that the impacts of the pandemic are distributed unequally among Antarctic scientists. Studies across disciplines and countries on the impact of COVID-19 on scientists report a disproportionate impact on women, especially those with caregiving responsibilities, and on ECRs. Our survey confirms these trends for Antarctic researchers. Too few participants from countries with developing Antarctic programmes completed the survey to allow for an educated assessment of how these countries’ Antarctic communities have been impacted by the pandemic.

Survey respondents considered a range of measures to be the most helpful with regard to how SCAR could support those impacted by the pandemic. They fall into five broader categories: (1) Access to additional funding and fellowship opportunities; (2) the facilitation of international collaboration and data-sharing arrangements; (3) the continued offer of access to conferences and workshops online, and (4) emphasising the strategic importance of Antarctic research across all disciplines and its role in capacity development; and (5) consideration of the pandemic’s unequal impacts across the Antarctic research community and active accommodation of disadvantaged community members.