Documents

A brief account of the evolution of SCAR 1958-2006 from the SCAR Subsidiary Groups. This includes information regarding SCAR Working Groups from SCAR meetings between February 1958 and July 2005.

Author: Peter D.Clarkson

A History of SCAR, 2004-2010. C.P. Summerhayes, 2011. SCAR Occasional Publication. SCAR, Cambridge. ISBN 978 0 948277 26 9

A Statistical Assessment of the Status and Trends of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Seabirds; Montana Workshop Report. Woehler et al., 2001.

Analysis: Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, M. Kennicutt, 2010. Published by Research Media.

Mahlon ‘Chuck’ Kennicutt II, President of SCAR, highlights the increasing role played by polar research as a measure of our changing climate, and sets out the importance of a political consensus in managing this challenging area.

Antarctic Digital Database Manual, version 3.0

Manual and Bibliography

July 2000

ADD Version 3.0, prepared by the Mapping and Geographic Information Centre of the British Antarctic Survey, on behalf of the ADD Consortium, under the auspices of the SCAR Working Group on Geodesy and Geographic Information.

Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean. De Broyer, C., Koubbi, P., Griffiths, H.J., Raymond, B., Udekem d’Acoz, C. d’, Van de Putte, A.P., Danis, B., David, B., Grant, S., Gutt, J., Held, C., Hosie, G., Huettmann, F., Post, A., Ropert-Coudert, Y. (eds.): 510 pp., 2014. Cambridge, SCAR. ISBN 978-0-948277-28-3

This document was put together as a composite of the sections of the Atlas available on the biodiversity.aq website. The links below also provide access to the individual sections, where available. To purchase the Atlas, see the infomation on the biodiversity.aq website.

The Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean

Front Matter – Preface, Foreward, List of Contributors, Acknowledgements

PART 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. The Southern Ocean biogeography (C. De Broyer, P. Koubbi)
1.2. The Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) (M. Stoddart)

PART 2. METHODS

2.1. Data and mapping (A.P. Van de Putte, H.J. Griffiths, B. Raymond, B. Danis)
2.2. Data distribution: Patterns and implications (H.J. Griffiths, A.P. Van de Putte, B. Danis)
2.3. Distribution modelling (S. Mormède, J.O. Irisson, B. Raymond)

PART 3. EVOLUTIONARY SETTING

3.1. Evolutionary setting (J.A. Crame)
3.2. Reconstructions of the Southern Ocean and Antarctic regions (L. Lawver, L.M. Gahagan, I. Dalziel)
3.3. Palaeo-oceanography (Box) (R. Gersonde)

PART 4. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING

(A.L. Post, A.J.S. Meijers, A.D. Fraser, K.M. Meiners, J. Ayers, N.L. Bindoff, H.J. Griffiths, A.P. Van de Putte, P.E. O’Brien, K.M. Swadling, B. Raymond)

1. Introduction
2. Bathymetry and slope
3. Geomorphology
4. Sediments
5. Last glacial maximum grounding line
6. Sea ice
7. Southern Ocean physical oceanography
8. Sub-polar hydrography and oceanography
9. The Southern Ocean mixed layer and surface properties
10. Sea floor temperature
11. Surface and water column nutrients and oxygen
12. Conclusions

PART 5. BIOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF BENTHOS

5.1. Macroalgae (C. Wiencke, C.D. Amsler, M.N. Clayton)
5.2. Benthic Foraminifera (A.J. Gooday, N. Rothe, S.S. Bowser, J. Pawlowski)
5.3. Antarctic free-living marine Nematodes (J. Ingels, F. Hauquier, M. Raes, A. Vanreusel)
5.4. Southern Ocean Harpacticoida (Crustacea: Copepoda) (K.H. George)
5.5. Porifera (D. Janussen, R.V. Downey)
5.6. Benthic Hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) (Á.L. Peña Cantero)
5.7. Stylasteridae (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) (N. Bax, S. Cairns)
5.8. Antarctic Hexacorals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia) (E. Rodríguez, D.G. Fautin)
5.9. Sipuncula and Echiura (J.I. Saiz Salinas)
5.10. Gastropoda (S. Schiaparelli, K. Linse)
5.11. Bivalvia (K. Linse)
5.12. Southern Ocean Octopuses (A.L. Allcock)
5.13. Polychaetes (M. Schüller, B. Ebbe)
5.14. Southern Ocean biogeographic patterns in Pycnogonida (A. Soler-Membrives, T. Munilla, P. Arango, H.J. Griffiths)
5.15. Benthic Ostracoda (S.N. Brandão, R.V. Dingle)
5.16. Lophogastrida and Mysida (Crustacea: Malacostraca: Peracarida) of the Southern Ocean (V.V. Petryashov)
5.17. Biogeographic patterns of Southern Ocean benthic Amphipods (C. De Broyer, A. Jażdżewska)
5.18. Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Isopod Crustaceans (Peracarida: Malacostraca) (S. Kaiser)
5.19. Tanaidacea (M. Błażewicz-Paszkowycz)
5.20. Southern Ocean Cumacea (U. Mühlenhardt-Siegel)
5.21. Decapoda: Crabs & Lobsters (H.J. Griffiths, R.J. Whittle, S.J. Roberts, M. Belchier, K. Linse, S. Thatje)
5.22. Shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda) (Z. Basher, M.J. Costello)
5.23. Bryozoa (D.K.A. Barnes, R.V. Downey)
5.24. Asteroidea (B. Danis, H.J. Griffiths, M. Jangoux)
5.25. Southern Ocean Crinoids (M. Eléaume, L.G. Hemery, M. Roux, N. Améziane)
5.26. Echinoids (T. Saucède, B. Pierrat, B. David)
5.27. Ascidian fauna south of the Sub-Tropical Front (C. Primo, E. Vázquez)
5.28. Classification and spatially explicit illustration of Antarctic macrobenthic assemblages: A feasibility study (J. Gutt, D.K.A. Barnes, S.J. Lockhart)
5.29. Southern Ocean benthic deep-sea biodiversity and biogeography (A. Brandt, A.P. Van de Putte, H.J. Griffiths)
5.30. Chemosynthetic communities (A.D. Rogers, K. Linse)
5.31. Biotic Interactions (S. Schiaparelli)

PART 6. BIOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF PELAGIC AND SEA-ICE BIOTA

6.1. Tintinnid ciliates of the marine plankton (J.R. Dolan, R.W. Pierce)
6.2. Phytoplankton diversity in the Southern Ocean: A satellite view (S. Alvain, F. d’Ovidio)
6.3. Southern Ocean gelatinous zooplankton (D. Lindsay, E. Guerrero, M. Grossmann, V. Fuentes)
6.4. Southern Ocean Pteropods (D. Roberts, R.R. Hopcroft, G.W. Hosie)
6.5. Southern Ocean Squid (P.G.K. Rodhouse, H.J. Griffiths, J. Xavier)
6.6. Southern Ocean pelagic Copepods (J.H.M. Kouwenberg, C. Razouls, N. Desreumaux)
6.7. Halocyprid Ostracods of the Southern Ocean (M.V. Angel, K. Blachowiak-Samolyk)
6.8. Amphipoda: Hyperiidea (W. Zeidler, C. De Broyer)
6.9. Southern Ocean Euphausiids (J. Cuzin-Roudy, J.-O. Irisson, F. Penot, S. Kawaguchi, C. Vallet)
6.10. Sea-ice Metazoans (K.M. Swadling)

PART 7. BIOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF FISH

(G. Duhamel, P.-A. Hulley, R. Causse, P. Koubbi, M. Vacchi, P. Pruvost, S. Vigetta, J.-O. Irisson, S. Mormède, M. Belchier, A. Dettai, H.W. Detrich, J. Gutt, C.D. Jones, K.-H. Kock, L.J. Lopez Abellan, A.P. Van de Putte)

PART 8. BIOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS

(Y. Ropert-Coudert, M.A. Hindell, R. Phillips, J.-B. Charrassin, L. Trudelle, B. Raymond)

PART 9. CHANGES AND CONSERVATION IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN

9.1. Climate change and predictions on pelagic biodiversity components (F. Huettmann, M.S. Schmid)
9.2. Past, present and future state of pelagic habitats in the Antarctic Ocean (D. Reygondeau, F. Huettmann)
9.3. Assessing status and change in Southern Ocean ecosystems (A.J. Constable, D. Costa, E. Murphy, E. Hofmann, O. Schofield, A. Press, N.M. Johnston, L. Newman)
9.4. Conservation and management (S.M. Grant, P. Koubbi, P. Penhale)

PART 10. PATTERNS AND PROCESSES OF SOUTHERN OCEAN BIOGEOGRAPHY

10.1. Benthic regional classification (L.L. Douglass, D. Beaver, B. Raymond, A.J. Constable, A. Brandt, A.L. Post, S. Kaiser, H.S. Grantham, R.A. Nicoll)
10.2. Pelagic regionalisation (B. Raymond)
10.3. Near surface zooplankton communities (G. Hosie, S. Mormède, J. Kitchener, K. Takahashi, B. Raymond)
10.4. Bipolarity (L. Allcock, H.J. Griffiths)
10.5. Phylogeography (C. Held)
10.6. Phylogeographic patterns of the Lysianassoidea (Crustacea: Peracarida: Amphipoda) (C. Havermans)
10.7. Phylogeographic patterns of the Southern Ocean Crinoids (Crinoidea: Echinodermata) (M. Eléaume, L.G. Hemery, N. Améziane)
10.8. Biogeographic processes in the Southern Ocean (T. Saucède, B. Pierrat, B. Danis, B. David)

PART 11. THE DYNAMIC BIOGEOGRAPHIC ATLAS PROJECT

(B. Danis, C. De Broyer, P. Koubbi, A.P. Van de Putte)

PART 12. CONCLUSIONS: PRESENT AND FUTURE OF SOUTHERN OCEAN BIOGEOGRAPHY

(P. Koubbi, C. De Broyer, H.J. Griffiths, B. Raymond, C. d’Udekem d’Acoz, A.P. Van de Putte, B. Danis, B. David, S. Grant, J. Gutt, C. Held, G. Hosie, F. Huettmann, A. Post, Y. Ropert-Coudert, M. Stoddart, K.M. Swadling, V. Wadley)

PART 13. APPENDIX

Appendix 1: Nematoda
Appendix 2: Tanaidacea
Appendix 3: Ascidiacea
Appendix 4: Fish

ALL CHAPTERS (560 MB zip download)

(B. Danis, C. De Broyer, P. Koubbi, A.P. Van de Putte)

Reference:
Xavier, J. C., Cherel, Y., Boxshall, G., Brandt, A., Coffer, T., Forman, J., Havermans, C., Jażdżewska, A. M., Kouwenberg, K., Schiaparelli, S., Schnabel, K., Siegel, V., Tarling, G. A., Thatje, S., Ward, P., Gutt, J. (2020) Crustacean guide for predator studies in the Southern Ocean. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Cambridge, UK. 253 pp.

Future Directions in Antarctic Science: Implications for National Programs. M.C.Kennicutt, 2009. Invited paper for COMNAP meeting, Punta Arenas, 3 August 2009. 10 pp.

Integrated Global Observing Strategy Cryosphere Theme Report: For the Monitoring of our Environment from Space and from Earth, IGOS, 2007. Geneva: World Meteorological Organization. WMO/TD-No. 1405. 100 pp.

King George Island and SCAR Science. M.C.Kennicutt, 2009. Invited paper for COMNAP meeting, Punta Arenas, 3 August 2009. 8 pp.

Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean (MEASO): Summary for Policymakers (2023)

Recommended Citation:

Constable, A.J., J. Melbourne-Thomas, M.M.C. Muelbert, S. McCormack, M. Brasier, J.A. Caccavo, R.D. Cavanagh,

S.M. Grant, H.J. Griffiths, J. Gutt, S.F. Henley, J. Höfer, A.B. Hollowed, N.M. Johnston, S.A. Morley, E.J. Murphy,

M.H. Pinkerton, I.R. Schloss, K.M. Swadling, A.P. Van de Putte (2023) Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the

Southern Ocean: Summary for Policymakers. Integrated Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Southern

Ocean, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research, Integrated

Marine Biosphere Research, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.8359585

Author affiliations can be found in MEASO Authors Section.

Monitoring of Environmental Impacts from Science and Operations in Antarctica

A Report for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP)

July 1996

Executive Summary

Monitoring is a fundamental element of environmental management and conservation.  It is clear that coordinated, standardized approaches to environmental monitoring are essential if temporal and regional trends in the quality of the Antarctic environment are to be effectively determined.  Sharing of experiences and findings from environmental monitoring amongst Antarctic operators is essential to maximize return from invested resources.  While a number of national programs have conducted localized assessments of the impact of human activities, there has been little coordination of methodologies, study designs, or data interpretations.  International coordination of monitoring activities will significantly contribute to the management of human activities in Antarctica.

Oil and Other Minerals in the Antarctic: the environmental implications of possible mineral exploration or exploitation in Antarctica. M W Holdgate and J Tinker: 51 pp., 1979. Cambridge, SCAR. (Report of a Workshop at the Rockefeller Foundation Conference Centre, Bellagio, Italy, 5-8 March 1978).

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Antarctic Environment: A Review of Findings. R. Fuoco, G. Capodaglio, B. Muscatello and M. Radaelli (SCAR Action Group on Environmental Contamination in Antarctica): 98 pp., 2009. Cambridge, SCAR. ISBN 978 0 948277 23 8

Recent Antarctic Research in India: The National Committee Report to SCAR (2017).

Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, vol 83, No. 2 June Thematic Issue 2017, 245-512. E-ISSN 2454-9983

This is the complete document, including all the articles listed below. You can also access individual articles via the links below or from the Indian National Science Academy website.

Full list of articles:

This document provides a book review of:

Science in the snow – fifty years of international collaboration through the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Walton D.W.H. & Clarkson P.D., with additional material by C.P. Summerhayes, Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research, Cambridge, 2011, ISBN 978-0-948277-25-2, 258 pp.

The review is by:

Karlqvist, A. (2012). Science in the snow – fifty years of international collaboration through the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Walton D.W.H. & Clarkson P.D., with additional material by C.P. Summerhayes, Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research, Cambridge, 2011, ISBN 978-0-948277-25-2, 258 pp. £24. Antarctic Science, 24(3), 317-318. doi:10.1017/S095410201200034X

The Distribution and Abundance of Antarctic and Subantarctic Penguins, compiled on behalf of the SCAR Bird Biology Subcommittee by Eric J Woehler. 76 pp. 1993. ISBN 0 948277 14 9

The Southern Ocean Observing System: Initial Science and Implementation Strategy. Rintoul, S.R., Sparrow, M., Meredith, M.P., Wadley, V., Speer, K., Hofmann, E., Summerhayes, C., Urban, E., Bellerby, R.: 74 pp., 2012. Cambridge, SCAR. ISBN 978 0 948277 27 6

Executive Summary

The Southern Ocean provides the principal connection between the Earth’s ocean basins and between the upper and lower layers of the global ocean circulation. As a result, the Southern Ocean strongly influences climate patterns and the cycling of carbon and nutrients. Changes in the Southern Ocean therefore have global ramifications.

Limited observations suggest the Southern Ocean is indeed changing: the region is warming more rapidly than the global ocean average; salinity changes driven by changes in precipitation and ice melt have been observed in both the upper and abyssal ocean; the uptake of carbon by the Southern Ocean has slowed the rate of atmospheric climate change but caused basin-wide ocean acidification; and Southern Ocean ecosystems are reacting to changes in the physical and chemical environment.

However, the short and incomplete nature of existing time series makes the causes and consequences of observed changes difficult to assess. Sustained, multi-disciplinary observations are required to detect, interpret and respond to change.

The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) is needed to address six overarching scientific challenges:

1. The role of the Southern Ocean in the planet’s heat and freshwater balance
2. The stability of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation
3. The role of the ocean in the stability of the Antarctic ice sheet and its contribution to sea-level rise
4. The future and consequences of Southern Ocean carbon uptake
5. The future of Antarctic sea ice
6. The impacts of global change on Southern Ocean ecosystems

There is an urgent need to increase understanding in each of these areas to inform decision-makers confronted with the challenges of climate change, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and the sustainable management of marine resources. To deliver this information, sustained observations of the physical, biogeochemical and biological state of the Southern Ocean are critical.

The lack of historical observations has slowed progress in understanding the Southern Ocean and its connections to other parts of the Earth system. However, advances in technology and knowledge mean that it is now possible to design and implement a sustained, feasible and cost-effective observing system for this remote environment.

Users of the SOOS will include the research community, managers of marine resources, policy makers, local planners, ship operators, Antarctic tourism operators, weather and climate forecasters, and educators. Several international organisations, including the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, the World Meteorological Organisation, the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research, and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, have noted the compelling need for sustained observations of the Southern Ocean and supported the development of the SOOS.

This document outlines the scientific rationale and strategy for the SOOS; identifies the variables to be observed; presents a draft plan for an integrated multi-disciplinary observing system for the Southern Ocean; and identifies the next steps required for implementation.

Woehler & Croxall (1997), The Status and Trends of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Seabirds. Marine Ornithology 25, p 43-66.

Understanding Earth’s Polar Challenges: International Polar Year 2007-2008, 2011, Krupnik et al., (eds)., CCI Press, Alberta, Canada, 695 pp.

This document puts together sections of this report that are provided separately on the website of the International Council for Science (ICSU).