Download Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research

WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION
EC-PORS-3/Doc.6.1.2
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
PANEL OF EXPERTS ON POLAR OBSERVATIONS,
RESEARCH AND SERVICES
Submitted by: SCAR
Secretarriat
Date: 20.I.2012
Third session
SODANKYLÄ, FINLAND, 6-8 FEBRUARY 2012
AGENDA ITEM: 6.1
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON ANTARCTIC RESEARCH (SCAR)
SUMMARY
ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED:
This document provides a yearly update on SCAR activities, including its programmes,
databases and scientific projects and plans, particularly in the context of WMO activities.
DECISIONS/ACTIONS REQUIRED:
The Panel is invited to consider new and ongoing SCAR activities and to discuss the best means
of ensuring co-operation between WMO/PORS and SCAR on activities, such as:
 Implementation of the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS)
 The relationship between Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Sea Level (ISMASS and other
activities)
 The next generation of SCAR Research Programmes such as ‘Antarctic Climate Change
in the 21st Century’ (AntClim21), Solid Earth Response and Cryosphere Evolution
(SERCE), and Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics. (PAIS)
 The Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment Expert Group
REFERENCES:
1. SCAR website: http://www.scar.org/
2. Key SCAR databases:
 Met. READER: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/READER/
 Ice-READER: http://icereader.org/icereader/
 Ocean Reader: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/SCAR_ssg_ps/OceanREADER/.
3. Antarctic Master Directory:
 http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/KeywordSearch/Home.do?Portal=amd&MetadataType=0).
4. SCAR's Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment (ACCE) report and associated
updates, see: http://www.scar.org/publications/occasionals/acce.html
5. The Southern Ocean Observing System website: http://www.soos.aq
6. The SCAR/IASC Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Sea Level (ISMASS) group:
http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/physicalscience/ismass.html
7. SCAR’s next generation of research programmes:
http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/progplanning/
EC-PORS-3/Doc.6.1.2, p. 2
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON ANTARCTIC RESEARCH (SCAR)
1. Background
SCAR is an interdisciplinary body of the International Council of Science (ICSU). SCAR
currently has 36 national Members and 9 ICSU Union Members. Its mission is to be the leading,
independent, non-governmental facilitator, coordinator, and advocate of excellence in Antarctic
and Southern Ocean science and research. Secondly, SCAR’s mission is to provide
independent, scientifically-based advice to the Antarctic Treaty System and other policy makers.
The advisory mission includes the use of science to identify emerging issues and bringing these
issues to the attention of policy makers. For further information see www.scar.org
2. Scientific Activities of Relevance to WMO:
2.1. SCAR Scientific Research Programmes:
SCAR focuses its scientific efforts on several Scientific Research Programmes (SRPs) that
address major topical issues of the day. Currently these are Antarctica and the Global Climate
System (AGCS): Antarctic Climate Evolution (ACE); Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica
(EBA) and Astronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica (AAA). All but the last of these will
come to an end this July. Five new SRPs are in the advanced stages of planning and will go
forward for approval at the SCAR Delegates’ meeting this July. The new SRPs being proposed
are:





State of the Antarctic Ecosystem (AntECO)
Antarctic Thresholds - Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation (AnT-ERA)
Solid Earth Response and Cryosphere Evolution (SERCE)
Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics (PAIS) (name to be confirmed)
Antarctic Climate Change in the 21st Century (AntClim21)
The latter is most relevant to WMO activities. The goals of AntClim21 are to deliver improved
regional predictions of key elements of the Antarctic atmosphere, ocean and cryosphere for the
next 20 to 200 years and to understand the responses of the physical and biological systems to
natural and anthropogenic forcing factors. A primary form of data that will be used by AntClim21
are the global coupled atmosphere-ocean model runs that form the basis of the Fifth
Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Palaeoreconstructions of selected time periods, recognised as past analogues for future climate
predictions, will be used to validate model performances for the Antarctic region.
2.2 SCAR Action and Expert Groups
SCAR also supports a variety of other scientific activities through its Standing Scientific Groups
on Physical, Geo and Life sciences, in which value is added to national efforts through
international cooperation. These activities are coordinated by Action Groups (AG) operating for
short periods, and Expert Groups (EG) where more time is needed to achieve success. Current
AGs and EGs of relevance to WMO are:

AG on GPS for Weather and Space Weather Forecasting (GWSWF); Contact: Giorgiana
De Franceschi ([email protected]);
EC-PORS-3/Doc.6.1.2, p. 3





AG on Polar Atmospheric Chemistry at the Tropopause (PACT); Contact: Andrew
Klekociuk
([email protected])
or
Gennadi
Milinevsky
([email protected]);
AG on Prediction of Changes in the Physical and Biological Environment of the Antarctic
(PCPBEA); Contact: John Turner ([email protected]);
EG on Operational Meteorology in the Antarctic (OpMet); contact Steve Colwell
([email protected])
AG on Action Group on Antarctic Clouds and Aerosols. Contact Tom Lachlan-Cope
([email protected])
Expert Group on Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment Contact: John Turner
([email protected]);
2.3 Other Scientific Activities
2.3.1 The Southern Ocean Observing System
The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) is an initiative of SCAR, SCOR, POGO and
other international bodies, with the mission to establish a multidisciplinary observing system to
deliver sustained observations of the Southern Ocean. These observations are needed to
address key challenges of scientific and societal relevance, including climate change, sea-level
rise, and the impacts of global change on marine ecosystems.
2.3.1.1 The International Project Office (IPO)
The IPO opened in late August 2011. The IPO is hosted by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic
Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (Australia). The role of the IPO is to act as a central
contact point for SOOS, monitor progress towards SOOS goals, facilitate coordination of field
work, assist in the organisation of workshops, and synthesis activities, and coordinate a Website
and other activities to advertise the aims and achievements of the SOOS.
2.3.1.2 Executive Officer
IMAS hosting also includes support for an Executive Officer to run the IPO and associated
SOOS activities. The Executive Officer selected was Dr Louise Newman
([email protected]), who started the position with the opening of the SOOS IPO in
August.
2.3.1.3 SOOS Initial Science and Implementation Strategy
This document has now been published and is available for download from the SCOR website
(http://www.scor-int.org/SOOS/SOOS_Report_Final.pdf and soon also from the SOOS website
www.soos.aq). It is also available in hardcopy by request to the SOOS IPO
([email protected]).
2.3.1.4 Governance Structure
(Note: This figure is a draft and needs final approval by the Scientific Steering Committee.
EC-PORS-3/Doc.6.1.2, p. 4
2.3.1.5 SOOS Scientific Steering Committee (SSC)
The SSC was recently selected, following an international call for nominations. Note: Because
of a move to a new position, John Gunn will step down from the Co-Chair (and SSC) in
February 2012
SCIENTIFIC STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Name
Affiliation
Role
Stephen Ackley
Uni. of Texas San Antonio, USA
SSC Member
Parli
Venkateswaran
Bhaskar
National Centre for Antarctic & SSC Member
Ocean Research, India
Angelika Brandt
Uni of Hamburg, Germany
SSC Member
Daniel Costa
University of California, USA
SSC Member
Kim Finney
Australian Antarctic Division
SSC
Member,
Manager
Data
Alberto
Naveira National Oceanographic Centre, UK
Garabato
SSC Member, WCRP SO
Panel ex-officio
John Gunn
Australian Antarctic Division
Co-Chair
Jiping Liu
Chinese Academy of Sciences
SSC Member
Mauricio Mata
Fed Uni. Of Rio Grande, Brazil
SSC Member
Michael Meredith
British Antarctic Survey, UK
Co-Chair, POGO ex-officio
Steve Rintoul
CSIRO, Australia
SSC Member, WCRP SO
EC-PORS-3/Doc.6.1.2, p. 5
Panel ex-officio
Oscar Schofield
Rutgers University
SSC Member
Sebastiaan Swart
Uni. of Cape Town, South Africa
SSC Member
Bronte Tillbrook
CSIRO, Australia
SSC Member
Anna Wahlin
Uni. of Gothenburg, Sweden
SSC Member
Name
Affiliation
Role
Tosca Ballerini
Centre d’Oceanologie de Marseille, APECS Ex-officio
France
Andrew Constable
Australian Antarctic Division
ICED-Sentinel Ex-officio
Mike Sparrow
SCAR Secretariat
SCAR Ex-officio
Ed Urban
SCOR Secretariat
SCOR Ex-officio
Ex-Officio members
International Project Office
Name
Affiliation
Role
Louise Newman
University of Tasmania, Aus
Executive Officer
2.3.1.6 The first SSC meeting
The first meeting of the SOOS SSC will take place on the 18-19 February 2012 in Salt Lake City
(Utah, USA), to coincide with the Ocean Sciences Meeting. Key agenda items include:
- Defining SOOS objectives
- Operating model (and Terms of Reference) for the committee, IPO and initiative as a
whole
- Objectives for data management, and development of a data policy
- Cross-programmatic, -disciplinary, -national links
- SOOS funding
- Development of detailed steps towards implementation of objectives
- Workshops
- Communication strategy
- Endorsements (for and by SOOS)
2.3.1.7 Communication
The communication strategy is currently being developed. A number of activities that contribute
to this have been initiated:
EC-PORS-3/Doc.6.1.2, p. 6
-
Website: The address is www.soos.aq and the design has been finalised and the
programming is currently underway. It will be online by the mid-February 2012 SSC
meeting. (Note that aq = Antartica)
SOOS flyer: In the design phase, expected to be available for distribution at the Ocean
Sciences Meeting (20 Feb 2012)
SOOS newsletter: Currently in concept phase, first issue likely by April 2012
2.3.1.8 Data Management
A Data Management Sub-Committee is in development, led by Kim Finney the data
management expert on the SSC. The role of the committee will be to develop the SOOS data
portal, liaise with international and national data centres, and push forward with the
development of important data products. The SOOS data portal will be one of the central
features of the system.
WMO is asked to support implementation of the SOOS plan, which will be coordinated by
the SOOS Secretariat hosted in Tasmania.
2.4 Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Sea Level (ISMASS)
The Expert Group on Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Sea Level (ISMASS) is co-sponsored by
SCAR and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). The goals of ISMASS are to
promote the research on the estimation of the mass balance of ice sheets and its contribution to
sea level, to facilitate the coordination among the different international efforts focused on this
field of research, to propose directions for future research in this area, to integrate the
observations and modelling efforts, as well as the distribution and archiving of the
corresponding data, to attract a new generation of scientists into this field of research, and to
contribute to the diffusion, to society and policy makers, of the current scientific knowledge and
the main achievements in this field of science. Further details on the goals of ISMASS can be
found at: http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/physicalscience/ismass.html.
An ISMASS workshop, supported by the WCRP/SCAR/IASC Climate and Cryosphere Project,
is being planned for the 14th of July 2012 (just prior to the SCAR Open Science Conference in
Portland - http://scar2012.geol.pdx.edu/). The aims of the workshop will be to:
1) Assess the current knowledge of the contribution of the Antarctic and Greenland Ice
Sheets to sea level rise, taking into account ongoing and proposed projects including the
ESA/NASA supported Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-Comparison Exercise.
2) Analyze how model-based predictions of ice-sheet discharge contributions to sea
level changes can be improved.
3) Reach a consensus on the magnitude of the current contribution of ice-sheet surface
mass balance and discharge to sea level change, and disseminate this knowledge not only to
other researchers, but to policy makers and the general public.
4) Analyze the feasibility of preparing updates of the estimates of the contribution of icesheet discharge to sea level rise between successive IPCC reports (e.g. every two years).
5) Discuss how the renewed SCAR-IASC joint working group on Ice Sheet Mass
Balance and Sea Level (ISMASS) should be organized to effectively meet the above objectives.
ISMASS
contacts
are:
Frank
Pattyn
([email protected]),
Francisco
Navarro
EC-PORS-3/Doc.6.1.2, p. 7
([email protected]) and Edward Hanna ([email protected]).
WMO is asked to note progress and is invited to send a representative to the ISMASS
workshop in July 2012 in Portland.
2.5 Data and Information
SCAR has developed key databases for meteorological oceanographic and ice data. These can
be accessed at:
 http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/READER/
 http://icereader.org/icereader/
 http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/SCAR_ssg_ps/OceanREADER/.
SCAR also encourages the collection and exchange of a wide variety of data through its
Antarctic Master Directory see:
http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/KeywordSearch/Home.do?Portal=amd&MetadataType=0
SCAR’s data group is working with a new system to convert descriptions of biodiversity data into
scientific journal articles. SCAR will discuss whether and how this concept could be expanded to
other disciplines at the SCAR Delegates' meeting in Portland this year. For further information
see: “The data paper: a mechanism to incentivize data publishing in biodiversity science”
(http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/12/S15/S2).
SCAR encourages and welcomes future collaborations with the Panel of Experts on
Polar Observations, Research and Services.