Tag Archives: SCAR

Attention SCAR scientific community

  Wednesday September 11th, 2019 - 12:58 PM | , , , , , , ,
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Ant-ICON Science and Implementation Plan

Dear Colleagues,

At the end of July, Mecha and I traveled to Plovdiv, Bulgaria to participate in the SCAR Programme Planning Group Leaders Meeting, and present the draft Ant-ICON Science and Implementation Plan to the SCAR Executive Committee.

Both meeting were extremely useful, particularly with regard to identifying synergies between the developing SRPs, and receiving useful guidance and feedback on how the developing Ant-ICON Science and Implementation Plan could be improved.

During the meetings Mecha and I, together with some invaluable input from Daniela Liggett, Chandrika Nath and other attendees, revised the Ant-ICON S&I Plan. We have continued to work on incorporating feedback over the last few weeks, and  have now arrived at a near complete draft, which is attached for your further consideration.

Some sections still need a bit of work, but we feel that it is now at a stage where it can be disseminated more broadly to interested members of the SCAR scientific community and other stakeholders to raise the profile of this emerging initiative and hear any feedback that might be forthcoming. We’d also encourage you to disseminate this through your networks to interested colleagues.

Both the plan and an updated overview presentation have been uploaded to the Ant-ICON home page, and can be accessed using the following link under the Publications tab (https://scar.org/science/ant-icon/resources/).  Mecha and I will undertake the broader dissemination, through various SCAR mailing lists, directly to key policy end users and other interested stakeholders including NGOs.

Mecha and I also encourage you to disseminate this plan through your networks to help raise awareness and to ensure anyone who is interested in following progress can join the mailing list. I am currently compiling an informal mailing list of interested persons, so if people do indicate interest, please let them know they can contact me directly and I will add their names.

We have a number of tasks ahead of us over  the next few months as we aim to finalize the plan. This includes the completion of the Supporting Information that will accompany the S&I Plan, the preparation of a 2-page  ‘marketing document’ and finalization of the make-up of the proposed Steering Committee (see section D – Management in the attached). With regard to the latter, please let me know if you would like to express interest in any of the Steering Committee positions as we need to start a list of potential names as soon as possible.

We received considerable input again in the last round, and while it was sometimes challenging to incorporate everything, we think most people’s comments and suggestions have been addressed. Nevertheless, the Science and Implementation Plan is still a work in progress, so please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have further input.

We hope to have a final draft completed by the end of October. It is likely that most of the consultation between now and then will be electronic, however, Mecha and I will hold at least one meeting  in the margins of the CCAMLR meetings, which will be in Hobart from the 21 Oct-1 Nov 2019. Please let me know if you are likely to be in Hobart for these meetings and we will ensure that we include you in any correspondence regarding Ant-ICON discussions.

Many thanks once again for your interest and active engagement. It’s a pleasure to work with such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic planning group.

All the best

Aleks and Mecha

Dr. Aleks Terauds

Senior Research Scientist and Section Head |Biodiversity Conservation | Australian Antarctic Division | Kingston | Tasmania | Australia

Chief Officer – SCAR Standing Committee on the Antarctic Treaty System

P: +61 3 6232 3339 |E: aleks.terauds@gmail.com | Alt E: Aleks.Terauds@aad.gov.au

Attention all early career scientists

  Friday May 10th, 2019 - 09:36 AM | , , , , ,
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The information below was sent through by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.

SCAR Fellowship Scheme, partnerships and new opportunities in 2019

Fellowship logo

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) have been working together for many years to support talented early-career researchers, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, and other professionals to strengthen international capacity and cooperation in fields such as science support and facilitation, environmental management implementation, and climate, biodiversity, conservation, humanities and astrophysics research by way of an annual funding opportunity.

For 2019, these Antarctic organisations are joined by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), who will each support additional Antarctic-related fellowships.

SCAR Launches Antarctic Fellowship Opportunities for 2019

SCAR today launches its 2019 Antarctic-related Fellowships for early-career researchers. SCAR will offer 5 to 6 fellowships of up to USD $15,000 each for 2019, with additional support for the scheme having been provided by India, Korea and France. A new SCAR/WMO Fellowship is also available in 2019 as detailed below. The Fellowships enable early-career researchers to join a project team from another country, opening up new opportunities and often creating partnerships that last for many years and over many Antarctic field seasons. The deadline for fellowship applications is 17 July 2019.

Additional opportunities in 2019 through the SCAR Fellowship scheme

For 2019 there are a number of extra opportunities through the SCAR scheme, with some restrictions on applicability but using the standard application process for SCAR Fellowships:

  • India is providing support to fund one full SCAR Fellowship, with France providing a contribution to the Fellowship funds.
  • The Republic of Korea will also contribute to one Fellowship to be allocated to an applicant from a country which has been under-represented within the SCAR Fellowship scheme to date.
  • For the new SCAR/WMO Fellowship, the WMO and SCAR will jointly fund one Fellowship for applicants from a WMO country who meet the Fellowship eligibility criteria of the WMO.

COMNAP and IAATO have already launched their Fellowship scheme for 2019 and CCAMLR launch their Scholarship scheme with two deadlines in 2019. Details are available at : https://www.scar.org/community-news/fellowship-opportunities-launched/

Background information:

The SCAR scheme is launched today, noting the complementary schemes of our partners – the COMNAP and IAATO Fellowship Scheme and the CCAMLR Scientific Scholarship Scheme. Full details of these schemes are available on their respective websites below.

For more information on SCAR Fellowships, visit the SCAR website at:
www.scar.org/awards/fellowships/information/

For information on the COMNAP and IAATO Fellowships, visit the COMNAP website at:
www.comnap.aq/SitePages/fellowships.aspx

For information on CCAMLR Scholarships, visit the CCAMLR website at:
www.ccamlr.org/en/science/ccamlr-scientific-scholarship-scheme

UPDATE: SCAR Open Science Conference 2020

  Thursday May 2nd, 2019 - 08:56 AM | , ,
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The information below was sent through by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Secretariat. .

Preparations are well underway for the 2020 SCAR meetings and Open Science Conference to be held in Hobart, Australia in July-August 2020. The COMNAP Annual General Meeting will run concurrently with SCAR and the organisers are working to schedule events to encourage participation across the two groups.  The OSC theme ‘Antarctic Science: Global Connections’ highlights the scientific connections between Antarctica and the global system and collaboration in our Antarctic science community.

The Local Organising Committee are working closely with the SCAR and COMNAP Secretariats on meeting preparations including an excellent program of conference and side events. Planning for SCAR COMNAP 2020 includes efforts to minimise waste, encourage sustainable resource management and to foster participation inclusion and diversity.

The first pre-conference circular is now available and outlines some key pieces of information about SCAR COMNAP 2020. This includes the conference structure and indicative dates for abstract submission and registration.

The International Science Organising Committee has also developed a draft list of sessions based on input from the SCAR community – it is available for comment on the SCAR COMNAP 2020 website. Comments, suggested changes, proposals for additional sessions and suggestions for sessions to be merged together should be made to info@scar.org by 28 June 2019.

For more information, please check the SCAR COMNAP 2020 website or contact the SCAR COMNAP 2020 Project Manager, Rhonda Bartley at the Australian Antarctic Division – email: SCARCOMNAP2020@aad.gov.au

We look forward to seeing you all in Hobart next year!

Kind regards,

The SCAR Secretariat

Antarctic Earth Scientists take note…

  Monday April 1st, 2019 - 12:45 AM | , , , , , ,
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SCAR Event Announcement
XIII International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences

The abstract submission deadline for the XIII International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences has been extended to 21 April 2019.

Please go to the event website (click here) for more information.

 

New South Africa National Committee for SCAR

  Thursday March 14th, 2019 - 04:22 PM | , , , , , , , ,
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Steven Chown

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) President, Prof Steven Chown from Monash University, with some representatives at the meeting of the South Africa National Committee for SCAR.

South Africa has been involved in Antarctic research since the geophysical year of 1957. The first 10 years of South Africa’s science and research in the Antarctic is highlighted in an article by  DG Kingwell, at that stage the secretary of the South African Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SASCAR).

The Antarctic Research of South Africa is  part of The International Science Council (ISC), South Africa.

South Africa is a national member of ISC through the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The South African ISC -Secretariat serves the scientific community and the ISC scientific unions and affiliates to which South Africa adheres. The SA ISC Secretariat provides support and organisational services for the ISC National Board of SA, and to the SA ISC National Committees to advance South Africa’s position in international platforms. The total membership of these committees is in excess of 200 scientists.  Approximately 100 South Africans serve on ICS-related commissions and working groups. The ISC activities in South Africa are focused on the following principals:

  • Science-for-policy: Stimulate and support national and international scientific research and scholarship, and to communicate science that is relevant to national and international policy issues;
  • Policy-for-science: Promote developments that enable science to contribute more effectively to major issues in the national and international public domain;
  • Science-for-society: Stimulate science engagement with society;
  • Scientific freedom and responsibility: Support the free and responsible practice of science;
  • Adherence: Support committees through payment of ISC membership dues.

South Africa Science and Research is also part of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) where the committee members will represent South Africa at SCAR meetings.

The new National Committee has been announced  in a letter by Tracy Klarenbeek – Professional Officer, Knowledge Advancement and Support (KAS) and their first meeting took place at Stellenbosch University on 6 March 2019.

Dear SANAP Community,

It gives me great pleasure in sharing the names of the individuals selected to represent us all at SCAR. Of course, these individuals will rely heavily on inputs from the entire community, so I sincerely hope that you will be available to support them in their endeavours. Members of the community that are not an the steering committee are still strongly encouraged to participate in SCAR and SCAR-related activities. The DST and the NRF are planning a follow-up meeting with the whole community, hopefully by the middle of the year (academic and other schedules permitting), so as to give feedback on a number of initiatives ongoing that will possibly impact on us all, including plans for current and future SA participation in SCAR. We look forward to seeing you there.

The final list is below, the details of which will be communicated to SCAR in due course.  Professor Bettine van Vuuren was nominated as the Committee Chair, Tracy Klarenbeek as Vice-Chair and Dr Gilbert Siko representing the Department of Science and technology.

Life Sciences Standing Committee of SCAR

  • Thulani Makhalanyane (South African Representative)
  • Bettine van Vuuren
  • Anne Treasure

Physical Sciences Standing Committee of SCAR

  • Sandy Thomalla
  • Sarah Fawcett (South African Representative)
  • Stefan Lotz

Geosciences Standing Committee of SCAR

  • Christel Hansen
  • Werner Nel
  • Geoff Grantham (South African Representative)

Social Sciences and Humanities Standing Committee of SCAR

  • Anché Louw
  • Ria Olivier (South African Representative)
  • Charne Lavery

Please give this committee your support in their efforts to take South African science to the world via SCAR.

 

 

Passing of Prof David Walton

  Friday February 15th, 2019 - 12:56 PM | , , ,
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This was indeed sad news for me to hear of the passing of Prof David Walton. He was an extremely productive scientist and very active in a number of Antarctic related matters. SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) acknowledged his contribution by awarding him the SCAR Medal. I’ve met David about 20 years ago and we would meet annually at Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM) where he was initially the SCAR representative and later the Editor of the ATCM Annual report, working with a bunch of young rapporteurs.

When our government requested a review of SANAP in 2007, David led an international panel of experts to conduct the review. Click here for this full report. He and his team spent a few weeks in South Africa. A number of South Africans involved in SANAP, both scientists and administrators, have met him.

He was a very likeable person and despite all his achievements a humble person with a sharp sense of humour. The Antarctic and international science communities have lost a giant.

– Henry Valentine, Technical Consultant, Department of Environmental Affairs, 15 February 2019

 

Photo Credit: www.internationalspaces.org

Southern Ocean Region Panel (SORP) seeks AFRICAN members

  Thursday August 23rd, 2018 - 02:14 PM | , ,
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SCAR NEWS

SCAR NEWSThe CLIVAR/CliC/SCAR Southern Ocean Region Panel (SORP) seeks nominations for four new members (self-nominations are welcome).

The panel is in particular need of nominees possessing expertise in:

  • global climate/Earth-system modelling;
  • open ocean measurements;
  • sea ice remote sensing;
  • sea-going chemical oceanography;

The inclusion of representation from across the nations and regions that participate in Southern Ocean climate science is a priority. At least one new member from Africa and from Asia are needed for this round of nominations.

SORP’s terms of reference are given here: http://www.clivar.org/clivar-panels/southern

Nominations (including self-nominations) are through this link: http://www.clivar.org/news/open-call-new-clivar-members-1

The panel has in-person meetings every 18 months or so, the next one is due in 2020. SORP has video conferences about every 3-4 months, and members do a lot of their work by email.

Current activities include contributing to OceanObs19 papers, as well as regular reporting to CLIVAR, CliC and SCAR on ocean and climate research for the Southern Ocean.

The process of nominations is that they are collated by CLIVAR and then passed to the co-chairs to short-list. CLIVAR, CliC, and SCAR then make the final decisions on the members, taking into account balance issues such as geographic location, gender, and range of disciplinary expertise.

For more information about panel activities and the expectations for panel members, please contact one of the panel co-chairs, Inga Smith (inga.smith@otago.ac.nz) and Riccardo Farneti (rfarneti@ictp.it).

For more information, please visit the SORP website.

 

Source: [scar-news] Call for nominations to Southern Ocean Region Panel, 23 August 2018.

Do you have a poster at the SANAP Symposium?

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  Tuesday July 10th, 2018 - 05:08 PM |
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The 5th Biannual South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) Symposium will be held from 13 – 16 August 2018, in Hermanus (read more here).

This year there will be a large number of 20 minute oral and digital poster presentations (in a 4 minute speed talk oral format). If you are wondering how to structure your scientific poster for this symposium, make sure to take some tips from the two South African early career scientists awarded with the 1st and 2nd prize for the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) Poster Awards (Sector: Africa and Middle) at POLAR2018 (SCAR/IASC Open Science Conference 2018).

Winner: Luca Stirnimann, University of Cape Town, Poster Title: “The Island Mass Effect (IME) on carbon cycling in the plankton ecosystem around the Prince Edward Islands archipelago”.

Runner-up: Daniela Monsanto, University of Johannesburg, Poster Title: “Genetic patterns at fine spatial scales: complex findings in a complex landscape”.

More about Luca:

Luca is a PhD student at the University of Cape Town who will use the samples collected on the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) cruise to investigate zooplankton and phytoplankton dynamics in the Southern Ocean in the context of nutrient cycling and primary production. He will compare ecosystem dynamics in the vicinity of Subantarctic island systems with the open Southern Ocean. Luca graduated summa cum laude in Marine Sciences from the University of Genova – Italy and then spent one year at the Plymouth University – UK pursuing an internship and participating in scientific cruises and volunteer schemes. He is passionate about marine life and thinks plankton are important for healthy marine ecosystems and as an indicator of global environmental change.

The goal of Luca’s PhD is to investigate zooplankton and phytoplankton dynamics in the Southern Ocean, in the context of nutrient cycling and primary production, in the vicinity of Subantarctic island systems and in the open Southern Ocean (including within ocean mesoscale features such as eddies). Expected outcomes of this work include a fundamental understanding of the role of zooplankton in the Southern Ocean nitrogen and carbon cycles, as well as information on the functioning of food webs in response to environmental drivers such as changing nutrients concentrations. The major motivation for this work is a better understanding of Antarctic fertility and planktonic system dynamics and their response to the environmental drivers such as changes in nutrient dynamics. Luca’s results will be of value for developing and improving models of plankton and nutrients dynamics, which will ultimately be important for marine policy development, environmental management, particularly for the Prince Edward Islands, a South African Marine Protected Area (MPA), and for a well-developed ocean economy in the context of the Antarctic fisheries.

Luca’s project falls under the current SANAP Project: “A nitrogen cycle view of atmospheric CO2 sequestration in the Antarctic Ocean” (Principal Investigator: Dr SE Fawcett, University of Cape Town).

More about Daniela:

Daniela Monsanto is a young, vibrant researcher working in the Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation at the University of Johannesburg. She completed her undergraduate and BSc (Hons) studies at UJ, majoring in Zoology and Biochemistry, and when not working on her MSc, is a passionate soccer player (provincial level).

Daniela has been involved in research on sub-Antarctic Marion Island for the past 3 years (her Honours project introduced her to the Southern Ocean jewels). She has a strong passion for her study area, and understanding how the changing climate impacts sub-Antarctic islands and the species inhabiting them. To this end, her Masters project aims to understand how individuals perceive their specific habitat matrix and how this matrix, and changes within it, might affect local movement (in essence, a landscape ecology/genetic approach). Her study organism is Cryptopygus antarcticus travei, a springtail endemic to the Prince Edward Islands. Her results uncovered complex genetic patterns at the scale of tens to hundreds of meters, with genetic discontinuities between sites separated by less than 20 meters. These complex spatial patterns are potentially driven by microhabitat preferences and/or local adaptations to a heterogeneous landscape across Marion Island. Daniela is taking her research a step further and is in the process of annotating the full genome of C. a. travei; once done, she will be able to identify regions that may be linked to adaptive genes/traits, and use this information to better understand genomic adaptations across different environmental gradients.

Daniela’s project falls under the current SANAP Project: “Biocomplexity: Understanding biological patterns in space and time” (Principal Investigator: Prof B van Vuuren, University of Johannesburg).

 

Authors: Anché Louw (Antarctic Legacy of South Africa), Luca Stirnimann (University of Cape Town) and Daniela Monsanto (University of Johannesburg), 10 July 2018.

Are you the next South African SCAR Fellow?

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  Friday July 6th, 2018 - 12:03 PM |
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Application deadline for the 2018 SCAR Fellowships extended until 25 July 2018.

Are you an emerging researcher? Then this is for you.

“The SCAR Fellowship Programme is for PhD students, or those within five years of having completed a PhD, to undertake research at major international laboratories, field facilities, and/or institutes in or operated by SCAR member countries with the goal to expose them to recent advances in research and to develop long-term scientific links and partnerships. The work must be carried out in a research group of a SCAR member country different from that of the applicant’s origin and current residence. Fellowships are awarded purely on the selection criteria for competitive selection, which are clearly stated in the Evaluation section on the Detailed Information page. Advice on applying to the SCAR and COMNAP Fellowship schemes is available from the Mentoring page.” (SCAR)

SCAR has worked with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists to provide an online form which can be used to ask questions about the application process, required documentation and eligibility etc. and which can also be used anonymously. The replies will be added to the FAQ section of the Fellowships webpages. (SCAR.org)

DEADLINE: 25 July 2018

Interesting fact: The South African, Ryan Reisinger received a SCAR Fellowship in 2016. (Read more here).

Are you the next South African being awarded a SCAR Fellowship? Apply today!

SCAR and IASC Conference, Davos – Switzerland

  Wednesday June 20th, 2018 - 11:26 AM | , , ,
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It is the second day of the joint Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Conference in Davos, Switzerland.

Out of the 18 South African attendees, 9 oral presentations and 12 poster presentations  will be delivered. Four more South Africans who started their scientific careers in the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP), currently residing and representing different countries, are also attending this conference.

Please see below titles of these presentations.

South African representation at POLAR2018 (SCAR & IASC Conference) Davos, Switzerland 15-26 June 2018
Oral Presentations
Date Session Time Title Presenter Venue
19-Jun OC-1_OC-2b Innovation, partnership and impact in polar science communication & Polar Research and Citizen Science: Exploring New Platforms and Opportunities 11:15-11:30 A new South African National Antarctic Programme Portal Designed by ALSA Louw, Anché B Pischa
19-Jun BE-3b Polar perspectives on microbial evolution, adaptation, and ecological function 12:15-12:30 Metagenomics and Viromics of the Mackay Glacier Ecotone Van Goethem, Marc A Seehorn
21-Jun BE-2b Phytoplankton, productivity and carbon export dynamics 11:00-11:15 Southern-Atlantic Phytoplankton Community Composition Response to Light and Iron Viljoen, Johannes Jacobus A Seehorn
21-Jun BE-2b Phytoplankton, productivity and carbon export dynamics 11:15-11:30 Southern Ocean Phytoplankton Silica Uptake Relating to Leakage and Carbon Export Weir, Ian A Seehorn
21-Jun BE-2b Phytoplankton, productivity and carbon export dynamics 11:45-12:00 Phytoplankton Group-specific Contributions to the Subantarctic Biological Pump Forrer, Heather J A Seehorn
21-Jun OS-7c Atmosphere-Ice-Ocean interactions in the Polar Regions 14:30-14:45 Impact of Severe Storm Conditions on the Marginal Ice Zone in the Southern Ocean Vichi, Marcello S Sanada II
22-Jun BE-9d Life distribution and responses to environmental changes in Polar ecosystems 12:00-12:15 Predicting Plant Invasion Risks to the Subantarctic Islands Greve, Michelle C Aspen
22-Jun OC-3 The role of museums in promoting polar heritage and advancing polar science 16:30-16:45 Antarctic Legacy of SA Collaborates to Celebrate South Africa’s Polar Heritage Louw, Anché S Sanada I
23-Jun SH-8 Data science for polar environments – discovery, rescue, and mining 09:30-09:45 Antarctic Legacy of South Africa (ALSA) Preserve Human Data, what is the Value? Olivier, Ria A Wisshorn
POSTERS
Date Session Time Title Presenter Venue
19-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 A Comparison of the Frost Environment of Three Disparate Climatic Locations Hansen, Christel Foyer
19-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 Genetic Patterns at Fine Spatial Scales: Complex Findings in a Complex Landscape Monsanto, Daniela Foyer
19-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 Geomorphology and Antarctic Ecosystems in Dronning Maud Land Meiklejohn, Ian Foyer
19-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 The Active Layer and Permafrost Environment of Flårjuven (Antarctica): 2008 – 2017 Hansen, Christel Foyer
20-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 Comparing Data Derived from Animal-borne and Argo Observations Treasure, Anne M. Foyer
20-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 Marine Mammals Exploring the Oceans Pole to Pole: Review of the MEOP Consortium Treasure, Anne M. Foyer
20-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 Southern Ocean Stratification Delayed by Submesoscale Wind-front Interactions du Plessis, Marcel Foyer
21-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 Analysis of Synoptic Variability of the Antarctic MIZ with in Situ Observations de Jong, Ehlke Foyer
21-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 Physical Forcing of Marine Ecosystems in the Prince Edward Islands Region Treasure, Anne M. Foyer
21-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 Plankton Production in Open Southern Ocean and Surrounding subantarctic Islands Stirnimann, Luca Foyer
22-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 Antarctic Legacy of South Africa (ALSA): Past Decade, Approaches and Challenges Olivier, Ria Foyer
22-Jun Poster 17:30-18:30 Promoting the Antarctic Heritage of South Africa with a Digital Museum Olivier, Ria Foyer