The latest SCAR Bulletin (number 189) is now published on the website. It contains the Report of the SCAR Delegation to ATCM XXXVII and CEP XVII held in Brasilia this year and is available to view and download at: http://www.scar.org/publications/bulletin. [APECS Reminder] Applications open for the IASC Fellowship Program until 17 November 2014!7/11/2014
Do you want to be more involved in scientific activities at a circum-arctic and international level? If so then please consider applying to be an IASC Fellow!
Applications for the IASC Fellowship program are due on 17 November 2014. Applicants are encouraged to also submit an abstract to the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2015, the abstract deadline for which is on 10 November 2014. The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are introducing this new Fellowship Program that invites applications from early career researchers to be involved in the IASC Working Groups (WGs). The IASC Fellowship Program will be offered every year and each year one Fellow will be chosen for each of the five IASC WGs for a 12-month period. The IASC WGs are: Fellows will actively participate in the activities of the WG both scientifically and organizationally. You will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the workings of IASC and develop your own skills and scientific network. Each WG has an annual meeting at the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) and each Fellow will receive funding to attend two of these meetings: one as an incoming Fellow and one as an outgoing Fellow. Please see the detailed description here http://apecs.is/en/news-feeds/apecs-news/6686-iascfellow... Good luck! A 6ª Conferência Polar Portuguesa & o 5º Workshop APECS Portugal, 30 e 31 Outubro de 2014, Porto20/10/2014
Exposição de fotografia sobre a vida no Ártico Canadiano, 22 Outubro a 18 Novembro 2014, Lisboa19/10/2014
Uma exposição de fotografia sobre a vida no Ártico Canadiano, intitulada “Ártico Canadiano: Dinâmico e Próspero”, vai ser inaugurada em Lisboa no dia 22 de outubro de 2014, às 18:30, na sede do Camões, IP (Palacete Seixas), onde poderá ser visitada até 18 de novembro.
Read more at the original site: http://www.instituto-camoes.pt/atividades-na-sede/vida-no-artico-canadiano The SCAR Bulletin number 188 is now published on the website.
It contains the SCAR Annual Report for 2013-14 and is available to view and download at: http://www.scar.org/publications/bulletin Issue 36 of the SCAR newsletter is now available.
This bumper edition covers: • SCAR focus on . . . the Antarctic Environments Portal • Results of the 1st Antarctic and Southern Ocean Science Horizon Scan • SCAR News and Announcements • Antarctic Science News • Tributes to Phil Smith and Martha Muse • An update from APECS • Forthcoming SCAR Meetings ... and more! The newsletter is available to view and download from the SCAR website at www.scar.org/scar_media/documents/news/newsletters/SCARnewsletter36_Sep2014.pdf or go to http://www.scar.org/scar-newsletter Cryospheric sciences at the 26th IUGG General Assembly, Prague, 22nd of June to the 2nd of July 201525/9/2014
The next (26th) Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) General Assembly will be held in Prague from the 22nd of June to the 2nd of July, 2015. http://www.iugg2015prague.com. Registration and abstract submission are now open! The deadline for grant applications is January 15th, 2015, and the abstract submission deadline is January 31st, 2015.
This will be an important meeting for the cryospheric sciences, with more than 20 symposia (listed below) led by The International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) http://www.cryosphericsciences.org. This meeting will provide a forum for cryospheric scientists to interact with oceanographers, hydrologists, atmospheric scientists, seismologists, volcanologists, geodesists and geomagneticists, as IUGG assemblies bring together scientists from all branches of geophysics represented by the eight semi-autonomous IUGG Associations. http://www.iugg.org/associations/. Celebrating 10 years of fruitful collaboration in facilitating international research in both Polar Regions, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), have decided to arrange a second joint conference. Building on the success of the 2008 SCAR/IASC Conference in St. Petersburg (Russia) and two subsequent conferences within the International Polar Year, the 2018 SCAR/IASC Conference will be hosted by the Swiss Committee on Polar and High Altitude Research in Davos, Switzerland on 15-27 June 2018. The Conference will include SCAR, IASC and other business and satellite meetings, an Open Science Conference and the SCAR Delegates' Meeting.
Six priorities for Antarctic science
The official outcomes of the 1st SCAR Antarctic and Southern Ocean Science Horizon Scan were published online today as a COMMENT in Nature (512, 23–25; 2014 http://www.nature.com/news/1.15658) entitled “Six priorities for Antarctic science”. In April 2014, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) convened 75 scientists and policy-makers from 22 countries to agree on the priorities for Antarctic research for the next two decades and beyond. This is the first time the international Antarctic community has formulated a collective vision through discussions, debate and voting. The Horizon Scan narrowed a list of hundreds of scientific questions to the 80 most pressing ones. The questions fall broadly into six scientific priorities: 1) define the global reach of the Antarctic atmosphere and Southern Ocean; 2) understand how, where and why ice sheets lose mass; 3) reveal Antarctica’s history; 4) learn how Antarctic life evolved and Survived; 5) observe space and the Universe; and 6) recognize and mitigate human influences. A few examples of critical questions that need to be answered include: a) How will the recovering ozone hole and rising greenhouse-gas concentrations affect regional and global atmospheric circulation and climate? b) Will changes in the Southern Ocean result in feedbacks that accelerate or slow the pace of climate change? c) What factors control Antarctic sea-ice seasonality, distribution and volume? d) Are there thresholds in atmospheric CO2 concentrations beyond which ice sheets collapse and the seas rise dramatically? e) What do geological signatures of past relative sea level tell us about when and where planetary ice has been gained or lost? f) What are the genomic, molecular and cellular bases of adaptation in the Antarctic? g) What is the nature of the Dark Universe? h) What is the current and potential value of Antarctic ecosystem services and how can they be preserved? The assembled experts concluded that to answer the 80 highest priority questions, it will be necessary to provide long-term sustained and stable research funding; access to all of Antarctica throughout the year; application of emerging technologies; strengthened protection of the region; growth in international cooperation; and improved communication among all interested parties. Maximizing scientific return while minimizing the human footprint should be the goal, and coordinated international efforts that engage diverse stakeholders will be crucial. Former SCAR President Mahlon ‘Chuck ’ Kennicutt II, who lead the Horizon Scan, summarized that “Antarctic science is clearly globally important. The southern polar community must act together if it is to address some of the most pressing issues facing society…. It is time for nations involved in southern polar research to embrace a renewed spirit of cooperation as espoused by the founders of the Antarctic Treaty - in actions not just words.” While this is the first Antarctic Horizon Scan, it is recommended that SCAR repeat the Horizon Scan exercise every four to six years in support of national strategic planning efforts and emerging integrated science, conservation and policy efforts. Communicating the global importance of Antarctica to the public must be a priority. Narratives need to better explain how the region affects and is influenced by people’s daily lives. Antarctic success stories, such as signs of ozone recovery, engender confidence in the power of changes in behavior. SCAR President, Jerónimo Lopez-Martin concluded, “Antarctic science has never been more important to our understanding of how the Antarctic and Earth system work, what this foretells about the future of our planet and the role that humans play in observed change. The challenge is to find new ways for the global Antarctic community to act together to realize this potential for the benefit of all.” O Programa Cultural Antártico da Direção Nacional do Ártico - Instituto Antártico Argentino, promove o desenvolvimento de propostas para projetos artístico nacionais e estrangeiros focados no continente Antártico. Este Programa Cultural Antártico está incluído na Campanha Antártica de verão, que ocorre entre novembro e março de cada ano, sendo os trabalhos resultantes apresentados em exposições nacionais e internacionais temporárias e itinerantes, em palestras, seminários e intercâmbios. Convocatória está aberta até ao dia 1 de Outubro de 2014. Mais informações em http://www.dna.gov.ar/. |