by Ria Olivier | Jun 30, 2021 | Announcement, Research, SCAR, Science, Southern Ocean, sub-Antarctic
Life Sciences members,
“SCAR is involved with several programs for which we would like your assistance.” Below call for experts that the Vice President for Sciences at SCAR. We would like to know if there are people in the Life Sciences community who would be interested in getting involved in these two initiatives, the SO decade and the Cryosphere pavillion at the COP26.
Southern Ocean United Nations Decade(SO Decade)
Thanks to those of you who helped get word out about the survey. This initiative is coordinated by SCAR and is part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. We are working with SOOS, SCOR, ICED, Clivar, IODE, EPB, IAATO. There has already been one workshop (report can be accessed here) and a second workshop is planned for September in conjunction with the Polar Data Forum. We are in the process of putting together seven working groups (10 members each) that align with the UN-identified societal needs:
- A clean ocean where sources of pollution are identified and removed
- A healthy and resilient ocean where marine ecosystems are mapped and protected
- A predictable ocean where society has the capacity to understand current and future ocean conditions
- A safe ocean where people are protected from ocean hazards
- A sustainably harvested ocean ensuring the provision of food supply
- A transparent ocean with open access to data, information and technologies
- An inspiring and engaging ocean where society understands and values the ocean.
If you would have any suggestions for working group chairs or members, please let me know and I will contact them. There is an online kick-off event planned for July 9 that will be open to anyone interested in joining or learning more. Meeting details will follow, but if you have any people to suggest for working groups please send soon.
Cryosphere Pavilion at COP26
We have been invited to participate in the Cryosphere Pavilion at COP26 which will be in Glasgow Oct 31-Nov12, 2021. We should consider providing speakers and topics. There will be opportunities to be present in person and virtually. The concept note for the Pavilion is attached and there is also a link to the Cryosphere Pavillion at COP25 as an example.
There is also the possibility if having our own side event (likely with partners including the ICCI who are managing the Cryosphere Pavilion). This will be a good opportunity to increase visibility of the relevant SCAR climate science in the context of the UNFCCC.
ISC Transform21
This ISC portal can be used to highlight any climate-related publications, before and during COP26. It may also be a good venue for the ACCE report and other publications from the SRPs. Again, we would like to get a sense of your interest and please let us know if you post any material to the portal.
Contact:
Please get back to Ian, Marc and Yan very rapidly to coordinate Life Sciences interest in participating.
by Ria Olivier | Mar 25, 2021 | Announcement, News, SANAP, SCAR, Science
The XXXVI SCAR Delegates Meeting is currently held online in a series of two-hour sessions over two weeks in March 2021. Bettine van Vuuren is giving the South Africa National Committee members regular feedback. She and Tracy Klarenbeek are South African Respresentatives at the SCAR delegates meeting.
SCAR focuses its science efforts on high priority topical areas through its Scientific Research Programmes (SRPs). Three new programmes were approved by the Executive in 2020 and began officially in January 2021. During the delgeates meeting the following new Scientific Research Programmes have started under the auspices of SCAR. They are:
Integrated Science to Inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation (Ant-ICON). The Ant-ICON SRP will answer fundamental science questions (as identified by the SCAR Horizon Scan), relating to the conservation and management of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean and focus on research to drive and inform international decision-making and policy change.
INStabilities and Thresholds in ANTarctica (INSTANT). The INSTANT SRP will address a first-order question about Antarctica’s contribution to sea level. It encompasses geoscience, physical sciences and biological sciences, of the way in which interactions between the ocean, atmosphere and cryosphere have influenced ice-sheets in the past, and what expectations will be in the future with a special focus on quantifying the contributions to global sea level change. They aim to quantify the Antarctic ice sheet’s contribution to past and future global sea-level change.
Near-term Variability and Prediction of the Antarctic Climate System (AntClimnow). AntClimnow will investigate the prediction of near-term conditions in the Antarctic climate system on timescales of years to multiple decades. They will take an integrated approach, looking beyond climate projections of the physical system to consider the Antarctic environment as a whole.
“There is a lot of opportunities for South African Researchers to participate within these new programmes” – Bettine van Vuuren. Please contact the various Chief Officers for more information on how to become involved.
by Ria Olivier | Mar 25, 2021 | Antarctica, Data Management, Research, SANAP, SCAR, Science
The XXXVI SCAR Delegates Meeting is currently held online in a series of two-hour sessions over two weeks in March 2021. Bettine van Vuuren is giving the South Africa National Committee members regular feedback and as such the SANAP science community is informed.
Standing Committee on Antarctic Geographic Information (SCAGI) function is to “manage and improve the geographic framework not only for Antarctic scientific research but also for other activities including operations, environmental management and tourism.” SCAGI National reports are an important part of the SCAGI meeting – they are an opportunity to inform delegates from other organisations about current and planned activities, which may highlight opportunities for collaboration and sharing of resources. Read 2020 SCAGI annual report
SCAGI has many products, tools, links of interest to the Antarctic Geographic Information Community: See
by Ria Olivier | Dec 11, 2020 | Announcement, Research, SANAP, SCAR, Science
| Research Project | Affiliation | Principal Investigator |
| SAMOC-SA | Bayworld Centre for Research and Education | Lamont, T DR |
| Contemporary and Future Drivers of CO2 and Heat in the Southern Ocean | CSIR - Natural Resources and the Environment | Nicholson, S DR |
| Seasonal Iron speciation in the Southern Ocean, from open ocean environments to naturally fertilized sub-Antarctic Islands (Marion and Gough Islands) | Department of Environmental Affairs | Mtshali, TN DR |
| Avian scavengers as indicators of recovery of an island biota | Nelson Mandela University | Connan, MA DR |
| SANAE HF radar | South African National Space Agency (SANSA) | Kosch, MJ Prof |
| Polar Space Weather Studies | South African National Space Agency (SANSA) | Lotz, SI DR |
| The Digital SA Agulhas II - Flagship for Vessel 4.0 | Stellenbosch University | Bekker, A PROF |
| Antarctic Legacy of South Africa | Stellenbosch University | Olivier, M Ms |
| Signal Processing and Control of a long-range Unmanned Surface Vehicle for Cetacean Detection in the Antarctic and Southern Seahttps://www.ee.sun.ac.za/djjversfeld/ | Stellenbosch University | Versfeld, DJJ PROF |
| SEAmester-South Africa's Floating University | University of Cape Town | Ansorge, IJ PROF |
| Parallel cycling of nitrogen and iron in the upper Southern Ocean: implications for biological CO2 drawdown and global ocean fertility | University of Cape Town | Fawcett, SE DR |
| Influence of physical and biogeochemical processes on the Mechanical properties of Antarctic Sea Ice | University of Cape Town | Rampai, T |
| Landscape and climate interactions | University of Fort Hare | Nel, W PROF |
| Observing Dawn in the Cosmos | University of KwaZulu-Natal | MOODLEY, K PROF |
| Comparative microbial ecology of pan-Antarctic soils | University of Pretoria | COWAN, DA PROF |
| Marion Island Marine Mammals in Changing Environments: Individual Heterogeneity and Population Processes | University of Pretoria | de Bruyn, PJN PROF |
| Africa, Antarctica and the Arts | University of Pretoria | Lavery, CM DR |
| Enhanced insights regarding the ecology, evolution and function of marine microbiomes | University of Pretoria | Makhalanyane, TP PROF |
| Ross seal ecology, behaviour and physiology in a changing environment | University of South Africa | McIntyre, T DR |
| | |
See more detail of project here. This schedule will be update on the SANAP website under research in January 2021.
by Ria Olivier | Oct 7, 2020 | Announcement, Antarctica, News, Research, SANAP, SCAR
The SCAR-Executive approved support for work to be undertaken by the Standing Committee on the Humanities and Social Sciences about the impacts of COVID-19 on Antarctic research and researchers. Should anyone wish to communicate with the community considering these questions please get in touch with the SC-HASS group leaders. Background to the survey can be found in the YouTube links of SCAR2020 Online:
Plenary Presentation by Dr. Daniela Liggett
Discussion: Impact of COVID-19 on Antarctic Research – joint SCAR/COMNAP Panel
The SC-HASS Antarctic COVID-19 Research Group has prepared a survey to learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on the Antarctic research community. We invite all Antarctic researchers, support staff, students, and anyone else involved in Antarctic research or logistics to complete this survey. Your response will help us to understand how we as a community are affected and will inform strategic decisions to mitigate impacts. Please share the link to this survey with your networks. Note that the survey is set to close by 8 November 2020. We appreciate your participation before that time. If you have any questions, please contact Andrea Herbert (andrea.herbert@canterbury.ac.nz) or Daniela Liggett (daniela.liggett@canterbury.ac.nz).
Link to the survey: http://canterbury.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8qsgGl4oyuVjxQx
by Ria Olivier | Jul 25, 2020 | Antarctica, Research, SANAP, SANAP Student, SCAR
SCAR2020 Online starts on Monday 27th July with related events, with the conference starting on Monday 3rd August till 7th August with an APECS workshop from 11-13 August2020.
“ SCAR’s Open Science Conferences have been a focal point for the Antarctic research community for over fifteen years. Through SCAR 2020 Online we are excited to present many of the highlights of the science we had originally planned to bring to you at the Hobart OSC, which was sadly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
SCAR2020 online include Plenary Events, Workshops, Mini-Symposia and Related events
South Africa has been part of SCAR since 1959 and over the years researchers of South Africa attended these conferences. Over the past decades, principal investigators of SANAP and their students gave oral and poster presentations. This year the XXXVI SCAR was scheduled to be held in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia from 31 July to 11 August 2020. A big group of South Africans were going to attend this meeting. Scientists, researchers and students submitted abstracts for the conference, although not all of these will be orally presented (some will be available on virtual display). All the abstracts have been compiled in a book of abstracts.
| SCAR2020 Online – Related Events (UTC time) |
| Monday, 27 July 2020 |
| * |
0600-0800 |
Session 25 |
Sea ice in the atmosphere-ice-ocean-biosphere system |
| * |
0930-1130 |
Session 36 |
Antarctic Heritage |
| * |
1100-1300 |
Session 25 |
Sea ice in the atmosphere-ice-ocean-biosphere system |
| * |
1200-1530 |
Session 36 |
Environmental factors driving diversity and composi on of fossil and living Antarctic communities |
| Tuesday, 28 July 2020 |
| |
1300-1600 |
Meeting |
SOOS West Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc Regional Working Group Committee meeting |
| * |
1300-1500 |
Session 41 |
Living and Working in Antarctica, Session A |
| |
1400-1600 |
Workshop |
Biogeochemical Argo Workshop |
| |
1800-2230 |
Session 5 |
Antarctic Sea ice variability and change |
| * |
2000-2200 |
Session 41 |
Living and Working in Antarc ca, Session B |
| Wednesday, 29 July 2020 |
| |
0500-0800 |
Session 46 |
Public Engagements with Antarc ca in a Changing Climate |
| |
1200-1400 |
Session 36 |
Environmental factors driving diversity and composi on of fossil and living Antarctic communi es – Session 2 |
| Thursday, 30 July 2020 |
| |
0900-1100 |
Session 45 |
Inclusive Collaborations in Antarctic Research |
| |
1800-2200 |
Workshop |
ASPeCt* Workshop |
| |
2000-2130 |
Meeting |
Geothermal Heat Flow Side Meeting |
| Friday, 31 July 2020 |
| |
0600-0800 |
Session 37 |
The ATS, Interna onal Law and Governance, Session 2 |
| |
1300-1500 |
Session 37 |
The ATS, Interna onal Law and Governance, Session 2 |
Above schedule for 27th -31st July. “The full program will be uploaded in coming days on the SCAR2020 website. Please note that session start and end times may change slightly in the final program to allow for smooth transition between sessions.” See schedule with an indication(*) of where South Africans will be participating – the schedule will change over the next two weeks, follow us on Twitter (@Antarcticlegacy) and FaceBook to keep track of changes. Below this week schedule.
All the best to all our presenters during SCAR2020 Online!!
Thanks to those of you who helped get word out about the survey. This initiative is coordinated by SCAR and is part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. We are working with SOOS, SCOR, ICED, Clivar, IODE, EPB, IAATO. There has already been one workshop (report can be accessed here) and a second workshop is planned for September in conjunction with the Polar Data Forum. We are in the process of putting together seven working groups (10 members each) that align with the UN-identified societal needs:
We have been invited to participate in the Cryosphere Pavilion at COP26 which will be in Glasgow Oct 31-Nov12, 2021. We should consider providing speakers and topics. There will be opportunities to be present in person and virtually. The concept note for the Pavilion is attached and there is also a link to the Cryosphere Pavillion at COP25 as an example.
This ISC portal can be used to highlight any climate-related publications, before and during COP26. It may also be a good venue for the ACCE report and other publications from the SRPs. Again, we would like to get a sense of your interest and please let us know if you post any material to the portal.
Link to the survey: 
South Africa has been part of SCAR since 1959 and over the years researchers of South Africa attended these conferences. Over the past decades, principal investigators of SANAP and their students gave oral and poster presentations. This year the 
