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International Council of Scientific Unions ~©~~bulletin No. 122JULY1996 Meeting of the SCAR Executive Committee, Siena, Italy, 16-20 September 1995 p 1 Antarctic Protected Areas: Annexes to the Measures adopted at the XIXth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, Seoul, Korea, 8-19 May 1995 p 6 Published by the SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON ANTARCTIC RESEARCH at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC UNIONS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON ANT ARCTIC RESEARCH SCAR BULLETIN No 122, July 1996 Meeting of the SCAR Executive Committee Siena, Italy, 16-20 September 1995 Present: Professor AC Rocha-Campos, President; Profes The Group had also submitted a recommendation to sor Z Dong, Professor PG Quilty, ProfessorO Orheim, the Executive that SCAR should encourage the Joint Vice-Presidents; Professor K Birkenmajer, Secretary; Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) and Southern Ocean - Dr R Schlich, Chairman of the Finance Committee; JGOFS to continue the study of C02 flux in the Southern Professor A Karlqvist, Chairman of CO MNAP; Dr PD Ocean. This recommendation was adopted for passing to Clarkson, Executive Secretary. the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Dr RM Laws, Past-President, was unable to attend. (see page 5). The Executive Committee was welcomed to Siena by 2.2 SCAR Programme Office Professor CA Ricci of the University of Siena, who had The Group of Specialists also reported that the SCAR kindly undertaken to organize the meeting. The President Global Change Programme Office had been established in expressed the gratitude of the Executive to Professor Ricci the Antarctic Cooperative Research Centre at the Univer for enabling the Committee to meet in the Accademia sity of Tasmania in Hobart. The appointed Programme Fisiocritica in Siena and for making available the facilities Coordinator had been forced to withdraw from the ap of the Department of Earth Sciences. pointment on account of technical difficulties obtaining a work permit. I D Goodwin had since been appointed and 1. Adoption of the Agenda was now undertaking the duties of the post. The draft agenda and timetable were adopted, with the 2.3 Relations with START, JGBP and WCRP addition of Agenda Item 4.3. The Group of Specialists continued to maintain links with. 2. Global Change and the Antarctic the System for Analysis, Research and Training (START), the International Geosphere-B iosphere Programme (IGBP) 2. I Group of Specialists and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). It The Executive recalled that the Group of Specialists on was noted that GLOCHANT Planning Group 2 was hold Global Change and the Antarctic (GLOCHANT) had held ing a joint meeting with the Past Global Changes (PAGES) its third meeting in Tokyo during April 1995. The report programme ofIGBPto discuss developments and plans for of the meeting had not yet been received but the Convenor future ice-core drilling in the Antarctic. and I F Allison had communicated the outline of a draft initiative proposed at the meeting. The Group proposes to 3. Antarctic data establish a Task Team that will develop a programme 3.1 SCAR-COMNAP ad hoc Planning Group on investigating Antarctic Sea-ice Processes, Ecosystems Antarctic Data Management and Climate (ASPECT). The intention is to design the Following XXIII SCAR, invitations had been issued si programme to close the gaps that were identified to exist multaneously by SCAR to National Committees and by in both physical and biological studies across the broader the Council of Managers ofNational Antarctic Programmes scale sea-ice environment between the Southern Ocean - (COMNAP) to Managers of National Antarctic Pro Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (SO-JGOFS), Southern grammes for proposals to host an Antarctic Master Direc Ocean - Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics Research tory (AMD) and to identify National Antarctic Data Cen (SO-GLOBEC) and Coastal and Shelf - Ecology of the tres (NADCs). One offer had been received to host the Antarctic Sea-Ice Zone (CS-EASlZ) programmes. The AMD and, after due consideration of the proposal, the programme should also strengthen the links between SCAR Planning Group had recommended to the SCAR and and these other programmes. The Executive encouraged COMNAP Executive Committees that the New Zealand the Group of Specialists to prepare a detailed science and proposal from the International Centre for Antarctic Infor implementation plan while taking note of the decision at mation and Research (ICAIR) in Christchurch should be XXIIJ. It is hoped that a final version will be available for accepted. Once the funding for the AMD by a consortium consideration by the Delegates at XXIV SCAR. of New Zealand, France, Italy and the United States, had SCAR BULLETIN NO. 122 been satisfactorily agreed the two Executive Committees 4. COMNAP and SCALOP confmned acceptance of the ICAIR proposal. Many, but not all, member countries had now identified their NADCs 4.1 SCALOP Workshop to the Planning Group. The Executive Secretary gave a brief report of the SCALOP It was reported that the ad hoc Planning Group consid Air Transport Networks Workshop held in Washington ered that its task had now been completed. The Planning DC, USA, during April 1995 and tabled a copy of his Group envisaged one more meeting, at XXlV SCAR, to Chairman's report of Working Group I on Air Support for recommend closure of the Group. Major Science Programs. Under the guidance of Dr DH 3.2 Antarctic Master Directory (AMD) Bromwich, Chairman of the SCAR Working Group on Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere, a recommenda A Memorandum of Understanding had been drafted by the tion had been developed to encourage operators to ensure SCAR-COMNAP ad hoc Planning Group for joint signa that in-flight weather reports were appropriately archived ture by ICAIR, SCAR and COMNAP. After some minor to increase the areal cover of opportunistic meteorological revisions, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) data in the Antarctic. was signed by all three parties in July 1995 and the Antarctic Data Directory System (ADDS) was put into 4.2 SCAR-COMNAP Environmental Monitoring effect at ICAIR. The Executive expressed its thanks to Workshops ICAIR and the members of the funding consortium for The second circular for the first of the two SCAR-COMN AP offering to undertake this essential function. Environmental Monitoring Workshops was tabled for A condition of the MOU, that was inserted at a late information. The Workshop will be held in Oslo, Norway, stage, was a statement of the proposed method of operation during October 1995. It is expected that the report of this of the AMO Steering Committee. A preliminary statement workshop will form the basis for the agenda of the second was provided by ICAIR to the SCAR Executive, outlining workshop to be held in College Station, Texas, USA, the proposed modus operandi. This was accepted by the during March 1996. These workshops will develop advice Executive. The proposal that SCAR should be represented on environmental monitoring to be presented by SCAR by Mr A Clarke, co-chairman for SCAR of the ad hoc and COMNAP to XX! Antarctic Treaty Consultative Planning Group, was also accepted and the financial Meeting (A TCM) during 1997. commitment agreed. The Steering Committee is expected 4.3 SCALOP Sub-group to meet annually at the beginning of the Antarctic field season when representatives of the organizations forming The SCALOP Sub-group on Human Resources Manage the consortium may be expected to be passing through ment will be chaired by Dr RB Heywood. A joint meeting Christchurch, New Zealand, en route for Antarctica. with the SCAR Working Group on Human Biology and Tne meeting expressed concern that not all National Medicine will be held in conjunction with XXIV SCAR. Committees had identified their NADCs; the Executive 5. Groups of Specialists Secretary was asked to remind National Committees of their obligations to ensure the success of the AMO and to 5. I Environmental Affairs and Conservation request that the information should be sent directly to (GOSEAC) ICAIR. The Executive welcomed the Report of the GOSEAC VII The Executive also reviewed a proposal from ICAIR to Meeting held in Christchurch, New Zealand during June establish a SCAR Home Page on the World Wide Web. 1995. Some suggestions were made to clarify the text in This would provide essential information about SCAR some parts and it was noted that the draft checklists for that would be accessible to interested parties world-wide. some common activities were lacking introductions. These It was agreed that this was an essential service for SCAR were to be examined by the relevant SCAR Working but that it should start in a modest way and would need to Groups for comment before acceptance by GOSEAC and be carefully monitored. The Executive Secretary was recommendation to SCAR. Members agreed on the im asked to prepare a proposal forthe Executive to review and portance of the GOSEAC report for SCAR to frame to obtain a costing from ICAIR for the service. responses to the Antarctic Treaty requests for advice on An additional proposal from ICAIR to establish a specific scientific matters. The progress of the Manage secure, electronic communications network for the SCAR ment Plan Handbook for Antarctic Specially Protected Executive was also discussed. A Karlqvist advised that, Areas (ASPAs) was noted and the concern of GOSEAC based on his experience of the Antarctic Managers Elec that some future ASPAs may include some Historic Sites tronic Network (AMEN), this was probably unnecessary and Monuments (HSMs) that are not a matter for SCAR. for such a small group. However, it was recognized that it The Executive advised that the Handbook should simply would have value, particularly if it could be extended to mention that an ASPA may include an HSM and that include all National Committees and, ideally, Associate SCAR should request guidance on this point at XX A TCM.