Meeting Summary from Representatives

Antarctic Top Predator Meeting at POLAR2018

Jaimie Cleeland (APECS Representative to EG-BAMM)

The Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) Expert Group on Birds and Marine Mammals (EG-BAMM) met in Davos on June 16^th, 2018 as part of POLAR2018. The meeting represents a gathering of polar researchers to discuss key issues and concerns regarding higher order Southern Ocean predators. Opened by Chair, Mark Hindell (IMAS, UTAS, Australia) and Deputy Chair, Yan Ropert-Coudert (CEBC – CNRS, France), the Davos meeting focussed on new technologies and international collaborative research initiatives.

Winter weather and climate extremes: How can researchers, authorities, and local peoples work together to record, predict and adapt? Salekhard, Yamal-Nenets automonous district, 31 Oct – 4 Nov 2017

The message was clear: To understand world climate, you need to understand the Arctic. To understand Arctic climate, you need to understand the Russian Arctic. To understand the Russian Arctic, you need to understand Yamal!

For the third time in a row, APECS received an invitation to select a representative among its members to be a guest at the annual meeting of the German National Committee SCAR/IASC (NK SCAR/IASC).

The Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Scientific Steering Group of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) met for its 13th session on February 17-18, 2017. The meeting was hosted at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and took place in conjunction with the International Symposium on the Cryosphere in a hanging Climate held from February 13-17, 2017. More than twenty presentations were in the agenda, and twenty-seven participants from thirteen different countries attended the meeting (both at the location and participating remotely). The meeting was led by CliC Co-Chairs Gerhard Krinner and James Renwick.

The EU PolarNet was recently established as an umbrella organization for European polar research expertise and infrastructure. On 27th September a Town Hall Event was held at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels to engage important stakeholders and discuss European polar research priorities for the coming years. APECS had the chance to participate and did so in person of Igor S. Pessi and Henrik Christiansen.

The Arctic Council working group Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) hosted a board meeting September 6-8 2016 in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. An APECS council member, Karolina Paquin was invited to attend as a representative.

During the biannual meeting and open science conference of the Scientific Committe on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Standing Scientific Group of Life Sciences (SCAR SSG-LS) holds an open and closed meeting with its representatives. Established life scientists of currently 33 countries come together during this meeting to discuss their latest reports and advances.

APECS was invited to send a German representative as guest to the annual meeting of the German SCAR-IASC Committee. As the name already implies, the German SCAR-IASC National Committee (NK SCAR/IASC) is the official representative of German research in SCAR and in IASC. Once a year, the committee brings together the assigned (usually for 3 years) NK SCAR/IASC members and guests, established scientists from most research entities involved in polar research in Germany.

APECS was invited to attend the European Polar Board’s (EPB) spring meeting in Stockholm, Sweden April 11-12, 2016. The EPB is an independent organization that coordinates European Arctic and Antarctic strategic science policy.  It’s focus areas are launching joint research programs, coordination of Polar research infrastructures, and advising on relevant policy issues.

The 12th Session of the CliC Scientific Steering Group in Denmark was held 2-4 February, 2016, at University of Copenhagen, hosted by Center for Ice and Climate. More than 35 presentations were in the agenda, and participants were predominantly from Europe, but with contributions from the USA, Japan, Canada, China, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia (participating both at the location and remotely). The meeting was led by CliC SSG Chair Greg Fiato and hosted by the SSG member Dorthe-Dahl Jensen.