Expressions of Intent for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Integrated Analyses of Circumpolar Climate Interactions and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Southern Ocean -IPY  (ICCED –IPY)

Outline
ICCED-IPY is an international collaborative initiative to develop and coordinate integrated circumpolar interdisciplinary analyses of the operation of Southern Ocean ecosystems. ICCED–IPY will examine how ecological and climate process interactions determine the dynamics of Southern Ocean ecosystems, affecting biodiversity, biogeochemistry and the capacity to develop sustainable approaches to the management of exploitation sustainably.ICCED-IPY will bring together climatologists, oceanographers, biogeochemists, ecosystem and fisheries scientists to generate unique Southern Ocean circumpolar datasets and models to address three globally important questions:How do climate processes affect the dynamics of circumpolar ocean ecosystems?How does ecosystem structure affect circumpolar ocean biogeochemical cycles?How should ecosystem structure and dynamics be included in the development of sustainable approaches to managing exploitation?ICCED is planned as a > 10 year programme associated with international global earth system science programmes, particularly the IMBER and EUR-OCEANS network. IPY offers a unique opportunity to mobilise the required international effort to generate a step-change in analyses of polar ocean ecosystem dynamics for input into the next generation of earth system simulations. ICCED-IPY will develop the initiation and coordination phase of the ICCED initiative that will provide the legacy of an integrated interdisciplinary international set of activities to deliver the decade long ICCED initiative To deliver the integrated analyses ICCED-IPY will focus scientific effort on 2 major areas to quantify the spatial and temporal operation of the ecosystem; i.) Coordinated syntheses and analyses of data on the circumpolar operation of Southern Ocean ecosystems. The aim will be to bring together existing datasets for analyses and model development, validation, and calibration. This will include available data on the spatial and temporal variability of Southern Ocean climate and ecosystems. It will encompass sea-ice and open ocean systems, biogeochemical and ecological processes and trophic levels from microbes to whales. ii.) Integrated modelling of climate – ocean ecosystem process interactions.Development of integrated ecosystem analyses and models to determine appropriate spatial and temporal scales and trophic resolutions for model development. The aim will be to generate a hierarchical set of models of varying scale and resolution that can be used to examine the effects of climate variation on circumpolar and regional ecosystem and biogeochemical processes. To develop the long-term legacy of integrated analyses ICCED-IPY will also facilitate the coordination and development of national field efforts to maximise the return from international circumpolar scientific effort in aspects of climate and ecosystem process interactions.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
ICCED-IPY will:Theme 1: The current state of the polar environmento Undertake integrated analyses of climate-ocean- ecosystem interactions and quantification of Southern Ocean ecosystem operation at a range of spatial and temporal scales.o Generation of a hierarchical set of models of the operation of Southern Ocean ecosystems.Theme 2: Change in the polar regionso Quantify the response of Southern Ocean ecosystems to variability and change to produce a step change in our understanding of how climate and ecological processes interact to determine the dynamics of polar ocean ecosystems.Theme 3: Polar-global linkages and interactiono Develop the integration of realistic models of Southern Ocean systems into wider earth system models.o Generate a legacy of integration and coordination of earth systems studies that will form the basis for long-term studies of Southern Ocean ecosystems.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
ICCED involves scientists from a wide range of countries and is being coordinated across international projects: IGBP/SCOR Programme, IMBER: Integrating Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER), European Union EUR-OCEANS Network, Southern Ocean GLOBEC, Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic Resources (CCAMLR) and is supported by SCAR.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The questions that we are addressing in ICCED-IPY require circumpolar Southern Ocean studies in sea-ice and open ocean environments from the continent in the south to the Polar Front in the north. During IPY this will bring together national efforts throughout the circumpolar Southern Ocean.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: Period of IPY March 2007 to March 2009            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
ICCED-IPY will not be undertaking field effort but will help coordinate developing national and international efforts. National efforts include for example, Australia (AAD/CRC), France under BONUS, Germany under the AWI SCACE programme, the UK under the BAS DISCOVERY 2010 programme and the US under Southern Ocean GLOBEC and other programmes.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
ICCED as part of IPY will develop a legacy of sharing and coordination of infrastructure. That legacy will form the basis for planned multi-national coordinated circumpolar Southern Ocean field efforts in the decade following IPY.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?

ICCED will involve the coordination and facilitation or planned or developing circumpolar science effort under IPY.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Endorsed by Integrating Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) Programme initiative (IGBP/SCOR), the European Union EUR-OCEANS Network and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), and is endorsed at the national level by a range of countries through national programmes or individuals

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
yes
Under the ICCED-IPY phase coordination, modelling and synthesis will be emphasized. IPY will be the catalyst for the development of ICCED that will generate a decade long legacy of coordinated science in the Southern Ocean under IMBER.

How will the project be organised and managed?
ICCED-IPY will be coordinated as part of CASO and developed and managed under IMBER and EUR-OCEANS. During spring 2005 a formal steering group will be created and a science plan for the full ICCED programme will be developed at a meeting scheduled for May. The development of ICCED under IPY will be a specific focus for the Steering Committee. The committee will be responsible to both IMBER and EUR-OCEANS. Members of the Steering Group will be drawn from a wider group of consortium members. The wider coordination under CASO will be developed for June 2005.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
ICCED-IPY will stimulate the development of research capacity in the international community undertaking training courses to develop multidisciplinary science skills, workshops, and a programme of personnel exchange between different international research groups. EUR-OCEANS has been funded to undertake these activities; a key system focus for EUR-OCEANS is the Southern Ocean.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document)?
Development of access to biological as well as physical data will be a major goal of the IPY phase of ICCED and will crucial to the development of the decade long success of ICCED under IMBER. Primary responsibility for management will remain in national or project components.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Much of the funding for the required activities is in place or being developed through national programmes, e.g. AWI SCACE, AAD/CRC, BAS DISCOVERY 2010, USA Southern Ocean GLOBEC, France BONUS. Coordination activities will be further supported through international bodies and programmes such as IMBER, SCAR, EUR-OCEANS and SO GLOBEC.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
ICCED-IPY will form the development and coordination phase for post-IPY circumpolar field studies under ICCED as part of IMBER. As noted ICCED-IPY will be coordinated and developed as part of the CLIVAR/CliC through IPY initiative CASO (Climate in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean) and link to other IPY Southern Ocean initiatives such as SASSI, SCACE, BONUS, CCAMLR-IPY, Census of Marine Life -CoML/CAML.Further proposers are:Prof. W. O. Smith, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Greate Road, Box 1346, Gloucester Point, VA 23062Prof. D. Thiele, School of Ecology and Environment, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia, and International Whaling Commission representative.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Eugene Murphy
British Antarctic Survey
Madingley Road
Cambridge
CB3 0PU
UK

Tel: 00 44 (0) 1223 221614
Mobile:
Fax: 00 44 (0) 1223 221259
Email:

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