Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Role of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in Past, Present and Future Climate: A strategy for the International Polar Year 2007-2008  (CASO (Climate in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean))

Outline
CASO provides an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to understanding the role of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in past, present and future climate during the IPY 2007-2008. CASO is organised into five themes:1.Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in the global water cycleObjectives: to quantify the high-latitude contributions to the global water cycle, to determine the sensitivity of the water cycle to climate change and variability, and to identify the impact of changes in the high latitude water cycle on the rest of the globe.2. Southern hemisphere teleconnectionsObjectives: to understand the climate connections between low and high latitudes, including both atmospheric and oceanic pathways; to determine the role of air-ice-ocean interactions in southern hemisphere variability and change; and to assess the sensitivity of the modes of variability to future change. 3.Climate processes at the Antarctic continental margin Objectives: to improve our understanding and models of ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions and ice shelf stability; to obtain a snapshot of the circumpolar distribution of the complex system of coastal, shelf and slope currents; to quantify the production rate of Antarctic Bottom Water and implement an observing system; to measure the circumpolar volume of sea ice.4.Climate – ecosystem – biogeochemistry interactions in the Southern OceanObjectives: to understand the impact of climate variability and change on Southern Ocean ecosystems, biodiversity and biogeochemical cycles, including the role of the Southern Ocean in the CO2 cycle.5. Records of past Antarctic climate variability and change Objectives: to use proxy records to determine the natural modes of climate variability on time-scales from years to millennia and to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of abrupt climate change in the past, including the role of northern versus southern hemisphere.To address these themes, an integrated IPY Southern Ocean observing system is needed that includes synoptic, multidisciplinary transects; time series measurements; enhanced atmospheric measurements; and new paleoclimate data sets. New technologies such as autonomous floats, gliders and aircrafts will be required to sample regions, seasons and variables that have eluded us in the past. CASO will leave a legacy of a targeted, affordable, sustained observing system; a circumpolar snap-shot to serve as a benchmark for the assessment of past and future change; models capable of simulating interactions between climate, ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles, providing improved projections of future change; a well-integrated interdisciplinary polar research community; and inspire a new generation of polar researchers.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Theme 1: present environmental status of the polar regionsCASO will document temporal and spatial variability of Southern Ocean climate, ecosystems, and their interactions. Theme 2: to understand change and improve predictions.CASO aims to understand, interpret and predict climate variability and change in the southern polar regions and its impact on Antarctic and global processes.Theme 3: polar – global teleconnectionsCASO will address teleconnections between polar and lower latitudes, between the ocean basins, and between the upper and lower atmosphere.Theme 4: unknowns at the frontiers of scienceCASO is targeting several new frontiers, including the first measurements of the volume of Antarctic sea ice through an annual cycle and of the sub-ice ocean circulation and ecosystems.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
CASO brings under its umbrella projects involving scientists from most countries active in Antarctic and Southern Ocean research. Part of the cooperation occurs within large international projects as CLIVAR and CliC or is supported by international organisations as SCAR, other projects are planned in bi or trilateral context.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Circumpolar, from the Antarctic continent to the Subtropical Front. (Note that some of the most critical questions regarding the role of the Southern Ocean in the climate system, such as the role of the SO in the freshwater budget, can only be addressed with observations spanning the Southern Ocean.)

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: 03/07 – 03/09            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Much of the research contributing to CASO will be ship-based, including a circumpolar, multi-disciplinary survey and focused process studies. Specific facilities required include ice breakers and ice-strengthened ships, satellites, autonomous vehicles, drifters, profiling floats, ice-tethered platforms, moorings, meteorological observations, and ice and sediment core capability.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
CASO will leave a legacy of a targeted, affordable, sustained observing system. The system will rely heavily on autonomous instruments to provide long time-series from remote and inaccessible locations. During the IPY we will test a variety of new observational approaches for their suitability as part of a sustained system.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium
Own national polar operator
Another national polar operator
National agency

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Yes. The CASO strategy has been endorsed by CLIVAR, CliC and SCAR and discussed widely at international forums. Individual projects contributing to the goals of CASO are seeking endorsement at the national and international level. To evidence the endorsement CASO will be submitted by the national committees as well.

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

CASO is a new strategy for coordination and integration of Antarctic and Southern Ocean climate research, spanning disciplines and major international research programs. CASO builds on planned and existing activities of these programs (eg CLIVAR, CliC, PAGES, IGBP). Through it activities and legacy it will support projects as SCAR’s AGCS.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The CLIVAR/CliC/SCAR SO Panel will play a coordination and integration role. It will work in cooperation with the SCAR/SCOR group of experts. It will be decided if beyond these groups a Project Steering Committee will be needed because CASO is not a “project,” in the sense of a stand-alone research project that will be submitted as a funding proposal but a coordination strategy. The support of the major institutions responsible for related work in the domain, will allow to build on their management structures. Given the scope of the involved project support by coordinating staff will be needed.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
CASO will add value to the education, outreach and communication aspects of the individual projects contributing to CASO goals by playing the same coordination role in this area as in the science domain. It will build on national plans (e.g. summer schools) and assure their integration in the large programs.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
Primary responsibility for data management will rest with individual projects. Due to the integration in organisms as CLIVAR/CliC or as SCAR/SCOR, data management will occur along their lines and profit from their structures, e.g. data centers and experiences in support of the principles and aims of IPY.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Individual projects contributing to CASO will seek funding from national and international funding agencies. Part of funding is expected from additional project support, part by focussed use of institutional means. Through this mix some, but not all, of the logistic support (eg ship-time) and funding is already in place.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
CASO serves as an IPY umbrella to many other programs submitted as IoE, such as iAnZone's SASSI, GEOTRACES; GOODHOPE as well as national programs, such as SOFI, US Transects, BONUS, SCACE. Some of them submit independent IoEs, some rely to be a contribution to the present one.CASO is clearly focussed on the Southern Hemisphere but it takes into account that to understand polar processes and their impact, a global view is needed. This is assured by close contact to iAOOS an Arctic umbrella IoE and the integration in global programmes as CLIVAR and CliC.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Steve Rintoul
CSIRO Marine Research and ACE CRC
GPO Box 1538
Castray Esplanade, Hobart, Tasmania
7001
Australia

Tel: 61-(0)3-6232-5393
Mobile: no
Fax: 61-(0)3-6232-5123
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation