ICED-IPY: Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Southern Ocean during the IPY

Introduction

The ICED project is to develop a coordinated circumpolar approach to better understand climate interactions in the Southern Ocean, the implications for ecosystem dynamics, the impacts on biogeochemical cycles, and the development of sustainable management procedures.

Q&A

Eugene Murphy, British Antarctic Survey,
Natural Environment Research Council,
Cambridge, U.K.

1. Tell me briefly about the science you will be doing during IPY?

ICED-IPY will address the need for circumpolar science integration in order to tackle major questions in Southern Ocean ecosystem and biogeochemical science. We need to know more about how big ocean ecosystems work, but all too often researchers working in separate scientific disciplines and in different parts of the Southern Ocean do not get the opportunity to link up their ideas and form a bigger picture.

2. What are the major challenges your project is going to face?

At the core of ICED-IPY is the need to improve integration of existing and planned field studies. This poses major challenges in terms of international and multidisciplinary coordination.  Another major challenge will be coordinating these different activities to ensure the efficiency and scientific value of the outcomes of the individual programmes, and of ICED-IPY as a whole. Communication will be the key, and our website will be a major focus for communicating news and activities (see http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Resources/BSD/ICED/index.htm).

3. What is new or particularly exciting about the project?

This project will generate datasets for the research community previously unavailable to a single nation. Often scientists studying the vast Southern Ocean don't get the chance to build a bigger picture of their often-specialised research in the Antarctic environment, and put it into a wider perspective. ICED-IPY is a unique collection of polar scientists from different backgrounds willing to pool their collective talent and look beyond their usual focus to answer one of the biggest questions facing Antarctic science: how polar marine ecosystems operate on a circumpolar scale.  There are 29 countries currently engaged in Antarctic scientific research, and whilst a high level of coordination exists between some of the programmes, these are fragmented and often spatially and temporally limited. ICED-IPY will, for the first time, begin to address the clear need to improve coordination and communication in Southern Ocean climate and ecosystem research.

5. Why do you think IPY is important?

The Polar Regions are critical components of the Earth System – climate changes they will influence the rest of the planet both in physical terms but also in social and economic terms. This is the first time since International Geo-science Year that nations have collaborated on this scale for polar studies. Thus a key focus is that of communication and improved coordination of scientific activities in the Polar Regions. The momentum that IPY generates is key in stimulating polar scientists to extend their collaborations to further our understanding of polar systems. The IPY also brings a timely, focused opportunity to broaden our science to increase awareness and involvement in key polar issues by policy decision-makers, young scientists and the general public.

6. How will the European contribution to IPY strengthen and deepen the perceptions of young people to scientific, environmental and political issues in the Polar Regions? Why should the next generation care about the polar regions, and what will IPY’s legacy be for the next 50 years?

The IPY will focus the world's attention and research resources on the Polar Regions. Young people should be fully involved in this effort. Education and outreach are integral components of the IPY. Young people will have the exciting opportunity to experience polar science through school activities, the Internet, films and documentaries, special events and exhibitions.

The Polar Regions have inspired generations of explorers, scientists and artists. Through ICED-IPY, for example, young people will be able to read about life aboard ships in the Southern Ocean and contact scientists. Europe’s contributions to IPY should serve to inspire young people in Europe about the importance of the Polar Regions in their lives, whether this be as indicators of the planet’s health, or simply as an awareness of the need to understand and protect some of the earth’s last remaining true wilderness areas.

7. What are the major challenges for Europe in terms of dealing with the issues of the Polar Regions?

Given the vast amount of research by European nations in the Polar Regions, a major challenge is to ensure the impact of research activities are maximised through the efficient sharing of resources and infrastructure. The challenge is to link the various studies together to further the science and address the bigger questions. Within ICED-IPY, a number of cruises and other field activities are planned and the challenge will be coordination to increase the wider-reaching effects of these field efforts. Another challenge will be successful dissemination of the outcomes to maximise the future benefits of the science.

8. What measures does Europe need to take to inspire the next generation of scientists?

Europe needs to actively promote the recruitment of future scientists. A focus on the Polar Regions helps stimulate learning with the excitement of expeditions and discovery, while creating interest for science. Exchange opportunities with universities and institutions offering specific polar facilities should be encouraged, as should the development of summer schools, floating universities and scientific expeditions to the poles. The importance of the Polar Regions to European, and indeed global science, should be emphasised and backed up by practical action. IPY together with EUR-OCEANS for example, provides the ideal opportunity to take these concepts to a higher level.

The programme that Professor Murphy leads is called: Discovery 2010: Integrating Southern Ocean ecosystems into the Earth System and details can be found at www.antartica.ac.uk

Other link : http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Resources/BSD/ICED/index.htm