It's a great opportunity for APECS members to review or comment on the proposed next generation of SCAR Scientific Research Programmes.

SCAR Scientific Research Programmes (SRPs) are transformative scientific initiatives that address compelling issues and emerging frontiers in Antarctic or Southern Ocean science of regional and global importance. SRPs are SCAR’s highest level of investment in science. They are meant to advance scientific questions that are expected to require sustained efforts by international teams of scientists and researchers for six to eight years.

The five proposed programmes, as well as an evaluation form, are available from: http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/progplanning/srpproposals.html.

All reviews and comments must be received at the Secretariat (mds68@cam.ac.uk) by the 31st of May 2012.

The International Polar Foundation communicates and educates on polar science and polar research as a way to understand key environmental and climate mechanisms. The IPF also promotes innovative and multifaceted responses to the complex challenges raised by the need for action on sustainable development. To find out more please visit http://www.polarfoundation.org/

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) announces that Issue 28 (April 2012) of the SCAR Newsletter is available at:
http://tinyurl.com/April2012-SCARNewsletter. This issue of the newsletter includes:

       - SCAR focus on the Biodiversity Data Paper concept;
       - News and Announcements from SCAR;
       - Antarctic Science News;
       - Polar and APECS News; and
       - Forthcoming Events

To view the newsletter, please go to: http://tinyurl.com/April2012-SCARNewsletter.

Responding to Arctic Environmental Change: Translating Our Growing Understanding into a Research Agenda for Action International Study of Arctic Change

The first International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC) Responding to Arctic Environmental Change workshop was held 30 January - 1 February 2012 at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada. The complete workshop report can be downloaded from the International Study of Arctic Change homepage at: http://www.arcticchange.org.

Participants from eight countries and a variety of scientific disciplines and stakeholder groups considered key issues for responding to arctic environmental change, including four priorities established at public planning meetings during 2009 and 2012. These priorities were:

       - Establishing a mutually agreed upon definition of responding to arctic environmental change.
       - Identifying research questions that align with stakeholder needs for information, including those which are tractable in the short term and those which need to be addressed              over the longer term.
       - Assessing how well established arctic observing initiatives align with stakeholder needs for information and identifying ways this alignment
          may be improved.
       - Identifying tools to advance science/stakeholder partnerships, and to improve communication between the diverse communities with interest in  the Arctic.

Comments on the report are welcome and can be directed to the ISAC Science Steering Group at the following address: murray@arcticchange.org. It is intended that this first Responding to Change workshop will lead to a series of follow-up activities, and wide community input is sought on the phase of implementation.

To download the report, please go to: http://www.arcticchange.org.

A new report, entitled "Lessons and Legacies of International Polar Year 2007-2008," is now available. To download a free PDF of the prepublication version of the report and the four-page Report in Brief, please go to: http://www.dels.nas.edu/Report/Lessons-and-Legacies/13321.

The report is being published under the guidance of the Polar Research Board (PRB) of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. 

International Polar Year 2007-2008 (IPY) was an intense, coordinated field campaign of observations, research, and analysis. IPY engaged the public to communicate the relevance of polar research to the entire planet, strengthened connections with the Indigenous people of the Arctic, and established new observational networks. Overall, IPY was an outstanding success. "Legacies and Lessons of the International Polar Year 2007-2008" explains how activities at both poles led to scientific discoveries that significantly changed the level of scientific understanding and helped translate scientific knowledge into policy-relevant information. At a time when the polar regions are undergoing a transformation from an icy wilderness to a new zone for human affairs, these insights could not be more timely or more relevant. From outreach activities that engaged the general public to projects that brought researchers from multiple disciplines and several nations together, the legacies of IPY extend far beyond the scientific results achieved, and valuable lessons learned from the process will guide future endeavors of similar magnitude.

For further information, please contact: Lauren Brown
Email: lbrown2@nas.edu