Delivering 21st century Antarctic and Southern Ocean science

Kennicutt, M.C. et. al.-- 17 pages, 3 figures
The Antarctic Roadmap Challenges (ARC) project identified critical requirements to deliver high priority Antarctic research in the 21st century. The ARC project addressed the challenges of enabling technologies, facilitating access, providing logistics and infrastructure, and capitalizing on international co-operation. Technological requirements include: i) innovative automated in situ observing systems, sensors and interoperable platforms (including power demands), ii) realistic and holistic numerical models, iii) enhanced remote sensing and sensors, iv) expanded sample collection and retrieval technologies, and v) greater cyber-infrastructure to process ‘big data’ collection, transmission and analyses while promoting data accessibility. These technologies must be widely available, performance and reliability must be improved and technologies used elsewhere must be applied to the Antarctic. Considerable Antarctic research is field-based, making access to vital geographical targets essential. Future research will require continent- and ocean-wide environmentally responsible access to coastal and interior Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Year-round access is indispensable. The cost of future Antarctic science is great but there are opportunities for all to participate commensurate with national resources, expertise and interests. The scope of future Antarctic research will necessitate enhanced and inventive interdisciplinary and international collaborations. The full promise of Antarctic science will only be realized if nations act together
The authors recognize the financial support that made the Scan and ARC possible. The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), the Tinker Foundation and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) provided the majority of the funding for this project including the costs of travel and participation of invited, non-COMNAP workshop attendees. In-kind support was provided by many COMNAP-Member national Antarctic programmes including Dirección Nacional del Antártico (DNA, Argentina), Australian Antarctic Division (AAD, Australia), Programa Antártico Brasileiro (PROANTAR, Brazil), Instituto Antártico Chileno (INACH, Chile), Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC, China), Instituto Antártico Ecuatoriano (INAE, Ecuador), Institut Polaire Français Paul Emile Victor (IPEV, France), Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI, Germany), National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR, Japan), Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI, Republic of Korea), Antarctica New Zealand (New Zealand), Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI, Russia), Spanish Polar Committee (CPE, Spain), British Antarctic Survey (BAS, UK), and the US National Science Foundation (NSF, USA)