UK National Committee for Antarctic Research - Glaciology

SCAR Working Group on Glaciology - UK representation

SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) has a number of scientific working groups, one of which is the SCAR Working Group on Glaciology. Since 1996, the UK representative on this Working Group has been Eric Wolff from the British Antarctic Survey. SCAR gives a listing of other members of the Working Group. The Working Group meets approximately every two years. The 1996 meeting coincided with the SCAR meeting (SCAR XXIV) in Cambridge in August 1996. The recommendations from SCAR XXIV can be found in SCAR Bulletin volume 125 (April 1997). The Working Group met in September 1998 at the Sixth International Symposium on Antarctic Glaciology (SISAG) in Lanzhou, China. I presented a UK report to the Glaciology Working Group. The next meeting of the WG will be at SCAR XXVI in Japan in 2000.

UK input to SCAR is organised by the UK National Committee for Antarctic Research under the auspices of the Royal Society. The UK representative on the SCAR WG Glaciology sits on this committee. The committee meets annually (currently in the springtime). The 1998 meeting was on 12th May, but this year there is an extra meeting in December 1998. The UK committee believes that SCAR is in need of institutional reform, and the UK representative to SCAR therefore put a position paper forward to SCAR in Chile (July 1998), proposing a review of SCAR organisation.

This page will act as a conduit for passing on SCAR recommendations that are relevant to glaciology, as a means of soliciting input from the UK glaciology community, and as a brief directory of UK researchers and their activities in Antarctic glaciology.

This page last updated on 16 December 1998.

Information from SCAR

Items of interest to glaciologists generally come from the Glaciology Working Group, but also from the SCAR Global Change Programme.

Recommendations from SCAR XXV

The main meeting of SCAR XXV in 1998 made three recommendations of particular relevance to glaciologists:

Other recommendations on data centres and directories are also relevant. Full texts of these recommendations will appear in SCAR Bulletin in due course.

SCAR Working Group on Glaciology - discussions at 1998 meeting

The 1998 meeting took place in conjunction with the Sixth International Symposium on Antarctic Glaciology at Lanzhou, China, in September 1998. A full report should appear in SCAR Bulletin in due course.

The meeting was well attended (approx 18 nations represented). It discussed national reports and a number of international programmes, so that all countries were aware of their status. It was agreed that the next WG meeting will be in Japan in 2000 with XXVI SCAR. The meeting elected Qin Dahe of China as WG Chairman. A number of formal recommendations were made, most of them updates of those from the 1996 meeting. I will include the details here when I have formal minutes.

SCAR Working Group on Glaciology - discussions at 1996 meeting

The 1996 meeting took place at XXIV SCAR in Cambridge. A full report can be read in SCAR Bulletin No. 126, pp. 8-10.

The meeting discussed a number of international programmes, so that all countries were aware of their status. There was discussion of the Vostok drilling, and how far it was safe to drill towards the lake. It was decided to hold the Sixth International Symposium on Antarctic Glaciology (SISAG) in Lanzhou, China, in September 1998. Five formal recommendations were made:

SCAR Global Change Programme

Several programmes within this are relevant to glaciologists:

Input into SCAR Working Group on Glaciology

If you want me to raise issues in the SCAR WG (generally issues with an international dimension), or in the UK National Committee, please contact me. This would be especially important just before the meetings of these bodies.

Please send any comments to e.wolff@bas.ac.uk.

Directory of UK researchers involved in Antarctic glaciology

This is a listing of groups and lead investigators with current activities or an expressed interest in Antarctic glaciology. If you wish to add your name, or amend your listing, please let me know (e.wolff@bas.ac.uk). Where known, I have made links to web pages for the group or researcher.

British Antarctic Survey

BAS carries out glaciological research within its Ice and Climate Division. Lead investigators and their interests are:

Earth Observation Sciences (EOS)

Open University, Planetary Sciences Research Institute

University College London, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering

University College London, Department of Geological Sciences

University College London, Mullard Space Science Laboratory

University of Bristol, Department of Geography

University of Cambridge, Institute of Theoretical Geophysics

University of Cambridge, Scott Polar Research Institute

University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences

University of East Anglia, School of Mathematics

University of Edinburgh, Department of Geography

University of Leeds, Environment Centre

University of Leeds, Department of Geography

University of Oxford, Mathematical Institute

University of Reading, Environmental Systems Science Centre

University of Wales at Aberystwyth, Centre for Glaciology