Call for Nominations
Science Steering Committee
Southern Ocean Observing System
Nomination deadline: Friday, 30 September 2011
Please submit nominations to:
Louise Newman
Email: Louise.Newman [at] utas.edu.au
Nominations are now invited for membership of the inaugural Scientific
Steering Committee (SSC) of the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS).
The mission of the SOOS is to establish a multidisciplinary observing
system to deliver the sustained observations of the Southern Ocean that
are needed to address key challenges of scientific and societal
relevance, including climate change, sea-level rise, and the impacts of
global change on marine ecosystems. The SSC will be chaired by Michael
Meredith from the British Antarctic Survey, and John Gunn from the
Australian Antarctic Division. An SOOS International Project Office has
been established at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies,
University of Tasmania, led by Louise Newman.
The SSC will be responsible for guiding and advocating for the
implementation of the SOOS, as defined in the recently developed
Southern Ocean Observing System: Initial Science and Implementation
Strategy. To obtain a copy of this document, please contact Louise
Newman (Louise.Newman [at] utas.edu.au). The work of the SSC will include:
- Development of optimal sampling plans for essential Southern Ocean
variables;
- Advocating and guiding the development of new observation
technologies;
- Streamlining of current efforts and leveraging of resources;
- Effective integration and coordination of national and
international projects and programs, across traditional disciplinary
boundaries and between nations; and
- Facilitation and development of a data system that provides
seamless access to a wide range of data products for the Southern
Ocean.
The SOOS will address six scientific themes, and SSC members will be
selected to ensure that each of the themes is comprehensively covered by
member expertise. These themes are:
- The role of the Southern Ocean in the planet's heat and freshwater
balance;
- The stability of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation;
- The role of the Southern Ocean in the stability of the Antarctic
ice sheet and its contribution to sea-level rise;
- The future and consequences of Southern Ocean carbon uptake;
- The future of Antarctic sea ice; and
- The impacts of global change on Southern Ocean ecosystems.
Data management is also an integral component of the SOOS objectives and
expertise covering this aspect will also be sought for the SSC.
Nominees should be highly regarded for their scientific excellence, have
close connections to the community that they represent, and should be
willing to actively participate in the implementation of the SOOS.
Please send nominations, including self-nominations, to Louise Newman
(Louise.Newman [at] utas.edu.au) by 30 September 2011. Details of relevant
expertise and motivation are appreciated.
SOOS was developed by representatives from the Scientific Committee on
Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research
(SCOR), the World Climate Research Programme Climate Variability and
Predictability (WCRP-CLIVAR) and the World Climate Research Programme
Climate and the Cryosphere (WCRP-CliC); with additional sponsorship
and/or endorsement by the Partnership for Observation of the Global
Ocean (POGO), the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML), and the Global
Ocean Observing System (GOOS).
Nomination deadline: Friday, 30 September 2011.
For formal or informal enquiries about SOOS and its SSC, please contact:
Michael Meredith
Email: mmm [at] bas.ac.uk
John Gunn
Email: John.Gunn [at] aad.gov.au
Louise Newman
Email: Louise.Newman [at] utas.edu.au