COMNAP insync Collaboration

Background

Antarctica International Science & Infrastructure for Synchronous Observation (InSync) is a regional Ocean Decade programme led by the AWI aimed at better understanding, protecting and sustainably managing Antarctica and its surrounding ocean in a year-round and circumpolar observational effort. The preparatory phase in the period 2024 to 2026 seeks to organize synchronous scientific observation to take place between 2027 and 2030.

Project Objectives

Through an InSync Secretariat/Project Office Antarctica InSync will organize a circumpolar assessment of the connections between ice, ocean, atmosphere, climate, environment and life, including human pressures, and their solutions such as marine protection. It contributes to SCAR’s UN Decade Collaborative Centre for the Southern Ocean (DCC-SOR) and builds directly on a vast science community effort (NAPs, SCAR, SOOS, WMO, ESA, etc.) in defining challenges and objectives for Antarctic research and infrastructure. Antarctica InSync aims to unite national Antarctic programmes to achieve collaborative and synergetic actions, dedicated to synchronous observation, which conclude the first decade of consecutive sea-ice minima and accelerated melt rates since the onset of satellite observation.

Key knowledge gaps will be addressed according to the SCAR Horizon Scan (2014) and facilitated by the infrastructure, technologies, access, infrastructure, and expertise as identified in the COMNAP Antarctic Roadmap Challenges (2016).

Strategic Fit to COMNAP

The science plan will be enabled by the cooperation between national Antarctic programmes through research ships, stations, and aircraft, and their requested expertise (people) as represented in the COMNAP Membership, and will seek to include autonomous and remote global observatory programmes such as Argo, ESA, and NASA. The implementation of Antarctica InSync will require coordinated and sustained effort from COMNAP Member national Antarctic programmes and many of those programmes have already committed support to the InSync project.

Project Outputs and Outcomes

The proposed Antarctica InSync research programme aims to enhance collaboration, knowledge, data sharing (between science and other societal agents) and science dialogue to raise awareness of the role of Antarctica and its surrounding ocean for our lives and humanity’s future. Its goal is to provide a framework for international collaboration to implement a number of overarching challenges for sustainable ocean science as addressed by the UN Ocean Decade, and to provide a milestone towards the International Polar Year 2032/2033 (SCAR/IASC). InSync is also committed to support for early career researchers, technologists, logisticians, engineers and those who participate in research and in research support activities. InSync recognizes COMNAP’s Statement to welcome the power of diversity and supports the principles of “welcomed, safe and respected” in Antarctic activities.

Project Timeframe

Antarctica InSync proposes a targeted, collaborative and globally coordinated scientific programmes to be prepared in the period 2024 to 2026 and to be carried out between 2027 and 2030 (three Antarctic austral seasons: 2027/28, 2028/29 & 2029/30), to deliver systemic scientific knowledge according to the goals and strategic plans / priorities and contributing to national Antarctic programmes’ strategies.

Resource Requirements

National Antarctic Programs’ infrastructure, assets and expertiserepresented in the COMNAP Membership will be engaged from the beginning in the development of the Antarctica InSync Research Programme to provide opportunities to participate, to enable understanding of costs and resource commitment related to any such participation, to agree the criteria around data-sharing and access to data.

Out of Scope

• Developing the science programme.

• Requiring national Antarctic programs to participate.
  

Participation

All national Antarctic programs through their nominated COMNAP representative(s) are invited to join the COMNAP InSync Collaboration Project.

Outreach
As with all COMNAP Projects, we encourage the use of the COMNAP logo in presentations, posters and other outreach activities including social media when appropriate. Information from the SCAR RINGS Action Group, including the new logo policy developed in consultation with COMNAP, are actively shared with the COMNAP community. We encourage reporting of level/amount of logistics/operations support provided to the RINGS Action Group data collection on a seasonal basis.