Minutes [pdf]

 

8th Biennial Coordination Meeting for iAnZone

A SCOR-Affiliated Organization

 

Alfred-Wegener-Institüt für Polar and Marine Science

Bremerhaven, Germany

11 September 2003

 

The meeting was convened at 0900 by outgoing co-Chairs Robin Muench and Hartmut Hellmer.

 

The first and primary order of business was a discussion of the future, within the context of a decrease in member participation, of iAnZone.  It had been suggested in correspondence prior to the meeting that the Southern Ocean CLIVAR Panel might better take on the present iAnZone role of project coordination.  Two relevant points were however made at the CLIVAR meeting directly preceding the iAnZone meeting.  First, CLIVAR was neither interested in, nor suited for, taking on the sort of coordination that has been carried out in the past by iAnZone.  Second, CLIVAR felt strongly that such a coordinating role was important and that iAnZone was a suitable organization to continue on in this role.

 

Given the encouragement from CLIVAR, discussion turned to the topic of what issues might iAnZone fruitfully pursue.  The organization has always been most dynamic when actively developing new projects such as, for example, the DOVETAIL or AnSlope programs.  Conversely, the recent inactive period has coincided with a lack of active planning.  The sorts of regional, mesoscale to small-scale, process-oriented projects that have been pursued through iAnZone are in many ways essential to understanding climate-related issues that are of primary interest to CLIVAR.  The role of iAnZone might be construed as forging linkages, within a larger, perhaps climate-related context, between the various smaller projects.  A concensus was reached by the group that this was indeed a suitable role that should be pursued by iAnZone.

 

The issue for discussion now was how best to fill this role.  It was suggested that the planned 2005 ISPOL project could serve as a template for future activities.  The proposed study of thermobaricity in the eastern Weddell Sea – a virtually entirely US program - was essentially planned independently of iAnZone, nonetheless, research carried out under this program will be included under the iAnZone umbrella for purposes of information transfer and potential coordination.  Mechanisms for this sort of coordination and communication are in place, and consist of publications and a website at some central location with links to SCOR and to individual projects.  The issue of a suitable location for such a website will be pursued among steering group members following the meeting.  The major ongoing projects such as AnSlope and DOVETAIL already have active websites.  Networking within the Southern Ocean research community will ensure that the core site is kept updated.

 

The final issue discussed was planning for a major study of the Antarctic circumpolar frontal and coastal current system.  This will be the next major project to be coordinated by iAnZone, and the first dedicated coordination meeting is planned to take place at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK during late September 2004.  Proposals for the initial phases of such a project have already been submitted within the UK system, and the time appears to be ripe for expansion of this proposed work into a major, international program.  In an interesting, and encouraging, turn of events, earlier discussions with the CLIVAR group had suggested that such a frontal study might link with a corollary study of Arctic circumpolar frontal systems and that such a plan should be submitted as a possible IPY program.  It was further suggested that iAnZone would be a suitable lead organization for submittal of such a plan.

 

Steering Committee membership issues:

 

Karen Heywood has agreed to serve as the Chair of iAnZone for the coming biennium.  She will be considering the possibility of seeking a co-Chair following this meeting.  The membership has been overdue for rotation, and this was discussed and a number of suggestions made.  A major criterion for membership remains that members should come from countries having active Southern Ocean Antarctic Zone research programs.  Some of the recent member inactivity has been a result of changing national research priorities away from Antarctic Zone ocean research.  Since some persons discussed for possible membership, or for deletion from the membership roles, were not present at the meeting, these deliberations will be concluded by email following the meeting.

 

The next iAnZone meeting:

 

The 9th iAnZone biennial coordination meeting is planned to take place in Venice during October 2005.  This meeting will share a meeting site with groups from IPAB and with an ISPOL science coordination workshop, and will take place either directly leading or following a major conference on work in the Ross Sea scheduled for the same site.  It is hoped that this will provide a successful mechanism for coordination of ongoing Southern Ocean research in much the same fashion as the September 2003 Southern Ocean Science Week held at the AWI.

 

Attendees:

 

S. Ackley                     H. Hellmer*                 B. Lettau                     E. Zambianchi

K. Geiger                    K. Heywood*              R. Muench*

A. Gordon                   W. Hibler                     M. Schröder

C. Haas                       J. Launiainen*                        V. Strass

 

* Indicates Steering Committee members.