Reaching for the Horizon: Enabling 21st Century Antarctic Science

Abstract:

The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs’ (COMNAP) Antarctic Roadmap Challenges

(ARC) project translated the 80 highest priority Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific questions

identified by the community via the SCAR Antarctic Science Horizon Scan into the highest priority

technological, access, infrastructure and logistics needs to enable the necessary research to answer the

questions. A workshop assembled expert and experienced Antarctic scientists and National Antarctic

Program operators from around the globe to discern the highest priority technological needs including

the current status of development and availability, where the technologies will be utilized in the Antarctic area, at what temporal scales and frequencies the technologies will be employed,

and how broadly applicable the technologies are for answering the highest priority scientific questions.

Secondly the logistics, access, and infrastructure requirements were defined that are necessary to

deliver the science in terms of feasibility including cost and benefit as determined by expected scientific return on investment. Finally, based on consideration of the science objectives and the mix of

technologies implications for configuring National Antarctic Program logistics capabilities and

infrastructure architecture over the next 20 years were determined. In particular those elements that

were either of a complexity, requiring long term investments to achieve and/or having an associated cost that realistically can only (or best) be achieved by international coordination, planning and partnerships were identified. Major trends (changes) in logistics, access, and infrastructure requirements were identified that allow for long-term strategic alignment of international capabilities, resources and capacity. The outcomes of this project will be reported.