Governance

From 2008 to 2021, SCAR was governed by its Memorandum of Association (the legal statement agreed when the organisation became a registered company) and its Articles of Association (the legal rules about how the organisation is run), the two documents forming SCAR’s Constitution. When the Articles of Association were revised in March 2021, the Memorandum was incorporated into the Articles so that a single Articles of Association document now forms SCAR’s Constitution.

SCAR is registered as a Company and a Charity in the UK: Company Number 06564642; Charity Number 1124840

More detailed rules about the duties and responsibilities of SCAR’s members are laid out in the Rules and Policies section.

SCAR Organisational Structure

(a list of acronyms for the chart is given below)

Download the Organogram and list of acronyms


Previous Versions of the SCAR Organisation Chart

Charts prior to 2013 are available on the SCAR Web Archive.

SCAR Reviews

SCAR conducts regular reviews of its overall performance, and of the performance of its subsidiary groups and programmes.

Report on the SCAR Structural Review, 20-21 April 2015

SCAR ActivityInternal ReviewExternal Review
Science groupsevery 2 years
Scientific Research Programmes (SRPs)every 2 yearsevery 4 years
2016 SRP Review
Co-sponsored activitiesevery 2 yearsevery 4 years
Partnershipsevery 5 years
Communication activitiesno official review
Award schemesevery 5 years
Structure and organizationevery 5 years
2015 Structural Review
2016 ICSU Review
Strategic Planevery 5 years

Acronym definitions and links to subsidiary groups

 

AAAAstronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica
ACAAntarctic Clouds and Aerosols
ADMAPAntarctic Digital Magnetic Anomaly Project
AGATAAntarctic Geospace and Atmosphere Research
AGEAntarctic Geological Evolution
AGIVAAction Group on Intrinsic Value in Antarctica
AnMAPAntarctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
AntArchitectureAntarctic Architecture Action Group
AntClimNowNear-term Variability and Prediction of the Antarctic Climate System
Ant-ICONIntegrated Science to Inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation
ANTOSAntarctic Near-shore and Terrestrial Observing System
ANTPASAntarctic Permafrost, Soils and Periglacial Environments
Ant-TAGAntarctic Tourism Action Group
AntVolcAntarctic Volcanism
ASPeCtAntarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate
AWHNAntarctic Wildlife Health Network
BEPSIIBiogeochemical Exchange Processes at the Sea-Ice Interfaces
C-CAGEChanges in Circumpolar Antarctic Gradients in Ecosystems
CBETCapacity Building, Education and Training Advisory Group
Development Council
EDIEquality, Diversity and Inclusion
EG-ABIAntarctic Biodiversity Informatics
EG-BAMMBirds and Marine Mammals
EG-BAMM’s AWHNAntarctic Wildlife Health Network
EG-GEOCONExpert Group on Geological Heritage and Geoconservation
FRISPForum for Research into Ice Shelf Processes
GIANTGeodetic Infrastructure of Antarctica
GroundwaterAction Group Groundwater
IBCSOInternational Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean
ICEDIntegrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics
ICEPROAction Group on Improving Paleoclimate Research in the Southern Ocean
INSTANTInstabilities & Thresholds in Antarctica
ImPACTInput Pathways of Persistent Organic Pollutants to Antarctica
IPICSInternational Partnership in Ice Core Sciences (joint group with PAGES and IACS)
ISMASSIce Sheet Mass Balance and Sea Level (joint group with IASC and CliC)
JEGHBMJoint Expert Group on Human Biology and Medicine (joint Expert Group with COMNAP)
OpMetOperational Meteorology in the Antarctic
PEARAction Group on Public Engagement with Antarctic Research
PlasticPlastic in Polar Environments Expert Group
PoLSciNexPolicy-Law-Science Nexus Action Group
RINGSAntarctic RINGS Action Group (Ice Sheet Margin)
SCADMStanding Committee on Antarctic Data Management
SCAGIStanding Committee on Antarctic Geographic Information
SCARFISHSCAR Action Group on Fish
SCATSStanding Committee on the Antarctic Treaty System
SC-HASSStanding Committee on Humanities and Social Sciences
SSGStanding Scientific Groups
SKEGSCAR Krill Expert Group
SOOSSouthern Ocean Observing System (joint initiative with SCOR)
SORPCLIVAR/CliC/SCAR Southern Ocean Region Panel
TATETropical Antarctic Teleconnections