United States
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research

Happy Antarctica Day and Animation of SCAR ACCE Report

Happy Antarctica Day!

December 1 is Antarctica Day, celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959.


Dear Colleagues,

Earlier this year, SCAR worked with scientists across the globe to produce the Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment Decadal Synopsis (ACCE). The report provides a summary of a decade’s worth of research, and its eight chapters leave little room for doubt: The continent is warming, and so is its surrounding Southern Ocean. Climate change is having significant impacts on Antarctica’s ice sheets, climate and life, with far-reaching global consequences. The ACCE report provides concise compiled synopses of current understanding, explicit recommendations for actions to address change, and recommendations for additional research. It is key that we understand what these changes mean for both the Antarctic and the rest of the world - and what we can do.

Our new animation summarizes the key messages from the report:

Animation by: Katelyn Beissert
Illustrations by: Laura Phillips and Katelyn Beissert
Voiceover by: Cassandra Brooks
https://youtu.be/P07sDH-kmw0

To read the ACCE report in full, please visit our SCAR library. A set of infographics to accompany the report are available from here.

Climate change will have consequences on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, many of which we can already see today. However, it is not too late. We need to meet and exceed the greenhouse gas emission targets of the Paris Climate Agreement – and do so with urgency.

Our future depends on us.

Please feel free to share the animation and these important key messages with your colleagues, friends, educators and others.

With best wishes,
The SCAR Secretariat