The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat has partnered with SOOS in a three-year partnership from 2020 to 2022 to develop a network of researchers, policy and industry members with an interest in the Southern Ocean. This coincides with the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) chair position moving to Sweden for 2021-2022.

Sweden has had a presence in Southern Ocean research since Otto Nordenskjöld’s Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1901-1903), and today Sweden supports a strong presence in international Southern Ocean field campaigns, programs and organisations. Swedish Southern Ocean research is at the forefront of development for autonomous platforms and mobile platforms for data collection in the Southern Ocean. In particular, Sweden’s 8m autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) was one of the first AUV’s to be used to investigate under floating ice-shelves and glaciers in Antarctica, and its glider program has grown significantly.

This network will build a strong national Southern Ocean community, to enhance knowledge sharing, collaborative efforts, knowledge of funding opportunities; as well as provide enhanced opportunities for Swedish involvement in international Southern Ocean initiatives and efforts. The network will be built up through a combination of regular newsletters and a biannual Swedish Southern Ocean science symposium (starting spring 2021). This network is open to all disciplines, research areas and those working in the Arctic with an Antarctic interest.

You are invited to join the SOOS-Swedish Polar Network below. For more information on the network, see the network advertisement here.