OSTC,French Community Flemish Community,Walloon Region,Brussels Capital City Region, Agriculture, Foreign Aff.,Public Health and Environment,
- To demonstrate Belgium's willingness to participate in the international research effort on the Antarctic in accordance with the issues set out by the Antarctic Treaty System.
- To contribute towards the development of scientific terms of reference for the protection of the Antarctic and the rational management of its marine living resources and for the assessment of interactions between the Antarctic and the climate.
- To exploit the scientific achievements and potential developed so far.
The third phase of the programme ties in with the Antarctic research that the government undertook in 1985 (Phase I) and expanded in 1988 (Phase II). It is being carried out under an international agreement, namely, the Antarctic Treaty signed in Washington.
It embraces a series of research projects that are focussed on understanding the dynamics of Antarctica’s main natural systems and their interactions with each other. Emphasis is on the complementarity and coordination of the research, as well as on synergies with other Belgian and international programmes, such as the Marine Sciences Programme, TELSAT and JGOFS.
In accordance with its objectives, the third phase of the programme has been given a technical content oriented towards the scientific problems set out above. The nine projects selected are based on coordinated multidisciplinary research targeting precise themes. They cover seven research themes in three fields (the same project can concern several themes) :
1) Ecodynamics of the Southern Ocean and interactions with the climate:
- Biogeochemical fluxes and cycles in the main trophic compartments.
- Development of tools to model the global dynamics of the ecosystems of the Southern Ocean.
- Assessment of the role of "new production" in the burial of atmospheric CO2 by the Southern Ocean (negative feedback on the greenhouse effect).
2) Evolution and protection of marine ecosystems:
- Application of ecosystem models to simulation of the response to climatic disturbances connected with human activities.
- Study of the dispersion of hydrocarbon spills.
3) Role of the Antarctic in global changes:
- Ocean-Cryosphere-Atmosphere interactions.
- Sedimentary palaeoenvironment.
As in the earlier phases, the plan is to carry out fieldwork by including the researchers in the Antarctic field research sojourns organized by other countries. This option has proved workable and even gives an undeniable boost to international cooperation.
Regular reports on the progress and achievements of the programme’s third phase will be sent out to specialised groups and the public at large. This will be done by the OSTC. On the international level, the Antarctic Treaty System disseminates findings to the international community in general and to the relevant scientific communities in particular at regular intervals.
A3/02/001: Role of the meiobenthos in Antarctic ecosystems
A3/02/002: Belgian contribution to the "Antarctic Offshore Acoustic Stratigraphy Project" (BELANTOSTRAT)
A3/03/001: Spatial and seasonal variability of the transport of biogenic compounds in the Southern Ocean
A3/03/002: Dynamics of the Antarctic ice cap and climatic changes
A3/10/001: Formation of the Terra Nova Bay polynya and climatic implications
A3/11/001: Ecological modelling of the planktonic microbial food web
A3/11/002: Isotopic and chemical composition of Antarctic shelf ice: implications for global changes
A3/12/001: Control of the Antarctic pelagic ecosystem by higher trophic levels in relation to variations in environmental conditions
A3/58/001: Oil spill modelling for the Antarctic seas
Belgisch wetenschappelijk onderzoeksprogramma betreffende het zuidpoolgebied: eerste fase (1985 - 1989): syntheseverslag
Caschetto, S. DPWB, 1990 (SP0471)
[Exhausted]
Progress report 1991
SPO, 1991 (SP0472)
[Exhausted]
Progress report 1992
SPO, 1992 (SP0473)
[Exhausted]
Progress report 1993, including 1994-95 campaigns
OSTC, 1994 (SP0474)
[Exhausted]
Progress report 1994
OSTC, 1995 (SP0475)
[Exhausted]
Belgian scientific research programme on the Antarctic: phase two (1988-1992): published papers
SPO, 1993 (SP0476)
[Exhausted]
Proceedings of the belgian national colloquium on antarctic research (Brussels, October 20, 1987)
SPO,1988 (SP0477)
[Exhausted]
Vol. I: Plankton ecology and marine biogeochemistry: scienfific results of phase two (10/1988 - 05/1992)
Lancelot, Ch. - Mathot, S. - Becquevort, S. ... et al. SPO, 1993 (SP0478)
[Exhausted]
Vol.II: Marine geophysics: scientific results of phase two (10/1988 - 05/1992)
De Batist, M. - Henriet, J.-P. - Miller, H. ... et al. SPO, 1993 (SP0479)
[Exhausted]
Vol.III: Glaciology - climatology: scientific results of phase two (10/1988 - 05/1992)
Souchez, R. - Tison, J.-L. - Fettweis, M. ... et al. SPO, 1993 (SP0480)
[Exhausted]
Scientific research programme on the Antarctic: phase III, synopsis
OSTC, 1994 (SP0481)
[Exhausted]
Belgian scientific research programme on the antarctic: 1992-1996 research results summary
OSTC, 1997 (SP0482)
[Exhausted]
Vol. I: Plankton ecology: scientific results of phase one (oct 85 - jan 89)
Lancelot, Ch. - Billen, G. - Mathot, S. ... et al. SPO,1989 (SP0467)
[Exhausted]
Vol. II: Marine geochemistry (part A) and marine geophysics (part B): scientific results of phase one (oct 85 - jan 89)
Dehairs, F. - Goeyens, L. - Henriet, J.P. ... et al. SPO,1989 (SP0468)
[Exhausted]
Vol. III: Glaciology and climatology: scientific results of phase one (oct 85 - jan 89)
Souchez, R. - Tison, J.L. - Lorrain, R. ... et al. SPO,1989 (SP0469)
[Exhausted]
Programme belge de recherches scientifiques sur l'Antarctique: première phase (1985 - 1989): rapport de synthèse
Caschetto, S. SPPS, 1990 (SP0470)
[Exhausted]
Vol. I: Marine biogeochemistry and ecodynamics: scienfific results of phase III (1992 - 1996)
Dehairs, F. - Semeneh, M. - Elskens, M. ... et al. OSTC, 1997 (SP0512)
[To order]
Vol. II: Part A: hydrodynamics
Part B: marine geophysics: scientific results of phase III (1992-1996)
Petit, B. - De Batist, M. - Bart, P.-J. ... et al. OSTC, 1997 (SP0513)
[To order]
Vol. III: Glaciology and climatology: scientific results of phase III (1992-1996)
Gallée, H. - Pattyn, F. - Decleir, H. ... et al. OSTC, 1997 (SP0514)
[To order]
