The Sixth Continent Initiative (6CI)

Posted on 10.11.2006 • in Projects

Antarctic Landscape

The Sixth Continent Initiative is a project of the International Polar Foundation and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) endorsed by the IPY Joint Committee. It aims to open up access to scientific activity on the Antarctic to researchers from developing countries. With the menace of climate change looming over the future of the planet, the importance of the contribution of research carried out in the Polar Regions in the understanding of climate mechanisms should be the concern of all regions of the Globe.

In 1959, the Antarctic Treaty declared the continent as the common heritage of all mankind, and yet, 50 years after the IGY 1957, research on the 6th continent is still limited to a small number of countries who are fortunate enough to have the resources and the infrastructure to support their research activities.

The project aims to create a mechanism operating through a network of interested parties (consisting of research institutions, funding agencies, logistics providers, international organisations, and others) to support the development of scientific capacity building in Polar science among non-traditionally polar countries.

SCAR scientific fellowships will be provided to facilitate the participation of graduate students/ researchers from developing countries in research activities of the participating institutes.
The International Antarctic Institute will help to coordinate the project.
Participating Antarctic programmes will allow selected researchers to spend time on the Antarctic continent at their respective research stations.
Logistics will be provided to the participating scientists by national operators. (Belgium, South Africa, Germany, Japan, and New Zealand have indicated that they will be participating in this project. The Malaysian Antarctic Programme is also supporting this initiative. Other partner countries are also being approached).
Host universities/ institutes will provide training and facilities.

The scientific activities carried out during the International Polar Year will, through a knock on effect, lead to the opening up of new disciplines in developing country universities: glaciology, meteorology, climate modelling etc. which could then be integrated into the international network of scientific research activities, thereby promoting the study of regional interlinkages and reinforcing the regional development of observation and modelling activities, and completing it for areas where there is little actual data.

A complete plan for communications and outreach around this programme is currently in development. The project has been presented in Hobart in July 2006 at the SCAR Symposium.