12th SCAR Open Science Conference, Oslo, Norway, August 2026: call for abstracts

“The SCAR [Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research] Open Science Conference is where the Antarctic research community comes together. SCAR and the Norwegian Polar Institute are thrilled to invite you to join colleagues and friends in Oslo, Norway, for the 12th SCAR Open Science Conference & Meetings, taking place 8-19 August 2026 at the Clarion Hotel The Hub in Oslo, Norway.”

The parallel session programme will feature 50 parallel sessions across the Physical Sciences, Geosciences, Life Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, along with a selection of cross-disciplinary themes.

The Life Science section includes the following session:

S17: Antarctic and Subantarctic Birds: Ecology, Behaviour, and Conservation

Convenors: Michelle LaRue & Hugo Guímaro

Antarctic and subantarctic [sic] birds are key components of the Southern Ocean ecosystem, linking marine and terrestrial environments and responding to environmental variability.  This session welcomes studies that explore the ecology, behaviour, evolution, and conservation of bird species across the Antarctic and subantarctic regions.  We invite contributions spanning broad comparative approaches, such as macroecology, macroevolution, biogeography, and population genetics, as well as research on community-level processes including species assemblages, ecological networks, and trophic interactions.  Work focused on individual species or populations is also encouraged, including studies of physiology, life-history strategies, foraging ecology, movement patterns, and demographic responses.  Given the environmental changes occurring in the Southern Ocean and adjacent regions, we especially encourage submissions addressing the effects of climate change, extreme events, and other environmental drivers on the distribution, behaviour, and resilience of bird communities.  Integrative, interdisciplinary, and long-term perspectives are particularly welcome.

The abstract submission deadline is 28 February 2026.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 03 December 2025