About the Division of Antarctic Sciences

Division Director:  Scott Borg

Scientific research and the operational support of that research are the principal activities supported by the United States Government in Antarctica. The goals are

• to expand fundamental knowledge of the region,
• to foster research on global and regional problems of current scientific importance, and
• to use the region as a platform from which to support research.

For projects involving fieldwork, the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) supports only that research that can be done exclusively in Antarctica or that can be done best from Antarctica.  The program also supports analytical research performed at home organizations.

The program has been in continuous operation since the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year. U.S. activities in Antarctica support the Nation's adherence to the Antarctic Treaty, which reserves the region for peaceful purposes and encourages international cooperation in scientific research. At present, 45 nations adhere to the treaty, and 29 of them are involved in antarctic field activities. The United States cooperates scientifically and operationally with many of the Antarctic Treaty nations.

The National Science Foundation funds and manages the U.S. Antarctic Program, which supports research in aeronomy and astrophysics, biology and medicine, geology and geophysics, glaciology, and ocean and climate systems.  Outreach, such as the Antarctic Artists and Writers program, and education programs are also supported.

RELATED LINKS

(Related external links are available on OPP's Polar Links page.)

Antarctic Science Programs

• Antarctic Aeronomy and Astrophysics
• Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems
• Antarctic Earth Sciences
• Antarctic Glaciology
• Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Polar Regions Research (Currently not accepting proposals)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowships in Polar Regions Research — General Information
  • Information for Polar Programs Postdoctoral Research Fellows

• Significant U.S. Science Discoveries in Antarctica (NSF Fact Sheet)
• U.S. Antarctic Program (NSF Fact Sheet)

International Polar Year (IPY) Information

• Interagency International Pole Year Web Site
• U.S. International Polar Year Committee (National Academy of Sciences)
• International IPY Program Web Site

• NSF IPY Information
  • NSF IPY Awards for Research
  • NSF IPY Information for Researchers and Educators
  • NSF IPY Funding Opportunities
  • NSF IPY Program Contacts
• NSF IPY Budget Information
• International Polar Year (IPY) Fiscal 2008 Budget Request
  • IPY 2008 Funding (Excel table)
• International Polar Year (IPY) Fiscal 2007 Budget Request
  • IPY 2007 Funding (Excel table)

OPP Information

• OPP Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Request
  • Antarctic Research Programs Funding (Excel table)
• OPP Office Advisory Committee home page
• OPP Office Advisory Committee Report on Broader Impacts Review Criterion
• OPP-supported Workshops

U.S. Antarctic Program

• About the U.S. Antarctic Program
• Frequently asked questions about the U.S. Antarctic Program
• U.S. Antarctic Environmental Protection
  • Comprehensive Environmental Evaluations
  • Antarctic Conservation Act
  • Antarctic Conservation Act: Regulations and management plans (NSF 01-151)
  • U.S. Regulations Governing Antarctic Meteorites
• U.S. Antarctic Policy
• U.S. Annual Antarctic Treaty Exchange of Information
  • U.S. Antarctic Program, 2004-2005

Related OPP Antarctic Links

• Antarctic Artists and Writers Program
  • Additional Information About the Antarctic Artists and Writers Program
• Subglacial Lake Committee
• OPP Guidelines and Award Conditions for Scientific Data
• Antarctic New Investigators Workshop, 2006

Antarctic Information Links

• U.S. International Polar Year Committee
• Antarctic Journal of the United States
• Cold Regions Bibliography project
  • Antarctic Alert — Antarctic Bibliography
• Teachers Experiencing Antarctica
• Antarctic Images (program information slides)
• USAP Online Photo Library
• Antarctic Sun (McMurdo Station newspaper)

At the McMurdo Station aquarium, Raytheon Polar Services employee Craig Mazur admires a large antarctic cod. The antarctic cod (Dissostichus mawsoni) are studied for their physiology, which includes antifreeze proteins, an adaptation found in a number of polar and subpolar species. (NSF/USAP photo by Melanie Connor, Raytheon Polar Services Corp.)