European Polar Board

26/11/2025

The European Polar Board (EPB) held its Autumn 2025 Plenary on 18–19 November at the campus of our Member, the TÜBİTAK Polar Research Institute (KARE), in Gebze, Türkiye.

The meeting brought together EPB Member representatives to discuss both operational and strategic priorities for the year ahead.

One of the key outcomes of the plenary was the formal adoption of the EPB Code of Conduct. This marks the culmination of a full year of focused work, extensive consultation, and detailed discussions, supported by the expertise of Victoria Christensen Lopez resulting to a code that reflect EPB’s values and its multicultural, inclusive, and interdisciplinary identity.

Discussions also included developments at the European level, with colleagues from the European Commission providing updates on FP10, the Ocean Pact, and the ongoing revision of the EU Arctic Policy. These exchanges underscored the need for stable, long-term funding at both national and EU levels to sustain Europe’s polar
research ambitions.

APECES Türkiye also shared updates, highlighting their efforts to
strengthen the early-career polar research community through various activities and collaborations.

Looking ahead to future scientific cooperation, the plenary approved the creation of a new Action Group on the Fifth International Polar Year (IPY-5), to be chaired by Jon
Børre Ørbæk (Norges forskningsråd). The group will work to identify opportunities for enhanced European collaboration with the aim of delivering meaningful and lasting contributions to IPY-5.

The meeting also offered an opportunity to welcome new EPB representatives: Gael Durand (CNRS), Line Bekker Poulsen (DASHE), David Renault (IPEV), Sophie Opfergelt (FNRS), and Elie Verleyen (FWO). At the same time, we expressed our
sincere gratitude to outgoing representatives Marie Noelle Houssais (CNRS), Naimah Hussain (DASHE) and Johanna Ikävalko (Arctic Centre, University of Lapland) for their dedicated service.
In terms of governance, we marked the end of two terms of service by outgoing EXCOM member Egill Thor Níelsson and warmly welcomed Professor Peter Schweitzer (University of Vienna) as the newest member of the Executive Committee.

A special highlight of the plenary was the celebration of EPB’s 30-year anniversary, with a commemorative statement to be published later this year.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to TÜBİTAK KARE for their warm hospitality. Their organisation of a cultural excursion in Istanbul, including visits to Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, Topkapı Palace, and the Spice Bazaar, offered a
memorable excursion after the Plenary meeting.

The next EPB Plenary will take place on 14–15 April 2026 in Cambridge, hosted by NERC at the British Antarctic Survey.
https://www.europeanpolarboard.org/news/autumn-2025-plenary-of-the-european-polar-board-gebze-1819-november/

31/10/2025

📢 Four days left for the Ocean:Ice WP6 Webinar! ❄️
Do you want to learn more about how changes in Antarctic freshwater fluxes, including those from melting icebergs, affect the global climate system?

This Ocean:Ice webinar will present how Work Package 6 (WP6) has integrated developments from Ocean:Ice WP1–5 into a coupled ice sheet–ocean modelling framework and Earth System Model.

The programme will start with a WP6 introduction, followed by three thematic sessions:
1️⃣ Regional ice–ocean feedbacks in a global Earth System Model
2️⃣ Iceberg calving and evolution with two talks on simulating in UKESM the impact of icebergs and ice-shelves on the Southern Ocean in climate
3️⃣ Long-term effects of global warming on the interaction of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, ocean, and solid-Earth dynamics
💬 The webinar will conclude with a Q&A and discussion session.

Speakers:
🔹 Tony Payne (University of Liverpool) - WP6 Introduction
🔹 Jing Jin (University of Liverpool) - Regional ice–ocean feedbacks in a global Earth system model
🔹 Yavor Kostov (British Antarctic Survey) - Impact of icebergs on the Southern Ocean in UKESM climate change simulations
🔹 Robin Smith (University of Reading) -Initial simulation of the climate impact of ice-shelf collapse in UKESM
🔹 Torsten Albrecht (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) -
Long-term effects of global warming on the interaction of Antarctic Ice Sheet, ocean and solid-Earth dynamics

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how OCEAN ICE scientists are advancing our understanding of Antarctica’s role in the global climate system!

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_y4CjbaZnSd6uHaLo8YqEDw #/registration

31/10/2025

EPB, AWI, and EPCO at the !

On September 24, 2025 the European Polar Board and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research co-organised the AAORIA Polar Side Event: “Polar Oceans and Climate: Advancing Synergies for Long-Term Global Collaboration” in Brussels. The event brought together experts and highlighted the vital role of the polar regions in the Atlantic and global ocean and climate system with links to the goals of the AAORIA declaration. It concluded with a Call for Action urging governments, institutions, and funders to elevate polar research as a global priority for sustainability and resilience.

Key presentations and discussions highlighted:
- How Antarctic ice melt and Arctic circulation shifts influence global climate systems, with insights from the Ocean:Ice and EPOC EU funded projects.
- Advances in Earth observation and digital ocean technologies, with contributions from the ESA - European Space Agency, , and .
- The importance of transnational access to polar research infrastructures through the EU-funded Polarin project (2024–2029).
- Efforts to coordinate global observing systems and prepare for the 5th International Polar Year (2032–33) and the Antarctica InSync initiative.
- National initiatives from South Africa, Argentina, Canada, Poland, and Norway, showcasing how countries are strengthening polar science capacity and collaboration.
- The role of European Polar Coordination Office in aligning EU-funded polar research efforts and ensuring that project outcomes effectively inform European policy and international dialogue.

At the main Forum, Dr. Nicole Biebow (AWI) and Dr. Kylie Owen (EPCO) contributed to the panel discussions “Our Linkages with the Polar Seas”, emphasising the importance of polar research and cooperation for the Atlantic Ocean.

Read more: https://www.europeanpolarboard.org/news/epb-awi-and-epco-highlighted-polar-science-at-the-2025-aaoria-forum-with-a-side-event-and-interventions-at-the-forum/
📄 Access the meeting report: https://zenodo.org/records/17486910
🎥 Watch Nicole and Kylie’s interventions (12:23:00, 12:35:26): https://webcast.ec.europa.eu/all-atlantic-ocean-research-and-innovation-alliance-forum-2025-09-26

08/10/2025

Don't miss this new special issue on "Ocean currents and climate change" in Scientific Reports!

"Ocean currents driven by wind, water density, tides, ocean floor features, or the Coriolis effect, have an important role on climate regulation and marine ecology. In turn, increasing water surface temperatures are already impacting ocean circulation patterns, potentially exacerbating climate change effects. Understanding changes in ocean dynamics at local and global scales will be crucial to predict climate change impact and inform mitigation strategies. This Collection invites original research on surface and deep ocean currents and their impact on climate, from the analysis of recent trends to robust models supported by numeric simulations."

The issue is currently open for submissions, with a submission deadline of 30 April 2026.

This Scientific Reports Collection invites original research on surface and deep ocean currents and their impact on climate, from the analysis of recent ...

11/09/2025

We are pleased to announce that the agenda for the polar side event: " Polar oceans and climate: Advancing synergies for long-term global collaboration" at the is now available (attached).

The side event will be held in at the Charlemagne building at the European Commission in Brussels on the 24th of September from 12:45 - 17:30.

Please forward the agenda to anyone that you think may be interested- registration for the event is still possible here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceFPimJxUl7w-DxY0k1WLJLF2zKO0JcbvDnuXebqwX4ItfAg/viewform

Registration for the main can be found here: https://allatlanticocean.org/all-atlantic-forums/2025-all-atlantic-forum/

We look forward to seeing many of you there in Brussels in two weeks time!