CzechPolar2 – website
Hosting institutions:
Czech Polar Research Infrastructure (CzechPolar2), consisting of the Czech Antarctic Research Infrastructure (CARI) and the Czech Arctic Research Station (CARS), is specialized in polar research; offering the platform for the Czech as well as foreign scientists to conduct multidisciplinary research in both Polar areas, which are currently undergoing unprecedented and unparalleled environmental and climatic transformations. The J.G. Mendel Station provides support to field research at James Ross Island and adjacent parts of Antarctica, while the Laboratory of Extreme Environments Life (EEL) and Polar-Geo-Lab located at the Masaryk University (in Brno) focuses on research of characteristics of these organisms under the conditions simulating their natural environment, and on global climate change conditioned changes of inanimate systems respectively. Gathered data are openly accessed via infrastructure’s Open Access Data Unit (OADU). The Czech Arctic J. Svoboda Station consists of a research base in Longyearbyen, field camp in Petuniabukta and a research boat; all these parts support field activities in Svalbard. The Centre for Polar Ecology in České Budějovice provides laboratories equipped for biological research. Research Infrastructure CzechPolar2 is a member of international research bodies and databases: Committee for Environmental Protection of the Antarctic Treaty System (CEP/ATCM), Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes (COMNAP), or International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). The research infrastructure CzechPolar2 is also closely connected with the Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS), Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) or INTERACT project (International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Artic).
Future development
Research Infrastructure CzechPolar2 will be continuously modernized in the coming years both in case of its Polar stations and the Czech Republic based laboratories. As widening of portfolio of provided services to the scientific community, a new research base shall be opened on Nelson Island, Antarctica. Research Infrastructure CzechPolar2 is preparing its comeback into the structures of European Polar Board (EPB), where the influence of esp. smaller EU countries with Polar research programmes should be strengthened.
Socio-economic impact
Research Infrastructure CzechPolar2 is the most closely bonded with global and vastly acute requirement of relevant data on climate change. In regard of this, the highly positive global socioeconomic impact of infrastructure’s provided data is expected; particularly when applied to the climate predictive and adaptation and mitigation models. More direct and visible impact is the open access to indispensable background for scientific work in Polar regions, provided by the infrastructure both to the national and international research community. The CzechPolar2 issues international journal “Czech Polar Reports”, which is listed in the Scopus database. Last but not least the CzechPolar2 provides scientific background for the Government of the Czech Republic within the Consultative Party Status to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, and collaborates also with application sector on testing advanced materials and equipment in extreme conditions of Polar regions.
