Antarctica InSync unites researchers worldwide to explore several critical scientific themes, each central to understanding the Antarctic system and its global interconnectedness. First, we investigate the heat, freshwater, and carbon cycle of the Southern Ocean—an essential component in the Earth’s climate system—focusing on how shifts in these climate-relevant components are impacted by climate change. These components have been essential in slowing global warming over past decades and our efforts will help to understand if they will continue to provide such an important service to our planet in the future. Another key area is the recently observed rapid decline of sea ice, which has profound consequences for ecosystems, weather patterns, and global systems. This rapid sea ice loss has been unexpected is not predicted by models, and we seek to collect observations to better understand and simulate these changes. We also examine the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet and ice shelves, studying their effects on ocean circulation, and coastal systems. The melting of the Antarctic ice sheet remains a fundamental uncertainty in our long-term projections of global sea-level rise and our efforts will help to better constrain such estimates.

The rapid climatic changes and increased human influence on the Southern Ocean and Antarctic are a thread to this important environment. Therefore, we also work to enhance knowledge and protection of Antarctica’s unique biodiversity, spanning terrestrial ecosystems to the deep sea. In addition, we address the increasing

anthropogenic pressures, including pollution, to understand human impacts on this remote region.

Further expanding our research, we are studying aerosol-cloud interactions and their radiative feedbacks—vital processes influencing global climate systems and an important blind-spot in Earth system models. Lastly, our work on climate variability—from extreme events, local weather patterns to global teleconnections and long-term natural variations—helps refine predictions of how climate fluctuations in Antarctica affect Earth as a whole. These interconnected themes form the scientific framework for a coordinated, international effort to address the urgent challenges facing Antarctica.

· Southern Ocean and Antarctic heat, freshwater, carbon and other elements cycles and their response to climate change.

· Rapid sea-ice decline and its interdisciplinary consequences.

· Melting ice sheets and ice shelves and coastal impacts.

· Improving knowledge and protection of the unique Antarctic life: from land to ocean and into the deep sea.

· Anthropogenic signatures in Antarctica: the race against pollution and other pressures.

· Aerosol-cloud interactions and radiative feedbacks.

· Climate variability: from extremes, to weather, long-term variability, and global teleconnections.