The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP)


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About COMNAP

We are an international association, formed in 1988, which brings together our Members - the governmental National Antarctic Programs. Those programs are the organizations that have the responsibility for delivering and supporting scientific research in the Antarctic Treaty Area on behalf of their respective governments and in the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty.

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Our Projects

As an organization, we facilitate and lead a range of COMNAP projects that support our Membership, that engage the public, and which ensure we are providing best practice advice to the Antarctic community. Over the past 35 years, we have convened a range of workshops, symposiums and forums to focus on key issues and to share expertise.

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Our Expert Groups

COMNAP Member National Antarctic Programs’ people have expertise related to a range of Antarctic topics: air operations, science facilitation, health & safety, environmental management & protection, to name only a few. A fundamental aspect of our organization is to support the free exchange of information between these experts. This is done through our Expert Groups.

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Our Publications

Over the years, we have worked with our Membership and the wider Antarctic community to produce a range of informative brochures, booklets, books and even the Antarctic Station game. Some of our publications provide guidance to our Members on things like waste management, critical technologies, preventing the introduction of non-native species into the Antarctic environment and how to respond to oil spills. One of our most significant publications celebrated the 25th anniversary of COMNAP. An article about new icebreaking vessel capabilities was published in 2022.

News & Events

  • Air Operations in Antarctica

    15 March 2024

    The current version of the COMNAP Antarctic Flight Information Manual (AFIM) 23-04 (15 March 2024) is now available for COMNAP Members from the Members’ Only webpage.

    If you are deploying an RPAS in Antarctica this season, please refer to the updated COMNAP RPAS Operators Handbook (18 December 2023).

    For additional information on AFIM and to download the COMNAP RPAS Operators Handbook, please visit https://www.comnap.aq/air-operations.

  • Are you the next COMNAP Early-Career Awardee?

    5 March 2024

    Antarctic organisations are calling on early-career researchers and scientists to apply for this year’s Antarctic Fellowship and Scholarship.

    The awards, granted annually by COMNAP, IAATO, SCAR and CCAMLR, are an investment in the professional development of talented early-career researchers, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, and other professionals, and aim to strengthen international capacity and cooperation in the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty.

    The deadline to submit your application is 31 May 2024. To know more click here.

  • Spain's National Antarctic Program confirms HPAI in the Antarctic

    24 February 2024

    Working on samples collected from the Antarctic in early February, scientists from the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology of the CSIC confirm the presence of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus for the first time in Antarctica. The group of scientists, led by CSIC researcher Antonio Alcamí, who works at the Spanish Antarctic Base "Gabriel de Castilla", on Deception Island, confirmed the presence of the virus on February 24.

    Specifically, the virus has been found in two samples of dead skuas (skuas), which were found by Argentine scientists in the vicinity of the Argentine Antarctic base "Primavera".

    Read more here (Spanish): https://www.ciencia.gob.es/Noticias/2024/febrero/gripe-aviar-antartida.html.

  • Joint Statement on HPAI in the Antarctic Treaty Area

    27 December 2023

    COMNAP, IAATO, SCAR, and representatives from the CCAMLR Secretariat have been working collaboratively to address the heightened risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the Antarctic. National Antarctic programs operating in the Antarctic have been vigilant looking for signs of infection in wildlife and monitoring the situation.

    On 22 December, the Argentina national Antarctic program reported unusual bird mortality of Antarctic Skuas in the vicinity of Orcadas Station. The observations indicate suspected infection with HPAI. All indications are that the birds have brought the virus to that area via their natural migration.

    Read the joint statement here.