The Técnico professor João Canário (Department of Chemical Engineering –DEQ) is the new Chair of the Terrestrial Working Group (TWG) of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). The election took place on February 19 at the IASC meeting in Vienna, Austria.

Professor João Canário, who is also a researcher at Centro de Química Estrutural (CQE), is now responsible for defining and coordinating research priorities for the Arctic’s terrestrial ecosystem for the decade 2025-2035. This period includes the International Polar Year 2032-2033 (IPY). Vice-chairs (representatives from China and the United States of America) will also participate in this task, as well as researchers from more than 23 countries.

The mandate of two years, which may be renewed for a further two more, “is of crucial importance” since “the effects of climate change” are “three to four times greater in the Arctic than in the rest of the planet,” explains professor João Canário. This election also represents “the international recognition of the polar science carried out in Portugal”, in particular the T-MOSAiC project.

The T-MOSAiC project (Terrestrial Multidisciplinary distributed Observatories for the Study of Arctic Connections) was developed by the Terrestrial Working Group (TWG) of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). This international project – coordinated by João Canário – involved 23 countries, including the eight Arctic countries, and aimed to better understand how terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems interact with the other components of the earth system in response to climate change.