SENAT
Report n° 230 (2006-2007) by M. Christian GAUDIN, Senator (for the parliament office for the evaluation of scientific and technological choices)
Disponible au format Acrobat (12 Moctets)
COMPOSITION OF THE OFFICE
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CHAIRMAN MR. HENRI REVOL |
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FIRST VICE-CHAIRMAN MR. CLAUDE BIRRAUX |
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VICE-CHAIRMEN |
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Mr. Claude GATIGNOL, Deputy Mr. Pierre LASBORDES, Deputy Mr. Jean-Yves LE DEAUT, Deputy |
Mr. Jean-Claude ETIENNE, Senator Mr. Pierre LAFFITTE, Senator Mr. Claude SAUNIER, Senator |
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DEPUTIES |
SENATORS |
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Mr. Jean BARDET Mr. Christian BATAILLE Mr. Jean-Pierre BRARD Mr. Christian CABAL Mr. Alain CLAEYS Mr. Pierre COHEN Mr. Francis DELATTRE Mr. Jean-Marie DEMANGE Mr. Jean DIONIS du SEJOUR Mr. Jean-Pierre DOOR Mr. Pierre-Louis FAGNIEZ Mr. Louis GUÉDON Mr. Christian KERT Mr. Pierre-André PÉRISSOL |
Mr. Philippe ARNAUD Mr. Paul BLANC Ms. Marie-Christine BLANDIN Ms. Brigitte BOUT Mr. Marcel-Pierre CLEACH Mr. Roland COURTEAU Mr. Christian GAUDIN Mr. Serge LAGAUCHE Mr. Jean-François LE GRAND Ms. Catherine PROCACCIA Mr. Daniel RAOUL Mr. Ivan RENAR Mr. Bruno SIDO Mr. Alain VASSELLE |
CONTENTS
COMPOSITION OF THE OFFICE 2
CONTENTS 3
INTRODUCTION 7
I. THE POLAR REGIONS: AN URGENT NEED FOR PROTECTION 11
A. EXTREME BUT FRAGILE REGIONS 11
1. The Arctic Ocean 12
2. Antarctica 15
B. FRANCE'S RESPONSIBILITY IN THE ANTARCTICA TREATY 20
1. The origins of the treaty and the Antarctic system 20
2. Mining a suspended issue 25
3. Tourism: a new peaceful threat? 27
II. THE POLES: THEIR KEY ROLE IN UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE 31
A. UNDERSTANDING PAST CLIMATES TO UNDERSTAND THE FUTURE CLIMATE 31
1. Recent ice cores from Greenland 32
2. Ice cores from Antarctica 33
3. Ocean core samples: the transpolar link. 36
4. The future of glacial core sampling 37
B. THERMOHALINE CIRCULATION 40
1. The general circulation system 41
2. The importance of the creation of cold, deep waters 43
3. The Antarctic Ocean, a carbon sink 44
C. THE POLAR REGIONS AT THE HEART OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE 45
1. Will the Arctic ice shelf disappear in the summer? 45
2. Will Greenland melt completely? 46
3. Can a diagnosis be made concerning the assessment of Antarctica's mass? 48
III. FRANCE'S FIRST-CLASS BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH 51
A. AN EXCEPTIONAL HERITAGE 51
1. A unique geographic situation 51
2. 40 to 50 years of continuous observations 53
B. ADAPTING TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS 54
1. Adapting to climate change 54
2. Understanding the adaptation to extreme environments 56
C. INNOVATIVE RESEARCH 58
1. The equipment of animals 58
2. Hormonal, molecular and genetic research 60
3. The implications for the organization of research 62
IV. OBSERVING THE EARTH, OBSERVING THE UNIVERSE 65
A. OBSERVATORIES FOR THE EARTH AND THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE 65
1. Seismology 65
2. Measuring gravity and terrestrial magnetism 66
3. Studying the stratosphere and monitoring the ozone layer 67
4. Observing the ionosphere 70
B. ANTARCTIC ASTRONOMY: A NEW FIELD 71
1. Recognizing this fast-growing discipline 72
2. Concordia: the best site in the world for astronomic observations? 75
3. Searching for meteorites in Antarctica 79
4. Measuring cosmic radiation 80
V. PREPARING THE SPACE MISSIONS IN ANTARCTICA 83
A. PREPARING AND VALIDATING THE SATELLITE MISSIONS 83
1. Space and the polar regions: preparation complementarity 83
2. Validating on the ground observations made from space 83
B. PREPARING MANNED SPACE FLIGHTS AND MOON OR MARS-BASED STATIONS 85
1. Concordia - a unique research site 85
2. Studying behaviour in an extreme environment 85
3. Physiological studies 86
C. TESTING EXPLORATION MATERIAL 87
1. American examples and projects 87
2. European perspectives 88
VI. FRANCE'S PRESENCE IN THE POLAR REGIONS 91
A. DEVELOPING FRANCE'S PRESENCE IN THE ARCTIC,
STRENGTHENING ITS PRESENCE IN ANTARCTICA
91
1. Developing France's Arctic presence 91
2. Strengthening our presence in the southern regions 93
B. IPEV (THE FRENCH PAUL-ÉMILE VICTOR INSTITUTE),
AN AGENCY OF MEANS
98
VII. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: A NECESSITY AND A GOAL 103
A. HOW TO ENCOURAGE A EUROPEAN PROCESS? 103
1. The European Union: a sufficient framework? 104
2. The practical and political limitations of cooperation 105
3. Towards an Italian-German-French engine? 108
B. WHAT INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR FRANCE
ON THE EVE OF THE IPY?
110
1. Excellence, proximity and longevity: three key criteria for cooperation. 110
2. Developing a network for the stations 114
VIII. THE RAPPORTEUR'S CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS 117
1. Strategic regions 117
2. Regions to protect 117
3. Essential regions for understanding climate change: 117
4. Life in the polar regions: of great value to humanity 118
5. The polar regions: an observatory for the Earth 119
6. Strongly support the development of astronomy at Concordia 119
7. Take advantage of the polar regions' complementarity with the space missions 119
8. Strengthen France's presence in the polar regions 120
9. Reorganize France's presence in the polar regions 120
10. Better coordinate polar research 121
11. Solve the problem of insufficient funding for polar-research logistics 121
12. Define a French strategy for European and international cooperation 122
APPENDICES 123
SPEAKERS 125
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1 MARCH 2007 SEMINAR:
"OPENING OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR IN FRANCE"
141
PART ONE: LUNCH-DEBATE 143
I. MR. HENRI REVOL, PRESIDENT OF THE OPECST 143
II. MR. JEAN-LOUIS ÉTIENNE 145
PART TWO: OFFICIAL OPENING SESSION 151
I. INTRODUCTION 152
A. MR. CHRISTIAN GAUDIN, SENATOR, RAPPORTEUR FOR THE OPECST 152
B. MS. CATHERINE BRECHIGNAC, PRESIDENT OF THE CENTRE NATIONAL
DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE (CNRS)
154
C. MR. MICHEL JARRAUD, SECRETARY-GENERAL
OF THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION
156
D. MR. CHRISTIAN COINTAT, SENATOR,
PRESIDENT OF THE ANTARCTIC AND ARTIC STUDY GROUP
158
II. OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR IN FRANCE BY MR. CHRISTIAN PONCELET, PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE 163
III. THEMATIC DEBATE - THE POLES:
INDICATORS AND EVIDENCE FOR MANKIND
167
A. MS. NELLY OLIN, MINISTER OF ECOLOGY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
167
B. MS. VALÉRIE MASSON-DELMOTTE, CLIMATOLOGIST, CEA 173
C. MR. YVON LE MAHO, BIOLOGIST, CNRS 177
D. MS. JOËLLE ROBERT-LAMBLIN, ANTHROPOLOGIST, CNRS 182
E. DEBATE 190
IV. CLOSING SPEECHES 199
A. MR. FRANÇOIS GOULARD, MINISTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
AND RESEARCH
199
B. HIS SERENE HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT II OF MONACO 201
APPENDICES 205
APPENDIX 1: DOCUMENTS PRESENTED BY MS. VALÉRIE MASSON-DELMOTTE, CLIMATOLOGIST - CEA 207
APPENDIX 2: DOCUMENTS PRESENTED BY MS. JOËLLE ROBERT-LAMBLIN, ANTHROPOLOGIST - CNRS 209
APPENDIX 3: DOCUMENTS PRESENTED BY MR. YVON LE MAHO, BIOLOGIST - CNRS 211