IASC 25 years | Page 73

and to avoid any involvement with national or inter- Each of these conferences resulted in the publica- national policies. Members, in their private capacity, tion of a book which became a significant reference came from universities, scientific institutions, in- for Arctic science in the subject concerned.27 dustry, and government scientific agencies. During the pressures and tensions of the ‘Cold War,’ this In addition to organizing international multidis- position was needed and very valuable in further- ciplinary conferences, CAI served as a communi- ing research and promoting cooperation in the Arc- cation and information center for discussions on tic regions; and being based in politically indepen- major Arctic issues and the planning or progress of dent Monaco, it was felt to be in a good position to research in the Arctic. This was facilitated through achieve communication and eventually involvement the production and broad distribution of a periodic with the scientific Arctic activities of the USSR. newsletter: CAI Commentary. CAI operated mainly by organizing high-level international scientific conferences with a circumpolar A New, Coherent and Comprehensive Organization theme, open to researchers from any country. In The success of the CAI conferences in highlight- many cases the conferences were undertaken in ing science progress and problems on major Arctic cooperation with another international organization issues led to movements toward the establishment specializing in the subject concerned, to which CAI of new scientific bodies within existing internation- could bring an international and multi-disciplinary al organizations, such as the Northern Sciences dimension. These conferences, and their locations Network (NSN) of the UN Educational, Scientific, included: and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere Programme,28 and to re-considerations of - 1980 the advantages and problems of circumpolar or re- The Arctic Ocean: the Hydrographic Envi- gional cooperation in light of developments for Arc- ronment and the Fate of Pollutants. London. tic science research support in the USA, Canada, and - 1981 the Nordic countries.29 All these considerations led The History of the Discovery of the Arctic to a meeting in San Diego, USA in June 1986 that Region, from Early Antiquity to the 18th Century. set in motion the planning that led to IASC. Rome and The Vatican. - 1982 The untimely death of Louis Rey, the then presi- Arctic Energy Resources. Oslo. dent of CAI, in 1989 caused a re-assessment of the - 1984 continued viability of an independent non-govern- Icedive: Arctic Underwater Operations. ment body such as CAI as a communicator for activ- Stockholm. ities that had become increasingly the purview of - 1985 national programs and policies. The remaining CAI Marine Living Systems of the Far North. executive, all of whom were also involved in and Fairbanks. supportive of the new developments, agreed to let - 1985 CAI lapse, after nine years of undoubted contribu- Arctic Atmospheric Pollution. Cambridge. tion to international cooperation in Arctic science. - 1986 The role of international coordination and facilita- Restoration and succession in Circum- tion of Arctic science information and activities polar Lands, Reykjavik. was, properly, passed to the idea of IASC. - 1987 Noise and Marine Mammals. Fairbanks. 72 03 Contributions of Former IASC Presidents