The objectives of ASPI met those of the third scientific support plan for a sustainable development (Global change, biodiversity and ecosystems) and the CliC (Climate and Cryosphere) project of the WCRP (World Climate Research Programme). ASPI forms part of international research programs such as the European Project on Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA), SCAR-SALE (Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments, a core project of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research), and various ISMIP projects (Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project) sponsored by the Numerical Experimentation Group of WCRP/SCAR CliC. ASPI members were closely involved in the drafting of the IPCC Fourth Assessment report (AR4). Finally, the results from the paleoclimatic work are a direct contribution to SCAR-ACE (Antarctic Climate Evolution).