Bremerhaven, July 2nd 2009. A new measurement system for the detection of whales is used for the first time on board of the research vessel Polarstern. Whales are usually difficult to spot. On the one hand, they spend the greater part of their life under water. On the other hand, only a small part of their body can be seen when they surface, and this can even hardly be distinguished from the surrounding water. Visual sightings by marine mammal observers are therefore usually based on observations of the spout, the condensing and quite warm breathing cloud. It rises, depending on the whale species and wind conditions, between one metre and ten metres over the water surface and remains visible for only a few seconds. A thermal imaging camera specifically optimized for this purpose now uses t...

Why are diatoms so successful? Researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute find hints to this question in the algae's evolution. Bremerhaven, June 25th. Diatoms play a key role in the photosynthesis of the oceans and are therefore intensively studied. Researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association together with international collaborators have made a new discovery regarding the diatoms' photosynthesis. It has so far been believed that diatoms have inherited their photosynthetic capabilities exclusively from red algae. The molecular biologists have now shown that a significant part of the diatoms' genes originates from green algae. The photosynthetic cellular structure of the diatoms, the plastids, therefore combi...

Bremerhaven, June 18th. The German research vessel Polarstern, operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association, will begin its 24th Arctic expedition on Saturday, June 20th. 119 scientists from seven different nations will research the whole spectrum of current Arctic topics in three journey stages: climate history and current climate development, effects on the ecosystem ranging from bacteria to marine mammals, and also geoscientific questions regarding sediment structure and tectonics of the Arctic. Polarstern is expected back in Bremerhaven September 25th. The first journey stage will lead the researchers via the Greenland Sea and the Fram Strait to Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen. The area has increasingly come into the cen...

New record Arctic sea ice cover minimum? Climate researchers from Bremerhaven and Hamburg present new prognoses Bremerhaven/Hamburg, June 10th 2009. Climate researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research and KlimaCampus of the University of Hamburg participate for the second time in an international scientific competition. Some of the most renowned climate research institutes worldwide fathom possibilities for seasonal prognoses of Arctic sea ice cover by means of different methods and climate models. The declared aim of all participants is to find the best method for reliable prognoses. The German researchers agree upon a continuing negative trend. Another critical minimum of Arctic sea ice is to be expected in the late summer of 2009. ...

Content: 1. IPO Update 2. Political Impacts of IPY 3. Polar Weeks 4. Upcoming meetings 5. Update from APECS 6. Update from Oslo 2010 Planning Process 7. Call for new stories and blogs for ipy.org 8. Archiving IPY materials Report no. 26, June 2009 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. IPO Update Please join us in congratulating Nicola Munro on the birth of her daughter Isabella Rose on May 11th. Mom and daughter are both doing well and we are very excited to welcome a new polar enthusiast into the world. An interim replacement for Nicola's position will hopefully ...

Research aircraft Polar 5 finishes Arctic expedition Unique measurement flights in the central Arctic completed Bremerhaven, April 29th 2009. The Arctic campaign PAM-ARCMIP (Pan-Arctic Measurements and Arctic Climate Model Intercomparison Project) ended yesterday in Ottawa with the participation of the research aircraft Polar 5. The campaign which lasted four weeks yielded unique measurement data on sea ice thickness, trace gases, aerosols and meteorological parameters thanks to the great range of the aircraft and modern measurement equipment. We were out and about in mainly unchartered territory. Our most northerly position was 88°40' N. Flight operations of this kind require a high degree of proficiency and a lot of experience, reports Dr. Andreas Herber, ph...

9th ACUNS International Student Conference on Northern Studies and Polar Regions October 2 to 5, 2009 Yukon College - Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada Second Call for Abstracts The Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies/Association universitaire canadienne d’études nordiques (ACUNS), in partnership with Yukon College in Whitehorse, is soliciting Abstracts that encompass the following areas: The impact of sustainable development, economic activity and polar law on communities, governance and natural habitats. The use of natural, physical and social sciences to help understand the causes and effects of the changing polar climate.

Content: 1. IPO Update 2. ATCM declaration 3. Update from EGU 4. Upcoming meetings 5. Update from APECS 6. Call for stories and blogs for ipy.org 7. Archiving IPY materials 8. Toward a Polar Information Commons Report no. 25, May 2009 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. IPO Update Please note that Nicola Munro will take maternity leave as of 1 May 2009. We will introduce the interim replacement person next month. To contact the IPO, please use ipyipo@bas.ac.uk we will respond, albeit perhaps not as quickly. Please note that Karen ...

On the 12-15 May, 2009 the Ministry for Education and Science of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Coordinating Committee for the carrying out of ІІІ IPY in Ukraine, National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine will hold the International Antarctic Scientific Conference by the legacy of the Ukraine research within the framework of III IPY International Programs. More than 100 scientists from Ukraine and abroad, representatives of Ukraine authorities are expected to attend the Conference. Taking into consideration the importance of our Conference at the national level and its contribution to international activities by III IPY legacy, we ask you to send your congratulations to Conference participants. For more informatio...

Issue 14 of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears online magazine is now available! In Polar Oceans, learn about two very different oceans - the Arctic and Southern Oceans - at opposite ends of the Earth. As always, our magazine features science and literacy content knowledge for teachers, as well as a variety of other professional resources. This month, learn about ...