The big day is here and the weather is good – it’s time to live and work on an arctic glacier for the next few months. I gave our pilot Dirk a call at 7AM to let him know that the weather looked fine in Kaktovik, and he confirmed that the weather in Coldfoot, where his airplane is based, looked good too. So we decided to go for it. It’s a little over a two hour flight for Dirk to fly his DeHavilland Beaver from Coldfoot to Kaktovik, which gave us some time for breakfast and shuttling the rest of our gear down to the airport. The airport in Kaktovik is not like those found in most cities. There is no TSA, there are no parking meters, and there’s not even a building to wait around in. It’s just a runway on a gravel spit between the ocean and the mainland, with an old...

Our five month expedition to arctic Alaska began today with our first stop at Kaktovik, Alaska. Kaktovik is a village of about 300 people, mostly native Alaskans, on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. It’s actually located on an island, separated by a small strip of water from the mainland, but in winter it is all frozen so it is essentially connected. Turner “Is there enough room for me in the car?” No one had much sleep lately. ...

Return to Main Land and Life Page Background: Layers of perennially frozen ground known as permafrost exist under about 20% of the Earth’s surface. Permafrost occurs on land in both the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as beneath the ocean around the Arctic coast and in many high mountain areas. Seasonal thawing and freezing of the soil forms a shallow active layer that overlies the permafrost. In contrast, deep permafrost, frozen to depths of 500 to 1000 meters, may have existed in a frozen state for thousands of years. Frozen soils have greater mechanical stability than unfrozen soils. Permafrost degradation can cause problems for roads, pipelines ...

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The International Geophysical Year, IGY (1957-1958) has led to a comprehensive global study of geophysical phenomena and their relationships with solar activity. It aimed to make wide-spread, simultaneous, and intensive observations of a range of geophysical phenomena, using the latest instrumentation, rocket, and satellite technologies. The IGY greatly expanded our knowledge of global processes, heralded the exploration of geospace, and left a legacy of monumental achievements including the World Data Center (WDC) System. Fifty years on, four new international programs -- International Polar Year (IPY), electronic Geophysical Year (eGY), International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE), and International Heliophysical Year (IHY) -- have been proposed and are in progress. Efforts f...

Return to Main Land and Life Page Background: Layers of perennially frozen ground known as permafrost exist under about 20% of the Earth’s surface. Permafrost occurs on land in both the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as beneath the ocean around the Arctic coast and in many high mountain areas. Seasonal thawing and freezing of the soil forms a shallow active layer that overlies the permafrost. In contrast, deep permafrost, frozen to depths of 500 to 1000 meters, may have existed in a frozen state for thousands of years. Frozen soils have greater mechanical stability than unfrozen soils. Permafrost degradation can cause problems for roads, pipelines ...

Contents: 1. IPO Planning - 2008 and Beyond 2. February 2009 dates and events 3. Canada 2012 4. UNEP Children's Conference - call for material 5. Polar Books 6. IPY.org,- , bloggers needed, fly the IPY flag! 7. Report from SAON 8. IPY Science at the European Geophysical Union (EGU) meeting 2008 Report no. 13, May 2008 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. IPO Planning - 2008 and Beyond Many IPY participants consider post-IPY activities and events. IPY Project Coordinators consider project data responsibilities, special publications, project summary meetings, and th...

Download IPO Planning, 2008 and Beyond (360KB PDF) About: Many IPY participants consider post-IPY activities and events. IPY Project Coordinators consider project data responsibilities, special publications, project summary meetings, and the possibilities to extend or renew research funding. National polar organizations and IPY National Committees consider celebratory events, ways to enhance their national programmes, and (we hope) data access and archiving. International groups consider IPY-wide conferences and events, scientific and political impacts, and the benefits, if any, of continuing the international IPY networks of young researchers, teachers, jou...