Notes from Summit Station, Greenland: The spring equinox approaches, but up at Summit, the only thing blooming is the fern frost on the windows of this US National Science Foundation-operated research outpost. Still, signs of spring and the coming research period abound: brightening skies, a lengthy list of pre-season tasking, and, above all, the arrival last month of the phase-three winter crew. Like the few scouts who precede the swallows to San Juan Capistrano, this team focuses on readying the place for the coming legion of scientists. We asked manager Ken Jessen to tell us how the team is getting along. He offers a glimpse of what it’s like to be part of a foursome stashed away on the Greenland ice cap at the dawn of the second half of the fourth IPY....

Published quarterly in March, June, September and December, the multiple writing award winning journal "The Fan Hitch", now in its tenth year, has been enjoyed not only by Inuit Dog enthusiasts, but also has been appreciated as a valuable resource for information as well as a connection to other people, by scientists, historical researchers (including IPY contributors), tourism businesses, filmmakers, authors, veterinarians, universities, government agencies and NGOs. In addition to being principally a free "e-zine", "The Fan Hitch" is also available in paper form, which is imaged and distributed by the IPL students of the Ulluriaq School, Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik. As part of our mission to help restore and pr...

As early as 1917, it was recognized that whales were in danger of being hunted to extinction, due in part to the flourishing whaling industry in Antarctic waters. A British Government interdepartmental committee was set up to review the excesses of the industry, but it was not until 1923 that a committee with the required finances and authority was assembled to make "a serious attempt to place the whaling industry on a scientific basis." The steady decrease in the number of whales could only be avoided by controlling whale catching. But effective control could not be planned for a painfully simple reason: not enough was known about the habits of whales, their distribution and migration, or of their main food — the 4-6 cm. long shrimp known as krill. D...

Download legacy PDF IPY will, we hope, have many legacies, large and small. On the large side we anticipate improved and expanded observational networks, on-going data exchange practices and systems, and continued international polar science collaboration. On the smaller side we might find many informal networks and practical activities, including the IPY web site and other activities coordinated by the IPO, by Project Coordinators of various IPY Projects, and by IPY National Committees. Small legacies may prove useful to the on-going success of the larger legacies. For the most valuable small legacies, IPO hopes to identify willing partners to accept responsibility for their contin...

Contents: 1. Current Expeditions 2. APECS update 3. The Second SAON Workshop 9-11 April 4. The Legacies of IPY 5. UNEP Children's Conference,- call for material 6. IPY Science Day: Changing Earth, March 12th 2008 Report no. 11, March 2008 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. Current Expeditions The initial season of IPY activities on the Antarctic continent gradually comes to an end. If you follow the blogs on ipy.org, you have read the stories of traverses, sea ice cruises, and geophysical sensor deployments. Many of those researchers and staff start their way northward. We ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 3, 2008 Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears Magazine This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 614-688-3485 NSDL Middle School Portal This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 607-255-2702 National Science Digital Library Online Magazine for Elementary Teachers Brings Polar Issues Into Classrooms Nationwide Columbus, Ohio-March 3, 2008 Blockbuster movies and even soft drink commercials have made our planet's polar regions and their inhabitants popular culture superstars. At the same time many peo...

As part of an ongoing coverage of China's IPY Polar research projects and activities, SciencePoles interviewed Professor Yang Huigen, the new Director of the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC), responsible for carrying our scientific research in the Polar Regions, operating Chinese research stations and vessels, and promoting cooperation with international Polar research organisations. In this interview, Professor Yang discusses the current upgrade of China's Polar research infrastructure, including existing Chinese research stations in the Arctic and Antarctic, the Chinese ice breaker Xue Long, and the planned...

In collaboration with this year's Celebrate the North theme of Ice Alaska 2008, the University of Alaska International Polar Year office has scheduled several activities at the ice park to provide visitors with a chance to learn about polar research. The activities will begin with an IPY celebration ceremony at 2 p.m. on March 8, at the IPY ice stage at the ice park. The event will feature a presentation of flags from all of the circumpolar nations followed by the Borealis Brass premier of Polar Synthesis, a full-length composition by UAF Associate Professor James Bicigo, based on the Polar Fanfare Bicigo composed last March in recognition of IPY. The local Pavva dance group will perform in celebration of Alaska's unique cultures and Nanook the bear wi...

PRESS RELEASE Alfred-Wegener-Institut for Polar- und Meeresforschung in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Institute for Polar and Marine Research Communications Dept. Postfach 12 01 61, 27515 Bremerhaven/Germany Tel. ++49 471 4831-1376, Fax ++49 471 4831-1389 email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Half time in the International Polar Year 2007/08 Scientists in Germany present the most important results of polar and climate research at the 23rd International Polar Meeting in Munster from March 10 14, 2008 Press conference on March 10 at 01:00 p.m. A record minimum of Arctic sea ice, new species in the Antarctic deep sea and unexpected insights into past climate these are only some of the re...

ITASE Synthesis Workshop Castine, Maine 2-5 Sept. 2008 Purpose: To integrate and synthesize research produced by ITASE (International Trans Antarctic Scientific Expedition) and associated scientific activities. Goals: To take Antarctica from the most sparsely sampled continent with respect to instrumental era climate to the best sampled for the last 200-1000 years, because of the extremely critical role that Antarctic climate change plays in global climate change (oceans, atmosphere, biological systems), and for the purpose of refining predictions of future climate change.To determine where and how Antarctic physical and chemical climate has or has ...