In its Edinburgh Declaration on the International Polar Year 2007-2008, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting said: “We, the Antarctic Treaty Parties, express our support for a successful International Polar Year. We believe that the scientific research undertaken during the International Polar Year will increase knowledge of the Antarctic and will yield a better understanding of the major terrestrial, ocean and atmospheric systems that control the planet. The polar regions are sensitive barometers of climate change, and we value their biodiversity. Their health is vital to the well-being of the earth’s systems and its inhabitants.” This International Polar Year builds on the historic achievements of the three previous initiatives which took place ...

Ian McEwan & John Schellnhuber - a Conversation about Climate Change Moderator: David Buckland 22 March 2007, Bucerius Law School, Hamburg During March and April, Cape Farewell - in collaboration with the British Council - travels to the vast industrial space of Kampnagel Cultural Centre in Hamburg with Cape Farewell - Art and Climate Change, the exhibition developed in collaboration with the Natural History Museum in London in 2006. Climate change is the most serious challenge facing the world in the 21 st century and the British Council's focus on the issue in Germany reflects a commitment to addressing sharedglobal challenges together with European partners. One of the highlights is a discussion between novelist Ian McEwan and Profes...

In the spirit of celebrating and commemorating the March 1, 2007 launch of the International Polar Year (IPY) the entire community of the United States Palmer Station, located on Anvers Island, Western Antarctic Peninsula, is pleased to present to this photograph, “Palmer Station Dives into the IPY”. Everyone on station on 10 March, 2007 is featured in the photograph. Leading marine researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are among the first U.S. teams diving into the icy Antarctic waters during the International Polar Year. The team, working out of Palmer Station, is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs. It includes veteran Antarctic researchers and UAB biologists Charles Amsler, Ph.D., and James McC...

There is a growing need for Antarctic-related research in the social sciences and humanities to, firstly, obtain a deeper understanding of political, economic, and socio-cultural processes and pressures that rapidly gain in complexity, and secondly, to inform policymaking for Antarctica. However, a comprehensive research program is lacking. It is proposed that a research network named Social Sciences & Humanities Antarctic Research Exchange (SHARE) be set up to start filling this gap. Through SHARE it is also hoped to facilitate the provision of political and financial support for initiating, developing and coordinating social science and humanities research with a focus on the Antarctic. A platform for Antarctic researchers from the social sciences and humanities...

Cape Farewell Education aims to: facilitate learning about climate change and participation in the climate change debate among teachers and pupils in UK schools. give school students a voice in the climate change debate and to enable them to take what they have learnt and talked about back home into their communities and families spread enthusiasm and strategies for learning about climate change throughout UK schools. We have a number of resources available to teachers and pupils Life in the Water is a GSCE Science resource commissioned by Nuffield Curriculum Centre and developed with scientists at the National Oceanographic Centre, Southampton as part of the 21st centu...

Historical background. Although Poland is not an Arctic country, we have a long tradition in polar research. Its roots lie in the 19th century when Polish scientists started to participate in the research on both polar regions. At that time, Poland did not exist on the maps of Europe. Polish scientists (as political prisoners in Siberia and in far North) explored and studied of unknown areas of the Russian Arctic. Henryk Arctowski and Antoni B. Dobrowolski were the members of scientific group of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition on s/v “Belgica” and wintered there (1897-1899). Poland as an independent country took part in the 2nd International Polar Year initiated by the geophysical expedition wintered on Bear Island, Norwegian Arctic (1932-1933). In the thirties a number of Polish sci...

An essay has just been published in March issue of the InfoNorth section of the journal "Arctic", published by the Arctic Institute of North America, on the history of research at McCall Glacier, Alaska. McCall Glacier, located in the eastern Brooks Range of northern Alaska, has the longest and most complete history of scientific research of any glacier in the U.S. Arctic. Spanning the period from the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957-58 to the Fourth International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007-08, this research has resulted in perhaps the best record of recent climate change and its impacts in this region of the Arctic. Creation of this record played a major role in the lives ...

John Maurer, from the World Data Center for Glaciology in Boulder, is pleased to announce his new Atlas of the Cryosphere, providing interactive maps of major features of the frozen world. This should be a great tool for both scientists and educators. John writes: The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) "Atlas of the Cryosphere" Web site (http://nsidc.org/data/atlas) allows visitors to explore and dynamically map the Earth's frozen regions. Viewed from a polar perspective, the available scenes include snow cover, sea ice extent and concentration, glaciers, permafrost, and other critical components of the Earth's cryosphere. Users can zoom in to a specific region...

Celebrate the start of IPY by climbing the snow-covered mountains of the Polar Urals in the heart of the Russian Arctic! Date: 11-15 April, 2007 Application deadline: March, 9 Place: Salekhard, Yamal-Nenets district, Russia Event: IPY mountain climbing Activities: sport, cooking, tourist video and music contests, skiing, mountain climbing Who: students, scientists, educators, press, anyone involved in IPY or wishing to do so Danger: None Fun: loads! Age: 14-18 18-30 30- any Countries: any Funding: apply early and get full funding!* *What is covered by the travel grant: 1. Letter of invitation from Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs 2. Fl...

The International Polar Year has begun. What a week! With US and UK launches on the Monday stirring up media attention, followed by an event in Portugal on the Wednesday and over 20 more national events on the day itself, March 1st 2007, we definitely hit the news! While traveling to Paris with Nicola, to prepare for the international launch, the phone didn't stop ringing, both sides of the Channel Tunnel and even on the Paris subway system! I was contacted by journalists as diverse as New Zealand Radio, an In-flight magazine, BBC World Service, Vatican Radio, Al Jazeera English, an Italian science magazine, Chinese TV networks, and Scientific American to name a few. During the International Ceremony itself, my phone kept shaking, and afterwards, on a tour of Paris, I saw ...