In the lead-up to the December 4th Above The Poles Day, Tamsin Gray tells us about her job launching weather balloons in Antarctica. This is connected to the IPY Weather Observation Activity. image: Dean Evans, Halley Research Station, Antarctica Tamsin Gray works for the British Antarctic Survey...

It’s no coincidence that one of the least explored places on Earth is the deep interior of Antarctica. Most established research stations are along the coast. For a number of reasons, it can be extremely expensive to fly into the interior. Now, climate scientists are beginning to worry that a part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet far from the coast and with a base far below sea level might be much more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought. If true, it might hold the potential to raise sea level significantly. So there is intense interest in collecting data from this remote area. Beginning this December, th...

By Falk Huettmann and Sue Hazlett The Arctic represents a region of the globe directly affected by climate change, human disturbance and natural variation. In addition to acting as the global weather machine, it is considered one of the last remaining “wilderness” areas. However, the warming of the Arctic, a prospect of an ice-free maritime route across the top of the world, and the International Polar Year (IPY), has piqued an interest in the Arctic not previously seen. Prospects of shipping routes, tourism, oil and gas development, and new commercial fisheries have started a land rush by various nations to claim a piece of the northern oceans. The Arctic is in danger of being given away piecemeal as each nation asserts claims and then rushes to develop or exploit their...

Massive ground ice body on Herschel Island At the start of the fourth International Polar Year in March 2007, Professor Wayne Pollard of McGill University’s Geography Department, a permafrost scientist involved in seven different IPY projects, and his PhD student, Nicole Couture, were discussing ways to improve permafrost education for students at McGill University. Even though half of Canada is underlain by permafrost, students rarely get to see what is currently at stake in northern environments. As a result, they decided to set up a program that would allow students to participate in a major scientific expedition an...

contribution by Igor Krupnik and Grete Hovelsrud, members of the IPY Joint Committee, in celebration of People Day on September 24th, 2008 Also contains contributions by Michael Bravo, Yvon Csonka, Ludger Müller-Wille, Peter Schweitzer, Birger Poppel, Peter Schweitzer, and Sverker Sörlin One of the key tasks of the Internation...

Gianluca Frinchillucci writes: Some years ago I was in eastern Greenland on an research. I was visiting a very particular village, Isertoq, probably housing the last branch of Inuit migratory movements, remained isolated for ages. As an researcher, I usually don't travel without a notepad, where I can take note of my impressions, the people I meet, the places I pass through and everything I want to fix in my mind. It was the time of Iraq war, when televisions from all over the world talked about the flight and the torment of thousands of men, women and children. An inuit child took my notepad and started drawing a sketch of how war was in his mind. ...

Karen Harper, Adjunct Professor at the School of Resource and Environmental Studies at Canada's Dalhousie University, writes: As leader of a national IPY project on treeline, I thought it was essential to travel to the Arctic at least once during International Polar Year, but it was not easy. Last year, my daughter was born on February 14, 2007. (I had hoped for an IPY baby born at the start of IPY on March 1st since she was due March 5, but she decided to come early on Valentine’s Day.) Because she is breastfed and does not take bottles at night, I could not travel without her last year. In fact, she still nurses at night and I cannot travel without her this year either. Travel and field work in the North is difficult for everyone, and it is even more diff...

My name is Gianluca Frinchillucci, I am an Italian polar researcher and the Director of the Polar Geographic Institute "S.Zavatti" of Fermo, Marche Region. In this moment I am in Eastern Greenland, in the village of Isertoq. Together with a group of Italian researchers, we are realizing a research expedition called "Saxum", in this part of Greenland. It is a very important initiative, one of the few Italian activities realized during IPY. For this reason also the President of Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, give at this expedition a merit badge. It is realized in the sphere of the CNR-Polarnet Project "Map of Arctic People", in collaboration with the Explora-Nunaat Association, started on the 11th of June and finishing on the 9th of July....

By Antony Jinman (Read the full report, with photos and a map, via this downoadable PDF. This is an expedition that I put together to take part in the International Polar Year. I put this together because I’m a strong believer that one person can help make a difference. Its aims are to promote The International Polar Year and our charity British Schools Exploring Society and its 75 anniversary, by conducting school visits both on Baffin Island and here in the United Kingdom. It took 12 months to put together, over which time there where many highs and many lows and in true expedition style it didn’t exactly all go according to plan. Many decisions were hard to make and...

On March 12th, we celebrated the third International Polar Day --- Changing Earth in China. We chose three cities as our activity places, which are respectively located in North China, Middle China and South China. The Outreach Board and Poster In Beijing, capital of China, China Weather TV made a piece of news to introduce third polar day to Chinese audien...