The International Tundra Experiment is a network of researchers examining the impacts of climate change on tundra vegetation throughout the Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine regions of the world. The goals of the networks are to document, understand and forecast changes in the tundra biome. Most members of the network do research at sites established in the early 1990s using standardized measurement protocols and a common warming experiment. The power of the network allows researchers to pool their data and make statements about the fate of the tundra biome as a whole. The four main areas of activity as part of the International Polar Year are: 1 vegetation change; 2 changes in the timing of key biological events (phenology); 3 changes in nutrient cycling; and 4 changes in carbon balance. Each of these areas is described below with a photograph and caption.

The goal of ELOKA is to facilitate the collection, preservation, exchange, and use of local observations and knowledge of the Arctic by providing data management and user support, and to foster collaboration between local and international researchers. Over the last decade, Arctic residents and indigenous peoples have been increasingly involved in, and taking control of, research. Through Local and Traditional Knowledge (LTK) research and community-based monitoring, Arctic communities have made, and continue to make, significant contributions to understanding recent environmental change.

The food-borne parasites Trichinella nativa, Toxoplasma gondii, and Anisakis simplex are significant Arctic human zoonoses; endemic to some regions and directly related to the consumption of country foods. Many Northerners remain reliant on wildlife as a source of food, financial income and cultural identity and are demanding programs which will provide greater security in the safety of country foods and programs that ensure the long-term sustainability of wildlife populations. Changing climatic conditions are predicted to alter wildlife habitat, facilitate the northward migration of wildlife diseases and parasites, and alter contaminant cycling and fate; all of which have the potential to detrimentally affect the health and long term sustainability of wildlife populations and ultimately the source and safety of country foods (ACIA 2004; Boonstra 2004; Derocher et al. 2003; Harvell et al., 2002; Hoberg et al., 2002; Kutz et al. 2004; Lie et al. 2004 & 2005). Adequate baseline data (benchmarks) regarding the current health conditions of wildlife (including zoonotic pathogens) is therefore urgently needed for the assessment and prediction of wildlife health impacts resulting from the cumulative impacts of multiple stressors associated with climate change and exposure to anthropogenic contaminants.

POLENET will deploy an ambitious array of geophysical instruments across the polar regions in order to study the complex interplay between climate, ice sheets, geodynamics, and global sea level change. POLENET geodetic and seismic observations, paired with other types of geophysical measurements, will greatly improve our understanding of high latitude Earth systems. This international collaboration of 24 countries will involve scientists, students and educators at all levels, and will further advance our capability to deploy autonomous instruments in extreme environments

This programme is framed by Arctic peoples’ resiliency, where partnerships are fostered which highlights the strength and aspiration of Arctic residents.

Antarctica is the primary heat sink in the global climate system: it plays an important role in climate change and variability, and Antarctic atmospheric processes affect the rest of the planet via the atmosphere and the sea. Using satellites and the state-of-the-art HIAPER research aircraft, AC Squared will help scientists gain a better understanding of how these processes work – knowledge that is essential if we are to develop models that more accurately predict global climate change.

The proposed activity aims at establishing a bipolar network to obtain data needed to quantify properties of aerosols at high latitudes, including seasonal background concentrations by measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD), spectral characterizations, and the evolutionary patterns of the natural and anthropogenic processes that perturb the aerosol cycles. An effort to quantify direct and indirect climate forcing by polar aerosols will be made through a set of closure experiments using observations in conjunction with model calculation and satellite data.

Internationally Coordinated Studies on Antarctic Environmental Status , Biodiversity and Ecosystems EBESA will study the effects of climatic and environmental changes, and the impact of man-made contaminants, on organisms and ecosystems of northern Victoria Land, James Ross Island, and Patagonia. We intend to establish possible sources, deposition patterns, and biological effects of persistant pollutants. We will also collect key organisms, such as moss and lichens, in order to study their origin and evolutionary response to different climate and environment.

As human travel continues to increase, the impact of the non-native (alien) species that they often accidentally carry with them on ecosystems across the globe is becoming one of the major environmental challenges of the 21st Century. The impact of these alien species ranges from minor transient introductions to substantial loss of biodiversity and ecosystem changes. The Antarctic is not immune from the risk of invasive species, although to date impacts have been restricted to the milder sub-Antarctic islands. But as parts of the continent warm, it will become easier for non-native species to gain a foothold. It is also now easier for humans (and their unintended living cargo) to travel to and around the Antarctic than it ever has been, and many more people are doing so. Focusing on the annual migration of scientists and tourists to the Antarctic in 2007, this project will take samples from clothing and equipment to provide a unique snapshot of the number of spores, seeds, invertebrates and eggs transported to the continent: the first time that an assessment of the extent of transfer of alien species into an entire biome has ever been made.