Mark Kurz from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution discusses how he can find out the ages of rocks in Antarctica to discover when ice sheets and glaciers advanced and retreated on the icy continent. That knowledge, in turn, helps scientists learn more about how and why Earth's climate changed in the past, providing clues to determine how humans are affecting Earth's climate today, and the impacts climate change will have on humans in the future.

Andrea Burke, a second year graduate student in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program discusses her interest in paleoceanography, past climate change, and her excitement about going to Antarctica to learn more.

Hi, everybody. The Iceberg Expedition is underway! We are currently enroute to the Weddell Sea in search of our chosen icebergs. For details about which scientists are doing what, and daily life aboard the ship, surf to www.icebreaker.org. Hope to see you there. ____ Thanks to Nancy Etchemendy for this post: In the darkness of Antarctic winter, a team of scientists on a lonely icebreaker will soon explore the mysterious icebergs of the Weddell Sea, with a twist. Children are invited. Global warming in the Antarctic has recently caused ancient ice shelves to shatter into thousands of free-drifting icebergs that affect the air, the water, and possibly Earth's climate in complex, unknown...

Return to Main Land and Life Pages Courtesy of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research Program The McMurdo Dry Valleys are the coldest and driest desert system in the world and represent 2% of the Antarctic Continent that is free of ice. This polar desert is a configuration of barren ground, alpine, terminal, and piedmont glaciers, and ephemeral streams. The high winds and bitt...

On the occasion of the 31st Antarctic Treaty Consultative meeting held in Kiev, Ukraine, from the 2nd to the 13th of June 2008, SciencePoles looks at one of the lasting legacies of the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-08: A series of high-tech scientific research stations recently completed, or in the process of being constructed in Antarctica. Never since the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58 has the frozen continent seen suc...

On the 31 May to 1 June, 2008, Latitude60!, the Portuguese Educational Project for the International Polar Year, will carry out a big and interdisciplinary event that will bring together polar scientists, students of all ages, teachers and the general public interested in polar regions. This Scientific Forum will take place at the Pavilion of Knowledge, in Lisbon, Portugal, with various activities for all ages, such as: - Theatre play for children of 5 to 10 years old; - Workshops of cinema and polar science for children, teenagers, and adults, including persons with special needs; - Lectures by polar scientists; - Scientific exhibition related to the International P...

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 ...

The Arctic Institute of North America has released an updated version a classic monograph that describes the expeditions of the First International Polar Year (IPY) of 1882-1883. The book by Institute research associate Bill Barr, The Expeditions of the First International Polar Year 1882-83, was first published in 1985 and focuses on the 14 expeditions that made up the first IPY. The book is available from the Arctic Institute for Cd$28.95 plus shipping and handling. To order a copy, fill out and mail or fax the order form to the Arctic Institute of North America. Order form link: http://www.arctic.ucalgary.ca...