There is always something happening on the work deck; trip leader Hans-W. Hubberten of the Alfred Wegener Institute Potsdam and Captain Schwarze are continuously planning the Polarstern's course and the next stopping point. One tool for doing research is the ship's helicopter. For Australian geologist Duanne White and Swiss Minerologist Roland Oberhänsli (from the University of Potsdam), it is their first helicopter trip in the region. They head towards the southeast, in the direction of Casey Bay to the Rayner Glacier in Enderby Land. The researchers have maps with specific locations they would like to investigate and take samples from. The aim of the research is to investigate the retreating ice in this region, and the speed and impact it has had on climate change in th...

ICSU and WMO launch the largest polar research programme in 50 years IPY Launch Press Release (PDF) 26 February, 2007 International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 officially gets underway on 1 March, 2007. IPY, which is a programme of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), will be the largest internationally coordinated scientific research effort in 50 years. During the course of IPY, thousands of scientists, from over 60 countries and a wide range of research disciplines, will carry out 220 science and outreach projects under six major themes: Status: to determine the present environmental s...

The International Polar Year 2007-08 will be launched on the 1st of March. Across both hemispheres, dozens of nations are organizing events and ceremonies both large and small to celebrate the occasion. Together, they will engage experts, children and the general public, and will play an important role in raising awareness as to the Polar Regions' central relevance as climate archives, early warning systems, threatened habitats, and (in the case of the Arctic) homes to indigenous cultures.(This article does not aim to present each and every IPY related event or initiative. For more information on this vast collaborative effort, please refer to the ...

The following two postdoctoral fellowships are available on International Polar Year 2007-2008 projects led by the Environment and Natural Resources Institute at University of Alaska Anchorage: Soil Ecology, Soil Biogeochemistry The incumbent will conduct and supervise experimental work elucidating the consequences of deeper snow, shrub increases, and effects on soil-plant dynamics. The fellow will join a team that has conduced long-term experiments at Toolik Lake, Alaska since 1994 as part of ITEX (International Tundra Experiment) and has established a new set of experimental snow depth treatments that will be used in this research. A significant port...

Investigating microbial communities that exist in various nooks and crannies of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is much like exploring outer space. The microbial universe on this planet is a great unknown. In fact, researchers suspect that only less than 1% of all microorganisms have been identified and documented. Microbial communities play a variety of essential roles, in particular, in complex geochemical processes of global elemental cycling. The mystery of the microbial world in terms of identifying who is out there (community structure) and what they are doing (community function) sparks my scientific curiosity. My research questions explore the genetic diversity of microbial communities in biofilms that layer sediments and rock surfaces in Arctic stream ...

The USGS Educational Resources Index for IPY let's you explore a variety of USGS resources on polar research, from maps and fact sheets to photographs and databases. Designed for researchers, students, teachers, and others interested in research and findings related to polar science, this index contains more than 65 different resources. To make finding information you're interested in easier, these resources are divided into eight categories: Alaska and the Arctic, Antarctica, Climate Change, Glaciers and Ice, Photographs, Satellite Imagery, Wildlife, and Other USGS Resources. Each entry is then broken down by three questions—What is it?,...

After a short period in the harbor of Punta Arenas, the German research icebreaker Polarstern will start for its next Antarctic Expedition. More than 40 scientists, students and technicians will be working on board until the middle of April. The two days stay in Punta Arenas were used to get all preparations done for the upcoming 12 weeks on sea. Containers were put on board or taken off, provisions were topped up and the fuel tanks were filled with 2,800 tonnes of diesel at the bunker pier "Cabo Negro" — rnough to keep the "Polarstern" running for 12 weeks and more. On February 1st all scientists and technicians finally arrived in Punta Arenas, and all were on board Polarstern by the next day. Passports were checked and collected by the first mate S...

There is a variety of material available for journalists about IPY. The IPY Brochure is a colourful hand-out about IPY for a general audience. This IPY Science Summary gives an brief overview of IPY science and activities. And here are some Frequently Asked Questions about IPY. The IPY Scope of Science provides a much more in-depth account of the breadth, variety, complexity and ...

February 15, 2007

The Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN) is hosting its kick-off meeting at the Abisko Scientific Research Station, Sweden on the 22nd to 24th of February 2007. PYRN (www.pyrn.org) is an international effort under the patronage of the International Permafrost Association (IPA) to bring young permafrost researchers together during the international polar year and beyond. The first phase of the PYRN project saw more than 300 young researchers from 31 countries join the network. It rapidly became the largest young researcher-driven network in the field of cryospheric science. PYRN offers, news, information and support to its members. It has sent 17 monthly newsletters since its start in 2005, maint...