“Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers”: A major philatelic event for the closing of IPY in March 2009 Last Saturday September 20t 2008, at the “Austria Center Vienna”, a few steps from the UN Headquarter in Vienna, have been officially presented the major philatelic event concerning the “International Polar Year 2007-2009”. To pay tribute to all the efforts made during this fourth “International Polar Year” 2007-2009 and to deliver a strong message aimed at the whole world, the postal administrations of around 40 countries have decided to joint to produce a common stamp issue concerning the problem of the Global Warming and featuring the slogan “Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers”. Started ...

For Immediate Release, Tuesday 16 September 2008 download MediaRelease Australia Post celebrates International Polar Year 2007–08 Australia’s role in International Polar Year 2007–08 is recognised by Australia Post with a four-stamp issue highlighting Australia’s important contribution to the science disciplines of astronomy, glaciology, oceanography and marine biology. This new Australian Antarctic Territories stamp issue, designed by Melbourne-based Chris Shurey, comprises two 55c stamps (astronomy and glaciology) and two $1.10 stamps (oceanography and marine biology), with some imagery captured by the scientists during their resear...

MEDIA ADVISORY People Media Advisory PDF (text below) photo: Amy Clapp September 22nd, 2008 On September 24th, 2008, the International Polar Year 2007-8 (IPY) will launch its sixth ‘International Polar Day' focusing on People in Polar Regions, especially on community and cultural well-being, health issues, and the role of the Arctic in the global economy. This Polar Day occurs at the time when combined effects of modern climatic, environmental, economic, and social change challen...

Press release: Investigating sea ice decline A revised outlook for the Arctic 2008 summer sea ice minimum shows ice extent will be below the 2005 level but not likely to beat the 2007 record. In mid-September, the outlook will be confronted with real-time observations. DAMOCLES will dispatch eleven research missions into the Arctic this autumn to better understand the future of the sea ice. Chances that the 2008 ice extent will fall below last year's record minimum is about 8 percent, researchers forecast after having run a number of different models predicting the fate of the Arctic sea ice this summer. But there is still reason for concern; the scientists are almost certain the ice extent will fall below the minimum of 2005, which was...

Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre MEDIA RELEASE 5 August 2008 Call for action ocean acidification The world's leading scientists in ocean acidification have released today an open communique that says the issue an urgent scientific and policy challenge. The communiqu features the deliberations of world experts at the Ocean Acidification: Australian Impacts in the Global Context sponsored by the Australian Department of Climate Change, held in June in Hobart by the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC). Dr Will Howard and Dr Bronte Tilbrook from the released the communiqu today, on behalf of the top-callibre participants of the workshop. ...

Cape Farewell Press Release press release PDF Musicians including KT Tunstall, Vanessa Carlton, Laurie Anderson, Feist, Jarvis Cocker, Martha Wainwright and Robyn Hitchcock join a 40 strong crew of artists and scientists on Cape Farewell's Disko Bay expedition to the west coast of Greenland Thursday 25 September 2008http://www.capefarewell.com/ Monday 6 October Musicians Laurie Anderson, Vanessa Carlton, Jarvis Cocker, Feist, Robyn Hitchcock, Ryuichi Sakamoto, KT Tunstall, Martha Wainwright, Luke Bullen, Beatboxer Shlomo, Composer Jonathan Dove, Comedian Marcus Brigstocke, Theatre Makers Mojisola Adebayo, Suzan-Lori Parks, Artists Kathy Barber, David Buckland, Sophi...

Researchers of the Alfred Wegener Institute on Spitsbergen investigate the reaction of seaweeds to increased ultraviolet radiation Bremerhaven, August 21st 2008. It is red, it burns and itches: a sunburn on our skin. However, too much sun is not only bad for humans. Many plants react sensitively to an increased dose of ultraviolet radiation, too. Yet they are dependent on sunlight. With the help of pigments absorbing solar energy and light, plants produce their vitally important building blocks by means of photosynthesis. However, this has its limits: too much sun means an over-abundance of energy and thus the destruction of the sensitive pigments. The result are black spots, pale leaves and rotten parts. Since algae cannot apply sun lotion like we do, they de...

Bremerhaven, August 19th 2008. German research vessel Polarstern, operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association, transits the Northwest Passage for the first time. Polarstern left the port of Reykjavik on August 12th, sailed around Greenland on a southern course and is located right now at the beginning of the Northwest Passage. Its destination is the East Siberian Sea where geoscientific measurements at the junction between the Mendeleev Ridge and the East Siberian Shelf are at the focus of the participants of this expedition. The measurements striven for in the framework of the International Polar Year shall help to understand how the undersea ridges and basins were built. This expedition takes the researchers in 68 days around the No...

Press release Bremerhaven August 7th 2008. The German Research Vessel Polarstern had to prove its ice breaking capabilities in Arctic waters to gain data on two series of long-term research measurements. After working in regions up to latitude 82

Investigating sea ice decline A revised outlook for the Arctic 2008 summer sea ice minimum shows ice extent will be below the 2005 level but not likely to beat the 2007 record. DAMOCLES will dispatch eleven research missions into the Arctic this autumn to better understand the future of the sea ice. Chances that the 2008 ice extent will fall below last year's record minimum is about 8 percent, researchers forecast after having run a number of different models predicting the fate of the Arctic sea ice this summer. But there is still reason for concern; the scientists are almost certain the ice extent will fall below the minimum of 2005, which was the second lowest year on record. With a probability of 80% the minimum ice extent in 200...