Content:

1. Polar Oceans Weeks - March 2009
2. Changes in the IPO
3. Changes to ipy.org
4. Polar plans and assessments from ISAC and SCAR
5. Upcoming conferences and meetings
6. Update from APECS
7. Archiving IPY materials
8. Data, data, data - monthly reminder


Report no. 24, April 2009
From: IPY International Programme Office
To: IPY Project Coordinators
cc: IPY Community Google Groups


1. Polar Oceans Weeks - March 2009
In March 2009, we focussed on Polar Oceans as the eighth IPY Polar Day. Our usual 'Day' turned into more than 2 weeks of activities, starting from 14th March and continuing to the end of March. Events and activities took place across the globe, including in the US, Malaysia, Greenland, UK, Brazil, Italy, Canada, Germany, France and Portugal! Activities included hands-on activities for students, global live events connecting students and teachers to researchers in the Arctic and Antarctic, and special radio interviews and broadcasts, again connecting to both polar regions. For more information about Polar Oceans, including flyers, content and a list of events, please see:

http://ipy.arcticportal.org/index.php?option=com_k2&id=2029&view=item

Thank you to all who took part in what has been a very successful Polar Oceans event. Building on the March 2009 experience and successes, and to continue IPY momentum through June 2010, we plan two additional 'Polar Weeks' - one in October 2009 and another in March 2010.


2. Changes in the IPO
As plannned, Rhian Salmon has left the IPO to pursue other adventures - already we miss her and wish her well. We intend that Karen Edwards, from the Canadian IPY Secretariat and a partner on many of our IPY education and outreach activities, will lead and support two on-going activities, the 'Polar Weeks' and the Polar Resource Book, and help us manage ipy.org. Meanwhile, we recruit a temporary replacement for Nicola Munro, whose maternity leave approaches; Nicola's leave will extend approximately from May 2009 to January 2010. All of these staff changes and activity plans depend on continued financial support for the IPO which, on paper at least, looks likely. Please continue to use This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it as your primary link to IPO, or send questions or requests to Dave at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


3. Changes to ipy.org
We can report with pleasure that, behind the scenes, ipy.org in its current form will soon move to the Arctic Portal. We have enjoyed excellent support from our design team, Slice of Lime, but the move to Arctic Portal gives ipy.org a long-term post-IPO home. You should not notice the actual move, which will take place in early April. The Arctic Portal team will make some necessary changes, upgrades, and improvements which should come on-line in June 2009. For your information, the British Library, as part of their digital science archive initiative, has and will continue to keep a full archive of ipy.org.


4. Polar plans and assessments from ISAC and SCAR
Leading polar science organisations prepare various assessments to build on or summarise IPY scientific results and to plan post-IPY programmes. These assessments and plans represent a natural and desirable part of the IPY process. The IPO will assist the sponsoring organisations by sharing news of these activities among IPY national committees and project leaders. This month we report on two activities:

SCAR has produced an Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment review to synthesize present knowledge on the past and possible future changes in the physical environment and biological systems of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. You can download individual chapters from the ACCE web site at:

http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/SCAR_ssg_ps/ACCE.htm.

SCAR requests comments by 30 April 2009. For more information, please contact John Turner at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ISAC has produced a Science Plan and Implementation Strategy to outline an open-ended international research program and a framework for comprehensive study of Arctic environmental change in all its dimensions. You can download that plan from http://www.arcticchange.org/. ISAC requests public comments by 1 May 2009; you can submit comments to