Drift bottles have long been used as an inexpensive (and fun) way to study ocean surface currents. Notes in the drift bottle message explain how to make contact with the Institute of Ocean Sciences, Canada and are placed inside empty glass bottles that are then sealed using cork and wax. The drift bottles are completely biodegradable. Project participants throw these bottles over the side of ocean-going ships and n...

IPY project 455, IGLO, is a network of international science centres working together to raise awareness about IPY, the polar regions, and global warming. IGLO is an educational partner of Live Earth, the organization producing concerts in nine major cities around the world on July 7, 2007 to promote awareness of, and action on, global warming. Science centers and museums are participating in this event by screening films, showing the concert via a live satellite feed, hosting activities from the IGLO toolkit, and more. Science Centres in China (Shanghai), Panama, Belgium (Mechelen), The Netherlands (The Hague), Wales (Cardiff), Canada (Toronto), Mexico (Mexico City) and across the US (San Francisco, Fort Lauder...

Researchers and explorers will probe the Gakkel Ridge during expedition that begins on July 1. They will be using new robotic vehicles to hunt for life and hydrothermal vents on the Arctic seafloor. Researchers will use two new autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)--Puma and Jaguar--in tandem to locate hydrothermal vent sites on the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean. (Illustration by E. Paul Oberlander, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) More information can be found on the project website. ...

Photos from the launch event of the UNEP cartoon book Ozzy Goes Polar on June 5th in the Tromso Library, Norway - on World Environment Day. Ozzy and Zoe Ozone Launch event of cartoon book Ozzy Goes Polar on June 5th in the Tromso Library accompanied by Ms. Sylvi Liljegren (Norwegian Polar Institute). Ms. Anne Fenner (OzonAction Information Officer) and Ozzy Ozone Children from Lunheim School in Tromso Norway...

To encourage larger participation in the international workshop

We have news from India about the various aspects of its involvement with IPY - through both scientific projects and outreach. The launching of the Indian chapter of the IPY 2007-2008 took place at National Centre For Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR), Vasco-da-Gama, India and parallely at Jawaharlal Nehru National University (JNU), New Delhi, India on 1st March 2007. Details of the scientific and outreach projects can be read in this pdf document. Further details can be had at National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research website and ...

World Environment Day 2007 this year is focussing on the polar regions, in recognition of the International Polar Year. Two books are being launched today by UNEP in conjunction with this day. The Global Outlook for Ice and Snow is an in-depth report focussing on the state of ice-covered regions, written for a general audience but containing hard scientific answers. Complementing this Ozzy Goes Polar, focussed for kids, sees the return of our hero, Ozzy Ozone, on an adventure to the polar regions. ...

This August, Students on Ice (SOI), an award-winning educational organization, will be leading a momentous youth expedition to the Arctic. With 75 international students, between the ages of 14-18, this journey will create an incredible forum for learning, discovery and discussion. Traveling through the Canadian Arctic aboard a polar icebreaker, students on this endorsed International Polar Year Youth expedition will have the opportunity to learn under leading polar scientists and experience the Arctic through their own eyes. With hands-on activities and a focus on Earth Science, Flora, Fauna and Climate Change, this expedition will give a fresh, polar perspective on our planet. Though the departure date is rapidly approaching, a few spots are still availabl...

The Government of India will be hosting the 30th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) at New Delhi from 30 April to 11 May. The ATCM is the annual occasion when the signatories of the Antarctic Treaty get together to discuss about the management of Antarctica. Usual topics on the agenda include environmental protection, tourism and legal issues. This year, IPY will also be an important item on the agenda. David Carlson will be representing the International Programme Office in New Delhi and will be providing updates on the IPY. For more information, please visit the sites for the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat site and the ...

One of the tasks of the endorsed project "Enhancing the environmental legacy of the IPY in Antarctica" is to look at the cumulative environmental impacts of the IPY. So far, the IPY Joint Committee has endorsed 99 projects with Antarctic or bipolar focus. These projects encompass at least 350 research activities, of which 82% plan to conduct fieldwork in Antarctica. Of these activities, 105 (37%) are planning to leave behind physical infrastructure. A large amount of activity has been planned around existing centers of research (e.g., the Antarctic Peninsula, Dronning Maud Land); a number of large-scale research activities has also been planned in areas which have, so far, been seldom visited (e.g., the Gamburtsev Mountains, subglacial lakes). Many of them...