Kiruna Geophysical Observatory was launched 50 years ago on July 2nd. Sverker Sörlin visits the history of the station and draws comparisons with this IPY. The ongoing IPY is a globalized two year event, opening simultaneously in many countries on March 1 last, with web casted ceremonies. Fifty years ago, IGY started its 18 months of activities without much fuss, with no official opening and few headlines. In retrospect, what did in fact come close to a first IGY event was the launch of the Kiruna Geophysical Observatory in northern Sweden, on 2 July. In this remote mining town, in the midst of Sami reindeer herding territory, today hosting the Sami Parliament, were among a range of high ranking guests a figure no less than Lloyd V. Berkner, one of the IGY initiators, the...

The National R&D Plan will finance six polar research projects this summer. The Oceanography Research Ship Hesperides, carrying out two projects, will travel to the Arctic Ocean for the first time. June 18, 2007. On June 20, the Hesperides will initiate the Spanish arctic campaign held in honour of the International Polar Year, co-ordinated in Spain by the Ministry of Science and Education (MEC). This is the first time the research ship, sailing from Vigo, will carry out projects in the Arctic Ocean. These projects are Spain's contribution to the objectives of the Polar Year, an international initiative aimed at increasing the knowledge of polar regions and the implications of climate change on a global level. The first project of t...

The ice caps are melting but Brits still think polar bears live in Antarctica - home of the penguins. A new exhibition - Ice Station Antarctica - opens at Natural History Museum for International Polar Year 2007-2008. It will challenges kids to understand the importance of the frozen continent. Antarctica is a continent 58 times the size of the UK and it plays a crucial role in understanding global climate change, but one in ten Brits doesn't know where it is and a third of us still think polar bears live there. The Natural History Museum today launches Ice Station Antarctica, a new family blockbuster exhibition developed in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey that challenges kids to survive the extreme conditions faced by scientists researc...

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. ...

World Environment Day 2007 Tromso/Nairobi, 4 June 2007 - The futures of hundreds of millions of people across the world will be affected by declines in snow cover, sea ice, glaciers, permafrost and lake ice a new and unique report launched to mark World Environment Day (WED) says. Impacts are likely to include significant changes in the availability of water supplies for drinking and agriculture, rising sea levels affecting low lying coasts and islands and an increase in hazards such as subsidence of currently frozen land. An estimated 40 per cent of the world's population could be affected by loss of snow and glaciers on the mountains of Asia says the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in the Global Outlook for Ice and Snow. Simila...

Arctic Connection is a culinary project to be launched at the end of May. It is a co-production between executive chef Ben Hardeman from Le Meridien Hotel "Des Indes" and artist Ap Verheggen. The International Polar Year of 2007 and 2008 will draw more attention towards the Arctic and her inhabitants. This project is an innovating collaboration between the Dutch artist Ap Verheggen and chef Ben Hardeman. It is built out of two components; the design of the tableware and the unique composition of the menu. Both are inspired by the recent Arctic situation. It has resulted in one of the leading culinary-art pr...

Portugal has been very active since the beginning of International Polar Year. The Portuguese IPY launch was on the 28th February 2007 in Lisbon, at the Knowleddge Pavillion Ciencia Viva, a major science centre. This day had the presence of the Minister of Science Mariano Gago, the President of the Foundation of Science and Technology Joao Sentieiro and two international guest speakers from United States (Prof. James Brockheim, University of Wisconsin) and United Kingdom (Dr. Inigo Everson; Anglia Polytechnic University). Several talks took place in relation to the history of the IPY (from the president of IPY-Portugal Prof. Luis Mendes-Victor), to the science strategy of Portugal in IPY (by Dr. Jose Xavier) and the educational programme LATITUDE60! (by the Portugues...

Did you know? - India began active scientific research in Antarctica in 1981. - India currently has two permanent research stations. Dakshin Gangotri was built in 1983 in Dronning Maud Land but is now buried under nice and completely non-functional. The second permanent station, Maitri, was built in 1989, and provides year-round accommodation to 25 people. - India will start building its third research station at Larsemann Hills in East Antarctica, in 2007-2008, propelling India into a small, elite group of countries which run three or more stations in Antarctica. - In recent years, Indian scientists fly from India to Cape Town and then down to Antarctica. They used to sail from Goa in India to Antarctica. The expedition would tak...

On Thursday, March 15th, Whitehorse's Beringia Interpretive Centre played host to a celebration of the launch of the book Polaris: A Celebration of Polar Science. This science fiction anthology causes the speculation and imagination of science fiction to explore polar science itself. Where might it take us? What might certain discoveries mean? And at what cost do we take the frozen poles for granted? The IPY Youth Steering Committee worked with editor Julie E. Czerneda to arrange for an international writing contest open to students from around the world. The winning story was published in the Polaris. The book has a strong Yukon connection. Yukoners Amber Church and Tyler Kuhn of the International IPY Youth Steering Committee wrote a special introduction to the boo...

Here are 12 posters prepared for the IPY launch event on March 1st, 2007. These accompany Dave Carlson's IPY Opening Ceremony Presentation. They represent seven IPY projects as well as the work of artists, educators, youth, and early career scientists in IPY. There is also a composite poster of all these aspects. They are very large as can be printed in high resolution in poster size. Composite poster compressed: 17.5 MB ...