Contents: 1. IPY events in St Petersburg, July 2008 2. Land and Life Day 3. APECS Report 4. Videos on IPY.org 5. IPY events and activities Report no. 14, June 2008 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. IPY events in St Petersburg, July 2008 Several IPY meetings and workshops are occurring before and during the SCAR/IASC Open Science Conference in July. Below we list those that we know of, with location information to the best of our current knowledge. Much of the energy and networking central to IPY is stimulated in events like these - please do consider attending as appropriate....

The main objective of the weekend was to emphasize the importance of the polar regions, and to showcase the various Portuguese science and education outreach activities currently underway. The weekend proved to be a wonderful opportunity for the wider public to get to know the Portuguese polar science community...

Oceanographer Mary-Louise Timmermans discusses the importance of research to determine how much the Arctic's climate is changing.

Many climate models suggest the Arctic ice cover will melt within 50 years. Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution want to measure the changes in the water—particularly the layered structure of the ocean—in order to understand what mechanisms might lead the ice cap to melt from below. The impacts for the ecosystem, the regional and global climate, and for commerce would be enormous. Many climate models suggest the Arctic ice cover will melt within 50 years. Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution want to measure the changes in the water—particularly the layered structure of the ocean—in order to understand what mechanisms might lead the ice cap to melt from below. But how is it possible to take continuous measurements over long periods of time in such a hostile environment? Scientists and engineers have found a way.

As part of the International Polar Year, Polar Discovery brings you the stories of science on ice. The polar regions are experiencing unprecedented environmental changes that are having significant impacts on global climate, ecosystems, and society. Using the latest engineering advancements, scientists are studying the changing climate at the heart of the icy Arctic Ocean, the melting glaciers of Greenland, and the creatures of Antarctica's Southern Ocean.

Susan Humphris describes where CTDs (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth oceanographic instruments) and the autonomous vehicle Puma have been deployed on the Gakkel Ridge to locate volcanoes and hydrothermal vents.

On Day 36 of Polar Discovery's third expedition, we were nearing the edge of the ice pack, which means we were also entering bear country. We saw nine in a 24-hour period, beginning Saturday evening. In the United States, we call them "polar bears," but that's a bit misleading because they don't exist at the southern pole.

Andrea Burke, a second year graduate student in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program discusses her interest in paleoceanography, past climate change, and her excitement about going to Antarctica to learn more.

Hi, everybody. The Iceberg Expedition is underway! We are currently enroute to the Weddell Sea in search of our chosen icebergs. For details about which scientists are doing what, and daily life aboard the ship, surf to www.icebreaker.org. Hope to see you there. ____ Thanks to Nancy Etchemendy for this post: In the darkness of Antarctic winter, a team of scientists on a lonely icebreaker will soon explore the mysterious icebergs of the Weddell Sea, with a twist. Children are invited. Global warming in the Antarctic has recently caused ancient ice shelves to shatter into thousands of free-drifting icebergs that affect the air, the water, and possibly Earth's climate in complex, unknown...

IPY.org Introductory Presentation IPY Multimedia; videos and podcasts of IPY participants in various languages. Also available from 'Browse by' menu at top of ipy.org. Arctic Portal webcasts IPY Opening Ceremony, March 2007 (follow links from webcast archive) PolarTrec Live From IPY! Presentations by IPY scientists talking...