On the 31 May to 1 June, 2008, Latitude60!, the Portuguese Educational Project for the International Polar Year, will carry out a big and interdisciplinary event that will bring together polar scientists, students of all ages, teachers and the general public interested in polar regions. This Scientific Forum will take place at the Pavilion of Knowledge, in Lisbon, Portugal, with various activities for all ages, such as: - Theatre play for children of 5 to 10 years old; - Workshops of cinema and polar science for children, teenagers, and adults, including persons with special needs; - Lectures by polar scientists; - Scientific exhibition related to the International P...

May 26, 2008. Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) through human activities have a well-known impact on the Earth's climate. Its other, less well-known impact is ocean acidification, with uncertain consequences on marine organisms and ecosystems. The European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA) will be launched on 10 June 2008. Its goal is to document ocean acidification, investigate its impact on biological processes, predict its consequences over the next 100 years, and advise policy-makers on potential thresholds or tipping points that should not be exceeded. The World's oceans cover over 70% of the planet's surface, contribute half of its primary production and contain an enormous diversity of life. Thus it is not surprising that they provide i...

The International Geophysical Year, IGY (1957-1958) has led to a comprehensive global study of geophysical phenomena and their relationships with solar activity. It aimed to make wide-spread, simultaneous, and intensive observations of a range of geophysical phenomena, using the latest instrumentation, rocket, and satellite technologies. The IGY greatly expanded our knowledge of global processes, heralded the exploration of geospace, and left a legacy of monumental achievements including the World Data Center (WDC) System. Fifty years on, four new international programs -- International Polar Year (IPY), electronic Geophysical Year (eGY), International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE), and International Heliophysical Year (IHY) -- have been proposed and are in progress. Efforts f...

Contents: 1. IPO Planning - 2008 and Beyond 2. February 2009 dates and events 3. Canada 2012 4. UNEP Children's Conference - call for material 5. Polar Books 6. IPY.org,- , bloggers needed, fly the IPY flag! 7. Report from SAON 8. IPY Science at the European Geophysical Union (EGU) meeting 2008 Report no. 13, May 2008 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. IPO Planning - 2008 and Beyond Many IPY participants consider post-IPY activities and events. IPY Project Coordinators consider project data responsibilities, special publications, project summary meetings, and th...

Download IPO Planning, 2008 and Beyond (360KB PDF) About: Many IPY participants consider post-IPY activities and events. IPY Project Coordinators consider project data responsibilities, special publications, project summary meetings, and the possibilities to extend or renew research funding. National polar organizations and IPY National Committees consider celebratory events, ways to enhance their national programmes, and (we hope) data access and archiving. International groups consider IPY-wide conferences and events, scientific and political impacts, and the benefits, if any, of continuing the international IPY networks of young researchers, teachers, jou...

Contents: 1. IPO Planning - 2008 and Beyond 2. February 2009 dates and events 3. Canada 2012 4. UNEP Children's Conference - call for material 5. Polar Books 6. IPY.org,- , bloggers needed, fly the IPY flag! 7. Report from SAON 8. IPY Science at the European Geophysical Union (EGU) meeting 2008 Report no. 13, May 2008 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. IPO Planning - 2008 and Beyond Many IPY participants consider post-IPY activities and events. IPY Project Coordinators consider project data responsibilities, special publications, project summary meetings, and th...

PRESS RELEASE Commencing in August 2008, the University of Akureyri will be offering a Master's Program in Polar Law. This Program is designed for both lawyers (two semesters leading to an LLM-degree) and non-lawyers (four semesters leading to an MA-degree), preparing them for work in both public and private sector, in national and local governments, international organizations, with indigenous peoples of the Circumpolar North, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations, and national and transnational corporations. The deadline for applications is June 5 for Home/EU students and April 15 for overseas students. The Master's Program will provide a unique focus on Polar Law. It lays emphasis on certain chapters in public international law, such as...

By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News, San Francisco US scientists have reconstructed a 40,000-year record of wind conditions at the South Pole. They assembled the climate data by measuring the distribution of dust layers seen in two ice boreholes. A comparison of the layers allowed the University of California-Berkeley team to gauge how rough snow surfaces would have been in ancient times. The researchers then used this "proxy" to assess the probable strength of wind needed to produce those features. The technique needs refinement and works best in the deeper parts of the ice. Nonetheless, scientists are confident it gives at least a broad record of conditions at the pole some 30,000 to 70,000 years a...

By Dr. Manish Tiwari Scientist, National Centre For Antarctic & Ocean Research, Goa, India As the IPY completes one year successfully, India has contributed strongly to its scientific & outreach program that will continue into 2008-09 & beyond. National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India) is acting as the national coordinating agency and has well defined outreach activities that seek to educate school children, general public & scientific community about the challenges & need of the polar research. Towards this, NCAOR has contributed & participated in exhibitions to celebrate IPY. It has also put effort in getting published many articles outlining the activities under IPY themes in Indian scientific journ...

The previously untold complete story of the first vessel to reach the North Pole, the nuclear submarine USS Nautilus, will be released in July 2008 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. The book is written by Captain William Anderson, the captain of Nautilus for the trip, and by best-selling author Don Keith. THE ICE DIARIES tells the inside story of how Nautilus made three attempts to reach the North Pole beneath the polar ice pack. The first two almost ended tragically. The third attempt took the submarine and her crew of 116 through the North Pole, from Pacific to Atlantic, in late July and early August 1958 via the long sought Northwest Passage. The data collected about navigation in those high latitudes, the oceans, the sea bottom, and the pack ice contributed mightily to future exploration of...