The International Polar Year 2007-08 will be launched on the 1st of March. Across both hemispheres, dozens of nations are organizing events and ceremonies both large and small to celebrate the occasion. Together, they will engage experts, children and the general public, and will play an important role in raising awareness as to the Polar Regions' central relevance as climate archives, early warning systems, threatened habitats, and (in the case of the Arctic) homes to indigenous cultures.(This article does not aim to present each and every IPY related event or initiative. For more information on this vast collaborative effort, please refer to the ...

Gone fishing? IPY flying high at midnight on 1 January 2007 at SANAE IV, the South African research base on Vesleskarvet in Dronning Maud Land Antarctica (71

The Circumpolar Arctic is one of the least technologically connected regions in the world. In an effort to change that, the people who call this vast geographic area home have been stepping up to take their rightful place in the growing global information society. Over the past two decades, rapid changes to communication technologies have created a steady rise of organizations and leaders dedicated to finding ways to better promote and share aboriginal experiences, current events, traditional stories and art from all high Arctic regions. Two events, the Shared Arctic: Contemporary Circumpolar Artwork Exhibition and a Round Table Discussion entitled Breaking the Ice: Communications with the Arctic have been scheduled in Geneva, Switzerland to celebrate both the d...

Activities carried out from Tierra del Fuego in Argentina for the IPY 2007-2008 1) In accordance with chapter 3.3.4 of the IPY Framework, a group of students from the National University “Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia “San Juan Bosco” has been stationed at an Argentinean Station in Antarctica, “Camara base”, at Half Moon Island in the South Shetland Islands. The main idea is to help create awareness amongst cruise-tourists about the importance of the IPY and the lines of research proposed. This is carried out by handing out leaflets and giving further information to visitors on the island. For the antarctic season 2007/2008 we foresee to have as well students on other Argentinean stations. 2) The official opening ceremony for the IPY in Ushuai...

Here is a selection of short video clips taken on board of RV Polarstern on its actual expedition to East Antarctica. The video material is kindly made available by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. They are in .flv format and can be viewed using VLC software. AW...

After a short period in the harbor of Punta Arenas, the German research icebreaker Polarstern will start for its next Antarctic Expedition. More than 40 scientists, students and technicians will be working on board until the middle of April. The two days stay in Punta Arenas were used to get all preparations done for the upcoming 12 weeks on sea. Containers were put on board or taken off, provisions were topped up and the fuel tanks were filled with 2,800 tonnes of diesel at the bunker pier "Cabo Negro" — rnough to keep the "Polarstern" running for 12 weeks and more. On February 1st all scientists and technicians finally arrived in Punta Arenas, and all were on board Polarstern by the next day. Passports were checked and collected by the first mate S...

There is a variety of material available for journalists about IPY. The IPY Brochure is a colourful hand-out about IPY for a general audience. This IPY Science Summary gives an brief overview of IPY science and activities. And here are some Frequently Asked Questions about IPY. The IPY Scope of Science provides a much more in-depth account of the breadth, variety, complexity and ...

February 15, 2007

The Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN) is hosting its kick-off meeting at the Abisko Scientific Research Station, Sweden on the 22nd to 24th of February 2007. PYRN (www.pyrn.org) is an international effort under the patronage of the International Permafrost Association (IPA) to bring young permafrost researchers together during the international polar year and beyond. The first phase of the PYRN project saw more than 300 young researchers from 31 countries join the network. It rapidly became the largest young researcher-driven network in the field of cryospheric science. PYRN offers, news, information and support to its members. It has sent 17 monthly newsletters since its start in 2005, maint...

The permafrost regions occupy 24% of the Northern Hemisphere's land area and all glacier-free areas of the Antarctic continent. To obtain a snapshot of ground temperatures, thawing rates, and organic carbon contents of the permafrost regions, four coordinated IPY permafrost programmes are underway, involving 50 individual projects from 28 countries and hundreds of researchers and students. Geographically, the programme includes both polar regions and covers the mountains and plateau regions of the mid- and low-latitudes. The major focus of the programme is to observe and document current changes in permafrost conditions. These measurements serve as a baseline against which to evaluate future changes and to validate current models. Existing networks include boreholes for ...