FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 11, 2008 The Greenland Ice Sheet is melting faster than previously calculated according to a scientific paper by University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher Sebastian H. Mernild published recently in the journal “Hydrological Processes.” The study is based on the results of state-of-the-art modeling using data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as well as satellite images and observations from on the ground in Greenland. Mernild and his team found that the total amount of Greenland Ice Sheet freshwater input into the North Atlantic Ocean expected from 2071 to 2100 will be more than double what is currently observed. The current East Greenland Ice Sheet freshwater flux is 257 km3 per year from...

Press release: Bremerhaven, June 9th 2008. Research ice breaker Polarstern of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research of the Helmholtz Association puts out to the Arctic on June 12th after three weeks in the dockyards. The expedition of four months length is divided into three stages and leads via the Greenland Sea to Spitsbergen and up to the Fram Strait. The journey through the Northwest Passage up to the East Siberian Sea is planned as the third stage. Two days earlier, on June 10th, the research vessel Heincke leaves the island of Helgoland towards the Orkney Islands. Research is centred on marine biological investigations in the North Atlantic. The emphasis of research of the first part of Polarstern's journey are oceanographic read...

Students on Ice is currently accepting applications for the 2008 International Polar Year Arctic Youth Expedition, taking place August 2nd-17th, 2008. The ship-based program joins students aged 14 to 19 from around the world with a team of 30 world-renowned scientists, environmentalists and polar educators. The experience serves as a powerful platform to create change, inspire, educate, give cause for hope, and raise awareness about the impacts of climate change and other environmental issues facing the Arctic region. Applications are being accepted until all spots are filled. ...

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....

By Antony Jinman (Read the full report, with photos and a map, via this downoadable PDF. This is an expedition that I put together to take part in the International Polar Year. I put this together because I’m a strong believer that one person can help make a difference. Its aims are to promote The International Polar Year and our charity British Schools Exploring Society and its 75 anniversary, by conducting school visits both on Baffin Island and here in the United Kingdom. It took 12 months to put together, over which time there where many highs and many lows and in true expedition style it didn’t exactly all go according to plan. Many decisions were hard to make and...

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.

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.

Together with a team of scientists, University of Alaska's Matt Nolan has been spending the past 6 weeks on Alaska's McCall Glacier, extracting ice cores and installing thermistor string. And he's been blogging it, using some very innovative multimedia tools to bring home what life on the glacier is like. The main blogging challenge has been getting his posts, photos and videos from the glacier to your browser. Connections to the outside world are very sparse, so the first batch of blog posts and content, from April 22 to May 11, have only just now been delivered to IPY.org, via USB thumb drive flown back to civilization. The wait has been worth it: ...