The GeoNorth 2009 conference, 4-6 August in Fairbanks, Alaska, is a unique opportunity to discuss issues and present current research related to geospatial activities in the arctic environment. This conference provides an opportunity to present results associated with the International Polar Year (IPY), environment and climate change monitoring and geographic analysis, geospatial standards and their application, and the construction of virtual collaborative networks including Arctic mapping and the virtual Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure (ASDI). The conference is coordinated by the USGS, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the I...

Call for Abstracts (Poster Session) - NCP / AMAP Symposium on Human Health and Arctic Environmental Contaminants Abstracts Due: May 1, 2009 The Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) and Arctic Monitoring Assessment Program (AMAP) are hosting a joint symposium in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada from 10-12 June 2009. The results of the two assessments on human health effects of environmental contaminants in the Arctic over the past 6 years will be released at this meeting. This symposium will provide a forum for health professionals, Indigenous and local people, senior scientists, policy-makers, and young scientists to contribute to the future directions of the NCP and AMAP. There will also be a poster session plus participants will be given the opportu...

Content: 1. Polar Oceans Weeks - March 2009 2. Changes in the IPO 3. Changes to ipy.org 4. Polar plans and assessments from ISAC and SCAR 5. Upcoming conferences and meetings 6. Update from APECS 7. Archiving IPY materials 8. Data, data, data - monthly reminder Report no. 24, April 2009 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. Polar Oceans Weeks - March 2009 In March 2009, we focussed on Polar Oceans as the eighth IPY Polar Day. Our usual 'Day' turned into more than 2 weeks of activities, starting from 14th March and continuing to the end of March. Events and activities took ...

The Maryland Science Center at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Credit: Maryland Science Center On the 6th of April 2009, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and the Arctic Council met together in Washington DC. The fourty-seven signatory nations to the Antarctic Treaty include several northern countries that also hold membership on the Arctic Council, but in Washington the two polar political organizations met together for the first time. The USA hosted the meeting, at the US Department of State, in recognition of the initial signing of the Antarctic Treaty, also in Washington, in 1959, 50 years ago. The Treaty meetings extend for an additional two weeks, in Baltimore, and the Arctic Council will go on to its own meetings later this month, in Norway. This special...

Investigations of the Alfred Wegener Institute show that methane producing microorganisms react to climate changes Bremerhaven, March 30th 2009. Higher temperatures in Arctic permafrost soils alter the community of methane producing microorganisms and lead to an increased emission of methane. Microbiologists from the Alfred Wegener Institute come to this conclusion in the current issue of the periodical “Environmental Microbiology”. The scientists were able to examine permafrost from the ground of the Laptev Sea, a shallow shelf sea close to the coast of Siberia, for the first time. Caused by overflooding with relatively warm sea water, this so-called “submarine permafrost“ is about 10° C warmer than the permafrost on land. It is therefore particularly suited to mon...

Bremerhaven, March 26th 2009. The research aircraft Polar 5 belongs to the Alfred Wegener Institute. It will start on Monday March 30th at 10 o'clock from the regional airport Bremerhaven on an Arctic measurement campaign which will last about four weeks. Measurements of sea ice thickness and atmospheric variables in an area between Spitsbergen, Greenland, northern Canada and Alaska are at the centre of the project PAM-ARCMIP (Pan-Arctic Measurements and Arctic Climate Model Inter comparison Project). Up to twenty German and international researchers will carry out investigations in those areas of the Arctic where no data are yet available. Six research institutes from Germany (Alfred Wegener Institute), Canada (Environment Canada, University of Alberta, York University), the USA (NOAA) a...

The 8th Polar Day (topic: Polar Oceans) elicited so much interest that it turned into a full week of events that took place across the globe from some likely places such as Edinburgh, Winnipeg and Nuuk to some not so likely places like Brazil & Malaysia. Take a peek at some of the exciting highlights from classrooms, radio stations, field schools and public outreach sessions around the world. Edinburgh, UK: March 14th - 15th The Dynamic Earth science center hosted a hands-on public session with researchers from the Scottish Association for Marine Science who displayed Arctic research footage from recent expeditions. The most popular part of the event was when people got a chance to don the equipment worn by polar scientists. We may have just h...

Transmission Location: At sea, 21 miles south of Punuk Island (sample station NEC2), south of St. Lawrence Island. Lat/Long: 62deg 42 min N/168 deg 38 min W (grid 62.70). Time: 0834. Temperature: 1.0 dgF, Wind: 24 mph from NW. Wind Chill: ?22 dgF. Scattered clouds, 30% cover. Sunrise: 9:07 AM, Sunset: 9:22 PM. Ice: New ice, small floes, 1-2ft, high ridges. Note: large group of ~30 walrus on large floe ice edge, in and out of water. Ship’s log by Tom Litwin, scientist profiles by Tom Walker. Flying into Gambell, the Bering sea and Russian Siberian coast beyond. Photo Credit: Tom Litwin This ...

Transmission Location: At sea, 46 miles SW of Sikniq Cape (sample station SEC2), St Lawrence Island. Lat/Long: 62deg 12 min N/170 deg 16 min W (grid 62.2). Time: 0925. Temperature: ?1.5 dgF, Wind: 19.5 mph from NW. Wind Chill: ?19 dgF. Clear skies. Sunrise: 9:41 AM, Sunset: 9:39 PM. Ice: very close pack, new ice ~3ft. thick, big floes. Ship’s log by Tom Litwin, scientist profiles by Tom Walker. USCGC HEALY’S ICEBREAKING BOW, BOSON MATE JIM MERTEN Photo Credit: Tom Litwin I’m standing in the Forward Machine Room where I can put my palm on the inboard side of the Healy’s stem, the most forward part ...

Transmission Location: At sea, 25 miles SW of Northwest Cape, Gambell Village, St Lawrence Island. Lat/Long: 63deg 45.282 min N/171 deg 47.34 min W (grid 63.75). Time: 0915. Temperature: ?1.5 dgF, Wind: 19.5 mph from NW. Wind Chill: ?19 dgF. Clear skies. Sunrise: 9:41 AM, Sunset: 9:39 PM. Ice: very close pack, new ice ~3ft. thick, big floes. Note: Ravens on ice, St. Lawrence Island clearly visible from Bridge. Reports provided by Tom Litwin and Tom Walker. MOUNTAINS OF ST. LAWRENCE ISLAND’S SOUTH COAST FROM DECK OF USCGS HEALY Photo Credit: Tom Litwin The first sampling station quickly reveals t...