Scientists Embark on International Polar Year

Scientists Embark on International Polar Year



Feb 2007 - Polar scientists, 
the heads of U.S. government agencies, and politicians with an 
interest in Arctic and Antarctic research today took part in 
the opening ceremony for the International Polar Year 
2007-2008 at the National Academies of Science in Washington. 
And at the South Pole, a giant U.S. telescope first light. 
An iceberg in Gerlache Strait separating the Palmer 
Archipelago from the Antarctic Peninsula. 
The International Polar Year, IPY, focused on advancing human 
understanding of how the Earth's polar regions impact global 
climate systems, is the largest internationally coordinated 
scientific research effort in 50 years. 
"Our planet is changing more quickly than at any time in 
recorded history," said U.S. National Science Foundation 
Director Arden Bement. 
"Frigid waters of the north and the frozen continent of the 
south are helping us realize and understand that change. We do 
not fully understand the causes of what we are observing. IPY 
has generated the national will to change that, and new tools 
– from satellites to ships to sensors – make it possible to 
obtain the needed observations and synthesis of knowledge." 
Nuclear engineer Arden Bement has headed the National Science 
Foundation since 2004. 
The Washington ceremony was held in advance of the official 
international IPY launch, set for Thursday at the Palais de la 
Decouverte, a famous science museum in central Paris. 
Involving thousands of scientists from over 60 countries, IPY 
is a program of the International Council for Science and the 
World Meteorological Organization. 
From March 1, 2007 to March 9, 2009, scientists will conduct 
more than 200 physical, biological and social sciences 
research studies in the Arctic and Antarctic. 
While it is known as the International Polar Year, the 
research effort will span two full annual cycles in order to 
ensure full and equal coverage of both the Arctic and the 
Antarctic. 
To kick off the U.S. IPY effort, scientists at the South Pole 
-2008. More 
than two dozen European nations are taking part, investing at 
total of €200 million in IPY science, education and outreach 
projects. 
A speaker in Strasbourg, Dr. David Carlson, director of the 
IPY International Programme Office, said, "We face many 
challenges as we start - funding, data sharing, and, most 
importantly, the surprising and rapidly changing nature of the 
polar regions." 
"But we have an enormous strength - international enthusiasm 
and cooperation, at a higher level and across a wider range of 
science than most of us will see at any other time in our 
careers. IPY will succeed because of this scientific urgency 
and energy," said Carlson. 
At the North Pole, the Sun is low in the sky as the Fall 
Equinox approaches. August 30, 2002 (North Pole webcam image 
courtesy NOAA)
Previous International Polar Years of 1882-83, 1932-33, and 
1957-58, which was also known as the International Geophysical 
Year, each produced major increases in human understanding of 
the Earth system. 
IPY 2007-2008 will initiate a new era in polar science with a 
stronger emphasis on interdisciplinary research including 
physical, ecological and social sciences, and strong 
partnerships with indigenous communities and educators. 
The IPY leaders aim to educate and involve the public while 
helping to train the next generation of engineers, scientists 
and leaders. 
Professor Thomas Rosswall, executive director of the 
International Council for Science, explains, "In comparison 
with previous Polar Years, we have planned a broader program 
involving all the relevant disciplines from both natural and 
social sciences. The IPY is an excellent example of 
strengthening international science for the benefit of society 
– the mission of ICSU." 
U.S. agencies engaged in IPY scientific research and outreach 
include the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological 
Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
NOAA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the 
Department of Energy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and 
the National Institutes of Health, NIH. 
"NOAA has had footprints in the snow and ice at both poles for 
decades," said NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher. "Our 
people are in the Arctic and Antarctic 365 days a year. This 
year is the 50th anniversary of NOAA collecting observations 
at the South Pole." 
"The Arctic Human Health Initiative is a U.S. led effort with 
the Arctic Council," said James Herrington, director of the 
Division of International Relations at the NIH Fogarty 
International Center. 
Reindeer herding is the backbone of the indigenous Sami 
culture. Most Sami live in Norway's northernmost Finnmark 
county. 
"It's a project that aims to increase the visibility and 
awareness of health concerns of Arctic peoples and to foster 
human health research and promote health-protection strategies 
that will improve the health and well-being of Arctic 
residents." 
The Arctic Human Health Initiative will advance the joint 
research agenda of the Arctic Council, an eight-nation 
intergovernmental forum for sustainable development and 
environmental protection, in the areas of infectious disease, 
the effects of anthropogenic pollution, ultraviolet radiation, 
and climate variability on human health, and telehealth 
innovations.

---