International Polar Year 2007-2008

The EPB has developed strong agency level coordination and interaction in scientific planning, funding for the International Polar Year 2007-2008.

The EPB has established a dedicated taskforce to Education, Outreach and Communications by networking communication media outreach specialists.
EPB is leading a major ESF inter-committee initiative on the IPY including the planning of an ESF hosted IYP European Launch event in 2007 focussing on interdisciplinary science and the IPY.

History

The 125th, 75th, and 50th anniversaries of the first two International Polar Years (IPYs) and the International Geophysical Year (IGY) will occur in 2007-2008. These milestones have the potential to spark exciting new polar science and research, both engaging the next generation of scientists and illustrating to the public the benefits and challenges still inherent in polar exploration.

The First International Polar Year (1882 - 1883) 

The First International Polar Year was inspired by Karl Weyprecht, an officer with the Austro-Hungarian navy. Weyprecht argued that polar expeditions should be driven by scientific research instead of exploration. Although he died before commencement of the First International Polar Year, eleven countries participated in 15 Polar expeditions, fulfilling Weyprecht’s dream and heralding a new age of scientific discovery. Further information on the First IPY is available from The University of Saskatchewan and The Arctic Research Consortium of Austria.

The Second International Polar Year (1932 - 1933)

The Second International Polar Year was proposed in 1928 at an international conference of meteorological service directors. Forty nations participated in Arctic research from 1932 - 1933 (the 25th anniversary of the first IPY), largely in the fields of meteorology, magnetism, aurora, and radio science. However, due to the worldwide depression, the second IPY was smaller than originally envisioned. Additional information on the Second IPY is available from The University of Saskatchewan and the World Data Centre for Solar-Terrestrial Physics.

The Third International Polar Year/International Geophysical Year (1957 - 1958)

The Third International Polar Year (1957 - 1958), later renamed the International Geophysical Year, was proposed in 1952 by the International Council of Scientific Unions, following a suggestion by NAS member Lloyd Berkner. The Third IPY/IGY was based on the earlier IPYs, but included research outside of the Polar Areas. Sixty-seven nations conducted research during the Third IPY/IGY, with 12 nations maintaining 65 stations in Antarctica. More details on the Third IPY/IGY are available from another NAS site, and The University of Alaska.

IPY Homepage 

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Ideas for IPY 2007-08

Why Polar?

Poles are a Key Part of the Global System, they drive Ch

•     Changes in the Poles are Occurring Rapidly

•     Global Changes are Amplified at the Poles

•     Poles are a Unique Repository of Global Change Information

•     Multidisciplinary Framework ensures holistic insights into planetary processes

Why International?

Challenging Polar Environment Fosters International Collaboration

• International Collaboration Enhances Research and Knowledge

• Partnered research innovation and financial efficiency

• Science Collaboration builds International Harmony

Why a Year?

A Focused Effort will Produce Accelerated Understanding of our Planet

• An Intensive multidisciplinary program ensures holistic insights into planetary processes

• Recent technology and logistic advances provide opportunity the implement new modes of planetary study

• Lay the Foundation for Future Generations

• Focused Collaborative effort will Produce a Major Benchmark

IPY Projects Selection Criterias :

Address compelling science issues

• Which would not otherwise occur

• Multi-National

• Attract and develop next generation of polar scientists

• Engage the public

Also taken into account:

• Multidisciplinary Facets

• Bipolar

• Innovative technology / methods

• Societal relevance

Science Themes & Example Sub-themes

1. Exploring new frontiers:

• the ice and sub-ice environment
  

• polar biodiversity and ecosystems to understand evolution and responses to change

• dynamic changes in the Earth’s interior

• the polar night (night = winter)

2. Understanding Change and the Poles

• change in polar societies: history, drivers, stresses and opportunities

• creating a polar benchmark (eg, climate, biology, solid Earth)

• environmental and social change

• stability of the cryosphere

• implementing integrated polar observing networks

• now and then: comparing data and information across the IPYs and data mining IGY

3. Decoding Polar Processes

• the sun – earth connection

• roles of the Poles in global climate (includes paleo, polar oceanography, global carbon budget, stability of the cryosphere)

• polar genomics and ecosystem function

• pollution and health (transport, accumulation, etc)

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