Contents: 1. People Day: September 24th 2. Conferences: Global Cryosphere Watch, Arctic Change, and AGU 3. EU funding opportunity for polar research 4. Arctic Sea Ice 5. Join an IPY Photo Exhibit 6. APECS Report no. 17, September 2008 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups DATA REMINDER - HAVE YOU AND YOUR PROJECT PARTNERS DEVELOPED YOUR DATA MANAGEMENT PLANS AND CONVEYED THOSE TO THE IPYDIS? 1. People Day: September 24th Many thanks to all who are participating in this month's polar day focuss...

Press release: Investigating sea ice decline A revised outlook for the Arctic 2008 summer sea ice minimum shows ice extent will be below the 2005 level but not likely to beat the 2007 record. In mid-September, the outlook will be confronted with real-time observations. DAMOCLES will dispatch eleven research missions into the Arctic this autumn to better understand the future of the sea ice. Chances that the 2008 ice extent will fall below last year's record minimum is about 8 percent, researchers forecast after having run a number of different models predicting the fate of the Arctic sea ice this summer. But there is still reason for concern; the scientists are almost certain the ice extent will fall below the minimum of 2005, which was...

The 2007 University of Washington Applied Physics Lab. Life Styles of the Cold and Bold.

The University of Washington Applied Physics Lab ice camp 200 miles north of Prudhoe Bay on the Beaufort Sea.

Core Curriculum

In temperatures far below zero, with ice needing to be chipped off their instruments, the team set to work. Bart and Co-PI, Jonathan Tomkins, describe their research - and the students tell of what feels like "the worst game of tug-of-war, evah..." as they man- (and woman-) handle the muddy core tubes to get at their precious samples. Not everything goes exactly as planned. The jumbo piston core comes up bent, but they recover and get good data.

Students on Board

Set sail with LSU geology professor Phil Bart and a team of students - both undergrads and graduates - on board the NATHANIEL B. PALMER. See what they saw as they left McMurdo Station, and voyage the Ross Sea, to study evidence left by ancient ice sheets which may help predict the rate and extent of future sea level rise. Philip Bergeron, one of the undergrads, reads a page from his journey detailing their scientific adventure.

The Traverse Begins

After three weeks of hectic preparation, including placing brand new Norwegian and US flags - and decals for NSF and the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) - on the tracked vehicles, the traverse rolls out on November 16, 2007, heading for South Pole, more than 3,000 kms away. NPI's Jan-Gunnar Winther thinks a successful traverse will be a historic milestone in both exploration and cutting-edge science. The train of heavily-laden sleds passes spectacular mountain scenery as it climbs away from Troll Station up to the flat, white polar plateau. At their first science stop, researchers Mary Albert, Tom Neumann and Lou Albershardt dig a snow pit, and explain why they are sampling seasonal layers and photographing ice crystals - in part to gather "ground truth" to calibrate NASA's satellite observations of the vast and little known East Antarctic.

Getting Ready

The three weeks at Troll Station are a blur of all-important activities. Erecting the science tent on a sled that will keep the researchers out of the wind as they process snow samples and ice cores. Tens of ice core boxes need pre-labeling, to save time en route. The safety officer drills them on crevasse rescue techniques, but there's time for a birthday party for the Norwegian camp manager who is planning the menu to keep the team warm and happy en route. Hurricane force winds of more than 100 mph confine the team inside, where they test equipment. It's also time to try on Glen Liston's unique "nose mitts" - he's made one for every member of the team. Watch now to see why Atsu thinks he looks like a duck!

From Cape Town to Troll Station

US and Norwegian researchers gather in Cape Town, and relax down by the waterside before boarding plane for Troll Station. There is cargo to carefully log in and weigh, group meetings to finalize plans. The 8 hour flight to Antarctica is a time to catch up on sleep. Arriving at Troll, a sign reads "Hot Dogs", but it's just a long-running joke about the two nations preferences in food. The members of the traverse know their adventure is now truly beginning.

Deciphering the secrets of past climate hidden in ice cores depends on the technical skills and ingenuity under pressure of drillers from ICDS, the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Ice Coring and Drilling Services. In this high-spirited video, ICDS staffers Lou, Mike and Jay explain why they enjoy the life of drillers, braving extreme cold in some of the remotest regions of the globe. Mike says drilling requires both science and art, and why he keeps his hand on the cable even when it's minus 20! Lou talks about feeling connected to the equipment in order to keep it running properly, and Jay explains the satisfaction of having fun amidst beautiful scenery, and helping obtain good data for the researchers.