In the lead-up to the December 4th Above The Poles Day, Tamsin Gray tells us about her job launching weather balloons in Antarctica. This is connected to the IPY Weather Observation Activity. image: Dean Evans, Halley Research Station, Antarctica Tamsin Gray works for the British Antarctic Survey...

Experience and learn about climate change first hand in the Antarctic! Gatineau, Qc.—6 November, 2008—Students on Ice Expeditions is accepting applications for the International Polar Year (IPY) Antarctic University Expedition 2009, a two week ship-based field course leaving Argentina on February 14th, 2009 returning February 28. This expedition provides a wonderful opportunity to study in one of the most exceptional and remote places on Earth. Our theme for this expedition is ‘Environmental Leadership’ and weaves itself through our education program in conjunction with our ongoing exploration of the ...

Press release: Scientists report major steps towards first census of marine life Meeting in Spain, global crew shares progress towards historic Census in 2010; Among revelations in fourth interim global report: Antarctic ancestry of many octopus species, Behemoth bacteria, colossal sea stars, mammoth mollusks, more The 2,000-strong community of Census of Marine Life scientists from 82 nations today announced astonishing ex...

IPY Report: November 2008 1. Conferences and Workshops 2. Above The Poles 3. Norway 2010: thanks for submissions 4. APECS 5. IPY in photos: share your images 6. Polar Books Report no. 19, November 2008 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. Conferences and Workshops The completion of field campaigns in IPY necessarily means an increase in workshops to discuss the outcomes. Please check the calendar on http://ipy.arcticportal.org for workshop information, and send any information about workshops for the calendar t...

It’s no coincidence that one of the least explored places on Earth is the deep interior of Antarctica. Most established research stations are along the coast. For a number of reasons, it can be extremely expensive to fly into the interior. Now, climate scientists are beginning to worry that a part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet far from the coast and with a base far below sea level might be much more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought. If true, it might hold the potential to raise sea level significantly. So there is intense interest in collecting data from this remote area. Beginning this December, th...

A perspective for a network of ecological and physiological research Bremerhaven, October 28th 2008.  Changes to marine ecosystems caused by climatic conditions show how closely physiological and ecological processes are intertwined. This is described by Prof. Dr. Hans-Otto Pörtner, physiological ecologist at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association, in the current issue of the periodical Science. Results of physiological and ecological research have shown in recent years that the temperature-dependent performance window of a species is crucial for its sensitivity to global warming. It determines its ability to grow, breed, forage and to compete for space or resources against other species under different temper...

The Arctic has always been a difficult place to do any extensive monitoring and data collection. Until recently, there have only been a limited number of projects that have taken any significant, long-term, and coordinated observations of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent bodies of water. This is due in part to the extensive sea ice cover that persists over Arctic waters for a good part of the year, which makes it difficult to conduct ship surveys or deploy weather buoys and moorings to measure deep water currents. Arctic ROOS (Regional Ocean...

Mosaic of Antarctica: a visual Installation of Glass Maps By polar artist Lucinda Wilkinson Mosaic of Antarctica is a visual installation comprising of at least 30 glass maps showing detailed areas of the Antarctic ice sheets and sea ice, highlighting the changing patterns of ice in its accumulation and discharge due to environmental warming. In the production of this installation explored areas have been transcripted onto glass panels using imagery from Mosaic of Antarctica (Radarsat and Modis) and the new satellite data Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA). This is the most detailed map produced yet from sc...

Later this month teams of scientists, engineers, pilots and support staff from British Antarctic Survey (BAS), USA, Germany, Australia, China and Japan will join forces for one of the most scientifically, technically ambitious and physically demanding Antarctic projects yet to be undertaken. The mission of this International Polar Year (IPY) project is to uncover secrets of the enigmatic Gamburtsev subglacial mountains that are buried by up to 4 km of ice; to hunt for the oldest ice on our planet; to study subglacial lakes and to discover new clues of past, present and future climate change. The Gamburtsev subglacial mountains are thought to be the birthplace of the vast East Antarctic Ice Sheet. This project will reveal clues to how the mountains were formed ...

By Falk Huettmann and Sue Hazlett The Arctic represents a region of the globe directly affected by climate change, human disturbance and natural variation. In addition to acting as the global weather machine, it is considered one of the last remaining “wilderness” areas. However, the warming of the Arctic, a prospect of an ice-free maritime route across the top of the world, and the International Polar Year (IPY), has piqued an interest in the Arctic not previously seen. Prospects of shipping routes, tourism, oil and gas development, and new commercial fisheries have started a land rush by various nations to claim a piece of the northern oceans. The Arctic is in danger of being given away piecemeal as each nation asserts claims and then rushes to develop or exploit their...