Photo: Schools On Board

Last week, we celebrated our March Polar week on the theme ‘What Happens At The Poles Affects Us All’ with many participants from across the globe. Several APECS members participated by giving public lectures (in Norway, New Zealand, Romania, Sweden, Germany and Portugal) as part of our international lecture series and we had live webstreaming from the State of the Arctic conference in Miami throughout the week.

On Tuesday, 16^th March we had a call connecting students at the University of Zambia to a Portuguese scientist, recently returned from Antarctica. The students were very concerned about the impact of climate change in Zambia, sharing with us some of the changes they have seen which include the dramatic increase in malaria and the decrease of several key species such as buffalo.

We had teachers give presentations to several classes on their experiences from a variety of educational research expeditions, including PolarTREC and Schools On Board.

On Friday, students from Brazil, Nunavut and Malaysia, together with an Antarctic marine biologist and an Elder from Inuvik in the Northwest Territories discussed the importance of the Polar Regions. The students exchanged information on what changes they have seen in terms of climate and how this impacts on their daily lives. These students now hope to continue this exchange of information in the months to come.

These are just a few of the highlights from Polar Week and we would like to thank everyone who participated and for sharing their stories and pictures with us, all of which can now be found on our Polar Week Stories page.

People from across the globe have been celebrating March Polar Week from Lusaka, Zambia, to Quebec, Canada and here we share some of their inspirational stories and pictures.

Please join us in celebrating IPY Polar Week throughout this week and launch a virtual balloon to show your participation! Please take a look at the March Polar Week pages for all the ways you can get involved. For example, today (Tuesday 16th March), from 1230 UTC, and for the rest of the week, the State of the Arctic conference will be webstreamed and will allow virtual participation for classrooms, general public and anyone interested in Arctic science, policy and people. We will have students from Zambia connecting to a Portuguese scientist currently in the UK, as well as several public lectures taking place across the globe and lots of classroom activities for you to try out! Information on all of the above and more can be found at http://www.ipy.org/hidden/item/2293-march-polar-week-2010-what-happens-at-the-poles-affects-us-all

We hope you enjoy celebrating IPY Polar Week with us!

APECS, working in cooperation with the International Polar Year International Programme Office, is organsing an "International Lecture Series". Making this happen on your campus or in your community would not require a lot of effort, but the activities taking place worldwide during polar week can have a huge impact! Please see below list of all lectures taking place during March Polar Week.

Image from Jose Xavier

Germany:

Date and time: March 13th 2010 at 11am

Location: Haus der Wissenschaft, Wissen um 11, Sandstraße 4/5, 28195 Bremen,Germany

Speaker: Dr. Christian Hass

Title: "Ein guter Stern für die Klimaforschung: mit PFS ,Polarstern' in Arktis und Antarktis" - Ein Beitrag zur internationalen Polarwoche

Content:

Der Forschungseisbrecher "Polarstern" fährt seit fast 28 Jahren durch die Polarmeere und hat auf über 45 Expeditionen hunderte Wissenschaftler in die entlegendsten Gebiete der Polarmeere gebracht. Viele der wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten an Bord beschäftigen sich mit dem Klima der Vergangenheit oder mit den Auswirkungen der aktuellen Klimaentwicklung in den Gebieten, die besonders sensibel auf solche Veränderungen reagieren. Im Vortrag wird das Schiff vorgestellt und auf einige der Geräte eingegangen, die während der monatelangen Expeditionen zum Einsatz kommen. Schließlich wird kurz auf einige Forschungsergebnisse aus Arktis und Antarktis eingegangen und deren Beziehung zur aktuellen Klimadebatte dargestellt.

CV: Am Samstag, den 13. März um 11 Uhr wird Dr. Christian Hass den Vortrag

halten: "Ein guter Stern für die Klimaforschung: mit PFS ,Polarstern' in Arktis und Antarktis". Hass hat in Karlsruhe, Trier und Marseille studiert und 1993 an der CAU in Kiel in Meeresgeologie promoviert.

Danach folgten Anstellungen u.a. an der Bergakademie Freiberg, am University College London und schließlich am Alfred Wegener Institut für

Polar- und Meeresforschung in Bremerhaven. Seit 2002 arbeitet Christian Hass an der Wattenmeerstation des AWI in List auf Sylt, wo er neben der Polarforschung auch an der Sedimentdynamik im Wattenmeer und der Nordsee arbeitet.

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Discussion: How to explain climate change to children at didacta fair

Date and time: March 17th 2010 at 1415 (local time).

Location: Cologne, Fair Didacta, Koelnmesse GmbH, Messeplatz 1, Halle 9, Stand A20/B21

50679 Cologne, Germany

Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Friedrich-Wilhelm Gerstengarbe Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung

• Dr. Anna Wegner Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung

• Theodor Wahl-Aust Lehrer am Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium, Düsseldorf

• Eva Pütz Schülerin der 11. Klasse am Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium, Düsseldorf

Title:Schule im Schwitzkasten - wie erklärt man Kindern den Klimawandel?

(FOCUS-SCHULE)

Content:

Wenn es um Klimaschutz geht, zeigt sich die Mehrheit der Schüler resigniert und unwissend. Das ergab eine aktuelle Umfrage des WWF. Viele finden, bevor sie sich selbst engagieren, sollen andere handeln. Doch wie kann man Schülern den Klimawandel und die Notwendigkeit von Umweltschutz vermitteln, ohne ihnen mit Horrorszenarien unnötig Angst einzujagen? Mit Ansprechpartnern aus Wissenschaft und Didaktik soll diskutiert werden, wie der Klimawandel anschaulich in den Unterricht eingebunden werden kann, was außerschulische Lernorte oder ungewöhnliche Schulprojekte (wie z.B. "Pax Arctica", die Reise von jungen Klimabotschaftern in die Arktis) bringen.

New Zealand:

Date and Time: 17th March at 1700 (local time)

Location: Jobberns Room, Level 4 Georgraphy

Presenters: Kurt Joy, a PhD candidate in Geology and Gateway Antarctica and Dr Melanie Massaro

Background:

The student presentation will be given by Kurt Joy, a PhD candidate in Geology and Gateway Antarctica. Kurt's current research interests lie in the use of cosmogenic dating techniques to unravel the retreat history of the Antarctic Ice Sheets. His presentation is entitled "Big ice or little ice?: Antarctica at the last Ice Age".

The staff presenation will be given by Dr. Melanie Massaro, who will talk about "Fluorescent yellow feathers in penguins: are they reliable indicators of condition". Melanie works as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Canterbury. While she presently leads a project on the endangered Chatham Island black robin (www.blackrobin.org.nz), she is also part of a multi-national programme to study the effects of climate variability on Adélie penguins on Ross Island, Antarctica. In her presentation, Melanie will talk about her research on fluorescent yellow feathers in penguins that she started during her PhD on yellow-eyed and Snares penguins and has now developed in a larger project involving researchers from UK (Drs. Phil Trathan and Glenn Crossin) and the US (Dr Kevin McGraw).

Norway:

Date and time: 18th March 2010, 1300 to 2100 (Local time)

Location: BFE-Faculty, Store Auditorium E-101, University of Tromso, Norway

There are a lot of great research facilties in Tromsø. As a way to help young researchers from various institutions in Tromsø to meet each other the Tromsø High North Cluster (THiNC) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) will be hosting the 1st Tromsø Young Researchers Symposium.

The symposium is an event in connection with the International Polar Week: What Happens at the Poles Affects Us All (15-19 March).

For more information, including programme and registration details please see the Tromso Young Polar Researchers Symposium website or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Portugal:

Event Title: Permafrost! Polar Science at 62º South - Film Projection and discussion

Event Date and Time: 16 March from 1200 to 1300 (Local time)

Event location: Institute of Geography and Territorial Planning (IGOT-UL): University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

Presentor: Gonçalo Vieira, ANTECC coordinator

Organisers: ANTECC (Antarctic Environments and Climate Change) and Portuguese Committee for the International Polar Year

Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . More details at www.portalpolar.pt.

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Event Title: Ambientes glaciares y periglaciares en Yukon (Canadá) y Patagónia (Argentina)

Event Date and Time: 17 March from 1200 - 1300 (Local time)

Event location: Institute of Geography and Territorial Planning (IGOT-UL): University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

Presentation Name: Marc Oliva, Post-doc at ANTECC IGOT-UL

Organisers: ANTECC (Antarctic Environments and Climate Change) and Portuguese Committee for the International Polar Year

Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . More details at www.portalpolar.pt

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Event Title: Physical Geography and the fieldwork in Antarctica (Livingston Island)

Event Date and Time: POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Event location: Institute of Geography and Territorial Planning (IGOT-UL): University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

Presentation Name: Alice Pena, Masters student in ANTECC IGOT-UL

Organisers: ANTECC (Antarctic Environments and Climate Change) and Portuguese Committee for the International Polar Year

Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . More details at www.portalpolar.pt

******

Event Date and Time: 19 March from 10 am

Event location: Institute of Marine Research: University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

Presentation Name and Presenter: José Xavier, Marco Jorge and Alexandre Trindade

Contact name and e-mail for the coordinator: José Xavier ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Sweden:

Event Date and Time: Wednesday 17th March at 1800 (local time)

Event Location: PUNKTmedis, Medborgarplatsen's Library, Stockholm

Title: Cold Mission: Polar Scientists trace climate changes on the Arctic Ocean Floor

Matti Karlström, a teacher from Björkhagen School and Ludvig Löwemark, Stockholm University, talk about their work onboard the icebreaker Oden in the Arctic. Matti participated in the LOMROG II expedition with Ludvig as part of the Swedish Teachers programme.

Presenters: Matti Karlström and Ludvig Löwemark.

Organisers: Swedish Polar Research Secretariat

More lectures to follow soon!

Return to main March Polar Week page

DRAFT PAGE

Launch a virtual balloon to show your participation in this International Polar Week: What Happens at the Poles affects us all!

Please launch a balloon and let us know what type of activity you are doing this week. Here are some suggestions for bringing activities into the classroom that focus on the global impacts of the changes in the polar regions.

Take a look at where other people are taking part in March Polar Week 2009:

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Big Map

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1. Log in to Tagzania.com. If you don't already have a free account, sign up for one first.
2. In the top right-hand corner of the page, click on "Add a new place".
3. Find your exact location using the tools provided. Drag the balloon the the precise spot you want to mark on the map.
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5. Important: write ipy2010polarweek in the Tags textbox.
6. Click on Save. You are done! Your balloon will now appear on the map as soon as you refresh this page in your browser.

If you have difficulty launching your balloon, email your name, location (latitude, longitude or town, country), and IPY message to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . It may be 24 hours, however, before your balloon appears.

The map is dynamically updated. As soon as a new location is tagged with "ipy2010polarweek“ it will show up the next time it is refreshed. Try adding yours, and then refreshing this page. (Only the 200 most recent are shown, but all are listed.)

Return to Main March Polar Week page.

9th ACUNS International Student Conference on Northern Studies and Polar Regions October 2 to 5, 2009 Yukon College - Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada Second Call for Abstracts The Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies/Association universitaire canadienne d’études nordiques (ACUNS), in partnership with Yukon College in Whitehorse, is soliciting Abstracts that encompass the following areas: The impact of sustainable development, economic activity and polar law on communities, governance and natural habitats. The use of natural, physical and social sciences to help understand the causes and effects of the changing polar climate.

Content: 1. IPO Update 2. ATCM declaration 3. Update from EGU 4. Upcoming meetings 5. Update from APECS 6. Call for stories and blogs for www.ipy.org 7. Archiving IPY materials 8. Toward a Polar Information Commons Report no. 25, May 2009 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. IPO Update Please note that Nicola Munro will take maternity leave as of 1 May 2009. We will introduce the interim replacement person next month. To contact the IPO, please use This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it we will respond, albeit perhaps not as quickly. Please note that Karen ...

Content: 1. Polar Oceans Weeks - March 2009 2. Changes in the IPO 3. Changes to www.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 International Polar Year science and education community warmly encourages you to join us from the 14th March to celebrate our IPY Polar Oceans Fortnight! Activities and events will continue throughout these last 2 weeks of March, focusing on physical oceanography, interface interactions, ocean biodiversity, and historical records in sea floor sediments to name a few! Local events have been stimulated to occur around the world including in Italy, Canada, Malaysia, Scotland, France, Germany, Brazil, USA, and Mexico. Events start with 'Our Dynamic Earth', Edinburgh, UK which is a hands-on public engagement with Drs Eleanor Bell and Arlene Rowan, researchers from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) who will be displaying Arctic research footage from recent expeditions at...

Content: 1. IPY Celebrations 2. Summary from meetings in Geneva - JC, EOC, APECS 3. Polar Oceans Week(s): end of March 4. Expression of Intent Database is now Closed 5. Future of IPO, and thanks 6. Data Reminder Report no. 23, March 2009 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. IPY Celebrations IPY celebrations have been recently planned around the world, including in Japan, the Canadian Arctic, USA, and across Europe including Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and Norway. In addition, about 200 IPY participants and guests joined the International Celebrations in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted by ...