ITASC IPY Press Release: 2 February 2009, Vesleskaervet, Antarctica Groundhog Day 2009 marks the deployment of ICEPAC's solar- and wind powered mobile IPY research station in the Dronning Maud Land sector of Antarctica, and the opening of the Antarctic venue of the 2nd Bienal del Fin del Mundo, an exhibition of site-specific art installations produced at the South African Antarctic base SANAE IV during the ITASC project. ITASC Catabatic Experimental Platform for Antarctic Culture (ICEPAC) mobile IPY research station deployed in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica at 71 deg 40.433 S 002 deg 48.700 W, 31 January ...

New York City will host its third International Polar Weekend at the American Museum of Natural History on Saturday and Sunday 2/7 and 2/8 from noon to 5PM each day. This family style event is a New York celebration of highlights from the International Polar Year (IPY). The weekend will include activities for all ages, including performances; short lectures; film clips with commentary; and an interactive Polar Fair with scientists, explorers, artists, and performers from Greenland, Norway, and Canada, as well as the United States. Event highlights include:

Bremerhaven, 26 January 2009. The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association can conduct the ongoing Polarstern expedition "LOHAFEX". Independent scientific and legal reviews sought by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety concluded that the iron fertilisation experiment LOHAFEX is neither against environmental standards nor the international law in force. There are thus no ecological and legal reasons to further suspend the iron fertilisation experiment LOHAFEX. Reacting to the positive news from the Federal Ministry of Research Dr. Karin Lochte, Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, said: “We are glad that the experts have fully con...

(c) National Science Foundation After years of planning, strategizing, and international discussions and debate, what once seemed to be only lofty scientific ambitions are now closer than ever to becoming a reality. Ever since subglacial lakes captured the imagination of scientists and the public more than a decade ago, researchers have dreamed of entering and sampling these alien environments to unlock secrets that might guide us in the search for life elsewhere in our solar system. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research’s (SCAR) Scientific Research Program (SRP) on Subglacial Antarctic Lake Envir...

The fourth International Polar Year has led to the creation of a number of new projects and initiatives, many of which will continue after the IPY officially comes to an end in March 2009. One of these initiatives, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), which sprang from the IPY Youth Steering Committee, (IPY project n° 168), has grown in size and stature in three short years. Since APECS founders Dr. Jenny Baeseman and Hugh Lantuit decided in 2006 to create an organisation aimed at helping...

Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments (SALE) 2008 Progress Report The SCAR Scientific Research Program (SRP) on Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments (SALE) made significant advances on several fronts in 2008. SALE promotes, facilitates and champions international cooperation to better understand subglacial aquatic environments in Antarctica. In addition, SALE promotes and advances all aspects of environmental stewardship in research and exploration of these unique settings. SALE is a recognized IPY program under the auspices of the SALE-UNified International Team for Exploration and Discovery (SALE-UNITED) program. The SALE website contains details on all facets of the Program (http://scarsale.tamu.edu/). SALE produces an email digest mailing that circulates weekly...

Press release: The NOMAD Expedition - Studying social change in the Russian far north (Kola Peninsula, NW Russia) Read more about Dr. Vladislava Vladimirova, Prof. Yulian Konstantinov and Dr. Joachim Otto Habeck, three researchers working with NOMAD. Beautiful images from the expedition in high res The NOMAD Expedition (March 2007-February 2008) followed the annual migration of a reindeer herd in the central pa...

The Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) report 'Observing the Arctic' is now ready for distribution. The presented conclusions have developed during a series of workshops involving 350 Arctic researchers, representatives of inter-governmental, national and subnational government agencies, representatives of indigenous peoples organizations, and residents of the Arctic. This process, referred to as the SAON-process, was initiated as a response to the request from Arctic Council ministers at their meeting in Salekhard, Russia in November 2006. The report was drafted by the SAON Initiating Group and is directed to organizations, agencies, governments, networks and programs involved in all aspects of Arctic observing. ...

Content: 1. IPY after February 2009 2. Promoting your project in February, 2009 3. Polar Days 4. APECS 5. AGU Report Report no. 21, January 2009 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. IPY after February 2009 Colleagues and friends regularly ask us what the "IPY plan" is for 2009 and 2010, and "What will happen to the IPO?". The answer for IPY varies by country and project. Some countries will hold closing events in February and March this year. Other national programmes will continue IPY research through Arctic 2009 and Antarctic 2009/2010 seasons and beyond, driven by financial and logist...

Dr Rhian Salmon, IPY Education and Outreach Coordinator, narrates this presentation overview of The International Polar Year 2007-2008