Contents:

1. Current Expeditions
2. APECS update
3. The Second SAON Workshop 9-11 April
4. The Legacies of IPY
5. UNEP Children's Conference,- call for material
6. IPY Science Day: Changing Earth, March 12th 2008


Report no. 11, March 2008
From: IPY International Programme Office
To: IPY Project Coordinators
cc: IPY Community Google Groups


1. Current Expeditions

The initial season of IPY activities on the Antarctic continent gradually comes to an end. If you follow the blogs on www.ipy.org, you have read the stories of traverses, sea ice cruises, and geophysical sensor deployments. Many of those researchers and staff start their way northward. We in IPO take particular interest in the return of our friend and partner Nicola Munro after her busy season of assisting construction and research at the UK Halley Antarctic research base. IPY research continues at full strength in the Southern Ocean, with multiple cruises focussed on physical, chemical and biological processes. You can read periodic reports from several of those cruises on www.ipy.org. Meanwhile, in the Arctic, the Canadian Coast Guard ship Amundsen, frozen in the ice northwest of Canada, supports a similar range of physical, chemical and biological research. You can read their stories occasionally on www.ipy.org and regularly at www.ipy-cfl.ca.

We know that many many other IPY projects continue research and analysis. From the laboratory, from the office, or from a ship - we would like to help promote your IPY activities to a wide audience. Please contact Dave or Rhian.


2. Association of Polar Early Career Scientists

The next APECS Newsletter will be available March 14th at http://arcticportal.org/apecs. Highlights include:

-UK Polar Network, APECS, and the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN) in the News!
-SCAR Fellowships Available
-SCAR/IASC St Petersburg Conference Workshop Update
-AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting
-Education and Outreach Committee Update
-APECS Executive Meeting in Iceland
-APECS at the Arctic Frontiers Conference


3. The Second SAON Workshop 9-11 April

The IPY has created a surge in Arctic observing (and data). The SAON (Sustained Arctic Observing Networks) Project develops plans and recommendations to sustain long-term Arctic-wide observations and to ensure free, open and timely access to data.

The SAON process comprises 3 workshops:
- A Stockholm workshop held in November, 2007 focussing on user needs, and starting identification of existing observing sites, systems and networks.
- An Edmonton workshop to focus on governmental and operational partners, and to address overall coordination of observations and data.
- A third workshop in Helsinki in October 2008, to produce a set of final recommendations and an action plan.

IPY projects having Arctic observing and data as major components should consider attending the Edmonton workshop, 9-11 April 2008.


Please visit the web site:
http://www.arcticobserving.org

for programme and practical information and for reports from the Stockholm workshop. The SAON initiative involves national, international, research, and local/ indigenous partners.


4. The Multiple Legacies of IPY

IPY will, we hope, have many legacies, large and small. On the large side we anticipate improved and expanded observational networks, on-going data exchange practices and systems, and continued international polar science collaboration. On the smaller side we might find many informal networks and practical activities, including the IPY web site and other activities coordinated by the IPO, by Project Coordinators of various IPY Projects, and by IPY National Committees.

Small legacies may prove useful to the on-going success of the larger legacies. For the most valuable small legacies, IPO hopes to identify willing partners to accept responsibility for their continuation. Other supporting or coordinating activities will end as the IPO and IPY Projects end but may need recording or archiving. For large and small legacies, IPO advocates a timely, deliberate and active identification and decision process to develop optimal partnerships and to prevent unintended loss of any parts or records. To start the process of identifying important small legacies, we have produced a short 'Small Legacies' document, at
http://www.ipy.org/images/uploads/IPYlegacies.pdf

We welcome additions to this list, and your comments and ideas.


5. UNEP Children's Conference,- call for material

IPY has been invited to share a booth at the UNEP Tunza International Childrens Conference on the Environment, June 17 - 21st.
There will be about 1,000 people from over 100 countries, including 700 children age 10- 14. The theme of the event is 'Create Change'.
We would very much like to share and distribute the wide range of children-focussed IPY material that has been developed around the world. If you have any material, in any language, that you would like distributed or displayed at this event, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .


6. IPY Science Day: Changing Earth, March 12th 2008

The next IPY Day, focussing on Changing Earth, is on March 12th. Many thanks to the many IPY scientists who have given their time and enthusiasm to activities around this day.
For more information, please click here


Three major components include
a) EDUCATIONAL FLYERS

Flyers can be downloaded from the educators page

Information flyers about the science being discussed are available in 9 languages:
English, Russian, Portugese, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Inuktitut, and Arabic.

Educational flyers encouraging participation in the Day and suggesting a simple classroom activity are available in 19 languages:
Russian, Polish, Spanish, Afrikaans, Malay, German, Swedish, Danish, English, Dutch, Portugese, French, Finnish, Norwegian, Chinese, Inuktitut, Japanese, Arabic, and Italian.

b) LAUNCH A VIRTUAL BALLOON

We encourage everyone, whether IPY scientist, other participant, journalist, teacher, student, or other enthusiast, to launch a balloon and show your IPY participation. This global IPY initiative provides visual connections among participants and provides important feedback to IPO to help us develop our future IPY-wide activities. The page is already active so have a try now, and ask students to launch a balloon after learning something about the polar regions. Simple instructions, and the interactive map, can be found here

c) LIVE EVENTS

Four live events will be occurring to celebrate this Day. Full details of these activities, and how to join, can be found here

First Event: World Ocean Observatory
Technology required: internet and computer with sound
Time: March 12, 2008 @ 01.00.00 UTC

Second Event: ARCUS PolarTrec Live From IPY
Technology required: phone (minimum) and internet (optional)
Time: March 12, 2008 between 18.00 - 20.00 UTC

Third Event; IGLO/NASA videoconferencing I
Technology required: turn up to one of the local science centres in Mexico, Beijing, & Melbourne, or watch the webcast.
Time: midnight UTC (night of March 12th, morning March 13th)

Fourth Event; IGLO/NASA videoconferencing II
Technology required: turn up to one of the local science centres in Chicago, Cardiff, Lisbon, Egypt, and Cape Town, or watch the webcast.
Time: 13.00 UTC March 13th