The news that global concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) increased last year has heightened concern about the vulnerability of polar regions amongst scientists managing International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008. IPY is co-sponsored by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

"The rise in global concentrations of CO2 and nitrous oxide (N2O) over the past few decades will continue to stoke global warming, which has a pronounced effect in polar regions," says Dr David Carlson, Director of the International Polar Programme Office that oversees IPY.

"IPY next year, and the associated launch of hundreds of scientific research projects focussed on polar conditions and polar ecosystems comes none too soon.

"The scientific community stands ready to respond to the imperative to gather as much data about the effects of global warming on polar areas as quickly as possible – changes in these regions will have a massive influence on the well-being of the rest of the planet."

On Friday, WMO released its 2005 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin showing that global concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide were up 0.53 per cent on 2004. N2O, another greenhouse gas, also increased 0.19 per cent year on year.

Atmospheric CO2 - one of the principal forces behind global warming - has seen a 35.4 per cent rise since the late 1700s, a state of affairs aggravated by worldwide deforestation.

The 3rd Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment of the Climate (2001) predicted a worldwide rise in sea levels of between 9 cm and 88 cm by the end of the century – largely triggered by melting ice sheets in the polar regions.

The launch of IPY 2007-2008 on March 1 next year will mark the onset of an internationally coordinated campaign of research in both polar regions, recognizing their critical link with the rest of the globe.

IPY will involve a wide range of research disciplines, including the social sciences and aims to educate and involve the public while helping to train the next generation of engineers, scientists, and leaders.

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http://www.ipy.org

1. International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 will be an intense, internationally coordinated campaign of research that will initiate a new era in polar science. IPY 2007-2008 will include research in both polar regions and recognize the strong links these regions have with the rest of the globe. It will involve a wide range of research disciplines, including the social sciences, but the emphasis will be interdisciplinary in approach and truly international in participation. It aims to educate and involve the public, and to help train the next generation of engineers, scientists, and leaders.

2. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a Specialized Agency of the United Nations. It is the UN system's authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.

3. Founded in 1931, the International Council for Science (ICSU) is a non-governmental organization representing a global membership that includes both national scientific bodies (107 members) and international scientific unions (29 members).

Through this international network, ICSU coordinates interdisciplinary research to address major issues of relevance to both science and society. In addition, the Council actively advocates for freedom in the conduct of science, promotes equitable access to scientific data and information, and facilitates science education and capacity building.