British Antarctic Survey, 29th April - 1st May 2009 The first in a series of themed events to be held over the next two years for early career polar researchers, this workshop will combine the themes of polar atmosphere and climate modelling. Career development sessions will be interspersed between lectures, practical sessions and problem solving workshops. Ideas for sessions are listed below - this unique event allows the participants to have a say in the programme to ensure it is as relevant as possible to those present. All participants are encouraged to present a poster, and will be given the opportunity to help in the organisation of the workshop, such as by chairing sessions. This event is free for all members of the UK Polar Network...

AGU 2008 Fall Meeting Media advisory: Tuesday, 16 December 0900h Continuing climate changes in the Arctic received renewed scientific attention during the International Polar Year (IPY) — a scientific research campaign focused on the Arctic and Antarctic, which is slated to end in early 2009. This briefing presents early results from a range of Arctic studies conducted during IPY based on climate models and new observations taken from sea, land, and space. Findings include the discovery of new seeps of the greenhouse gas methane along the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, large increases in tundra greenness along North America's Arctic coasts, a lengthening snowmelt season and a second year of ice mass loss in Greenland, and evidence that the predicted amp...

Zhongshan Station serves as the logistical hub of Chinese scientific research activities in East Antarctica and in the near future it will be a support platform for the new Kunlun Station to be constructed at Dome A. Situated in a small ice-free coastal region between the ice sheet and the ocean, Zhongshan Station serves as a base for scientists conducting research at the station and out in the field. In his latest report, SciencePoles reporter Je...

Clear, reliable, concise information on recent Arctic environmental conditions relative to historical time series records. Provided by NOAA with annual updates. Material presented in the Report Card is prepared by an international team of scientists and is peer-reviewed by topical experts of the Climate Experts Group (AMAP) of the Arctic Council. The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) provides collaborative support through the delivery and editing of the biological elements of the Report Card. The audience for the Arctic Report Card is wide, including scientists, students, teachers, decision makers and the general public interested in Arctic environment and science. The web-based format will facilitate future time...

Below is a list of Press officers responsible for IPY events around the world. Please also consult National IPY Committees for information on national events. ICSU:

As part of the field season of the 2007 International Polar Year, the Zackenberg research station was kept open two months longer than normal to host the project: Influence of Snow and Ice on the Winter Functioning and Annual Carbon Balance of a High-Arctic Ecosystem (ISICaB). This opening gave us a chance to observe autumn and early-winter carbon fluxes. Six automated chambers provided methane flux measurements once per hour, day and night in a typical fen area. At the end of the growing season, emissions decreased during September until they reached the presumed low winter emission level. However, at the onset of soil freeze-in, a substantial increase in emissions was observed and was sustained for several weeks, corresponding to the time required for a complete freeze-in of the entire a...

New rifts have developed on the Wilkins Ice Shelf that could lead to the opening of the ice bridge that has been preventing the ice shelf from disintegrating and breaking away from the Antarctic Peninsula. The ice bridge connects the Wilkins Ice Shelf to two islands, Charcot and Latady. As seen in the Envisat image above acquired on 26 November 2008, new rifts (denoted by colourful lines and dates of the events) have formed to the east of Latady Island and appear to be moving in a northerly direction. Dr Angelika Humbert from the Institute of Geophysics, Münster University, and Dr Matthias Braun from the Center for Remote Sensing, University of Bonn, spotted the newly formed rifts during their daily monitoring activities of the ice sheet via Envisat Advanced...

Berlin, December 3, 2008. The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association and the engineering company Wärtsilä Ship Design Germany (formerly Schiffko GmbH) today presented the technical design of the European Research Icebreaker "Aurora Borealis" in Berlin. "Aurora Borealis" will be a unique vessel – a combination of a heavy icebreaker, a scientific drilling ship and a multi-purpose research platform that can operate year-round in all polar waters. The construction of the "Aurora Borealis" was already recommended by the German Science and Humanities Council back in 2006. The anticipated construction costs as of 2008 are around 650 Million Euro. The German Federal Ministry for Education and Research funded the technical design...

Screening of The Last Continent (dir. Jean Lemire), a fascinating documentary on climate change through a 430-day intense expedition in Antarctica. Québec Film Week December 12 & 14 Landmark’s Opera Plaza Cinema Tickets available here Filmmaker and marine biologist Jean Lemire (The White Planet) leads an intense 430-day expedition to Antarctica in this resonant documentary about a group of scientists investigating the effects of climate change. When the team arrives they discover that warmer temperatures causing upheavals in the ecosystem also threaten the safety of the crew members themselves. Awaiting the arrival of a desperately needed winter, they struggle to keep f...

Sub-Zero Soccer India is enthusiastically pursuing the outreach goal of IPY, which is being coordinated by National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India) in collaboration with WWF-India (World Wide Fund for Nature) and has carried out various competitions & exhibitions in several cities throughout the vast expanse of India. To further give impetus to our outreach efforts & to engage more students, we have planned an innovative Soccer Tournament called "Sub-Zero Soccer" on 15th-22nd November 2008, for College students. The main objective is to generate awareness among the youth by engaging them in sports and culture as this is very close to their heart and appeals to them. The salient features of this event are:...