Bremerhaven, April 17th 2009. A scientist from the Alfred Wegener Institute will become the new Executive Secretary of the Antarctic Treaty system from August 2009. This was announced at the end of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in Baltimore, USA. The majority of the 28 members entitled to vote for the new Executive Secretary of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat decided on the German candidate Dr Manfred Reinke who prevailed over competitors from Great Britain and Australia. The secretariat is seated in the Argentinean capital Buenos Aires. Manfred Reinke has been working for the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association for many years, currently as Scientific Associate to the directorate. The 56 years old scientist ...

NEW! International Polar Year (IPY) Canada Award for Excellence in Northern Science Journalism Deadline: April 17, 2009 Prize: $2,500 Entry form: http://www.sciencewriters.ca/cswa_inac_award.html Competitors must be Canadian citizens or residents of Canada. Submissions must be original material published during the 2008 calendar year in English or French. The article must refer to or include reference to research conducted in Canada as part of International Polar Year (IPY) and should raise awareness and generate interest n Canada’s contribution to Arctic research. Submissions must b...

The GeoNorth 2009 conference, 4-6 August in Fairbanks, Alaska, is a unique opportunity to discuss issues and present current research related to geospatial activities in the arctic environment. This conference provides an opportunity to present results associated with the International Polar Year (IPY), environment and climate change monitoring and geographic analysis, geospatial standards and their application, and the construction of virtual collaborative networks including Arctic mapping and the virtual Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure (ASDI). The conference is coordinated by the USGS, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the I...

Call for Abstracts (Poster Session) - NCP / AMAP Symposium on Human Health and Arctic Environmental Contaminants Abstracts Due: May 1, 2009 The Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) and Arctic Monitoring Assessment Program (AMAP) are hosting a joint symposium in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada from 10-12 June 2009. The results of the two assessments on human health effects of environmental contaminants in the Arctic over the past 6 years will be released at this meeting. This symposium will provide a forum for health professionals, Indigenous and local people, senior scientists, policy-makers, and young scientists to contribute to the future directions of the NCP and AMAP. There will also be a poster session plus participants will be given the opportu...