Experience and learn about climate change first hand in the Antarctic! Gatineau, Qc.—6 November, 2008—Students on Ice Expeditions is accepting applications for the International Polar Year (IPY) Antarctic University Expedition 2009, a two week ship-based field course leaving Argentina on February 14th, 2009 returning February 28. This expedition provides a wonderful opportunity to study in one of the most exceptional and remote places on Earth. Our theme for this expedition is ‘Environmental Leadership’ and weaves itself through our education program in conjunction with our ongoing exploration of the ...

IPY Report: November 2008 1. Conferences and Workshops 2. Above The Poles 3. Norway 2010: thanks for submissions 4. APECS 5. IPY in photos: share your images 6. Polar Books Report no. 19, November 2008 From: IPY International Programme Office To: IPY Project Coordinators cc: IPY Community Google Groups 1. Conferences and Workshops The completion of field campaigns in IPY necessarily means an increase in workshops to discuss the outcomes. Please check the calendar on http://ipy.arcticportal.org for workshop information, and send any information about workshops for the calendar t...

A perspective for a network of ecological and physiological research Bremerhaven, October 28th 2008.  Changes to marine ecosystems caused by climatic conditions show how closely physiological and ecological processes are intertwined. This is described by Prof. Dr. Hans-Otto Pörtner, physiological ecologist at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association, in the current issue of the periodical Science. Results of physiological and ecological research have shown in recent years that the temperature-dependent performance window of a species is crucial for its sensitivity to global warming. It determines its ability to grow, breed, forage and to compete for space or resources against other species under different temper...

The Arctic has always been a difficult place to do any extensive monitoring and data collection. Until recently, there have only been a limited number of projects that have taken any significant, long-term, and coordinated observations of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent bodies of water. This is due in part to the extensive sea ice cover that persists over Arctic waters for a good part of the year, which makes it difficult to conduct ship surveys or deploy weather buoys and moorings to measure deep water currents. Arctic ROOS (Regional Ocean...

Mosaic of Antarctica: a visual Installation of Glass Maps By polar artist Lucinda Wilkinson Mosaic of Antarctica is a visual installation comprising of at least 30 glass maps showing detailed areas of the Antarctic ice sheets and sea ice, highlighting the changing patterns of ice in its accumulation and discharge due to environmental warming. In the production of this installation explored areas have been transcripted onto glass panels using imagery from Mosaic of Antarctica (Radarsat and Modis) and the new satellite data Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA). This is the most detailed map produced yet from sc...

By Falk Huettmann and Sue Hazlett The Arctic represents a region of the globe directly affected by climate change, human disturbance and natural variation. In addition to acting as the global weather machine, it is considered one of the last remaining “wilderness” areas. However, the warming of the Arctic, a prospect of an ice-free maritime route across the top of the world, and the International Polar Year (IPY), has piqued an interest in the Arctic not previously seen. Prospects of shipping routes, tourism, oil and gas development, and new commercial fisheries have started a land rush by various nations to claim a piece of the northern oceans. The Arctic is in danger of being given away piecemeal as each nation asserts claims and then rushes to develop or exploit their...

The Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence-West (COSEE-West) would like to invite formal and informal educators to participate in an exciting online workshop, "Weather, Sea Level Rise and Climate Change," to be held this November 2008. This invitation is open to any educators who are interested in learning more about how scientists are studying climate change and its accompanying effects on our planet. The online workshop environment will include "rooms" to ask questions of keynote speakers and to hold discussions with other educators around the country and the world. COSEE-West will also post supporting teacher resources in the online environment. When: November 3 - 23, 2008 Who: Formal and informal educators Where: College of Exp...

Bremerhaven, October 17th 2008. The German research vessel Polarstern has returned today to Bremerhaven from the Arctic Sea. It has cruised as the first research vessel ever both the Northeast and the Northwest Passages and thereby circled the North Pole. The third part of the research vessel’s 23rd Arctic expedition, operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute in the Helmholtz Association, started its journey on August 12th in Reykjavik and ended it on October 17th in Bremerhaven. The ship travelled a distance of 10.800 nautical miles, equivalent to 20.000 kilometres. On board were 47 researchers from 12 nations, for example from Belgium, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, Korea, the Netherlands, Russia and the USA. Because of the small ice cover, the expedition members were a...

The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has published several further issues of the Australian Antarctic Magazine: The latest issue of the Australian Antarctic Magazine (Issue 15, 2008) looks at the changes wrought in Antarctica by the signing of the Antarctic Treaty 50 years ago; ocean acidification; and Australia's science program for 2009. It is also available as a PDF. Issue 13 looks at the connections between Antarctic science and policy and how the Australian Antar...

Under the auspices of the SCAR project Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt) and the Antarctic Sea Ice in IPY project for International Polar Year, we are holding a workshop on 22-24 March 2009 in Il Ciocco, Lucca, Italy. The main purpose of the workshop is to review and establish joint data analyses from two late-winter cruises to the Antarctic Sea Ice Zone both made during Sept-Oct 2007. An extensive satellite remote sensing campaign with designated IceSAT altimetry, RadarSAT images, and EnviSAT ASAR images coincided with the surface measurements. SIMBA (Sea Ice Mass Balance in the Antarctic) activities along 90W longitude in the Bellingshausen Sea are summarized here, while SIPEX (Sea Ice Physics and Ecosystem...