Solar variability influences the atmosphere, particularly the global electric circuit and ozone. Our IPY cluster seeks to quantify solar variability linkages to weather, climate and ozone. Scientists from Russia, America, United Kingdom and Australia are investigating whether solar variability affects the Earth's weather and climate, principally via the atmospheric circuit and ozone. We are measuring the current in the Earth's atmosphere - lightning strikes are an indication of this current - and how this is affected by changes in the sun. Instruments to measure the atmospheric circuit are being deployed on the Antarctic Plateau and the Greenland Ice Plateau.

The ACE programme aims to facilitate research in the broad area of Antarctic climate evolution. The programme will link geophysical surveys and geological studies on and around the Antarctic continent with ice-sheet and climate modelling studies. These studies are designed to investigate climate and ice sheet behaviour in both the recent and distant geologic past, including times when global temperature was several degrees warmer than today.

CAML will investigate the distribution and abundance of Antarctic marine biodiversity, how it will be affected by climate change and how climate change will affect the ecosystem and the planet. Its key focus is a major ship based research programme in the austral summer of 2007-2008. Scientists from 30 countries and 50 institutions will collate data providing a robust benchmark against which future change can be measured.

Sound is an extremely effective means to monitor marine mammals in the Southern Ocean. Sound recording instruments can remain all year, despite the ice and lack of sunlight. These data may provide new insight into how marine mammals make use of the environment.

The voyages of discovery in the second half of the 16th century and later, during the so called Heroic Century of Polar Exploration (1870-1920), including the first International Polar Year (1882-1883), made it possible for the western colonial powers to penetrate into the polar areas. The voyages of discovery not only led to scientific research but also the exploitation of natural resources. Until now, the history of polar science and exploitation of polar areas were almost exclusively studied from a regional and national approach based on written sources from the archives in the countries in the core region. The aim of this project is to study the various (hunting, whaling, mining and research) settlements/stations in their natural settings from a bipolar, international and comparative perspective. The project will give an overview of the development of science and natural resource exploitation and its impact on the natural environment and the indigenous peoples.