C24A-01 16:00h
Influencing the Future: Special Considerations for IPY Education and Outreach
The International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-1958 created a valuable legacy, by not only advancing the sciences involved, but by also stimulating interest in and support for science, and by inspiring many to enter science careers. Successful education and outreach efforts in conjunction with IGY transmitted this energy to the public and helped researchers to create this legacy. The International Polar Year (IPY) for 2007-2008 again holds promise to generate new scientific insights and leave a similar legacy -- if the sciences are once again successful in connecting with the public. Despite the fine example of the IGY of 1958 -1959, the way forward for meaningful education and outreach for IPY isn't entirely clear. Every element affecting science education and outreach today is considerably more complex, and the distinct challenges and opportunities of today may not always be addressed by simply extending what has been helpful in the past. Whether a large research group or an individual researcher, whether working with a dedicated outreach staff or conducting outreach more informally, whether already operating successful outreach programs or starting from scratch, any project intending an education and outreach effort will significantly increase its relevance and effectiveness by taking pause to formulate specific goals and objectives for IPY. Such thinking shouldn't be entirely delegated to non-researchers. The engagement of the scientists themselves in setting objectives for education and outreach will provide the strongest outcome. This discussion analyzes the communication setting for IPY as it affects outreach and education efforts, and proposes a model for discussing and formulating outreach and education objectives. It poses the key questions that should be asked and answered in order to ensure that researchers take full advantage of education and outreach opportunities with IPY, whatever the scope of their efforts. Education and outreach programs that are thus informed by thoughtful objective-setting will have the best chance to be a valuable investment in the future of science and society.
C24A-02 16:15h
Sublgacial Antarctic Lake Environments (SALE)
Subglacial Antarctic lake environments are emerging as one of the new frontiers targeted for exploration during the IPY 2007-2009. Several campaigns by various nations are in the early stages of planning and implementation with timelines that will coincide with the IPY. The ambitious interdisciplinary objectives will best be realized by multiple exploration programs investigating diverse subglacial environments continent-wide over the next decade or more. A concerted, multi-target approach wil be taken to advance our understanding of the range of possible lake evolutionary histories; the character of the physical, chemical, and biological niches; the interconnectivity of subglacial lake environments; the coupling of the ice sheet, climate and the evolution of life under the ice; the tectonic settings; and the interplay of biogeochemical cycles. Research and exploration programs spanning the continent will investigate subglacial lake environments of differing ages, evolutionary histories, and biogeochemical settings. The combined efforts will provide a holistic view of these environments over millions of years and under changing climatic conditions. The IPY will provide an opportunity for an intense period of initial exploration that will advance scientific discoveries in glaciology, biogeochemistry, paleoclimate, biology, geology and tectonics, and ecology. While early discoveries and exciting findings are expected during the IPY 2007-2009, a long term sustained program of research and exploration will continue far beyond the IPY. Within the five year period that spans the IPY, specific accomplishments will be targeted, accelerating the research agenda and setting a framework for follow-on studies. Four phases of exploration and discovery are envisioned.
http://salegos-scar.montana.edu
C24A-03 16:30h
Historical and Near Real-Time Physical, Chemical, and Biological Oceanographic Data in Support of the International Polar Year 2007-08
The U.S. NOAA/NESDIS/National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), located in Silver Spring, Maryland, has extensive capabilities in archiving and providing public access to polar oceanographic and coastal data, products, and information. The World Ocean Database (WOD), a scientifically quality-controlled, global, oceanographic database, is the most comprehensive database of historical ocean profile data and plankton measurements in existence. The World Data Center for Oceanography (WDC) in Silver Spring conducts international exchange of oceanographic observations in accordance with the principles set forth by the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). The WDC is collocated with and operated by the NODC, and it also leads the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Global Oceanographic Data Archaeology and Rescue (GODAR) project, which attempts to locate and rescue historical data that are at risk of being lost due to media decay or neglect, and the IOC World Ocean Database (WOD) project, which is intended to stimulate international exchange of modern oceanographic data. The WOD will continue to be enhanced as new data is received through the WDC, IOC projects, and data incorporated into the NODC Archive Management and Metadata System (AMS). The Ocean Archive System (OAS) is the public Web interface to the AMS, and it provides access to original sets of ocean data as they were provided to (and archived by) the NODC. The NODC also participates in the Global Temperature-Salinity Profile Program (GTSPP), which is a cooperative international program designed to develop and maintain a global ocean T-S resource with data that are as up-to-date and of the highest quality as possible. It also operates the long-term archive for Argo data, also known as the Global Argo Data Repository (GADR). The NOAA Central Library, also a division of NODC, maintains the largest meteorological collection in the western hemisphere and supports extensive oceanographic and fishery materials and data related to exploration in the polar regions, which is augmented by the collection at the Regional Branch in Seattle, WA. This presentation will describe the various ongoing activities within NODC that can support the mission of the International Polar Year 2007.
http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/
C24A-04 16:45h
Measuring the Polar Mesosphere With Radio Telescopes
The 1957 IGY launched a program of upper atmosphere observations that continues to this day. However in 1957, observations of the upper atmosphere were limited to the tools available at the time. As we head toward the 2007 IPY we can take advantage of the tools developed in the past 50 years to continue and expand upon this extensive dataset, as well as consider novel uses for the tools already available on the continent. Over the past ten years, the polar plateau has been established as one of the preeminent sites on Earth from which to perform radio astronomy observations at frequencies ranging from 100 to 2000 GHz. As a by-product of their astronomical observations, these telescopes often collect high quality aeronomy data that is frequently overlooked. By using data from a radio telescope located at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, we have measured the $J=2 \rightarrow 1$ (230 GHz), $J=4\rightarrow 3$ (461 GHz), and $J=7 \rightarrow 6$ (807 GHz) rotational transitions of carbon monoxide (CO) at altitudes from 50 to 90 km above the Earth's surface. These high frequency data provide a surprisingly high resolution window into the dynamics and structure of the mesosphere. With a time series extending over multiple years, these data allow us to study the dynamics of an altitude range difficult to access with other methods. The IPY provides us with an opportunity to expand these interdisciplinary collaborations and use the resources invested in the Antarctic continent to further the scientific aims of a broad range of researchers.