International Polar Year 2007-2008 I
Presiding: R Bindschadler, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; S Vogel, Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University
C41A-01 INVITED 08:30h
The International Polar Year 2007-2008: a Preliminary Overview of Proposed Research Activities.
The International Polar Year 2007-2008 (IPY 2007-2008), co-sponsored by the International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization, will be an intensive and internationally coordinated campaign of high quality research and observations in the polar regions. It will have an interdisciplinary emphasis, with active inclusion of the social sciences as well as natural science. The IPY 2007-2008 is intended to lay the foundation for major scientific advances in knowledge and understanding of the polar regions and their role in the functioning of the planet. IPY 2007-2008 will address six broad research themes. These are the present environmental status of the polar regions; change in the polar regions; the links and interactions between polar regions and the rest of the globe; frontiers of science in the polar regions; the polar regions as a unique vantage point to observe processes from the interior of the Earth, to the Sun and the cosmos beyond; and the culture, history, and sociology of human societies in polar regions. Details of the IPY science plan and its implementation are available in the IPY Framework document at www.ipy.org, A large number of proposals for potential IPY activities were received in January 2005 in response to a preliminary call for "Expressions of Intent". Those projects meeting the IPY criteria have been identified and are presently being developed more fully and, where appropriate, consolidated into larger projects. This presentation will provide an outline of the major scientific initiatives that are developing under the IPY 2007-2008 vision. Opportunities for participation in the developing IPY projects will be noted, as will those projects seeking additional input from new collaborators.
http:///www.ipy.org
C41A-02 09:00h
Update on Efforts of the U.S. National Committee for the International Polar Year
The polar regions hold the scientific keys to our changing world and capture the imaginations of people everywhere. Plans are now well underway for the International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007-2008. IPY 2007-2008 will be an intense, internationally coordinated multidisciplinary campaign of polar observations, research, and analysis. It will serve as the dawn of a new era in polar science, focused on the Arctic and Antarctic but drawing attention to the strong linkages to the rest of the globe. IPY 2007-2008 will educate and excite the public, and help produce the next generation of engineers, scientists, and leaders. Formed in the summer of 2003, the U.S. National Committee for the IPY has initiated conversations at meetings large and small, held internet discussions, and has listened to ideas voiced by the research community. The U.S. National Committee has worked to serve as a facilitator between the scientific community and our national agencies, helping to nurture ideas and partnerships that can lead to new international endeavors. Many US scientists and organizations have submitted their letters of intent to the ICSU-WMO group for international approval. In this presentation we give a broad overview of submissions from the community and an update on USNC activities for the International Polar Year.
C41A-03 INVITED 09:15h
'Mapping' a Changing Earth through the Polar Lens - the USGS Contribution to the International Polar Year
USGS has a long tradition of scientific monitoring, assessment, and research in the polar regions. Beginning with geophysical and geological surveys in the Arctic in the early 1900's and joint work with the National Science Foundation in Antarctica after WWII, the USGS has had an extensive history of diverse activities such as topographic mapping and geodetic control in Antarctica; satellite and ground-based monitoring of glaciers and ice caps; research on movements, distribution patterns, and adaptation of polar wildlife; establishment and operation of a seismic array at the South Pole; estimations of energy resources of the circum-Arctic; mapping the occurrence and distribution of circum-Arctic vegetation; and the development of paleoclimate records from Alaskan sediments and polar ice cores. USGS participation in the 2007 - 2008 International Polar Year effort will both extend and enhance current activities and establish and integrate new activities into large-scale international monitoring and research efforts. We envision these efforts as 'mapping' the Earth in the broadest and most inclusive sense of the word - from mapping earth-system interactions to mapping genomic diversity, and from mapping at the largest scales utilizing remotely-sensed data acquired from satellite-based sensors to the smallest scales utilizing data acquired at the molecular level. By utilizing the full spectrum of USGS capabilities and by partnering with other federal and state agencies, NGOs, universities, and international consortia during IPY, the USGS seeks to be part of the global community that will lead scientific efforts to elucidate current physical, biological and chemical processes that operate in the polar regions and provide the fundamental science that will inform policy, land-use, and resource management decisions in the decades to come.
C41A-04 09:45h
Engaging, Educating the Public Before, During, and Beyond IPY 2007-2008
The International Polar Year 2007-2008 offers an exceptional opportunity to educate and excite the public about the Polar Regions. This paper explores ways of reaching a variety of audiences and proposes the creation of a national or international outreach working group to plan and coordinate activities leading up to and beyond IPY 2007-2008. Through a variety of media that did not even exist during the first IPY in 1957, including Web sites and live interactive television broadcasts, the public can become virtual members of the scientific expeditions that will increase our knowledge of the regions. Creating common messages and themes among agencies and institutions, developing communication and education plans, and working together will help ensure that the public understand how IPY projects affect their everyday lives. Advance planning is crucial to making this sort of outreach work and must begin immediately in order to effectively and seamlessly become part of a logistics stream that is developed years ahead of field deployments.