What is an International Polar Year?

Introduction:

Earth's polar regions remain a mystery to scientists. According to the International Polar Year website, scientists are "remarkably ignorant of many aspects of how polar climate operates and its interaction with polar environments, ecosystems, and societies." More research in the polar regions will help alleviate this problem. An International Polar Year (IPY) is "an intense, internationally coordinated campaign of research that will initiate a new era in polar science." In short, it is an international effort to improve scientific knowledge of Earth's polar regions.

Background:

The International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chose 2007-2008 to be classified as an International Polar Year. However, to make sure scientists have enough time in the field, the year runs from March 2007 through March 2009. Part of the reason for the short time frame is to make the scientific investigations very focused and intense. A snapshot of the polar regions will provide a crucial benchmark for detecting, understanding, and comparing changes in the data.

Education Resources:

Teachers will find the following resources a valuable asset to the classroom for teaching about polar regions.

• Free poster on the first IPY 1881-1884
• The History of Winter from NASA
• Ice - An Exploration on Earth for Understanding Ice in the Solar System
• Investigating Snow Cover by Latitude
• The History of Snow Cover in Alaska
• Balloon Research in Antarctica
• Free NASA RSS Feed on the IPY

Links:

1. Read about the events of the IPY 2007-2008 and the purpose of many of the committees and investigations.
2. Download the overview of research goals and activities
3. Get the US Geological Survey PDF presentation on the IPY
4. Look at Australia's contributions to the IPY
5. NASA and the IPY

Multimedia Resources:

• Download a podcast on Arctic sea ice thickness
• Photo tour of Antarctic meteorites and the search for Life on Mars
• Here is something different..Get a free IPY ringtone
• Live from the Ice! Polar Scientist Stories
• Dinosaurs in the ice - Information on the new discoveries

History:

Past efforts to improve the body of scientific knowledge have been made through international cooperation. The first IPY was from 1881-1884 and was inspired by Lt. Karl Weyprecht. The second International Polar Year occurred in 1932-1933. Then to celebrate the 25th and 75th anniversaries of the 1st and 2nd International Polar Years, the International Geophysical Year happened in 1957-58.