A Vision for the International Polar Year 2007-2008 (2004) / Chapter Skim
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1 Why An International Polar Year in 2007-2008?
1 Why An International Polar Year in 2007-2008?
Pages 9-17
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From page 9... ...
Changes that we are witnessing in the polar regions today are unlike any in recorded history, yet we do not understand how or why the changes are occurring, and we lack the tools and knowledge to predict, mitigate, or adapt to the outcome. Changes in ice mass reflect that multidecadal integrations of small changes can lead to big changes; implementing polar observation systems is an essential step to document these changes.
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From page 10... ...
, IPY 2007-2008 is envisioned as the dawn of a new era in polar science -- it will be an intense, internationally coordinated campaign that gives expanded attention to the deep relevance of the polar regions to the health of our planet, and it serves to establish the ongoing observation systems, programs, and intellectual commitment Photographs of the McCall Glacier in Alaska, located in what is now the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which has the longest history of scientific observation for any U.S. Arctic glacier.
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From page 11... ...
It allows us to think beyond traditional borders-whether national borders or disciplinary constraints -- toward a new level of integrated, cooperative international science. NATIONS WORKING TOGETHER CAN ACCOMPLISH WHAT NO ONE NATION CAN DO ALONE Nations around the world are making plans for IPY 2007-2008 to attempt to answer these and many more questions.
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From page 12... ...
In Antarctica the U.S. contribu tion was the second Byrd Antarctic expedition, which established a winter-long meteorological station approximately 125 miles south of Little America Station on the Ross Ice Shelf at the southern end of Roosevelt Island.
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From page 13... ...
IPY 2007-2008 is being planned, from the start, as a truly international collaboration, with active planning from an international planning group and endorsements from a number of important international science organizations, including the ICSU and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO; see Box 1.2, Box 1.3, and Appendix A)
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From page 14... ...
In the South, 45 nations are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty and thus have put aside territorial claims to share the continent for scientific purposes. There are also a number of international organizations with responsibilities related to polar research, such as the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, the Scientific Committee for Oceanic Research, the International Arctic Science Committee, the Arctic Ocean Studies Board, and others that are now actively involved.
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From page 15... ...
Differences in regionally based datasets remain a major impediment to global climate research. Temporally and globally consistent merged datasets from observing networks that span the full extent of the polar regions will provide calibrated base lines that are easily shared and that enable international research to flourish, ultimately allowing for scaling to larger spatial analyses of environmental change.
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From page 16... ...
As international planning continues, research agency leaders continue discussions, and specific activities are developed, the vision for the IPY will sharpen. The next step in IPY planning will be to move from this broad vision, both within each participating nation and at the international level, toward more concrete activities.
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From page 17... ...
The dominant invertebrate in this particular ecosystem, nematodes are present in 60 to 80 percent of the soils in the Dry Valleys, where they consume bacteria, fungi, and other microscopic animals. Working in the Antarctic has taught Wall much about planning and patience, she says.
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