Dear Arctic Info Subscriber,
The U.S. National Committee for the International Polar Year is in the
process of soliciting science community input on the broad science
drivers and associated activities that our nation will address in the
upcoming International Polar Year (see
http://www.nationalacademies.org/prb/ipy for some details).
NOW is the time to have your voice heard! We encourage you and your
colleagues to submit poster abstracts to the fall AGU
(http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm03/program.shtml#abstract_submissions)
for a special session that will discuss ideas and planning for IPY 2007
(see http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm03/fm03_ApprovedSessions.html#C11 for
details).
In the oral session, historical perspectives from the IGY will be
discussed and representatives of NSF, NASA, and NOAA will be giving
invited talks at this session.
We encourage abstracts centered on these topics:
- What are the important, broad science issues/questions that
international efforts could investigate in IPY 2007? - How do we engage school-children and the public in IPY activities
in scientifically meaningful ways? - How do we attract and train the next generation of Polar
scientists? - How do we facilitate media interaction?
Please feel free to email Sheldon Drobot (sdrobot [at] nas.edu) with any
questions.
--
C11 International Polar Year 2007-2008
The year 2007-2008 will mark the 125th anniversary of the First
International Polar Year (1882-1883), the 75th anniversary of the Second
Polar Year (1932-1933), and the 50th anniversary of the International
Geophysical Year (1957-1958). The IPYs and IGY were important
initiatives that resulted in significant new insights into global
processes and led to decades of invaluable polar research. In spite of
the substantial effort in polar exploration and research over the years,
however, both by individual nations and through international programs,
the relative inaccessibility and challenging environment have left these
regions less well explored and studied than other key regions of the
planet. Earth system processes in the polar region remain significantly
less well understood relative to our understanding of processes in
other, more accessible regions. Planning is under way to hold an
International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007-2008. It is envisioned as an
intense program of internationally coordinated polar observations,
exploration, and analysis, with strong education and outreach
components. To be successful, IPY should be visionary and more than a
continuation of present efforts (although current and planned efforts
and enabling technologies should be part of what is done). It must
address both the Arctic and Antarctic, and look for linkages between the
regions. It must be multidisciplinary, including study of human
dimensions, and truly international. Ideally, IPY will provide both
specific short-term outcomes and lay a foundation for longer-term
commitments. If done well, IPY could attract and develop a new
generation of polar scientists. The International Council on Science
(ICSU) has endorsed the IPY concept and has encouraged nations to
determine their priorities. An ICSU Planning Group is preparing a draft
science plan for distribution in February 2004. Thus this is an
important time for the U.S. science community to articulate its
interests. This session is designed to move beyond individual project
ideas and explore visions from the community of how pieces could be fit
together into compelling, socially relevant activities.
Conveners:
Chris Elfring, Polar Research Board, The National Academies, National
Academy of Sciences 500 Fifth Street NW , Washington, DC 20001 USA, Tel:
202 334 3426, Fax: 202 334 1477, email: celfring [at] nas.edu,
Sheldon Drobot, Polar Research Board, The National Academies, National
Academy of Sciences 500 Fifth Street NW , Washington, DC 20001 USA, Tel:
202 334 1942, Fax: 202 334 1477, email: sdrobot [at] nas.edu,
Robin Bell, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University PO Box
1000 61Route 9W, Oceanography Bldg 107D, Palisades, NY 10964 USA, Tel:
845 365 8827, Fax: 845 365 8179, email: robinb [at] ldeo.columbia.edu,
Mary Albert, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, 72 Lyme
Road , Hanover, NH 03755-1290 USA, Tel: 603 646 4422, email:
malbert [at] crrel.usace.army.mil