We are in the midst of one of the most exciting international and interdisciplinary science projects that many of us will encounter in our professional careers – the International Polar Year. Scientists in the natural, social, and health sciences are collaborating on some 228 endorsed projects in both the Arctic and Antarctic during a two-year period (March 2007-March 2009) of intense field observations.
In the summer of 2007, satellite observations showed that the sea ice coverage of the Arctic Ocean declined to a record low areal extent of only 4.14 km2, 23% less than during the previous summer minimum observed in 2005. The shrinkage of the Arctic sea ice cover is generally considered as one of the most striking expressions of the ongoing global climate warming.
Two scientists participating in a live International Polar Day event March 12 provided their insights into what the future may hold and what decision-makers should do to address the issue.
One goal of the International Polar Year is to learn more about the polar regions, but it may not be obvious to most people how we know as much as we do. These areas are remote and harsh, to say nothing of the obvious cold.
The GEOportal is one of the three candidates developed in response to a set of requirements from the GEO Secretariat aiming at the implementation of a GEO Web Portal serving the GEO User Community.
The 2007-2008 International Polar Year (IPY) provides an international framework for improving our understanding of high-latitude climate change and enhancing our skill in predicting world-wide impacts.
With the 2007-9 International Polar Year (IPY) well underway, we take a look at what contributions are being made from young polar scientists in the UK.
In the last decade, the value of Earth Observation (EO) to society has significantly grown among both the public at large and policy makers worldwide. As presented in a recent article on Earthzine (Scanning the Globe) the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is coordinating efforts to build a Global Earth Observation System of Systems, or GEOSS.
Three interlocking international science years – International Polar Year, International Heliospherical Year, and the Electronic Geophysical Year – are inspiring intense global collaboration and coordinated investment. Earthzine takes a close look at one of its core programs, Heliosphere Impact on Geospace, thatÌÄå_s spinning out a blizzard of new data on Earth’s geomagnetic phenomena.
According to Wayne Esais’ honeybees, big changes are underway in Maryland forests. The most important event in the life of flowering plants and their pollinators, flowering itself, is happening much earlier in the year than it used to.
