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This paper discusses heightened interest in the potential audibility of the aurora borealis during the First and Second International Polar Years (IPYs) of 1882–3 and 1932–3. Galvanized by a growing volume of local accounts expressing belief in the elusive noises, written by the inhabitants of the Shetland Islands, northern Canada, and Norway, auroral researchers of each era were determined to establish the objectivity of auroral sound. There was considerable speculation within the auroral research community as to whether the apparent noises were imagined or illusory, connected to discussions about the possibility of low-altitude aurorae. The anglophone auroral sound debate primarily played out within the official reports of IPY expeditions, the journal Nature , and a Shetland Island newspaper. I argue that the embodied senses were used exclusively to register the liminal sounds of the aurora across the two periods, despite developments in sound recording technologies, the primacy of mechanical objectivity, and instruments transported to the polar regions for the investigation of visual features of the phenomenon. This overlooked episode complicates narratives of polar science in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by revealing a faith in the corporeal senses and the significant role of amateur observers.

Source at https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247418000645. A lasting legacy of the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008 was the promotion of the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN), initially an IPY outreach and education activity by the International Permafrost Association (IPA). With the momentum of IPY, PYRN developed into a thriving network that still connects young permafrost scientists, engineers, and researchers from other disciplines. This research note summarises (1) PYRN’s development since 2005 and the IPY’s role, (2) the first 2015 PYRN census and survey results, and (3) PYRN’s future plans to improve international and interdisciplinary exchange between young researchers. The review concludes that PYRN is an established network within the polar research community that has continually developed since 2005. PYRN’s successful activities were largely fostered by IPY. With >200 of the 1200 registered members active and engaged, PYRN is capitalising on the availability of social media tools and rising to meet environmental challenges while maintaining its role as a successful network honouring the legacy of IPY.

The goal of the paper are to: (1) present tropospheric ozone (O3) climatologies in summer 2008 based on a large amount of measurements, during the International Polar Year when the Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements, and Models of Climate Chemistry, Aerosols, and Transport (POLARCAT) campaigns were conducted (2) investigate the processes that determine O3 concentrations in two different regions (Canada and Greenland) that were thoroughly studied using measurements from 3 aircraft and 7 ozonesonde stations. This paper provides an integrated analysis of these observations and the discussion of the latitudinal and vertical variability of tropospheric ozone north of 55° N during this period is performed using a regional model (WFR-Chem). Ozone, CO and potential vorticity (PV) distributions are extracted from the simulation at the measurement locations. The model is able to reproduce the O3 latitudinal and vertical variability but a negative O3 bias of 6–15 ppbv is found in the free troposphere over 4 km, especially over Canada. Ozone average concentrations are of the order of 65 ppbv at altitudes above 4 km both over Canada and Greenland, while they are less than 50 ppbv in the lower troposphere. The relative influence of stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) and of ozone production related to the local biomass burning (BB) emissions is discussed using differences between average values of O3, CO and PV for Southern and Northern Canada or Greenland and two vertical ranges in the troposphere: 0–4 km and 4–8 km. For Canada, the model CO distribution and the weak correlation (< 30 %) of O3 and PV suggests that stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) is not the major contribution to average tropospheric ozone at latitudes less than 70° N, due to the fact that local biomass burning (BB) emissions were significant during the 2008 summer period. Conversely over Greenland, significant STE is found according to the better O3 versus PV correlation (> 40 %) and the higher 75th PV percentile. A weak negative latitudinal summer ozone gradient −6 to −8 ppbv is found over Canada in the mid troposphere between 4 and 8 km. This is attributed to an efficient O3 photochemical production due to the BB emissions at latitudes less than 65° N, while STE contribution is more homogeneous in the latitude range 55° N to 70° N. A positive ozone latitudinal gradient of 12 ppbv is observed in the same altitude range over Greenland not because of an increasing latitudinal influence of STE, but because of different long range transport from multiple mid-latitude sources (North America, Europe and even Asia for latitudes higher than 77° N).

Chironomidae larvae constituted the largest proportion of benthic invertebrates collected from 99 rivers stretching from northern Labrador (latitude 58°N) to northern parts of Ellesmere Island (82°N). We describe 92 species of Chironomidae (mainly larval forms) providing new descriptions, a revision for the adult female of Parametriocnemus boreoalpinus Gowin et Thienemann, a possible new genus (larval form only), and 9 larval forms that may represent a new species. In addition, new geographical distribution records are specified for 1 Nearctic species, 6 species in Canada, 10 for Labrador, and 17 for Nunavut. This work contributes to Environment Canada’s International Polar Year output (2007-2009).

The Polar Data Centre of the National Institute of Polar Research has had the responsibility to manage the data for Japan as a National Antarctic Data Centre for the last two decades. During the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008, a considerable number of multidisciplinary metadata that mainly came from IPY-endorsed projects involving Japanese activities were compiled by the data centre. Although long-term stewardship of those amalgamated metadata falls to the data centre, the efforts are in collaboration with the Global Change Master Directory, the Polar Information Commons, and the newly established World Data System of the International Council for Science.

The Arctic Ocean boundary monitoring array has been maintained over many years by six research institutes located worldwide. Our approach to Arctic Ocean boundary measurements is generating significant scientific outcomes. However, it is not always easy to access Arctic data. On the basis of our last five years’ experience of assembling pan-Arctic boundary data, and considering the success of Argo, I propose that Arctic data policy should be driven by specific scientific-based requirements. Otherwise, it will be hard to implement the International Polar Year data policy. This approach would also help to establish a consensus of future Arctic science.

Background . The International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008 represented a unique opportunity to further stimulate cooperation and coordination on Arctic health research and increase the awareness and visibility of Arctic regions. The Arctic Human Health Initiative (AHHI) was a US-led Arctic Council IPY coordinating project that aimed to build and expand on existing International Union for Circumpolar Health (IUCH) and Arctic Council human health interests. The project aimed to link researchers with potential international collaborators and to serve as a focal point for human health research, education, outreach and communication activities during the IPY. The progress of projects conducted as part of this initiative up until the end of the Arctic Council Swedish chairmanship in May 2013 is summarized in this report. Design . The overall goals of the AHHI was to increase awareness and visibility of human health concerns of Arctic peoples, foster human health research, and promote health strategies that will improve health and well-being of all Arctic residents. Proposed activities to be recognized through the initiative included: expanding research networks that will enhance surveillance and monitoring of health issues of concern to Arctic peoples, and increase collaboration and coordination of human health research; fostering research that will examine the health impact of anthropogenic pollution, rapid modernization and economic development, climate variability, infectious and chronic diseases, intentional and unintentional injuries, promoting education, outreach and communication that will focus public and political attention on Arctic health issues, using a variety of publications, printed and electronic reports from scientific conferences, symposia and workshops targeting researchers, students, communities and policy makers; promoting the translation of research into health policy and community action including implementation of prevention strategies and health promotion; and promoting synergy and strategic direction of Arctic human health research and health promotion. Results . As of 31 March, 2009, the official end of the IPY, AHHI represented a total of 38 proposals, including 21 individual Expressions of Intent (EoI), and 9 full proposals (FP), submitted to the IPY Joint Committee for review and approval from lead investigators from the US, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Finland, Sweden and the Russian Federation. In addition, there were 10 National Initiatives (NI-projects undertaken during IPY beyond the IPY Joint Committee review process). Individual project details can be viewed at www.arctichealth.org. The AHHI currently monitors the progress of 28 individual active human health projects in the following thematic areas: health network expansion (5 projects), infectious disease research (7 projects), environmental health research (7 projects), behavioural and mental health research (4 projects), and outreach education and communication (5 projects). Conclusions . While some projects have been completed, others will continue well beyond the IPY. The IPY 2007–2008 represented a unique opportunity to further stimulate cooperation and coordination on Arctic health research and increase the awareness and visibility of Arctic regions.

Background. The Canadian International Polar Year (IPY) program made it possible to undertake much needed health research in 3 jurisdictions within the Canadian Inuit Nunangat (homeland) over a 2-year period: Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), Nunavut Territory, and Nunatsiavut. Design. The Adult Inuit Health Survey (IHS) was a cross-sectional survey and provides baseline data upon which future comparisons can be made for prospectively assessing factors leading to the progression of chronic diseases among Canadian Inuit. With the help of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen, which was equipped with research and laboratory facilities, 33 coastal communities were visited; land survey teams visited 3 inland communities. Results. The Adult IHS succeeded in obtaining important baseline information concerning the health status and living conditions of 2,595 adults living in ISR, Nunavut and Nunatsiavut. Conclusion. Information from this survey will be useful for future comparisons and the opportunity to link with the International Inuit Cohort, a follow-up evaluation, and for the development of future health policies and public health interventions.

The fourth International Polar Year (IPY), which ended in March 2009, represented a ca. 50% increase in the funding of polar science, a major expansion of the observing effort across polar and subpolar seas, the deployment of a wide range of new and complex observing techniques and a gratifying new degree of international collaboration in their use. As a result, the IPY has revolutionized our polar data sets to provide our first real glimpse of the ocean–atmosphere–cryosphere operating as a complete system. Here we focus on one particular aspect of the emerging results—the “connectivities” that may develop between individual research projects over time, developing the complexity of our understanding in real if unexpected ways as new findings emerge, ramify and mesh within projects or between them. For simplicity, we illustrate this valuable but unpredictable process by using one particular Arctic–sub-Arctic project—Canada Three Oceans—as our initial reference point and attempting to trace out a small subset of its inter-connections across space, time, projects and disciplines.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are one of the most arid environments on Earth. Over the soil landscape for the majority of the year, biological and ecosystem processes in the dry valleys are constrained by the low temperatures and limited availability of water. The prevalence of these physical limitations in controlling biological and ecosystem processes makes the dry valleys a climatesensitive system, poised to experience substantial changes following projected future warming. Short-duration increases in summer temperatures are associated with pulses of water from melting ice reserves, including glaciers, snow and permafrost. Such pulses alter soil geochemistry by mobilizing and redistributing soil salts (via enhanced weathering, solubility and mobility), which can alter habitat suitability for soil organisms. Resulting changes in soil community composition or distribution may alter the biogeochemical processes in which they take part. Here, we review the potential impacts of meltwater pulses and present new field data documenting instances of meltwater pulse events that result from different water sources and hydrological patterns, and discuss their potential influence on soil biology and biogeochemistry. We use these examples to discuss the potential impacts of future climate change on the McMurdo Dry Valley soil ecosystem. Keywords: Water pulse; climate change; polar desert; International Polar Year; discrete warming events; soil biogeochemistry (Published: 19 December 2011) Citation: Polar Research 2011, 30 , 14555, DOI: 10.3402/polar.v30i0.14555

The porous nature of sea ice not only provides a habitat for ice algae but also opens a pathway for exchanges of organic matter, nutrients, and gases with the seawater below and the atmosphere above. These constituents permeate the ice cover through air-ice gas exchange, brine drainage, seawater entrainment into the ice, and air-sea gas exchange within leads and polynyas. The central goal in sea ice biogeochemistry since the 1980s has been to discover the physical, biological, and chemical rates and pathways by which sea ice affects the distribution and storage of biogenic gases (namely CO2, O2, and dimethyl sulfide) between the ocean and the atmosphere. Historically, sea ice held the fascination of scientists for its role in the ocean heat budget, and the resulting view of sea ice as a barrier to heat and mass transport became its canonical representation. However, the recognition that sea ice contains a vibrant community of ice-tolerant organisms and strategic reserves of carbon has brought forward a more nuanced view of the "barrier" as an active participant in polar biogeochemical cycles. In this context, the organisms and their habitat of brine and salt crystals drive material fluxes into and out of the ice, regulated by liquid and gas permeability. Today, scientists who study sea ice are acutely focused on determining the flux pathways of inorganic carbon, particulate organics, climate-active gases, excess carbonate alkalinity, and ultimately, the role of all of these constituents in the climate system. Thomas and Dieckmann (2010) recently reviewed sea ice biogeochemistry, and so we do not attempt a comprehensive review here. Instead, our goal is to provide a historical perspective, along with some recent discoveries and observations to highlight the most outstanding questions and possibly useful avenues for future research.

Along with the dramatic decrease in global geomagnetic field intensity, recent observations demonstrate that the geomagnetic field in the Arctic has dramatically changed over the last century. This change is best illustrated by the recent migration of the North Magnetic Pole (which has been in the Canadian Arctic for the last 400 years) into the Arctic Ocean. Because historical records are short, paleomagnetic studies are needed to put these recent Arctic geomagnetic changes into a proper temporal context. This paper presents an overview of Arctic geomagnetism, paleomagnetism, and recent efforts to move our understanding forward by looking at recent or emerging high-resolution Holocene records from the Low and the High Arctic. These paleomagnetic records attest to the unique nature of the geomagnetic field in the High Arctic. They also highlight how the Arctic, and especially the High Arctic, is a unique vantage point for studying geodynamo processes associated with the tangent cylinder model of convective flow within Earth's core that could lead to differences in the behavior of the geomagnetic field observed at Earth's surface, and possible relationships to paleomagnetic secular variations at mid-latitudes.

The societal need for—and urgency of obtaining—basic information on the distribution of Arctic marine species and biological communities has dramatically increased in recent decades as facets of the human footprint alter Arctic marine biodiversity. The primary goals of this article are to present updated species inventories based on focused biodiversity research over the last decade, to give examples of emerging recent changes in diversity as indicators of environmental change, and to recommend future diversity-related research areas. Species inventories across all eukaryotic taxonomic levels now total close to 8,000 species, with several thousand additional benthic species predicted to be recorded or discovered in the future. The currently known Arctic species richness estimate includes close to 2,000 phytoplankton taxa, over 1,000 ice-associated protists, greater than 50 ice-associated metazoans, ~ 350 multicellular zooplankton species, over 4,500 benthic protozoans and invertebrates, at least 160 macro-algae, 243 fishes, 64 seabirds, and 16 marine mammals. Endemic and abundant species are present in all three environmental realms (sea ice, water column, and seafloor) and across phyla. The few published time series on Arctic marine biodiversity have detected interannual and interdecadal variability or change both in pelagic and benthic habitats, and at virtually all trophic levels. We identify knowledge gaps and stress the urgency to fill them. We recommend regular, strategic, and sustained monitoring of Arctic marine biodiversity in a public, open-access fashion in order to provide comprehensive data to inform management, conservation, and other decisions.

The article of record as published may be found at https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2011.61 Observational data show that the Arctic Ocean has significantly and rapidly changed over the last few decades, which is unprecedented in the observational record. Air and water temperatures have increased, sea ice volume and extent have decreased, permafrost has thawed, storminess has increased, sea level has risen, coastal erosion has progressed, and biological processes have become more complex and diverse. In addition, there are socio-economic impacts of Arctic environmental change on Arctic residents and the world, associated with tourism, oil and gas exploration, navigation, military operations, trade, and industry. This paper discusses important results of the Arctic Ocean Model Intercomparison Project, which is advancing the role of numerical modeling in Arctic Ocean and sea ice research by stimulating national and international synergies for high-latitude research. This research is supported by the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs, awards ARC-0804010, ARC-80630600, ARC-81284800 and ARC-82486400.

This essay shares the broad outlines of Yup'ik and Inuit views of their coastal environment, with special emphasis on the role of sea ice and ocean swells. Nearshore conditions in the eastern Bering Sea and Canadian Arctic are used to show how shared knowledge can benefit both local residents and scientists working to better understand coastal processes. We propose a strategy that will allow integration of observations that occur at different scales, required to improve communication between stakeholders in a rapidly changing Arctic. The emerging question is how local observations can be linked to larger environmental issues in ways that speak to both indigenous and Western concerns.

Arctic sea ice cover has declined over the past few decades. The end of summer September ice extent reached a record minimum in 2007. While there has been a modest recovery since then, the past four years (2007–2010) show the lowest sea ice extent in the 30-year satellite record. Submarine and satellite ice thickness measurements show a factor of two decrease (3 m to 1. 4 m) from 1957–1976 to 2003–2007. There has been a shift from sea ice cover consisting mainly of ice more than a year old to ice less than a year old. These changes have resulted in a less robust ice cover that is more sensitive to dynamic and thermodynamic forcing. Changes in atmospheric pressure fields in recent years have affected the distribution of ice in the Arctic Basin. Increases in advected ocean heat through Bering Strait may serve as a trigger for ice retreat in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. More open water has led to enhanced solar heat input and warming of the upper ocean and greater ice melt. While there may not be a tipping point for Arctic sea ice cover, positive feedbacks do contribute to rapid changes. The declining Arctic sea ice cover is affecting human activities.

Ice-Tethered Profilers (ITPs), first deployed in fall 2004, have significantly increased the number of high-quality upper-ocean water-property observations available from the central Arctic. This article reviews the instrument technology and provides a status report on performance, along with several examples of the science that ITPs and companion instrumentation support.

Could a gradual warming trend, combined with a large atmospheric or oceanic event, and mediated by Arctic-specific feedbacks, lead to persistent changes in Arctic climate? Several recent observed shifts follow this pattern: they are large, they occur across the Earth system, they are happening decades earlier than suggested by climate models, and while they may or may not be irreversible, they at least carry multiple-year memory (i.e., they are longer than the extreme event that was their proximate cause). When the 2007 summer sea ice minimum occurred, Arctic temperatures had been rising and sea ice had been decreasing over the previous two decades. Nevertheless, it took an unusually persistent southerly wind pattern over the summer months, and perhaps ocean transport and other factors, to initiate the loss event. The abrupt warming and associated record ice loss in West Greenland in 2010 also fit this hypothesis, initiated by southerly winds associated with an unusual manifestation of a natural climate pattern, the North Atlantic Oscillation. Extensive forest fires are causing deep burning of the soil layer, changing the carbon response of Arctic landmasses with lasting effects. Anomalous atmospheric circulation patterns in winter 2009–2010 and December 2010 linked cold-air outbreaks from the Arctic with mid-latitudes. While continued anthropogenic forcing predicts continued temperature increases and sea ice loss, these larger variations or "surprises" introduce uncertainties in the timing and magnitude of future Arctic shifts, the degree to which they are reversible or not, and how they will influence future local and global climate. Climate models, while imperfect, can be run multiple times, in series that are called "ensemble members," to capture a range of potential responses to randomly occurring extreme events combined with continuing anthropogenic warming trends.

Ocean currents, water masses, and seasonal sea ice formation determine linkages among and barriers between the biotas of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. The Bering Sea communicates with the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas via northward advection of water, nutrients, and plankton through Bering Strait. However, continuity of the ocean's physical properties is modulated by regional differences in heat, salt, and sea ice budgets, in particular, along the meridional gradient. Using summer density data from zooplankton, fish (bottom and surface trawl), and seabird surveys, we define three biogeographic provinces: the Eastern Bering Shelf Province (the eastern Bering Sea shelf south of Saint Lawrence Island), the Chirikov-Chukchi Province (the eastern Bering Sea shelf north of Saint Lawrence Island [Chirikov Basin] and Chukchi Sea), and the Beaufort Sea Province. Regional differences in summer distributions of biota largely reflect the underlying oceanography. Climate warming will reduce the duration and possibly the extent of seasonal ice cover in the Eastern Bering Shelf Province, but this warming may not lead to increased abundance of some subarctic species because seasonal ice cover and cold (< 2°C) bottom waters on the Bering shelf form a barrier to the northward migration of subarctic bottom fish species typical of the southeastern Bering Sea. While Arctic species that are dependent upon the summer extent of sea ice face an uncertain future, other Arctic species' resilience to a changing climate will be derived from waters that continue to freeze each winter.

Over the last 60 years, the perception of the Arctic Ocean has changed from a hostile, sluggish, steady, ice-covered environment with little global impact to an ocean that has become increasingly accessible, apparently rapidly changing, only partly ice-covered, and connected to the global meridional overturning circulation. Our new observations demonstrate that waters off Northwest Greenland constitute the final limb in the grand cyclonic circulation of the Atlantic layer in the Arctic Ocean. These waters with an Atlantic water mass signature are warming in Nares Strait to the west of Greenland as they are elsewhere. Estimates of the magnitude and uncertainty of this warming are emerging from both moored observations and historical hydrographic station data. Ocean temperatures sensed by instruments moored 3 m above the bottom between 228 and 366 m depth in Nares Strait suggest a mean warming of about 0.023 ± 0.015,°C per year for the 2003-2009 period at 95% confidence. Salinity changes for the same period are not significantly different from zero. Nevertheless, oscillating bottom temperatures covary with salinities. Mean bottom salinities in Nares Strait exceed 34.56 psu while no water with salinities above 34.51 psu occurs in Baffin Bay to the south. These data indicate a dominantly northern source for the waters sensed by our moorings. Mean bottom temperatures hover near 0,°C, which suggests minimal influence of waters from the northeastern Amundsen Basin in the Arctic Ocean. Thus, we conclude that the observed warming originates from the northeastern Canadian Basin to the southwest of our study area. In addition to these mean conditions, we find large interannual variability. Forexample, significant freshening emerges for the 2003-2006 period that reaches-0.02 ± 0.008 psu per year without significant concurrent temperature trends at three sensor locations. These data contrast with the 2007-2009 observational period when five different sensors all indicate warmer waters (0.063 ± 0.017,°C per year) and saltier waters (0.027 ± 0.01 psu per year), which reverses the 2003-2006 freshening. We speculate that some of these observed changes are caused by a changing ice regime. During the 2003-2006 winters, ice was landfast, while during 2007-2009 it was generally mobile year-round. The warming impacts tidewater glaciers along northern Greenland with sill depths below 300 m, for example, Petermann Gletscher. © 2011 by The Oceanography Society. All rights reserved.

The Arctic is "hot" and not only because it's physically warming, but also because the world is looking north at climate change, resource exploration, undersea territorial claims, tourism, conservation and ecological impacts, and the promise of marine shipping opportunities. The United States, which became an Arctic nation almost 150 years ago by purchasing Alaska from Russia, has economic (primarily natural resources), security, and environmental interests in the North. These interests are encapsulated in two US national policies, one for the Arctic region in general and another specifically oriented toward Arctic research. In addition, "changing conditions in the Arctic Ocean" emerged as one of nine priorities developed by the National Ocean Council as it moves forward with implementing the President's new ocean policy (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/oceans/policy). Research serves our nation by providing information for policy decisions, and, in turn, policy choices influence the type of research supported by the nation. This article provides an overview of Arctic policy positions and outcomes, with an emphasis on current research policy.

Sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean diminished significantly during the first decade of the 2000s, most particularly in the Canada Basin where the loss of both multiyear and first-year ice was greater than in the other three subbasins. Using data collected during basin-wide surveys conducted from 2003–2010 together with data collected during the 1990s and 2000s at one station in the southern Canada Basin, we investigate the response of the Canada Basin water column to this significant decrease in ice cover. Changes were evident from the surface down to the Atlantic layer: some changes were the result of Beaufort Gyre forcing on regional processes, others were the result of Arctic Ocean atmospheric forcing on a hemispheric scale and large-scale advection. These changes have troubling consequences for the ecosystem.

The Arctic Ocean traditionally has been described as an ocean with low variability and weak turbulence levels. Many years of observations from ice camps and ice-based instruments have shown that the sea ice cover effectively isolates the water column from direct wind forcing and damps existing motions, resulting in relatively small upper-ocean variability and an internal wave field that is much weaker than at lower latitudes. Under the ice, direct and indirect estimates across the Arctic basins suggest that turbulent mixing does not play a significant role in the general distribution of oceanic properties and the evolution of Arctic water masses. However, during ice-free periods, the wind generates inertial motions and internal waves, and contributes to deepening of the mixed layer both on the shelves and over the deep basins—as at lower latitudes. Through their associated vertical mixing, these motions can alter the distribution of properties in the water column. With an increasing fraction of the Arctic Ocean becoming ice-free in summer and in fall, there is a crucial need for a better understanding of the impact of direct wind forcing on the Arctic Ocean.

The Arctic Ocean is a potentially important sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) with a recent estimate suggesting that the region contributes from 5 to 14% of the global ocean's net uptake of CO2. In the western Arctic Ocean, the focus of this paper, the Chukchi Sea is a strong ocean sink for CO2 that is partially compensated for by outgassing of CO2 from the East Siberian Sea shelf. The Arctic marine carbon cycle and exchange of CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere appear particularly sensitive to environmental changes, including sea ice loss, warming, changes in seasonal marine phytoplankton primary production, changes in ocean circulation and freshwater inputs, and even the impacts of ocean acidification. In the near term, further sea ice loss, increases in phytoplankton growth rates, and other environmental and physical changes in the Arctic are expected to cause a limited net increase in the uptake of CO2 by Arctic surface waters. Recent studies suggest that this enhanced uptake will be short lived, with surface waters rapidly warming and equilibrating with the atmosphere. Furthermore, release of large stores of carbon from the surrounding Arctic landmasses through rivers into the Arctic Ocean and further warming over the next century may alter the Arctic from a CO2 sink to a source over the next century.

Retreat of glacier ice from Nares Strait and other straits in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago after the end of the last Ice Age initiated an important connection between the Arctic and the North Atlantic Oceans, allowing development of modern ocean circulation in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea. As low-salinity, nutrient-rich Arctic Water began to enter Baffin Bay, it contributed to the Baffin and Labrador currents flowing southward. This enhanced freshwater inflow must have influenced the sea ice regime and likely is responsible for poor calcium carbonate preservation that characterizes the Baffin Island margin today. Sedimentologic and paleoceanographic data from radiocarbon-dated core HLY03-05GC, Hall Basin, northern Nares Strait, document the timing and paleoenvironments surrounding the retreat of waning ice sheets from Nares Strait and opening of this connection between the Arctic Ocean and Baffin Bay. Hall Basin was deglaciated soon before 10,300 cal BP (calibrated years before present) and records ice-distal sedimentation in a glacial bay facing the Arctic Ocean until about 9,000 cal BP. Atlantic Water was present in Hall Basin during deglaciation, suggesting that it may have promoted ice retreat. A transitional unit with high ice-rafted debris content records the opening of Nares Strait at approximately 9,000 cal BP. High productivity in Hall Basin between 9,000 and 6,000 cal BP reflects reduced sea ice cover and duration as well as throughflow of nutrient-rich Pacific Water. The later Holocene is poorly resolved in the core, but slow sedimentation rates and heavier carbon isotope values support an interpretation of increased sea ice cover and decreased productivity during the Neoglacial period.

In recent decades, the Arctic Ocean has changed dramatically. Exchanges through the main oceanic gateways indicate two main processes of global climatic importance—poleward oceanic heat flux into the Arctic Ocean and export of freshwater toward the North Atlantic. Since the 1990s, in particular during the International Polar Year (2007–2009), extensive observational efforts were undertaken to monitor volume, heat, and freshwater fluxes between the Arctic Ocean and the subpolar seas on scales from daily to multiyear. This paper reviews present-day estimates of oceanic fluxes and reports on technological advances and existing challenges in measuring exchanges through the main oceanic gateways to the Arctic.

International audience; Monitoring the evolution of polar glaciers, ice caps and ice streams is of utmost importance because they constitute a good indicator of global climate change and contribute significantly to ongoing sea level rise. Accurate topographic surveys are particularly relevant as they reflect the geometric evolution of ice masses. Unfortunately, the precision and/or spatial coverage of current satellite missions (radar altimetry, ICESat) or field surveys are generally insufficient. Improving our knowledge of the topography of Polar Regions is the goal of the SPIRIT (SPOT 5 stereoscopic survey of Polar Ice: Reference Images and Topographies) international polar year (IPY) project. SPIRIT will allow (1) the acquisition of a large archive of SPOT 5 stereoscopic images covering most polar ice masses and, (2) the delivery of digital terrain models (DTM) to the scientific community. Here, we present the architecture of this project and the coverage achieved over northern and southern polar areas during the first year of IPY (July 2007 to April 2008). We also provide the first accuracy assessments of the SPIRIT DTMs. Over Jakobshavn Isbrae (West Greenland), SPIRIT elevations are within ± 6 m of ICESat elevations for 90% of the data. Some comparisons with ICESat profiles over Devon ice cap (Canada), St Elias Mountains (Alaska) and west Svalbard confirm the good overall quality of the SPIRIT DTMs although large errors are observed in the flat accumulation area of Devon ice cap. We then demonstrate the potential of SPIRIT DTMs for mapping glacier elevation changes. The comparison of summer-2007 SPIRIT DTMs with October-2003 ICESat profiles shows that the thinning of Jakobshavn Isbrae (by 30 to 40 m in 4 years) is restricted to the fast glacier trunk. The thinning of the coastal part of the ice stream (by over 100 m) and the retreat of its calving front (by up to 10 km) are clearly depicted by comparing the SPIRIT DTM to an ASTER April-2003 DTM.

The Antarctic ice sheet is arguably the most critical in terms of future sea-level rise, primarily because it contains ∼70% of the world's fresh water. While there exists evidence of accelerated ice-sheet ablation during the past decade, the possibility that the ice sheets contributed little to 20th century sea-level rise could result in Antarctica becoming the largest contributor to sea-level rise during the 21st century. Here we review the findings of studies published following the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) study, focusing on the role of Antarctica in present-day (1992–2006) sea-level rise. We show that the choice of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) model significantly affects GRACE-estimated Antarctic mass loss, adding 0.25–0.45 mm/yr to the estimate of sea-level rise. The current estimate of Antarctica's contribution to sea-level rise has a wide range: from −0.12 to +0.52 mm/yr. The discrepancy between observed sea-level trend of 1.8 mm/yr and those estimated from various geophysical sources (2.10 ± 0.99 mm/yr) is 0.30 mm/yr. The role of Antarctica in sea-level rise might be better constrained by lengthening satellite observations, using long-term GPS data to discriminate subglacial vertical motion from ice mass balance, and detecting the sea-level signal due to elastic loading from the melting ice-sheets.

A decade of research has yielded a multidisciplinary approach for detection, prediction, and potential mitigation measures., The North is a frontier for exploration of emerging infectious diseases and the large-scale drivers influencing distribution, host associations, and evolution of pathogens among persons, domestic animals, and wildlife. Leading into the International Polar Year 2007–2008, we outline approaches, protocols, and empirical models derived from a decade of integrated research on northern host–parasite systems. Investigations of emerging infectious diseases associated with parasites in northern wildlife involved a network of multidisciplinary collaborators and incorporated geographic surveys, archival collections, historical foundations for diversity, and laboratory and field studies exploring the interface for hosts, parasites, and the environment. In this system, emergence of parasitic disease was linked to geographic expansion, host switching, resurgence due to climate change, and newly recognized parasite species. Such integrative approaches serve as cornerstones for detection, prediction, and potential mitigation of emerging infectious diseases in wildlife and persons in the North and elsewhere under a changing global climate.

This article presents the results of an ion temperature climatology study that examined ionospheric measurements from the European Incoherent SCATter (EISCAT) Svalbard Radar (ESR: 78.2° N, 16.0° E) and the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR: 65.1° N, 212.6° E) during the year-long campaign of the International Polar Year (IPY) from March 2007 to February 2008. These observations were compared with those of the Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE-GCM), as well as the International Reference Ionosphere 2012 (IRI-2012). Fairly close agreement was found between the observations and TIE-GCM results. Numerical experiments revealed that the daily variation in the high-latitude ion temperature, about 100–200 K, is mainly due to ion frictional heating. The ion temperature was found to increase in response to elevated geomagnetic activity at both ESR and PFISR, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies. At ESR, a strong response occurred during the daytime, which was interpreted as a result of dayside-cusp heating. Neither TIE-GCM nor IRI-2012 reproduced the strong geomagnetic activity response at ESR, underscoring the need for improvement in both models at polar latitudes.

The debate on the climatic impact of Arctic changeis currently focused on the fate of the perennial sea-ice andthe climatic and social effects of its disappearance. Developmentsin our observing techniques mean that we are in prospect of beingtechnically able to describe the ocean-atmosphere-cryospheresystem of high northern latitudes operating as a complete systemfor the first time. Understanding this system and improving itspredictability in models seems to be our most direct way of extendingthe ability of society to mitigate for or adapt to its changes,including global change. The integrated Arctic OceanObserving System (iAOOS), described here, is a means of piecingtogether the available PIs, gear, ships and funding on the pan-Arcticscale that seems necessary to making the attempt, and the InternationalPolar Year (2007-2009) provides the necessary stimulus for doingso.

“Deployment of broadband seismic stations on the Antarctica continent” is an ambitious project to improve the spatial resolution of seismic data across the Antarctic Plate and surrounding regions. Several international collaborative programs for the purpose of geomonitoring were conducted in Antarctica during the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008. The Antarctica’s GAmburtsev Province (AGAP; IPY #147), the GAmburtsev Mountain SEISmic experiment (GAMSEIS), a part of AGAP, and the Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET; IPY #185) were major contributions in establishing a geophysical network in Antarctica. The AGAP/GAMSEIS project was an internationally coordinated deployment of more than 30 broadband seismographs over the crest of the Gambursev Mountains (Dome-A), Dome-C and Dome-F area. The investigations provide detailed information on crustal thickness and mantle structure; provide key constraints on the origin of the Gamburtsev Mountains; and more broadly on the structure and evolution of the East Antarctic craton and subglacial environment. From GAMSEIS and POLENET data obtained, local and regional seismic signals associated with ice movements, oceanic loading, and local meteorological variations were recorded together with a significant number of teleseismic events. In this chapter, in addition to the Earth’s interiors, we will demonstrate some of the remarkable seismic signals detected during IPY that illustrate the capabilities of broadband seismometers to study the sub-glacial environment, particularly at the margins of Antarctica. Additionally, the AGAP and POLENET stations have an important role in the Federation of Digital Seismographic Network (FDSN) in southern high latitude.

Deception Island is an active volcano located in the south Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It constitutes a natural laboratory to test geophysical instruments in extreme conditions, since they have to endure not only the Antarctic climate but also the volcanic environment. Deception is one of the most visited places in Antarctica, both by scientists and tourists, which emphasize the importance of volcano monitoring. Seismic monitoring has been going on since 1986 during austral summer surveys. The recorded data include volcano-tectonic earthquakes, long-period events and volcanic tremor, among others. The level of seismicity ranges from quiet periods to seismic crises (e.g. 1992-1993, 1999). Our group has been involved in volcano monitoring at Deception Island since 1994. Based on this experience, in recent years we have made the most of the opportunities of the International Polar Year 2007-2008 to introduce advances in seismic monitoring along four lines: (1) the improvement of the seismic network installed for seismic monitoring during the summer surveys; (2) the development and improvement of seismic arrays for the detection and characterization of seismo-volcanic signals; (3) the design of automated event recognition tools, to simplify the process of data interpretation; and (4) the deployment of permanent seismic stations. These advances help us to obtain more data of better quality, and therefore to improve our interpretation of the seismo-volcanic activity at Deception Island, which is a crucial step in terms of hazards assessment., This work has been partially supported by the projects POL2006-08663, CGL2007-28855, CTM2008-03062, CTM2009-07705, CTM2009-08085 and CTM2010-11740 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Within the polar science community the Polar (and Geophysical) Years represent signal events. We often read, largely within geoscience literature, that those events represented positive and dramatic steps forward in international science. From five recent books - two historical compilations and three personal narratives - augmented by interviews with a few key participants, a more cautious picture emerges, of remarkable successes but also of occasional or even persistent missteps and deficiencies. An improved understanding of the IPY concept and experience can provide useful guidance for future polar and global science. Keywords: International Polar Year; International Geophysical Year; international science; history of polar science (Published: 1 April 2013) Citation: Polar Research 2013, 32 , 20789, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/polar.v32i0.20789

Diverse data accumulated by many science projects make up the most significant legacy of the International Polar Year (IPY 2007-2008). The Polar Data Center (PDC) of the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) has a responsibility to manage these data for Japan as a National Antarctic Data Center (NADC) and as the World Data Center (WDC) for Aurora. During the IPY, a significant number of multidisciplinary metadata records were compiled from IPY endorsed projects with Japanese activity. A tight collaboration was established between the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD), the Polar Information Commons (PIC), and the newly established World Data System (WDS).

Background. The Canadian International Polar Year (IPY) program made it possible to undertake much needed health research in 3 jurisdictions within the Canadian Inuit Nunangat (homeland) over a 2-year period: Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), Nunavut Territory, and Nunatsiavut. Design. The Adult Inuit Health Survey (IHS) was a cross-sectional survey and provides baseline data upon which future comparisons can be made for prospectively assessing factors leading to the progression of chronic diseases among Canadian Inuit. With the help of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen , which was equipped with research and laboratory facilities, 33 coastal communities were visited; land survey teams visited 3 inland communities. Results. The Adult IHS succeeded in obtaining important baseline information concerning the health status and living conditions of 2,595 adults living in ISR, Nunavut and Nunatsiavut. Conclusion. Information from this survey will be useful for future comparisons and the opportunity to link with the International Inuit Cohort, a follow-up evaluation, and for the development of future health policies and public health interventions. Keywords: International Polar Year; Inuit; health research; survey; Canadian Arctic (Published: 16 November 2012) Citation: Int J Circumpolar Health 2012, 71 : 19752 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v71i0.19752

The fourth International Polar Year (IPY), which ended in March 2009, represented a ca. 50% increase in the funding of polar science, a major expansion of the observing effort across polar and subpolar seas, the deployment of a wide range of new and complex observing techniques and a gratifying new degree of international collaboration in their use. As a result, the IPY has revolutionized our polar data sets to provide our first real glimpse of the ocean-atmosphere-cryosphere operating as a complete system. Here we focus on one particular aspect of the emerging results - the ‘‘connectivities’’ that may develop between individual research projects over time, developing the complexity of our understanding in real if unexpected ways as new findings emerge, ramify and mesh within projects or between them. For simplicity, we illustrate this valuable but unpredictable process by using one particular Arctic-sub-Arctic project - Canada Three Oceans - as our initial reference point and attempting to trace out a small subset of its interconnections across space, time, projects and disciplines. Keywords: International Polar Year; connectivity; downscaling; northern seas; climate change; international collaboration (Published: 29 December 2011) Citation: Polar Research 2011, 30 , 10908, DOI: 10.3402/polar.v30i0.10908

International audience; The spatial distribution, biogeochemical cycle and external sources of dissolved cobalt (DCo) were investigated in the southeastern Atlantic and the Southern Ocean between 33°58′S and 57°33′S along the Greenwich Meridian during the austral summer 2008 in the framework of the International Polar Year. DCo concentrations were measured by flow-injection analysis and chemiluminescence detection in filtered (0.2 μm), acidified and UV-digested samples at 12 deep stations in order to resolve the several biogeochemical provinces of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and to assess the vertical and frontal structures in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. We measured DCo ranging from 5.73 ± 1.15 pM to 72.9 ± 4.51 pM. The distribution of DCo was nutrient-like in surface waters of the subtropical domain with low concentrations in the euphotic layer due to biological uptake. The biological utilization of dissolved cobalt was proportional to that of phosphate in the subtropical domain with a DCo:HPO42− depletion ratio of ~ 44 μM M−1. In deeper waters the distribution indicated remineralization of DCo and inputs from the margins of South Africa with lateral advection of enriched intermediate and deep waters to the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. In contrast the vertical distribution of DCo changed southward, from a nutrient-like distribution in the subtropical domain to scavenged-type behavior in the domain of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and conservative distribution in the Weddell Gyre. There the cycle of DCo featured low biological removal by Antarctic diatoms with input to surface waters by snow, removal in oxygenated surface waters, and dissolution and stabilization in the low-oxygenated Upper Circumpolar Deep Waters. DCo distributions and physical hydro-dynamics features also suggest inputs from the Drake Passage and the southwestern Atlantic to the 0° meridian along the eastward flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Bottom enrichment of DCo in the Antarctic Bottom Waters was also evident, together with increasing water-mass pathway and aging, possibly due to sediment resuspension and/or mixing with North Atlantic Deep waters in the Cape Basin. Overall atmospheric input of soluble Co by dry aerosols to the surface waters was low but higher in the ACC domain than in the northern part of the section. At the highest latitudes, it is possible that snowfall could be a source of DCo to surface waters. Tentative budgets for DCo in the mixed layer of the subtropical and the ACC domains have been constructed for each biogeochemical region encountered during the cruise. The estimated DCo uptake flux was found to be the dominant cobalt flux along the section. This flux decreases southward, which is consistent with the observations that DCo shows a southward transition from nutrient-like towards conservative distribution in the mixed layer.

Over the past 20 years, drastic changes have occurred at the basin scale in all Arctic sea ice characteristics: extent and concentration, thickness and distribution, drift and deformation, and age and category. The Arctic sea ice annual cycle is trending toward that of Antarctica, where most sea ice melts in summer and forms in winter (see Perovich, 2011, in this issue). To be able to predict future changes in the Arctic and their consequences, we need to understand and attribute the causes of rapid evolution of sea ice, ocean, and atmosphere that are currently underway. During the fourth International Polar Year (IPY), the European project DAMOCLES (Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies) demonstrated that a sea ice-centric approach was very efficient for tracking climate changes. But, to understand Arctic sea ice variability, it is essential to simultaneously observe the atmosphere and the ocean.

En marzo de 2007, dio comienzo el Año Polar Internacional 2007-2008 (IPY), que se desarrolló durante 2 años hasta marzo de 2009, para abarcar temporadas completas en el Ártico y en la Antártida. Es un acontecimiento de carácter científico y a escala mundial, que tiene carácter conmemorativo. Su celebración coincide con el 125 aniversario del Primer Año Polar Internacional (1887-1888), el 75 Aniversario del Segundo Año Polar Internacional (1932-1933) y el 50 Aniversario del Año Geofísico Internacional (1957-1958), que condujo al establecimiento del SCAR y del Tratado Antártico. El IPY 2007-2009 está promovido por el Internacional Council for Science (ICSU) y la World Meteorological Organization (WMO). España es la primera vez que ha participado activamente en este acontecimiento, haciéndolo con la primera campaña Ártica del BIO Hespérides, y con las 2 bases antárticas operativas. Para la base Antártica del Ejército de Tierra "Gabriel de Castilla", el año 2008 es especial ya que, a la celebración del Año Polar Internacional, se une la conmemoración del 20 aniversario de la presencia española en la Isla Decepción. Fue en el año 1988 cuando se instaló un primer refugio, pero no fue hasta el año 1998, cuando tuvo consideración de Base Antártica. Este artículo tiene como finalidad la descripción de las áreas de Sanidad y de Medio Ambiente, tal y como se denominan en la estructura de la Campaña Antártica del Ejército de Tierra, o áreas cuya responsabilidad corresponden a Oficiales del Cuerpo Militar de Sanidad; también conmemorar esta fecha tan señalada, y a las personas que han participado en las distintas campañas antárticas. In March 2007 began the International Polar Year 2007-2008 (IPY) that lasted two years until March 2009 to span complete seasons in the Arctic and the Antarctic. It is a scientific event on a global scale with a commemorative character. Its celebration coincides with the 125th Anniversary of the First International Polar Year (1887-1888), the 75th Anniversary of the Second International Polar Year (1932-1933) and the 50th Anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958) which led to the establishment of the SCAR and the Antarctic Treaty. The IPY 2007-2009 is promoted by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Spain has actively participated, for the first time, in this event with the first Arctic Campaign of the BIO "Hespérides" and the two operational Antarctic bases. For the Army's Antarctic base "Gabriel de Castilla" the year 2008 is special as it combines the celebration of the IPY with the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Spanish presence in Deception Island. It was in 1988 when the first shelter was established, although it was not considered an Antarctic Base until 1998. The aim of this article is to present the Environment and Health fields, as they are called in the structure of the Army Antarctic Campaign and which are the responsibility of Medical Service officers, as well as commemorate this significant date and remember the participants in the different Antarctic Campaigns.

This paper reviews current knowledge of sedimentation patterns in the Arctic Ocean during the pronounced climatic cycles of the last several hundred thousand years, an especially relevant time period that provides long-term context for present climate change. The review is largely based on data collected during recent research icebreaker cruises to the Arctic Ocean, with a focus on the 2005 Healy-Oden TransArctic Expedition (HOTRAX) and 2007 Lomonosov Ridge Off Greenland (LOMROG) expedition. The sediment cores and geophysical seafloor mapping data collected enable reconstruction of past oceanic environments. Evaluation of these data suggests that the two major Arctic Ocean circulation systems, the Trans-Polar Drift and the Beaufort Gyre, persisted throughout most of the Late to Middle Quaternary, approximately the last 0.5 to 0.7 million years. Extreme conditions, nonanalogous to modern environments, also occurred in the past, especially during Pleistocene glacial intervals. Some of these intervals likely featured much thickened and/or concentrated sea ice and incursions of ice shelves and armadas of megasized icebergs from the margins to the center of the Arctic Ocean. In contrast, much warmer conditions with reduced sea ice extent existed during interglacial periods. Characterization of ice conditions during these intervals is critical for evaluating the present and projected future reduction of Arctic sea ice. Oceanography, Arctic Ocean, Sediments, Cenozoic, Paloceanograpgy

Since the Arctic Ocean began forming in the Early Cretaceous 112–140 million years ago, the Arctic region has undergone profound oceanographic and paleoclimatic changes. It has evolved from a warm epicontinental sea to its modern state as a cold isolated ocean with extensive perennial sea ice cover. Our understanding of the long-term paleoclimate evolution of the Arctic remains fragmentary but has advanced dramatically in the past decade through analysis of new marine and terrestrial records, supplemented by important insights from paleoclimate models. Improved understanding of how these observations fit into the long-term evolution of the global climate system requires additional scientific drilling in the Arctic to provide detailed and continuous paleoclimate records, and to resolve the timing and impact of key tectonic and physiographic changes to the ocean basin and surrounding landmasses. Here, we outline the long-term paleoclimatic evolution of the Arctic, with a focus on integrating both terrestrial and marine records.

Despite concerns about rapid changes in Arctic Ocean physical forcing and ecosystem function, quantitative knowledge and time series are scarce. The number of reliable physical-biological coupled models and models based on remote sensing is small. To improve our comprehension of carbon flux in the most prominent Arctic Ocean feature, the seasonal ice zone, a possible first step is to evaluate how biogeochemical cycling might develop in the future by examining conceptual models that address climate warming and seasonality in ecosystem development. Here we present three conceptual models of biogeochemical cycling and climate warming in the seasonal ice zone of the Arctic Ocean. They are designed to enhance, in a conceptual and semiquantitative manner, understanding of the possible temporal sequence of future primary production development, its spatial variation, and food availability in the most productive part of the future Arctic Ocean, including pelagic-benthic coupling. We speculate that the largest changes will take place in (a) the northern portions of today’s seasonal ice zone, which will expand to cover the entire Arctic Ocean, and (b) the southern portions, which will be exposed to more thermal stratification. The former change increases and the latter change decreases productivity and supply to the bottom. Lack of nutrient availability means that new production in the central Arctic Ocean will remain low. Blooms of ice and plankton algae may start earlier, depending on snow cover, providing more continuity in food supply for grazers in the upper water column. Weakening of today’s highly episodic primary production in the seasonal ice zone will result in lower average food concentrations for pelagic heterotrophs. We suggest that more of the available energy will be recycled in the pelagic zone, and that vertical export of biogenic matter will be less variable and of reduced quality.

The Polar Resource Book (PRB)-Polar Science and Global Climate: AnInternational Resource for Education and Outreachwas created in 2010 to ensure efforts catalyzed by the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 will continue to inspire educators, students, and emerging polar researches into the next generation with a shared commitment to outreach and education. It comprises information on polar research and the history of the IPY. It addresses climate change related issues from the perspectives of the Indigenous population in the Arctic. It provides a selection of teaching resources on six polar themes (atmosphere, ice, ocean, land, people and space) and showcases large-and small-scale education and outreach projects successfully carried out during the IPY. At the time, the project received support from a wide range of actors who are a part of the IPY community, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Science Council (ISC), as well as the Canadian IPY Secretariat and IPY program, the National Academies of the United States, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the organising committee of the flagship IPY Oslo Science Conference (OSC), and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS).

Substantial abiotic changes have recently been observed across the Arctic. At the close of the Fourth International Polar Year, we take stock of the ecological consequences of recent climate change in the Arctic, focusing on effects at population, community, and ecosystem scales. Despite the buffering effect of landscape heterogeneity, Arctic ecosystems and the trophic relationships that structure them have been severely perturbed. These rapid changes may be a bellwether of changes to come at lower latitudes, and have the potential to affect ecosystem services related to natural resources, food production, climate regulation, and cultural integrity. We highlight areas of ecological research that deserve priority as the Arctic continues to warm.

portuguese Antarctic permafrost research has developed fast in the last decade. The research was initiated by the centre for Geographical Studies of the university of lisbon in the framework of a collaboration with the university of Alcalá (Spain) and the Spanish Antarctic programme in 1999. In 2007 and 2008, collaborations have extended, respectively to the bulgarian and Argentinean programmes. The critical mass has grown substantially since then and other institutions are now also involved on the research activities. The development of scientific activities was fostered by the International polar year 2007-08 and supported by funding from public and private institutions. A wide-scope education and outreach project has significantly contributed to the public and political awareness of the science programme, and a close interaction between scientists and society has developed. The main research topics are permafrost, active layer and geomorphological processes monitoring, with an emphasis on detection of climate change signals., Finisterra, vol. 44 n.º 87 (2009)

Fifty years ago, the first International Geophysical Year (IGY) generated a huge step function increase in observations of ionospheric variability associated with the almost continuous geomagnetic activity experienced during the largest solar maximum of the past 100 years. In turn, these observations fueled more than a decade of theoretical advancement of magnetospheric-ionospheric electrodynamics and geomagnetic storm physics. In stark contrast, the current International Polar Year (IPY; 2007–2009) is occurring during what may well turn out to be the deepest solar minimum in 100 years. Potentially, it could be a very geomagnetically quiet period, a period during which ionospheric variability will be driven by processes in the troposphere and mesosphere. Since the variability of the ionosphere-thermosphere system associated with the upward propagating planetary, tidal, and gravity waves from the lower atmosphere is expected to be independent of the solar cycle, the IPY period is an ideal time to study the interchanges between the lower and upper atmospheric regions.

Eulerian time series form an important element of the modern oceanographic toolbox. As part of the North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO; Morison et al., 2002; http://psc.apl.washington.edu/northpole), we therefore maintained a bottom-anchored, instrumented mooring within ~ 55 km of the North Pole from 2001 to 2010 (Aagaard et al., 2008). The mooring site was over the Pole Abyssal Plain in water ~ 4,300 m deep, a location that illuminated boundary current evolution along the Eurasian flank of the Lomonosov Ridge and events in the interior ocean away from the boundary. Standard measurements have included velocity, temperature, salinity, and pressure at various depths, as well as ice thickness (Morison et al., 2002). In 2005 and 2006, sensors for bio-optics and nutrients were added.

The Arctic Ocean is changing rapidly as Earth's climate warms. To document and understand these changing ocean conditions, we developed a rosette that collects high-quality oceanographic data and is deployed from an aircraft through a 30.5 cm diameter hole drilled in the ice (Figure 1). The rosette is modular, with the modules attached vertically on a conducting hydrowire to achieve a small diameter. Typically, three modules with four 4-liter bottles each are positioned above the conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) module (Figure 2). The rosette package is lowered through the ice and retrieved at speeds up to 40 meters per minute using a small winch mounted in the aircraft. The hydrowire leads from the aircraft to a sheave hung from a tripod on the ice above the hole inside a tent that is heated to prevent water samples and sensors from freezing (Figure 3). The CTD data are acquired and displayed in real time on a laptop computer, and bottles are closed at desired depths electronically. Upon recovery, each water-bottle module is immediately placed in a cooler with bags of snow, which provide thermal stability within ± 2°C of the in situ temperature. The modules are returned to a base camp where they can be sampled and the samples processed under controlled conditions. A wide variety of water samples can be collected. Thus far, we have collected samples for salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, helium isotopes, oxygen isotopes, chlorofluorocarbons, SF6, tritium, CO2, barium, and 129I. The quality of all samples has been excellent. Smethie et al. (2011) provide a detailed description of the rosette and its performance.

In 2002, oceanographers began a study of Arctic freshwater export via Nares Strait (Münchow et al., 2006). This 550 km channel separating Greenland from Canada is possibly the longest narrow waterway on Earth. Surrounding ice-capped terrain rises above 2000 m. We used the US icebreaker Healy to install recording instruments on submerged moorings in summer in 2003, but planned their recovery in 2005 via an ice camp in spring, because the dangerous fast moving pack ice of summer makes ship-based recoveries difficult.