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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Established in August 2006 by young researchers involved in the planning stages of the fourth International Polar Year (IPY 2007–2008), the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) has evolved into the pre-eminent international organization for polar researchers at the beginning or early stages of their careers. Now comprising over 2,600 members from approximately 74 countries, APECS represents an international, interdisciplinary body of undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, early faculty members, educators, and others with interests in polar regions and the cryosphere. The program aims to raise the profile of polar research by providing a continuum of leadership that is both international and interdisciplinary, and by stimulating collaborative projects in research, education, and outreach. In line with this aim, many of its founding members are now transitioning into the APECS mentor role by providing guidance, advice, and opportunities for newer APECS members, demonstrating the perpetuity of the organization and its mission.

The Svalbard Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, initiated in 2003, provides a unique, field-based research experience for US undergraduates in Arctic Quaternary geology and climate change. The Svalbard archipelago, between 74° and 81°N latitude in the North Atlantic, lies at the northern end of the warm Gulf Stream current and therefore is sensitive to subtle climate and oceanographic changes. Svalbard has warmed considerably during the last 90 years, and climate proxies indicate even greater Holocene climate variability. Our program has two main purposes: to train young scientists in cutting-edge, Arctic field research methods, and to reconstruct climate changes of the past 5,000 years from layered sediments in lakes and fjords.