Did you know that this year is the International Polar Year?

The International Polar Year runs from March 2007 to March 2008 and is a year during which many scientists from around the world dedicate their time to carrying out important scientific research in the Arctic (the North Pole) and the Antarctic (the South Pole). They study the atmosphere, the land, the ice, the oceans, the fauna and flora and the people of the Poles and any changes in the environment that could have an impact on these.

This year some 200 scientific projects are being carried out and thousands of scientists from over 60 nations are taking part.

The International Polar Year through history

The idea of having an International Polar Year was invented by an Austrian explorer and naval officer called Lt. Karl Weyprecht, who was a scientist and co-commander during an Austro-Hungarian Polar Expedition in 1872-74.

During this expedition he realized that if scientists gathered scientific data from near the Earth’s Poles, they could find solutions to many of the problems related to the climate and the environment that our planet is facing. This is mainly because so many processes happening in the environment of these two Polar regions have an impact on the climate, sea and land of the rest of the planet.

He also realized that because the collection of all this information is such a massive task, scientists from different countries needed to work together to collect as much data as possible. That is why it became an “international” thing.


Now you might be wondering why we are having an International Polar year now when this guy invented it over a century ago?! Well, because this is actually the fourth International Polar Year!!! Three others took place over the last 125 years. The first ran from 1882 to 1883, the second from 1932 to 1933, and the third from 1957 to 1958.

Weather station and meteorological data recorded at Cap Thordsen, Spitzbergen, during the first IPY.

Why is the International Polar Year Important?

Think of all that you have been hearing about climate change in the news, at school, etc. In the Polar regions many changes are occurring because of global warming. Glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice and permafrost are all decreasing in size, and so is the timing and duration of snow cover.

If the ice sheets shrink in size there will be an increase in global sea level, which could lead to the flooding of coastal cities and low-lying areas in many parts of the world!!!

A decrease in snowfall and the size of glaciers will affect millions of people living close to the Poles who depend on these for water, both for personal use as well as for agriculture.

Changes in the size of sea ice can alter ocean circulation and, therefore, sea temperature. Such changes in sea temperature could have an impact on marine ecosystems and on the climate of different parts of the world. Pic of sea ice

Defrosting of permafrost will a ffect around 25% of land in the northern hemisphere. Apart from the fact that local ecology and hydrology will degrade, if this frozen soil defrosts a lot of methane will be released into the air. Methane is a greenhouse gas and one of the causes of climate change; the more methane is released into the atmosphere, the more global warming there will be!! Pic of permafrost

This is why it is so important for researchers to understand what is happening in the Poles. It is for our survival. Initially the over 4 million people living close to the Poles will experience changes in their natural environment, resources and food systems. But in time people all around the world will be affected by the changes in climate and the rise in sea level. Pic of people living close to the Poles

If you want to learn more about IPY and its projects, visit the website ( www.ipy.org ). You may read about what researchers are doing and see images transmitted directly from the Poles!!!

Wondering if anything is happening in Malta that is connected to the Interantional Polar Year??? …… click here

(IPY is being organized thanks to the International Council of Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organisation ( WMO)