INteRNatIoNaL PoLaR yeaR 2007-2008

An Overview of Research Goals and Activities

National Academy of SciencesNational Academy of Engineering

Institute of MedicineNational Research Council

POLAR RESEARCH BOARD

MEMBERS:

ROBIN BELL,Chair,Lamont-DohertyEarthObservatory,ColumbiaUniversity

JAMES E. BERNER,CommunityHealthServices,AlaskaNativeTribalHealthConsortium

DAVID BROMWICH,ByrdPolarResearchCenter,OhioStateUniversity

CALVIN R. CLAUER,UniversityofMichigan

JODY W. DEMING,UniversityofWashington

ANDREW G. FOUNTAIN,PortlandStateUniversity

SVEN D. HAAKANSON,AlutiiqMuseum,Kodiak,Alaska

LAWRENCE HAMILTON,UniversityofNewHampshire

LARRY HINZMAN,UniversityofAlaska

STEPHANIE PFIRMAN,BarnardCollege

DIANA HARRISON WALL,ColoradoStateUniversity

JAMES WHITE,UniversityofColorado

Ex-OFFICIOMEMBERS:

JACKIE GREBMEIER,UniversityofTennessee

MAHLON C. KENNICUTT,TexasA&MUniversity

TERRY WILSON,OhioStateUniversity

STAFF:

CHRIS ELFRING,BoardDirector

MARIA UHLE,ProgramOfficer

LEAH PROBST,ResearchAssociate

RACHAEL SHIFLETT,Sr.ProgramAssistant

ANDREAS SOHRE,FinancialAssociate

InternationalPolarYear(IPY)2007-2008isoneofthelargestcollaborativescience

programseverattempted.FromMarch1,2007,throughMarch9,2009,scientists

from across the globe will conduct coordinated research programs in theArctic

andAntarctic.Morethan200projectsareplanned, involving50,000peoplefrom

more than 60 countries.The ambitious agenda has a distinctly multidisciplinary

approach, incorporating physical and biological sciences, social sciences, and a large

educationcomponent.

IPY2007-2008continuesalongtraditionofscientificcollaborationandachievement,

datingbacktothefirstIPY150yearsagoin1882-1883,asecondIPYin1932-1933,

andtheInternationalGeophysicalYearin1957-1958.TheNationalScienceFoundation

has already funded the first round of IPY 2007-2008 projects in the United States,

andmanyothernationshaveputsubstantialresourcesbehindthecollaboration.The

NationalAcademies’PolarResearchBoarddevelopedavisionforIPY2007-2008and

continues to provide leadership for theUnitedStates and to serve as a resource to

participantsandthegeneralpublicasIPYgetsunderway.

Today, the polar regions still represent a vast frontier ripe for scientific discovery.With

thesupportof IPY2007-2008,scientistswillwork together tounlock thesecretsof the

ArcticandAntarcticworlds:Howdoes lifepersist in these, thecoldest,darkestcorners

of the globe? How will changes in glaciers, ice sheets, snow cover, and sea ice affect

theglobalEarthsystem?Howaretraditionalwaysoflifeinthepolarlatitudesfacingthe

challengesofachangingplanet?Whatwillbediscoveredwhen21stcenturytechnology

and new scientific monitoring and observational systems examine this unique frontier?

IPY2007-2008willhelpanswertheseandotherquestions.

POLAR REGIONS CRITICALLY LINKED TO GLOBAL CLIMATE SYSTEMS

Warmertemperaturesarecausingseaicetomeltandglacierstobothrecedeandflowfasterintothesea,asillustratedbytheJakobshavnGlacierinGreenland(above).NASAdatashowsthatArcticperennialseaice,whichnormallysurvivesthesummermeltseason,shrunkby14percentbetween2004and2005.Andwhateverhappensinthepolarregionsmattershereathome—whereverhomemaybe.Meltingicecanleadtosea-levelrise,threateningcoastalcommunitiesandecosystems.Itcanalsoalterglobaloceancirculation,whichiscloselyconnectedwithregionalclimateconditions.

GLOBAL CHANGES MOST KEENLY FELT IN POLAR REGIONS

IPY2007-2008isaccompaniedbyapowerfulsenseofurgency.Recentyearshavebroughtaflurryof

troublingchangesinthepolarenvironment—changesthatarehappeningfasterthanatotherlatitudes,andfasterthanscientistshadexpected.Thawing

permafrostispopulatingthearcticwithsinkinghouses,forestsof“drunkentrees”thattiltatoddangles,

aswellasweakenedroads,runways,andpipelines.

a samPLINg of IPy PRojects

GLOBAL LINKAGES:Meltingseaiceaffectsmorethanjustsealevels.Whenpolaricefreezes,itexudesasaltybrinethatdescendstothedeepocean.Whenpolaricemelts,it

releasesrelativelyfreshwaterthatremainsintheocean’ssurfacelayers.Thisfreeze-meltcyclenotonlyaltersthecomplexionofpolaroceans,butitcanalsoalterthecirculation

ofwaterandheatthroughoceansaroundtheworld,affectingregionalclimates.DonPerovichandBruceElderoftheU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineersColdRegionsResearch

andEngineeringLaboratoryandStephenAckleyoftheUniversityofTexasatSanAntonioaresettingupasystemofbuoysbothintheArcticBasinandinAntarctica’sAmundsenandBellingshausenSeas.Thebuoyswilltakeyear-longmeasurementsofseaicethatwillhelpscientistsunderstandthechangingdynamicsofthepolarfreeze-meltcycle,

andwhattheymeanforthefutureoftheworld’soceans.

NEW FRONTIERS:Discoveredin1996,Antarctica’sLakeVostokisoneofanumberofwetenvironmentsrecentlydiscoveredbeneath4kilometersofglacialice.Theiceisfartoothickforlighttopenetrate,andthelake’swater(whichis-3oCelsius)iskeptfromfreezingonlybytheimmensepressureoftheglacier’sweight.It’snotthemosthospitableofhabitats,butonethatscientistsbelievemaybehometoauniquecollectionofmicroorganisms.CraigCary,UniversityofDelaware’sCenterforMarineGenomics,shownherewithDonCowan,willleadateamofresearcherstocharacterizethe“metagenome”(thegenomicDNAofanentirecommunityoforganisms)ofthelake’smicrobialoccupants,whichhavebeencutofffromtherestoftheworldformillionsofyears.ThisprojectisajointeffortofRussian,French,andAmericanresearchers.

UNIqUE VANTAGE POINT:PlantedamilebeneaththeAntarcticicesheetandencompassingacubickilometer,IceCubeisnoordinary

telescope.Insteadoflight,IceCube’sstringsofbasketball-sizedsensorsdetectcollisionsofneutrinoswithatomswithintheice.Mostofthese

neutrinosaretheproductofinteractionsbetweencosmicraysandtheatmosphere.Butforeverymillionoftheseatmosphericneutrinos,aneutrinofromdeepinthecosmoswillreachIceCubeafterpassingthroughtheEarth,includingneutrinosthatoriginatedinblackholes,

gammaraybursts,andsupernovaremnants.Sensorsarealreadycollectingdata,andconstructiononthetelescopewillbecompletedin

2011.Scientistshopethatthisnewkindofastronomywillleadtonewdiscoveriesabouttheuniverse.

Here are just some of the planned IPY research projects within the six key themes shaping the IPY scientific agenda.

Notallpolarresearchisdoneontheground.RobinBellatColumbiaUniversity’sLamont-DohertyEarthObservatoryisdevelopingasystemofairborneinstrumentstoexplorepolarregionsthatarecoveredbyice.Bymountingtoolslikeanice-penetratingradarantennaeandalaseraltimeteronasmallplane,Dr.Bellwillbeabletostudyanentireworldoflakes,rivers,mountains,andactivevolcanoesburieddeepbeneathpolaricesheets.

ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS:TounderstandhowclimaticvariabilityandhumanactivitieshaveaffectedtheAntarcticice,ateamofNorwegianandAmericanscientistswillworkwithoneeyeonthepastandoneonthefuture.They’llcrossoverlandfromaNorwegianbaseattotheSouthPolein2007-2008,andmakethereturntripthefollowingyear—3,000kilometersin63days.Byretracingsomeofthestepsofscientistswhotooksimilarroutesinthe1960s,they’llbeabletodetectchangesintheiceduringthelast40years.Atthesametime,thedatathey’llbecollectingcanbeusedbyfuturescientiststoanswersimilarquestions,perhapsduringthenextIPY.

qUANTIFYING CHANGE:PolarbearsmaybethemostrecognizedmembersoftheArcticcommunity,butwemightdowelltopaymoreattentiontothefungilivingunderground.Howtheseorganismsreacttowarmingtemperatureswillbekeytodetermininghowmuchofthecarboncurrentlylockedupinarcticsoilsisreleasedtotheatmosphereascarbondioxide,thelargestgreenhousegas.Usingarangeofnewmoleculartechniques,LeeTaylor,UniversityofAlaskaFairbanks,andChadNusbaumoftheGenomeSequencingandAnalysisProgramattheBroadInstitute,willconductacommunitywideanalysisofArcticfungitofindoutexactlyhowtheseorganismsfunctionintheirenvironmentandwhatkindsofchangesincreasingtemperaturesmaybring.

HUMAN DIMENSIONS:AstridOgilvie,UniversityofColorado,Boulder,willleadaninternationalteamofresearchersinanexaminationofthesocialdimensionsofenvironmentalchangeinnorthernregionsofCanada,Iceland,andNorway.Avarietyofmethodsandprojects—interviewingmembersofthefishingandwhale-watchingindustries,studyinghowfarmersinthemountainsofNorwayhaveadaptedtochangingconditions,andexaminingdiariesdatingfromasfarbackas1725—willhelpDr.Ogilvieandhercolleaguesdevelopanunderstandingofhownorthernsocietiesperceivedandwereaffectedbychangesintheirenvironment,aswellashowtheyhaveadaptedtheirlivestothosechanges.

International Polar Year 2007-2008 is an intense, internationally

coordinated campaign of research in the polar regions.

Key ReseaRch aReas• EnvironmentalStatus:Assessingenvironmentalstatusandchangeinthepolarregions

• QuantifyingChange:Understandingpastchangeandpredictingfuturechange

• GlobalLinkages:Linksbetweenpolarandglobalprocesses

• NewFrontiers:Scienceexplorationinthepolarregions

• UniqueVantagePoint:ObservingEarthandspacefromthepoles

• HumanDimensions:Sustainabilityofcircumpolarsocieties

IPy LeadeRshIPThe NationalAcademies’ Polar Research Board serves as the U.S. National Committee for IPY

2007-2008 and as the liaison to the primary international partners, the International Council

for Science (ICSU), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). U.S. federal agencies

involved in IPY 2007-2008 include the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological

Survey, National Institutes of Health, Smithsonian, and many others (for a full listing of U.S.

partners,goto http://www.us-ipy.gov).

ToreadmoreaboutIPYandfindouthowyoucanparticipate,visitthefollowingwebsites:

U.S.NationalCommittee:http://www.us-ipy.org

U.S.Government:http://www.us-ipy.gov

InternationalProgrammeOffice:http://www.ipy.org

IPYYouthCommittee:http://www.ipyyouth.org

Attention educAtors!Visithttp://www.us-ipy.govforalistofnewclassroomresources.

Photo credits: Sinking house and Quantifying Change: Larry Hinzman. New Frontiers (top photo): Craig Cary, University of Delaware; New Frontiers (airplane): Michael Studinger, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University; Unique Vantage Point: Gerald Przybylski, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Human Dimensions: Trond Woxen; Environmental Status: Daniel A. Dixon, University of Maine. Researcher (front cover): University of Washington; Walrus (front cover): NOAA

about the PoLaR ReseaRch boaRd

ThePolarResearchBoard isaunitof theNationalAcademiesdedicated to

enhancingunderstandingoftheArctic,theAntarctic,andthecryosphereand

providingguidancetothenationonissuesofimportanceincoldregions.The

PRBprovidesa forumfor thepolarsciencecommunity toaddressresearch

needsandpolicyissues,conductsprogramreviews,andfacilitatescommuni-

cationsonpolarissuesamongacademia,industry,andgovernment.

about the NatIoNaL academIes

TheNationalAcademyofScienceswasestablishedbyCongress in1863to

provideindependentscientificadvicetothegovernmentandnation.Today,the

Academycomplexincludesthreehonorarysocietiesthatelectnewmembers

to their ranks each year—the NationalAcademy of Sciences, the National

Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine—and the National

ResearchCouncil,theoperatingarmthatconductsthebulkoftheinstitution’s

science-policyandtechnicalwork.

POLAR RESEARCH BOARD

MEMBERS:

ROBIN BELL,Chair,Lamont-DohertyEarthObservatory,ColumbiaUniversity

JAMES E. BERNER,CommunityHealthServices,AlaskaNativeTribalHealthConsortium

DAVID BROMWICH,ByrdPolarResearchCenter,OhioStateUniversity

CALVIN R. CLAUER,UniversityofMichigan

JODY W. DEMING,UniversityofWashington

ANDREW G. FOUNTAIN,PortlandStateUniversity

SVEN D. HAAKANSON,AlutiiqMuseum,Kodiak,Alaska

LAWRENCE HAMILTON,UniversityofNewHampshire

LARRY HINZMAN,UniversityofAlaska

STEPHANIE PFIRMAN,BarnardCollege

DIANA HARRISON WALL,ColoradoStateUniversity

JAMES WHITE,UniversityofColorado

Ex-OFFICIOMEMBERS:

JACKIE GREBMEIER,UniversityofTennessee

MAHLON C. KENNICUTT,TexasA&MUniversity

TERRY WILSON,OhioStateUniversity

STAFF:

CHRIS ELFRING,BoardDirector

MARIA UHLE,ProgramOfficer

LEAH PROBST,ResearchAssociate

RACHAEL SHIFLETT,Sr.ProgramAssistant

ANDREAS SOHRE,FinancialAssociate

CONTACT THE POLAR RESEARCH BOARD

TheNationalAcademiesPolarResearchBoard500FifthStreet,NWWashington,DC20001Phone:202-334-3479http://dels.nas.edu/prbipyinput@lsw.nas.edu