December 4 will be the seventh International Polar Day and the focus is on modern-day research taking place at both poles. With the theme Above the Polar Regions, background information and activities will feature polar meteorology, atmospheric sciences, astronomy, and polar observations from space.

Teachers and others are invited to use resources from the Above the Polar Regions web site to prepare for a week-long observation and celebrate the day. Now on the site are the following features: 

An easy-to-understand summary describes weather-related processes that are under study: polar weather in both hemispheres, which influences weather as far away as the tropics; large-scale atmospheric circulations that transport particulate and gaseous materials; astronomical observations from the polar plateaus; and weather observations from space.

Each process then has its own page with more background, photographs, videos, and links to research sites, along with links to researchers’ blogs. Provided also is a list of all IPY projects that deal with astronomy, meteorology, and atmospheric sciences. The web pages of the projects provide a huge amount of information.

Classroom activities include a downloadable aurora observation guide, tours of research stations in Antarctica, and a list of educational materials from the European Space Agency, which offers astronomy exercises and weather study tools.

A section called Meet the Scientists profiles several researchers and gives email addresses. There will be two Live Events on December 4 connecting polar researchers to classes and individuals around the world.  

Using a program called Tagzania, schools can launch a virtual weather balloon to show their participation in the IPY day and see where other participating schools are located around the globe.

IPY provides downloadable and printable flyers, which schools and others can use to publicize the observation of the seventh IPY Day.  

Materials compiled for the past six themed Polar Days are available at http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/international_polar_days/ .  

Weather and the Climate was the theme of the June 2008 issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears. You’ll find science and literacy materials designed for K-5 classrooms there.