“The work must continue” was the message when the organizers of the International Polar Year 2007–2008 (IPY) presented the main research findings at a ceremony in Geneva in February. More than 160 projects involved researchers in more than 60 countries during the two-year scientific campaign focused on the polar regions.

IPY was a joint venture of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Council for Science (ICSU). Their preliminary report, State of Polar Research, shows that the global environment is changing faster than ever in human history.

In a press release on the document, Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the WMO, pointed out that IPY “came at a crossroads for the planet’s future.” Among the findings:

            -Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are losing mass, contributing to sea level rise.

            -In the Arctic, year-round sea ice decreased to its lowest level since satellite records began 30 years ago.

             -The types and extent of vegetation in the Arctic shifted, affecting animals and hunting.

             -Pools of carbon stored as methane were found in permafrost. Thawing permafrost would destabilize the stored methane and release it into the atmosphere.

              -Above-global-average warming was confirmed in the Southern Ocean, where surveys uncovered a complex range of life.

             -New connections have been made between ozone concentrations above Antarctica and wind and storm conditions over the Southern Ocean. 

The IPY organizers say the international community must follow up on the findings. They call for preserving IPY data, identifying locations for polar research programs, and focusing attention on polar research and polar issues at the highest levels.

“The work begun by IPY must continue,” said Jarraud. “Internationally coordinated action related to the polar regions will still be needed in the next decades.”

A major IPY science conference will take place in Oslo in June 2010.