Polar News and Notes Ezine Departments

This winter will mark 100 years since explorers first reached the South Pole within weeks of each other  — Roald Amundsen on December 14, 1911, and Robert Falcon Scott on January 17, 1912. Commemorations, exhibits, and books are expected; some events have already begun and at least one book published.
Norway will celebrate two anniversaries in […]

“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 […]

If you are attending the NSTA national conference in New Orleans this week, be sure to connect with Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears! You’ll be able to find us at a variety of locations and events:
Exhibit Hall
National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Booth: #1532
Presentations
Energy and the Polar Environment
Saturday, March 21
5-6 pm
Convention Center, Room R04
Download the presentation […]

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom has announced that it will explore a lake that has been buried beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet for hundreds of thousands of years.
During the 2012-2013 Antarctic winters, researchers will sample water from subglacial Lake Ellsworth in the search for life forms and extract sediment from the lake […]

The USA-National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), a consortium of government, academic and citizen scientists, has launched a new program built on volunteer observations of seasonal changes in plant and animal behavior. The observations will be monitored by scientists and resource managers to track the influence of climate changes on the seasonal cycles of plants, animals, and […]

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour on Saturday, March 28, at 8:30 p.m. local time to make a global statement about the urgent need for action on climate change.
Observed annually, Earth Hour is expected to involve 950 cities […]

Integrating science and literacy content gets a boost every March when the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council release their list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12. Each year since 1973, the two organizations have been selecting high quality, engaging, and scientifically accurate books from publishers of books for […]

News from the polar regions in February included news of the many effects of climate change in the Arctic, surprising discoveries of fossils and marine species, and how Antarctica’s environment aided NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander project. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!
Climate change continues to affect the Arctic region, leading to melting glaciers, […]

Rick Holt, a 2008 Iditarod finisher, near Finger Lake. Photo courtesy of John Concilus.
It’s that time again – the 37th annual Iditarod Sled Dog Race across Alaska will begin at 10 am, March 7, 2009. This ceremonial start is in downtown Anchorage, with the competitive start (or “restart”) scheduled for Sunday, March 8, 2009 in […]

Aerial views of migrating land mammals are not that unusual today, but videos of migrating Arctic marine mammals were—until this past summer.  
A camera crew aboard a helicopter captured the summer migration of the narwhal, an elusive, medium-size whale, for a natural history unit of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). According to a news story […]