Polar News and Notes International Polar Year

“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 […]

March 18 will be the eighth quarterly Polar Day sponsored by the International Polar Year (IPY) organization to enable schools and other groups worldwide to join in celebration of polar research. The March theme is Polar Oceans.
Ocean-related activities will continue throughout the week of March 17-26. Resources provided by IPY include virtual balloon launches, activities […]

You are invited to share your International Polar Year (IPY) activities and resources with other teachers at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference, March 19-22, in New Orleans.
The Arctic Research Consortium (ARCUS) is organizing Teacher Share! A Share-a-Thon for Teachers Involved in IPY on Saturday, March 21, from 9 to 11 a.m. at […]

News from the polar regions in November 2008 included many climate change-related reports, the fifth largest ozone hole on record, new marine discoveries, and new polar research projects. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!
Is the winter thinning of Arctic sea ice driving the summer record lows? That’s the question many scientists are asking. […]

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 […]

The World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, meeting in Valencia, Spain, in mid-November, received the fourth report on the Census of Marine Life, which is being compiled by 2,000 scientists from 82 nations. It will be officially released in October 2010.
This report revealed some amazing new findings about life in the ocean depths. In a […]

Looking for an exciting way to incorporate polar science into your curriculum? A polar festival might just be your answer! Festivals are flexible, informal learning events that engage students as they learn science through hands-on activity. A festival might be a daylong event for the entire school, or a special family science night.
Our latest issue […]

News from the polar regions in October included further analysis of the summer Arctic sea ice melt, genetic discoveries in remarkable Antarctic fish, and preparations for a challenging Antarctic expedition. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!
In September, we reported that the Arctic sea ice extent during the 2008 summer melt season dropped to […]