Articles & Interviews
Sciencepoles articles look at key findings from a range of polar science and research fields. Our articles RSS feed will inform you when new articles are published on this website.
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Auroras: Mysterious Lights in the Sky
16.03.2007
Auroras are wondrous and mysterious phenomena occurring primarily in the polar regions of the Earth. During an aurora, coloured bands of light appear in the sky and seem to dance around creating an eerie yet spectacular light show in the sky. They are a constantly occurring phenomenon, although they are…
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International Polar Year Kicks off March 1st
22.02.2007
The International Polar Year 2007-08 will be launched on the 1st of March. Across both hemispheres, dozens of nations are organizing events and ceremonies both large and small to celebrate the occasion. Together, they will engage experts, children and the general public, and will play an important role in raising…
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Southern Ocean Ecosystem Key for Global Climate
16.02.2007
Professor Christiane Lancelot is a marine ecological modeller whose work focuses on sea-ice extent and ecosystem dynamics in the Southern Ocean. She is the Principle Investigator of the Belgian research projects BELCANTO (BELgian research on Carbon uptake in the ANTarctic Ocean) and SIBClim (Sea Ice Biogeochemistry in a Climate change…
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IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: The Polar Perspective
12.02.2007
On the 2nd of February 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group 1 (out of three) released its contribution to the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report. Entitled 'The Physical Science Basis, Summary for Policy Makers', the contribution makes predictions on future climate change and describes the progress made…
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Roger Barry: Bridging IGY and IPY
09.02.2007
SciencePoles interviewed Arctic climatologist Professor Roger G. Barry, Director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). From 1976 to 1982, Professor Barry was the Director of the World Data Center for Glaciology (WDC) set up during the the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957-58. In 1982 he became…
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Julian Gutt: The Antarctic Polarstern / CAML Expedition ANTXXIII/8
09.01.2007
Huge areas of sea floor (around 3,250 km2) have been freed up by the collapse 4 years ago of the Larsen B platform along the Antarctic Peninsula, leaving a blank spot on Antarctic maps. Polarstern, the research flagship of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, will shortly…
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CCAMLR: Record Antarctic Haul Not a Sure Sign of Replenished Stocks
03.01.2007
The first part of the expedition ANTXXIII/8 on Polarstern focuses on biological investigations on fish stocks as a contribution to the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), following a dozen similar surveys since 1976. Researchers monitor previously fished areas located in the western part of the…
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International Collaboration during the IPY 2007-2008
28.11.2006
In addressing the subject of international scientific collaboration during the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008, it seems only appropriate to start by asking if this is something new? Perhaps a unique concept spearheaded by this 4th IPY?
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Icebreaker Polarstern to Explore Antarctic Seafloor
15.11.2006
Huge areas of sea floor (around 3,250 km2) have been freed up by the collapse 4 years ago of the Larsen B platform along the Antarctic Peninsula" leaving a blank spot on Antarctic maps. Polarstern, the research flagship of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, will shortly…
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Atmosphere, Isotopes and the Polar Record of Global Climate
27.10.2006
Dr. Pieter Tans is a Senior Scientist at the NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESLR). Dr. Tans is an acclaimed expert in carbon cycle and greenhouse gases. He has been studying atmospheric chemistry for over 30 years, utilizing every available resource from field measurements of gas exchange in current atmosphere…
