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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International Polar Year Focuses on Climate Change
28.09.2006
Of the nearly 220 international research projects endorsed by the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-08, around half will be looking at the effects of climate change in the Polar Regions, and the implications of this change for the Earth's climate system as a whole. In this feature, SciencePoles examines the…
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The ABCs of the IPY 2007-2008
01.09.2006
The International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 has adopted the slogan "Polar Science - Global Impact" as the IPY will be an interdisciplinary and internationally coordinated research campaign, expected to usher in a new era of polar science. The international scientific community is eagerly anticipating its start in March 2007, as…
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The 125-Year Legacy of the International Polar Year
12.07.2006
Mark McCaffrey is associate scientist and science communications specialist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder. He is also working with the International Polar Foundation in its efforts to communicate on the reality of climate change through the findings of Polar sciences. As…
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Polar Albedo: The Earth’s White Caps Help Keep the Climate in Balance
31.01.2006
Albedo lowers the planet's average temperature. Albedo is a technical term (from the Latin alba for "white") but a very simple concept: the extent to which a surface reflects the Sun's rays. So in the case of the Earth as a whole, the darker its surface on average the more…
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Climate Change: The Essentials
21.12.2005
Climate change linked to global warming is a critical issue for polar scientists and researchers. The climate of the poles is changing faster than the rest of the world and what once seemed immutable aspects of the polar climate, such as Arctic sea ice at the North Pole, are now…
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Flora and Fauna: The Essentials
27.10.2005
The Arctic and Southern Oceans may be comparable in the abundance and adaptation methods of the species they harbour in their waters, but the flora and fauna of the polar lands could not be more different. Whereas Antarctica is a continent on which the largest land based animal is a…
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Earth: The Essentials
20.07.2005
The polar regions provide unique opportunities for understanding the earth's geological history. Continents have shifted significantly over the eons and Antarctica was once a part of an enormous landmass containing all contemporary continents. Exploring the geology of the Antarctic continent and the Arctic Ocean seabed presents great challenges for polar…
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Permafrost: Not Quite So Permanent
05.07.2005
Permafrost is soil (and/or rock) that remains below zero degrees Celsius year-round for at least two consecutive years. It is mostly found in the polar regions and in mountain ranges at high altitude. In recent decades, with global warming, permafrost has decreased in the Arctic and across the world's mountain…
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Atmospheric Circulation
08.06.2005
Atmospheric circulation is one of the key factors driving regional changes in wind, temperature, precipitation, moisture and other climatic variables. This large-scale movement of air (together with ocean circulation) is the means by which heat is distributed across the Earth's surface, particularly northward from the equator towards the poles. Without…
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SCAR and IASC Getting Nations Together
26.05.2005
The Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), operate as separate, but parallel organisations working under or in association with the International Council for Science (ICSU) to facilitate international polar research initiatives across all disciplines. Both have the most active European polar research nations…
