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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Goodbye Gulf Stream by 2200
07.07.2005
In a paper published in Science in June 2005, Ruth Curry of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Cecilie Mauritzen of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute report that patterns of fresh water accumulation in the Nordic Seas (in the Arctic) in recent decades suggest that the Gulf Stream would cease…
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Polar Science and Investing in Communication
06.07.2005
Alain Hubert is a civil engineer and polar explorer. A ceaseless wanderer in the snow-covered regions of the world, and co-founder of the International Polar Foundation (IPF), he is a dedicated communicator on polar matters. His principal aim is to increase awareness of the importance of polar science and research…
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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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Polar Ice: The Essentials
21.06.2005
Although polar ice might appear homogenous it is in fact surprisingly diverse, often prompting queries about the differences between the various types of ice found in the polar regions.
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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…
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History of Polar Research
25.05.2005
The history of polar research has always been intertwined with the great chapters of polar exploration, but looking beyond the national expeditions of the past, polar science is perhaps most indebted to the succession of International Polar Years (including an International Geophysical Year) organised in the last 125 years. Milestones…
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IPY 2007-2008: A Warming World Focuses on the Polar Regions
25.05.2005
Remote and inhospitable, the polar regions remain insufficiently studied. At a particularly sensitive time in the history of the Earth due to global climate change, the International Polar Year (IPY) of 2007-2008 will seek to remedy this situation through an intense, internationally coordinated campaign of research. The fourth of its…
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High Latitude Real Estate: European Polar Stations
24.05.2005
Jewels in a polar programme's crown, research stations act as invaluable operational platforms from which to support local and deep field research expeditions, as well as all types of atmospheric, astronomical, meteorological, biological and medical observations. Rightly or wrongly, stations are also often regarded as the best indication of a…
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When Polar Science Goes beyond the Poles
24.05.2005
Aside from pure information such as, for example, the insight into the evolution of climate change provided to us by ice cores, polar research often also produces direct and sometimes unexpected applications for humans. These applications touch on everything from space and material sciences, to medicine and cold enzymes. See…
