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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High Latitude People: The Human Dimension of the Polar Regions
26.08.2005
The human dimension of the Arctic and the Antarctic could not be more different. Whereas the circumpolar regions surrounding the Arctic Ocean have been inhabited for millennia by a host of indigenous communities, the Antarctic continent has never had any indigenous human inhabitants and was only discovered and first stepped…
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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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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…
