The IPY: A Success Story
02.03.2009 - Logistics, Atmosphere & Space, Water & Oceans, Land & Geology, Ice & Snow, Flora & Fauna, Human Dimension, Other, Arctic, Antarctic
Scientists and policymakers gathered at the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday 25 February to mark the end of the fourth International Polar Year.
The IPY was the largest international science collaboration since the International Geophysical Year 50 years ago. It came at a critical time when we need to better under stand climate change and it has substantially increased our knowledge about the poles. The effort involved 60 countries, cost .2 billion ( 952 million) and saw research in a wide variety of fields: geophysical and climatic systems of the poles, biodiversity, epidemiology, and even sociological issues of indigenous Arctic peoples.
Results of IPY studies were published in the report 'The State of Polar Research'. The summary of these results outlines what has been learned so far from IPY projects: sea level rises due to the melting of ice sheets, sea-ice decreases in the Arctic, anomalous warming in the Southern Ocean, and the storage and release of methane in permafrost. Findings show climate changes are occurring much faster than originally thought in both hemispheres.
The latest IPY was also different from those in the past in that many projects - ranging from climate monitoring to measuring local wildlife populations - involved northern residents as full partners in conducting research. It also tried to maximise public engagement across a number of disciplines, with collaboration in the education sector being particularly successful.
