IPY Launch Day

IPY tagged map - Tagzania

Today is the launch of the International Polar Year (IPY), a large scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009 (in order to have full coverage of the Arctic and Antarctic). IPY, organized through the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), is actually the 4th polar year (1882-3, 1932-3, and 1957-8). It will involve over 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from over 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics. The priorities are:

• Changing Snow and Ice
• Global Linkages
• Neighbours in the North
• Discovery

For a detailed presentation of the research you can download the honeycomb chart here.
You can watch IPY launch events around the world live at the Arctic Portal.