Project ID: 11
Project Title (Full): Arctic Wildlife Observatories Linking Vulnerable EcoSystems
Project Title (Abbreviated): Arctic WOLVES
What (Background): Arctic ecosystems are being strongly affected by global change
and there is strong interest in being able to predict ecosystem responses to disturbance
and for developing viable strategies for conserving biodiversity and managing the
consequences of climate changes. Several international initiatives have been implemented
to monitor and study the response to global warming of some tundra ecosystem
components such as plants or permafrost. However, similar internationally-coordinated
efforts for research on arctic food webs focusing on wildlife species (i.e. birds and
mammals) are lacking. Yet, arctic food webs throughout the circumpolar world generally
contain few species and are often dominated by the same groups of species, and so lend
themselves well as systems suitable for comparative research.
What (Focus on Research): This project will focus on key species of herbivores (e.g.
geese, lemmings, and muskox), insectivores (e.g. shorebirds), and predators (e.g. foxes,
snowy owls, falcons, gulls, and jaegers), and their interactions at a large number of arctic
sites across North America and Eurasia. A primary objective is to document patterns of
abundance, distribution, and phenology of reproduction of these species over large spatial
and temporal scales using standardized protocols. A secondary objective is to determine
the relative importance of bottom-up (resources) and top-down (predators) forces in
structuring these arctic food webs, and how climate affects these trophic linkages.
What (Geo Ref):
Bylot Island, Alert (NU, Canada) 73 N 80 W, 83 N 62 W
Karrak Lake (NU), La Pérouse Bay (MB, Canada) 67 N 100 W, 59 N 94 W
Ivvavik N Park (YT), Anderson River (NWT, Canada) 65 N 140 W, 70 N 129 W
Barrow (Alaska, USA) 71 N 157 W
Zackenberg (Greenland, Denmark) 74 N 21 W
Vindelfjällen (Sweden) 66 N 16 E
Ny-Alesund (Svalbard, Norway) 79 N 12 E
Pechora River, Taimyr, Lena River (Russia) 68 N 52 E, 74 N 81 E, 73 N 129 E
Where (Teleconnections):
When (Period of Observations):
Arctic
05/07 to 08/07
05/08 to 12/08
01/09 to 08/09
How: The abundance and distribution of all relevant species will be determined annually
using the same technique at all sites. For birds, this will be largely determined by finding
the nests of breeding individuals, which will also provide information on phenology.
Similarly, for foxes this will be based on finding and monitoring active dens. For
lemmings, various trapping techniques (snap and live-trapping) will be used. We will
take blood, hair or feather samples from vertebrates (especially nomadic predators) for
genetic and isotopic analysis to better understand population differentiation and trophic
linkages. Exclosures will be built to monitor resource availability for herbivores, and
their grazing impact. Insects will also be sampled to determine their seasonal abundance
for insectivorous birds. Radio-tracking of some species will be used to monitor patterns
of habitat use and activity. Winter work of resident arctic species will rely on direct
observations or remote techniques (e.g. satellite or GPS radio-tracking). Climatic data
will also be recorded at most sites year-round using automated stations. Our leading
principle will be to collect data and to conduct experiments using a set of standard
protocols that will allow comparison across all sites, and eventually meta-analyses of data
from several sites.
Why (Importance): The project aims to clarify the current state of arctic terrestrial food
webs over a large geographical range. In particular, the geographical and temporal
patterns in abundance of small mammals are key to food web dynamics, but have not
been well documented. It will provide baseline information to evaluate current and future
population trends for a large number of species at several locations. Describing the
current state will also provide substantial insights into processes of change in these
systems, particularly the role of weather events (such as ground ice following rain or
thawing) associated with climate change.
Project ID: 38
Project Title (Full): Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea Ice-Snowpack Interactions affecting
Atmospheric Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems in the Arctic
Project Title (Abbreviated): OASIS - IPY
What (Background): OASIS is an international multi-disciplinary effort to study OceanAtmosphere-Sea Ice-Snowpack Interactions in the Arctic.
What (Focus on Research): The specific focus is to develop a quantitative
understanding of the processes that are involved in Air-Surface Interactions and chemical
exchange between the title reservoirs. As the nature and extent of snow and ice cover is
changing, OASIS will assess the associated impact on, and by, climate change, and the
human and ecosystem impacts of air-surface exchanges of chemical species.
OASIS will quantify the impact of chemical, physical and biological exchange processes
on tropospheric chemistry, the cryosphere, and the marine environment, and their
feedback mechanisms in the context of a changing climate.
What (Geo Ref):
Arctic Ocean wide chemical/ozone buoy network 90N; 75N/50E; 75N/170E; 75N/150W;
60N/80W,
Drifting frozen-in icebreaker m/s Antarctica Start at 85N/100E
Icebreaker cruise with the Canadian research icebreaker Amundsen Eastern Canadian
Arctic
Russian Arctic: drifting ice station “North Pole”; ice-inforced RV "Akademik Feodorov",
"Mikhail Somov” Russian Arctic
North Pole Environmental Observatory North Pole
Ice camps, north of Barrow, East Siberian Sea, near FranzJosef land.
Arctic wide aircraft coverage
Supporting existing land bases; Ny-Ålesund, Barrow, Alert
Where (Teleconnections):
When (Period of Observations):
Arctic
08/07 to 07/08
01/07 to 12/08
01/07 to future
How: During IPY (2007 – 2009), this project proposes to: (1) Conduct coordinated
icebreaker, ice camp, and aircraft studies of OASIS chemical exchange; (2) Establish a
network of Arctic Ocean buoys that will enable year-round measurements of ozone and
related chemical species; (3) Examine physical and chemical oceanographic variables
that influence ocean-atmosphere chemical exchange, by observations of parameters in
physical oceanography; marine biology; marine geology; sea ice characteristics; and
hydrography using, among other tools, an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) as
Below ice Environmental Laboratory; (4) Conduct supporting laboratory studies of
biological, chemical and physical processes relevant to snow, ice, gas, and aerosol phase
photochemistry and chemical exchange; (5) Develop and apply 1D and 3D models of
OASIS exchange and associated atmospheric chemistry and cloud physics impacts, in
association with scientists involved with 1-3 above.
Why (Importance): OASIS has identified studies in the Arctic Ocean surface
environment as a key programmatic component to reach these goals. IPY represents a
unique opportunity to develop new initiatives that enable the community to do the best
science, made possible by an international approach to logistics and experimentation. A
legacy will be development and evaluation of new tools, implemented through a network
of complex logistics.
Project ID: 50
Project Title (Full): Permafrost Observatory Project: A Contribution to the Thermal
State of Permafrost (TSP-125)
Project Title (Abbreviated): TSP
What (Background): The International Permafrost Association’s (IPA) main
contribution to IPY will be the development of a spatially distributed set of observations
on past and present status of permafrost temperatures and active layer thicknesses.
Emphasis is on permafrost temperatures since there is currently no global database that
defines the thermal state of permafrost (TSP) for a specific time period (snapshot). The
TSP data set will serve as a baseline for the assessment of the rate of change of
permafrost temperatures and permafrost distribution, to validate climate model scenarios,
and to support process research in order to improve our understanding of permafrost
dynamics.
What (Focus on Research): The Permafrost Observatory Project has as its major
objectives to: obtain a standardised set of permafrost temperature profiles throughout the
permafrost regions of Planet Earth (snapshot); produce retrospective and contemporary
global data sets of permafrost temperatures, active layer thicknesses and temperatures,
and coastal erosion rates; increase the number of GTN-P boreholes, active layer, and
coastal erosion sites; develop new estimates of below-ground carbon in permafrost
regions; develop and promote educational and other training programs; develop
additional approaches for reanalysis of past, present and future permafrost and active
layer temperatures; develop research activities at site-specific and regional scales
including the formalization of a periglacial monitoring network and regional permafrost
mapping; utilise standard protocols and conform to IPY data management policy; and
report ongoing and new results at international conferences in summer 2008.
What (Geo Ref): See IPA permafrost map for all regions; GTN-P and CALM websites
have coordinates.
US- Alaska state-wide and if possible a new site in the Colorado Rockies (Niwot Ridge)
Canada-Mackenzie Region, Yukon, Arctic Island, Hudson Bay region and Quebec and
Labrador
North Atlantic- Greenland, Iceland, Norway, northern Finland and Sweden (PolarPACE
region) and all of Svalbard and national projects there.
European mountains: Spain, France, Switzerland (PERMOS), Austria and eastward to
Tatra Mountains in Poland
Russia and other Asian countries - China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Japan, Korea
Southern Hemisphere - all of Antarctic, Subantarctic, and islands, Andes (South
American countries), and African highland and mountains
Where (Teleconnections):
When (Period of Observations):
Arctic
03/06 to 11/06
03/07 to 11/07
03/08 to 11/08
Antarctic
10/06 to 03/07
10/07 to 03/08
10/08 to 03/09
How: The main Field Campaign is planned for the 12-18 month period during 2007-08,
but starting in 2006 with the inspection of potential remote boreholes. The updated GTNP catalogue of boreholes consists of more than 600 candidate boreholes throughout the
permafrost regions (the majority of potential sites are in Russia), 125 sites in the CALM
network, and some 25 coastal (ACD) key sites. A Project Steering Committee is under
development. Data will be incorporated into the GTN-P and archived at the National
Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), Boulder, Colorado. Education and training activities
are to be coordinated and developed through the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS).
IPA/IPY activities will be incorporated into the IUGS International Year of Planet Earth.
During summer 2008 our results will be presented at the Ninth International Conference
on Permafrost in Fairbanks, Alaska, and at the 33rd International Geological Congress in
Oslo.
Why (Importance): The acquired permafrost temperatures and related data sets will
provide the baseline against which to assess future changes in permafrost, to validate
climate model scenarios, and provide data for reanalysis of past ground temperature
(Themes 1, 2, 3). The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) reported accelerated
degradation of permafrost, and its impacts on infrastructures, coastal processes, and local
communities (Theme 6). These issues are of concern to the Fourth IPCC assessment and
the IASC-sponsored ICARP, and the WCRP Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Programme.
In addition, TSP results will provide authoritative documentation on existing conditions
and changes, and assist in land-use planning decisions.
Project ID: 151
Project Title (Full): Present day processes, Past changes, and Spatiotemporal variability
of biotic, abiotic and socio-environmental conditions and resource components along and
across the Arctic delimitation zone.
Project Title (Abbreviated): PPS Arctic
What (Background): The PPS Arctic is a multidisciplinary research cluster composed of
9 EOI’s, (cf. 1.6 & 3.11) jointly seeking to explore current processes, past changes and
spatiotemporal variability of biotic, abiotic, and socio-environmental conditions and
resource components along and across the transition zone between arctic and boreal
regions. This zone, the ‘tundra-taiga ecotone’ varies dramatically in width (up to
hundreds of kilometres) throughout the circum-arctic North and has thus a recognized
exceptional importance, in terms of global vegetation, climate, biodiversity and human
settlement. Further, the particular vulnerability of the zone to changes in climate and land
use is recognized, along with concern for subsequent alterations and shifts of its position
with consequences for the entire arctic region through feedback mechanisms. Despite this
recognition, comprehensive and large scale multidisciplinary scientific focus
incorporating cause, effect, and importance of its past and present transformation to the
biota and human societies, has been lacking.
What (Focus on Research): The main aim is to obtain an understanding of: i) The
controls on the location and pattern of the zone; ii) The effect of global change on the
location of the zone; iii) The feedback effect of the character and location of the zone on
the global climate. Implicit in these three items is consideration of the role of human
societies inside and near the transition zone. This refers both to the responses of human
communities to changes in the zone and to their impact on the ecotone.
What (Geo Ref):
Alaska
North-western Canada
North-eastern Canada
Northern Scandinavia
North-western Russia
North-eastern Russia
Southern New Zealand + Central Tasmania (cf. 3.11)
Southern Argentina (cf. 3.11)
Where (Teleconnections):
When (Period of Observations):
Arctic
03/06 to 12/06
03/07 to 12/07
03/08 to 12/08
Antarctic
12/06 to 03/07
12/07 to 03/08
How: To realize the main aim and specific objectives PPS Arctic focuses on a set of
unifying themes: terminology, location, history of shifts, interface processes, model
realism, effects of shifts, detecting shifts, and human societies and shifts.
Why (Importance): Major scientific products will include: (1) New integrated
knowledge and models identifying and quantifying the multitude of biotic and abiotic
forces governing transformation of the transition zone through space and time; how these
are likely to affect the sustained production of renewable resources on which local
cultures depend; and how human societies affect the location, structure and resilience of
the zone. (2) High quality information packages (publications, web-site, workshops) for
the public. (3) A database with uniform field data that will outlive IPY and be of long
term use for the scientific community. (4) Topic-specific and multidisciplinary scientific
publications published in journals of highest possible reputation, in books, and the IPY
book series (Pole to Pole; ID #79). (5) Recruitment of new young skilled scientists
through customised MSc and PhD programs. (6) Important new knowledge input to the
international science community for elaboration into future development within
networks/programs such as IASC, ICARP, ACIA, AMAP, CAFF, IPCC, IPA.
Project ID: 162
Project Title (Full): Starting the clock for the CARMA Network: Impacts on HumanRangifer Systems in the Circumarctic.
Project Title (Abbreviated): “CARMA” – CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and
Assessment Network
What (Background): Recent profound changes have been occurring in the North with
the potential to jeopardize the relationship forged over countless generations between
Rangifer, the land and the people. In late 2004 a concerned circumpolar group of social
scientists, biologists, ecologists, abiotic specialists, aboriginal leaders, and resource
managers met in Vancouver, Canada to launch an organization to track and assess the
impacts of the changes that are occurring. The group decided to monitor and assess the
impacts of global change on the human/Rangifer system across the Arctic through
cooperation, both geographically and across disciplines.
What (Focus on Research): The CARMA Network proposes an extensive two-year
coordinated program through IPY that will (1) provide a solid baseline of information on
representative Rangifer populations and the human communities dependent upon them
and (2) establish an on-going monitoring and assessment network of these systems.
What (Geo Ref):
Where (Teleconnections): CARMA group will be meeting in Vancouver in November
of 2005 to develop an IPY implementation plan that will include regions/herds where
protocol testing and monitoring will occur. It will be representative of the Circumpolar
North.
When (Period of Observations):
Arctic
04/06 to 03/07
04/07 to 03/08
04/08 to 03/09
How: To meet these objectives, this project will: Keep it simple, relevant to the needs of
Arctic residents; keep it transparent; conduct monitoring and assessment using an
interdisciplinary approach; include and integrate local/traditional knowledge, industry
research, field-based biological studies, and remote sensing research; focus initially on
wild Rangifer populations and those human communities that use the Rangifer resource;
build on existing monitoring and assessment programs; serve as a central depository for
historical and current information on indicators; develop and standardized protocols for
collecting, documenting, and assembling indicators; provide annual analysis on indicators
by region and “value-added” indicators that all regions can share; use a comparative
approach to address research questions and advance common understanding of the Arctic
System; and serve as a resource for policy makers facing regional decisions related to
Human-Rangifer Systems.
Why (Importance): We consider such a project as “starting the clock” across the North,
where information gathering is coordinated and comparable, where protocols are
standardized, tested and utilized. At the completion of the IPY period, CARMA will
produce a comprehensive comparative analysis of Circumarctic Rangifer populations,
which will be the tangible legacy upon which the CARMA Network can proceed into the
21st Century.
Project ID: 168
Project Title (Full): International Polar Year Youth Steering Committee (IPY YSC)
Project Title (Abbreviated): IPY YSC
What (Background): The International Polar Year YSC (IPY YSC) is being proposed to
ensure that IPY’s goals to include the next generation of polar researchers and the
world’s youth are met.
What (Focus on Research): The IPY YSC would go beyond the goals of individual
national YSC’s and focus on projects more global in scope such as: an International
Youth Conference on the Poles (IYCP) that would take place during IPY (proposed for
late August, 2008); in collaboration with International Heliophysical Year (IHY)-IPY’s
IGY-Gold Program, connect youth to the previous generations of polar researchers;
establish an International YSC website focused on how to get youth involved, and nclude
an education centre where youth can educate themselves about polar issues and download
materials to educate their peers and communities; document youth opinions on what the
legacy of IPY should be; create a youth mentorship program in association with the
Youth Science Foundation Canada (YSF); connect youth to the poles and to each other.
What (Geo Ref):
Antarctic Peninsula
Canadian Eastern Arctic (Baffin, Devon, Ellesmere)
Greenland
Where (Teleconnections):
When (Period of Observations):
How:
Why (Importance): The YSC will form a world-wide network of young people who
care deeply about the Polar Regions and the issues facing these areas. It will ensure that
after IPY has ended, the focus on polar research will not. It will provide the opportunities
for the next generation of polar researchers to get the training and mentorship necessary
for them to succeed in future polar research and will hopefully spawn new creative
interdisciplinary directions for these polar research activities. It will ensure that the voice
of youth is heard by policy makers and will make sure that the youth voice is not
overlooked in the future. It will ensure that this generation does not forget the wisdom of
generations past. It will bring awareness to the youth of the world about the Polar
Regions and will hopefully, through that awareness, bring about positive change.
Project ID: 188
Project Title (Full): International Tundra Experiment (ITEX): impacts of long-term
experimental warming and climate variability on tundra ecosystems
Project Title (Abbreviated): ITEX
What (Background): The International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) is a coordinated
network of scientists and sites across the tundra biome established in 1990 to: a) monitor
for long-term changes in terrestrial ecosystems; and b) conduct warming and other
environmental manipulations to test hypotheses related to effects of environmental
variability and change on these ecosystems.
What (Focus on Research): This organization will use its unique network to examine
the long-term responses to experimental warming at the ecosystem level, and begin to
scale these results to landscapes and regions through vegetation models and connections
to other terrestrial programs. This project will establish new standardised measurements
of responses to warming and other manipulations at each ITEX site, including: changes in
organic and inorganic nutrient availability using ion exchange membranes; stable isotope
analysis of major species to determine whether shifts in water or nutrient sources have
occurred; soil respiration rates and net ecosystem carbon exchange using chamber
techniques to assess effects on CO2 fluxes and carbon balance; analysis of 14C of CO2
respired from soils to determine age of carbon lost from the system in response to
warming; and use of spectral radiometric techniques to assess the changes in species
composition and abundance, which will allow scaling the responses to vegetation models
based on satellite imagery. The changes in abundance and composition will be measured
using our standardised point-frame method.
What (Geo Ref):
Alexandra Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada 78° 53' N, 75° 45' W
Svalbard, Norway 78° 12' N, 15° 40' E
Barrow, Alaska, USA 71° 18' N, 156°44' W
Toolik Lake, Alaska, USA 68°38’N, 149°36’W
Latnjajaure, Sweden 68° 21′ N, 18° 29′ E
Auðkúluheiði, Iceland 65˚16' N,
Daring Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada 64° 52' N, 111° 35' W
Finse, Norway 60˚37' N
Where (Teleconnections):
When (Period of Observations):
Arctic
01/07 to 12/07
04/08 to 12/08
01/09 to 12/09
How: The new methods will be developed and published in a completely revised ITEX
Manual. In addition, we will complete a comprehensive synthesis of species and
community responses in control plots to ambient climate variability across the biome.
Our control plots have been monitored in some cases since 1992, and will allow an
examination of the effects of switches in the phases of the Arctic and North Atlantic
Oscillations that have occurred in the mid 1990s. This analysis will also provide the
context for the long-term experimental responses measured in our IPY program.
Why (Importance): This program will be integrated with other IPY projects throughout
the Arctic and with a program in the Antarctic. These associations will include proposed
research from other IPY projects being conducted at ITEX sites, and the use of ITEX
protocols in sites throughout the Arctic and Antarctic. It is intended that this integration
among IPY projects will provide opportunities to enhance greatly the results from all
terrestrial studies, and will lead to long-lasting collaborations in polar research. ITEX
sites and revised protocols will also form a lasting legacy from IPY.
Project ID: 214
Project Title (Full): Retrospective and Prospective Vegetation Change in the Polar
Regions: Back to the Future
Project Title (Abbreviated): BTF
What (Background): Between 1964 and 1974, a network of IBP* Tundra Biome sites
was established in both polar areas. Intensive investigations of primary production,
production processes, decomposition, plant community structure and soil fauna were
carried out together with studies of freshwater ecosystems. These sites and many of the
original researchers represent a unique asset for detecting multidecadal environmental
change. IPY provides timely opportunities for collating data on past changes, passing
knowledge to new generations of researchers and documenting environmental
characteristics of sites to facilitate detection and attribution of future changes at IBP sites
and others, and on IBP topics in an interdisciplinary context.
What (Focus on Research): Proposed project intends to (1) assess multidecadal past
changes in the structure and function of Polar terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and
environments in relation to diverse divers of change; (2) assess the current status of Polar
ecosystems and their biodiversity; and (3) permanently record precise locations of old
sites in order to perpetuate platforms for a) the assessment of future changes in Polar
ecosystems and their environments and b) sampling for Polar research and assessment
programmes.
What (Geo Ref):
Sub-Antarctic Core IBP sites; Antarctic Macquarie Island, Signy Island and South
Georgia
Arctic/sub Arctic Core IBP sites; Disko Island (Greenland), Stordalen (Sweden), Point
Barrow (Alaska), Kevo (Finland), Tareya (Russia), Devon Island (Canada)
Cold-temperate Core IBP sites; Stigstuv and Finse (Norway), Moor House (UK)
Additional sites will be visited in Greenland, Svalbard, Iceland, the Faroe Islands,
Finland and Russia
Where (Teleconnections):
When (Period of Observations):
Arctic
06/07 to 08/07
06/08 to 08/09
Antarctic
12/07 to 02/08
12/08 to 02/09
How: IBP sites in both polar regions will be re-visited, documented, and pinpointed with
GPS. IBP Tundra Biome alpine and temperate upland sites will be included: comparison
among such diverse, cold sites gave increased information on the environmental controls
of ecosystem processes. BTF will also include appropriate non-IBP polar and sub-polar
sites. Investigations of primary production, production processes, decomposition, plant
community structure and soil fauna will be repeated using original techniques. Additional
measurements (biological and non-biological) will be made following meetings of the
BTF group and representatives of linked projects (e.g. ITEX*, IPA*, TARANTELLA*)
to maximise the efficiency of time in the field in often remote localities and to ensure
cross-disciplinary connections.
Why (Importance): BTF will identify multidecadal past changes in terrestrial and
freshwater ecosystems at diverse sites in both polar regions. It also looks to future
changes by preserving legacies of old sites, data and environmental records, and by
passing knowledge between generations of researchers. We will combine old knowledge
with new technological abilities to improve the baseline data established more than 30
years ago into a current benchmark understanding of the state of the polar environment
that will persist over future decades.
Project ID: 343
Project Title (Full): Students on Ice - IPY Youth Expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic
Project Title (Abbreviated): SOI-IPY
What (Background): Since 1999, Students on Ice - the world leader in educational
youth expeditions to the Polar Regions - has successfully operated 10 youth expeditions
to both the Arctic and the Antarctic involving over 500 youth from 25 countries.
What (Focus on Research): Participating youth will travel on the expeditions together
teams of leading scientists, expert and educators. Students will participate in a worldclass, multi-disciplinary education program prior to and during each expedition. The
academic program will weave together elements of experiential, expeditionary, and
problem-based learning, and will focus on Experience, Understanding, Inspiration,
Transformation, Action, and Change. Lectures, workshops, and hands-on activities will
focus on subjects such as marine biology, glaciology, geology, environmental issues and
sciences, history, culture, politics, flora and fauna, oceanography, sustainability,
traditional knowledge, art, technology, and much more. Some of the scientific/education
team will conduct hands-on science activities and research as part of their ongoing
research projects. Youth forums, student-led action groups, and inter-generational
mentoring are examples of other learning formats that will be incorporated.
What (Geo Ref):
Where (Teleconnections):
When (Period of Observations):
How: SOI-IPY will organize and operate one Arctic expedition and one Antarctic
expedition each year between 2007-2009, for a total of six educational polar expeditions
between 2007-2009. Each expedition will have 75 participating youth, and 35 scientists,
experts, educators, world leaders, journalists, etc. Participating youth will be between the
ages of 14-25 yrs. The goal is to have a total of 450 participating youth from countries all
around the world.
Why (Importance): SOI-IPY will provide inspiring, life-changing experiences to youth;
will inspire the next generation of Polar researchers and scientists; will raise awareness
internationally about IPY and polar issues; develop Polar curriculum and resources;
create media attention and a tv-documentary series; and overall will serve as a
tremendous IPY legacy project.