September, 1, 2006
IPY workshop: Communicate and reach out the IPY in Europe
Tarfala, Sweden
The European Polar Board arranges, jointly with the Swedish Research Council, a “follow-up” workshop of the “Polar Connection”-workshop held in Brussels in March 2006. The main aim of the workshop is to increase and implement the collaboration and awareness in the European IPY communications and outreach activities.
Targeted and invited participants are those working in science communication, science festivals, at museums, with the media etc. For more information, contact Catherine Schall.
September, 4, 2006 Call for Nominations for the Canadian IPY National Committee
The IPY 2007-2008 is shaping up to be an intense, international campaign of coordinated polar observations and analysis. Four years ago, the Canadian Polar Commission (CPC), Canada’s adhering body to IASC and SCAR, was asked to stimulate a discussion on Canada’s role in the IPY and engage Canadians in the planning of IPY 2007-2008 activities. The Commission has since conducted Community Consultations and Workshops throughout Canada’s North; as well as held meetings with individuals and organizations having a key interest in polar science to engage them in helping define Canadian IPY activities in order to develop a national IPY program. more information
September, 5, 2006 Tara anchored on ice
Ice-breaker "Kapitan Dranitsyn continued operations on DAMOCLES program.
Together with Tara yacht it moved to a chosen earlier ice field, where all the equipment and fuel was unloaded. The yacht anchored on ice for overwintering.
Climate conditions: air temperatuer -7, wind 30-6
September, 12, 2006 Arctic diary: Aboard the Vagabond
By Eric Brossier — Spitsbergen, Norway (map) — September 7, 2006
[From the log of the Vagabond, an expedition yacht acting as a floating base camp for scientists around Spitsbergen.]
September 13, 2006 Polar processes and IPY session opened at ESSP
The organizers for the ESSP meeting in Beijing in November have made another polar session available! Session 38: 'Polar Processes in Global Environmental Systems'. We invite papers and posters. Please submit a title and abstract AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to Dave Carlson and Vicky Lytle.
September 15, 2006 Arctic ice melting quickly
Studies made by the US. space research institute NASA have shown a gradual shrinking of Arctic ice since the 1970s. The latest studies show decreasing amounts of ice also in wintertime. – The climate changes have become more evident in the Arctic, researcher Josefino Comiso, representative of NASAs Goddard Center in Washington.
September 21, 2006 In October, Norway takes over from Russia as chair of the Arctic Council.
The council is an important arena for discussing environmental issues and the ArcticClimate Impact Assessment has boosted understanding of climate change. Norway’schairmanship of the Arctic Council will partly coincide with the International PolarYear 2007-2008 - an important opportunity to step up international research cooperation in the Arctic and in the Antarctic.
September, 21, 2006 Small group of researchers is hoping to take some of the mystery out of Arctic
forecasts in an ambitious $3-million project that will install buoys in the sea ice,
a dozen new weather stations and Nunavut's first-ever Doppler radar unit in southern
Baffin Island, with a view to better understanding -- and predicting -- the
territory's fierce weather.
September, 25, 2006 Academy of Finland granted more than 900 000 euros for ice and climate studies.
The Kinnvika project received 760 000 euros.
Research group led by John Moore was granted 370 000 euros for ice core drilling and radar survey in Vestfonna Glacier in Nordauslandet, Svalbard. Research on spatial and temporal variability of snow properties on Vestfonna led by Professor Matti Lepparanta received 153 200 euros and Professor Veli-Pekka Salonen was granted 240 000 euros to study Quaternary environmental changes of ice-free terrain in Nordauslandet.. Both Professors are from the Helsinki University.
The Finnish Meteorology Institute’s project ICESTAR – Interhemispeheric Conjugancy in Geospace Phenomena and their Heliospehric Drivers received 171 200 euros. more information
September, 26, 2006 VECO Polar Resources Offers Safety Training
VECO Polar Resources Offers Safety Training
25-30 March 2007
Boulder, Colorado
Interested principal investigators should send an e-mail message to:
Angela Pagenkopp
E-mail: angela@polarfield.com
VECO Polar Resources (VPR) is offering a field safety training course to
National Science Foundation (NSF) funded arctic researchers. The course
will take place in Boulder, Colorado, on 25-30 March 2007 and will be
facilitated by LTR Training Systems (http://www.survivaltraining.com).
The course will cover wilderness medicine training, helicopter/bear
safety training, and field skills specific to working in arctic areas.
September, 28, 2006 Northern Dimension commencing 2006-09-27
After more than a year of elaboration and negotiations, representatives of the EU, Russia and Norway last Friday reached agreement about a new Northern Dimension Framework Agreement. –The Barents Cooperation initiative plays an important role in the new ND agreement, Finnish researcher Lassi Heininen. He stresses that the new agreement has enhanced focus on energy issues and climate change and that it in a direct way includes both Russia and Norway.
In contrast to the 2nd ND action programme, the new framework agreement has the EU, Russia and Norway as equal partners.
Heininen, who has been engaged in the elaboration process from the Finnish side, says representatives of the EU, Russia and Norway finalized negotiations last Friday and that the agreement is scheduled for signing in late November. The researcher adds that Russia has been heavily engaged in the whole process.
The new agreement will follow the priorities of the EU-Russian four common spaces. Heininen says that the Barents Cooperation can be said to be a forerunner for the Northern Dimension initiative.
Heininen participated at the conference “Energy & Dispute Mangement in the Barents Region”, taking place in Brussels today. The conference was organized jointly by the Madariaga European Foundation, the East-West Institute and the Barents Institute.
September 29, 2006 Meeting of Heads of the Arctic Secretariats
Washington DC, USA
Heads of the national IPY Secretariats are invited for a discussion forum meeting in Washington DC to contribute to the process of implementing IPY in the Arctic.
The invitation has been sent out to the national IPY secretariats in the Artic. The meeting will be held 5 - 6 October 2006 at the National Academy of Science.
