HISTORY OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR

1. HISTORY OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR • 1st IPY 1882/83 initiated by 2nd Meteorological Congress • 11 countries established 14 new research stations in Northern and Southern Polar regions • 44 met stations and observatories throughout world carried out special obs during IPY • Conducted during cooling period at end of 19th century • 2nd IPY 1932/33 Initiated by IMO • 44 nations operating 26 met stations in Northern polar region • More emphasis on augmenting existing observing network worldwide, rather than just polar areas • Conducted during 1920-40 “warming period” • International Geophysical Year 1957/58 • WMO/ICSU collaboration in worldwide effort (not just polar) • 67 countries, many of 2000 stations established are still in operation • Conducted during 1950-70 cooling

2. International Polar Year 2007/08 • “Anniversary” of past IPY’s and IGY • 14th World Meteorological Congress (May 2003) approved “Holding of a 3rd International Polar Year in 2007/08” • Acknowledgement of importance of research into processes governing environmental change in the polar regions, and also elaborating monitoring and forecasting systems, taking account of the sensitivity of high latitude regions on our planet to natural and human impacts.

3. ICSU and International Polar Year 2007/08(Initial Outline Science Plan April 20, 2004) The official period of the IPY will be from 1st March 2007 until 1st March 2009 to allow observations during all seasons, and the possibility two summer field seasons, in each polar region.The geographic focus will extend over latitudes from approximately 60 (50?) deg to the pole, both north and south. Five Themes: (1) To determine the present environmental status of the polar regions by quantifying their spatial and temporal variability. • (2)  To quantify, and understand, past and present environmental and human change in the polar regions in order to improve predictions • (3)  To advance our understanding of polar - global teleconnections on all scales, and of the processes controlling these interactions. • (4)  To investigate the unknowns at the frontiers of science in the polar regions. • (5)  To use the unique vantage point of the polar regions to develop and enhance observatories studying the Earth's inner core, the Earth's magnetic field, geospace, the Sun and beyond.

4. ICSU and International Polar Year 2007/08 Five emerging observational initiatives serve the scientific themes: (1) A synoptic set of multidisciplinary observations to establish the status of the polar environment in 2007-2008 (2)The acquisition of key data sets necessary to understand factors controlling change in the polar environment (3)The establishment of a legacy of multidisciplinary observational networks (4)The launch of internationally coordinated, multidisciplinary expeditions into new scientific frontiers (5) The implementation of polar observatories to study important facets of Planet Earth and beyond

5. Approach: • Circumpolar snapshot, 2-year long, resolving all energetic variability in time and space, including all essential variables for the ocean, land, cryosphere, atmosphere up to high altitudes, beyond “physical” domain (Theme 1) • Data work • Validation, calibration (the earlier the better) • 2-year series data assimilation enabling • polar re-analysis of the whole system for the past (beyond currently on-going efforts), • future projections. (Theme 2)

6. CEOP provides a basis, but what “add-ons” will be needed? • Polar regions reference sites (“supersites”): both land-based and in the ocean, multidisciplinary • Inclusive approach: circumpolar coverage of the whole column from ocean bottom to the stratosphere encompassing polar vortices, increased attention to all elements of cryosphere (both SH and NH, this can be added to existing survey plans), use of remote and in-situ data to resolve variability of space and time • Enhanced data assimilation (include chemistry, cryosphere, ocean, hydrology, C-cycle, etc.) • Adequate data policy and management

7. Existing planning elements: • Ideas submitted to IPY PG including proposals by AOSB-CliC, SO CLIVAR, US CLIVAR, OASIS, AICI, IPAB, SOLAS, SPARC, Antarctic transects, etc. • “Fate of the Polar Cryosphere” based on experience of Canadian “CRYSYS” – state of the cryosphere, precipitation, biogeochemical, human dimension, data management • Data management proposals by WMO and CliC, legacy of ACSYS data sets and studies, existing data sets • Experience of WCRP/CEOP – CEOPII (2007-2010) • ESSP Integrated Regional Studies in the Arctic and Antarctic. IPY is a chance to launch them. This is an excellent bridge to human dimension issues • More…

8. Current situation • Joint WMO/ICSU Committee – formed, WCRO well represented • IPY Program Office - distributed, part in Geneva (+ another country) • Letter in October asking for pre-proposals (set format for submission) • Deadline Jan 15 • Reviewed by experts on JC and others • Decision mid-June 2005 - who will be offered official IPY stamp - but there will be follow-on opportunity to submit • Data management - WMO and CliC CIPO submissons • Aims to put pieces together • Must be internationally co-ordinated • WMO Intercommission WG - chair Qin Dahe (CMA), WCRP rep. – B. Goodison • IPY concept is evolving

9. Summary - ACTION • WCRP is organizing a pan-WCRP working group to facilitate its contribution to IPY including planning of coordinated enhanced observations. CliC leads this work BUT WE NEED contacts from the projects (ASAP) • We need to know ASAP what you, your agency, colleagues, country are planning as IPY activities/projects that are WCRP related • Contacts are V. Ryabinin and B. Goodison and all the volunteers/contributors we can muster • We are open to barbs, arrows, darts, and money – as well as comments and suggestions