Formally beginning on the first of March 2007, the International Polar Year (IPY) marks the 125th anniversary of the first polar year and the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year. IPY is a worldwide effort to perform scientific studies and conduct educational activities to advance human understanding of how the Earth’s polar regions impact global climate systems. The IPY year will extend to March 2009 so scientists can conduct two annual observing cycles.
The opening ceremony for this polar year will be held at the Palais de la Découverte, a famous science museum in Paris, France. France is not the only country celebrating this momentous event. The United States, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden will also participate and perform scientific studies.
The IPY has to cover both the Artic and the Antarctic regions, so scientists will take two full years to perform over 200 projects. IPY scientists from over 60 countries will conduct experiments dealing with biological, physical, and social research topics. The IPY program will compile its findings and show how the polar ice caps affect the Earth as a whole. Some scientists will even try to find out more about the Earth’s history.
Former Craigmont Planetarium Intern Scott Budzien, Ph.D., has studied the polar regions. Scott has been investigating ultraviolet airglow for more than a decade and is passionate about his findings. He has conducted many experiments, some of which have traveled into space. One of his experiments went up with Space Shuttle mission STS-39 aboard its Hitchhiker canister.
With the new discoveries to be found, scientists hope to perform many successful experiments in the polar regions. They want to inform the general public about the effects of climate on everyday life due to the icy regions and learn more about the history and make up of the Earth.