|
The
United States marked the start of International Polar
Year (IPY) on Feb. 26, 2007, with an event hosted by the
National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Academies
in Washington, D.C. During the ceremony, a panel of government
leaders presented the role their agencies will play in
this international effort. Polar scientists discussed
the latest research and expeditions to take place during
IPY.
"As a nation, we have explored the frontiers of
discovery and innovation on and off the ice," said
NSF Director Arden L. Bement, Jr., in his opening remarks.
Our support of research in the polar regions entails massive
logistical challenges, and immense rewards. Today, we
are refreshing our commitment to scientific leadership
in the polar regions. And we are pledging our continued
support of polar research and meeting the challenges that
entails."
International Polar Year is a global research effort
to better understand the polar regions and their climatic
effect on the Earth. More than 200 scientific expeditions
will take place over the next 2 years to study changes
to permafrost, the melting of polar ice sheets, and marine
life in the cold and dark. The research completed during
IPY will provide a baseline for understanding future environmental
change.
In related polar news, NSF announced the launch of a
new South Pole telescope, which can detect cosmic microwave
background radiation, the afterglow of the big bang, with
minimal interference from water vapor. The agency also
announced that on March 19, 2007, four NSF-supported teams
will compete in the Society of Automotive Engineers Clean
Snowmobile Challenge in Houghton, Mich., to produce a
zero-emissions snow vehicle.
"We support investments in research, education,
and tools with excitement, commitment, and the anticipation
of imparting new knowledge to a worldwide audience,"
said Bement. "Ultimately, our support of polar research
will help engage the world's citizens in a greater understanding
of science, and help us find solutions to common global
problems."
U.S. federal agencies engaged in research and education
will participate actively in IPY. The White House Office
of Science and Technology Policy has identified NSF as
the lead federal agency for coordinating U.S. IPY activities.
The International Polar "Year" will actually
extend from March 1, 2007, until March 1, 2009, to allow
researchers to conduct two annual observing cycles in
each polar region, particularly in the isolated parts
that are prohibitively cold and dark for six months of
the year.
-
National Science Foundation -
|
