Norway’s participation in International Polar Year

Norwegian research communities have participated actively in the planning of International Polar Year. Norwegians are represented in more than half of the 206 internationally endorsed IPY clusters, and head about twenty of these. Since some countries have not yet committed financial resources, it is uncertain how many projects will be funded.

Thirty research projects

Norway's financial contribution has been stipulated by the Storting through allocations from the national budget. A Government proposal called for the allocation of NOK 80 million to International Polar Year from the 2007 budget of the Ministry of Education and Research. In addition, a smaller sum was earmarked for administration from the budgets of other ministries.

The research projects have been granted funding through an open competition. A call for proposals was announced with a deadline of 15 March 2006, and the grant proposals have undergone extensive scientific assessment. A total of 26 internationally approved IPY projects have received partial funding from Norway through the extraordinary allocation. An additional four IPY projects received partial funding through other programmes at the Research Council (i.e. the Programme for Antarctic Research - NARE, and the Programme for Climate Change and Impact in Norway - NORKLIMA). Altogether Norway has funded 30 projects for a total of NOK 289 million.  

In addition to funding for research, NOK 14 million has been earmarked for education and outreach projects related to International Polar Year.

Logistical support

Norway has a history of involvement in the polar regions. It is the only country in the world with management responsibility in both the Arctic and Antarctic. In recent years the infrastructure in both polar regions has been expanded significantly.

The polar regions on the whole have a limited infrastructure. In addition to permanent settlements, the ability to conduct research depends in practice on logistical support in the form of transport and housing. During International Polar Year Norway can offer crucial logical support, such as research stations, sea vessels, and equipment, to researchers from around the world.

Svalbard is the most easily accessible high Arctic region in the world. Here Norway has a considerable advantage with its research platforms in Ny-Ålesund and Longyearbyen and the expanded educational capacity at the University Centre on Svalbard (UNIS). At the Svalbard Research Park a coordinating office has been set up to assist Norwegian and international researchers with organising field work in and around Svalbard. In addition, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute operates three weather forecasting stations in the Arctic, and the aim is for Norway to link these to larger international systems.

In 2005 Norway also established the Troll research station, open year round, in Queen Maud Land, which offers easy accessibility due to its airstrip. The station also has substantial resources, such as weasels and other equipment, and is now being expanded to include, among other things, a new air measurement station.

The polar regions are of special interest for space research. Norway has also developed extensive capacity in this area, such as the EISCAT radar system in Adventdalen outside Longyearbyen. A new northern lights stations is also under construction and will be completed during International Polar Year. With the Svalbard satellite station (SvalSat) Norway has considerable capacity to download data from earth observation satellites in polar orbit, which will be further enhanced with comparable downloading capacity at the Troll research station.

The Norwegian institutions, like the coast guard, Norwegian Polar Institute and Institute of Marin Research,  also have several sea vessels that will be used in the Arctic and Antarctic during International Polar Year.

Objectives

The National Committee on Polar Research has determined that International Polar Year in Norway is to be a balanced national initiative tied to the international programme. As such, the committee has established the following objectives  

1) Norway shall promote the acquisition of new knowledge of high scientific quality related to fundamental processes and key natural phenomena in the polar regions. The efforts shall produce a socially relevant body of knowledge that contributes to sound management practices, including the development of methods to forecast climate change, management of resources and the environment, and the consequences of change processes in the northern regions.

2) International Polar Year shall result in considerable expansion of long-term international cooperation, especially with Russia, and greater use of Norwegian infrastructure on Svalbard by international researchers in cooperation with Norwegian scientific circles.

3) International Polar Year shall result in a measurable increase in interest among school children and students in the subject areas in which Norway has participated, especially mathematics and the natural sciences.

4) International Polar Year shall generate increased insight within Norwegian society about the importance of polar research in particular and of the polar regions in general.

Norway's contribution to International Polar Year 2007-2008 builds on long-term national strategies for research in the Arctic and Antarctic. Other national strategies also focus on themes addressed during International Polar Year, such as the upper atmosphere and its connection to space, and earth observations.