Polar Land and Life Day

This Polar Day focusing on Land and Life, occured as hundreds of researchers focus on Arctic environments.

It was timed in conjunction with the Ninth International Conference on Permafrost (NICOP) in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the UNEP TUNZA International Children's Conference in Norway, part of IPY's continued role in raising public awareness of polar science.

Adaption and migration
Polar landscapes and terrestrial ecosystems extend from the tree line of the continental tundra to the remote northern islands of the Arctic, and from southern cold maritime islands to the dry continental deserts of Antarctica.  Ice, particularly in the form of permafrost and seasonal snow cover, plays a dominant role in all these environments.

Biological communities survive through remarkable adaptations and extensive migration. A range of climatological and ecological pressures act on these northern-most and southern-most ecosystems.  IPY research is assessing changes in vegetation (so-called greening) methane production (due to permafrost degradation), wildlife health and migration patterns, coastal erosion, and freshwater availability. 

Foto: Asgeir Helgestad / NN / Samfoto
Nydelige tuer med rosa fjellsmelle i Krossfjorden på Svalbard.

Land and life activities
A special Land and Life webpage has been prepared with information for Press and Educators, details of current projects, profiles and contact details for scientists around the world, images, background information and useful links and resources. 

During the day there was also a wide range of educational and community activities, including classroom experiments, a virtual balloon launch, and three live web-conferencing events connecting polar scientists to students around the world.