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Polar Week: What Happens at the Poles Affects Us All

Written by Anita Thorolvsen Munch, Journalist og press release

Published: 01.10.2009

October 5. marks the the kíck off for a full week of fresh accessible polar science, live events, classroom activities, virtual balloon launches and spontaneous global inter-connections. This October Polar Week explores the many changes in polar regions.

Polar Days and Weeks
During IPY, a regular sequence of International Polar Days have raised awareness and provided information about particular and timely aspects of the polar regions.

The Polar Days include press releases, contacts to experts in several languages, activities for teachers, on-line community participation, web-conferencing events, and links to researchers in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Find out more here

Although most of us will never encounter sea ice or permafrost, see mountain glaciers, or meet a free-living penguin, we recognize the impacts of polar changes on our global systems, on our weather and climate, and on our neighbors in many parts of the world.

For five full days from October 5 - 9, the October Polar Week, will provide interested from all over the world with the opportunity to explore and learn more about the many changes taking place in the polar regions.

A week of activities
There are many ways to get involved in the October Polar Week. Here are some of them:

Contribute to a worldwide public lecture series. Show your polar enthusiasm by organizing a presentation about polar environments for your local Rotary, 4-H, Boy Scout/ Girl Scout troop, church group, school association, city council, university, or wherever your community gathers!
Learn about the linkages in polar ecosystems. Discover how polar organisms depend on each other. What happens to these food webs when one or several organisms disappear?
Explore polar changes through the IPY Polar Books collection. Access a virtual library full of books, book excerpts, posters, photos, artwork, teachers' guides and activity sheets. Take your class on an adventure as you explore changes in the polar regions.
Join a discussion on the future of the Arctic. Understand and act the roles of experts, advocates, and decision-makers in a discussion of the benefits and costs of commercial resource extraction versus natural resource protection for Arctic regions.
Investigate the physical and biological complexity of sea ice. What properties of sea ice, different from freshwater ice, allow it to support surprising ecosystems?

If you want more information about the activities, visit www.ipy.org.

Foto: Sigrid Lind Johansen

Launch a Virtual Balloon
You can also show your participation in this International Polar Week, by launching a virtual balloon and share what type of activity you are doing during the week wether it is a classroom activity or a public talk.
Find out how to do it here.

The Polar Resource Book
The activities during the October Polar Week are drawn from submissions to the Polar Resource Book(Polar Science and Global Climate) which is created by IPY's Education and Outreach Working Group in conjunction with APECS.

The Polar Resource Book is created in an attempt to ensure that the efforts catalyzed by IPY will continue to inspire educators, students, and next generation polar researchers.

The Book is a response to continual requests from educators and scientists wishing to raise awareness about the importance of polar science during a time of rapid climate change. The project has received support from a wide range of participants who are a part of the IPY community, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), as well as the University of the Arctic, the United National Environment Program (UNEP), and the organizing committee for the flagship IPY Science Conference to be held in Norway in June 2010.

Last updated: 02.10.2009

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