Background

The launch of the International Polar Year (IPY) on 1 March, 2007, marked the onset of one of the most ambitious coordinated international science programmes ever attempted. Over 160 projects involving thousands of scientists, from over 60 countries and a wide range of research disciplines, set out to discover more about the Polar Regions and their critical influence on the rest of the planet.

The IPY campaign also aims to educate and involve the public while helping to train the next generation of engineers, scientists, and leaders.

• IPY celebration - 25 February 2009
• International Launch event and press conference, Paris, 1 March, 2007
• Webcasts of the International Launch Event in Paris (Download Windows Media Player)
• ICSU press releases on IPY

The IPY 2007-2008 is co-sponsored by ICSU and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It builds on a 125-year history of internationally coordinated study of polar regions. This extends back to the first and second IPYs (1882-1883 and 1932-1933), which were sponsored by the International Meteorological Organization (WMO’s predecessor) and the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), which ICSU and WMO co-sponsored. IPY 2007-2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year.

The planning for this latest IPY began in February 2003, when ICSU responded to overwhelming interest from scientists and polar and global research bodies by establishing an international planning group. This group produced the initial IPY Framework document (ICSU 2004), which was developed in broad consultation with the scientific community and approved by the ICSU General Assembly in October 2005. The ICSU planning group was succeeded by an ICSU-WMO Joint Committee that has been charged with overseeing the implementation of IPY and coordination of activities. In order to support these functions, an International Programme Office has been established in Cambridge, UK. The IPY Science Plan, which gives a detailed overview of the broad scope of research and other activities included in IPY was published in February 2007.

Resources

• A history of ICSU and Polar Research
• A Framework for the International Polar Year 2007-2008
• The IPY Science Plan
• Who's who at the International Programme Office and membership of the ICSU-WMO Joint Committee
• Terms of Reference of the IPY Joint Committee
• Contact the International Programme Office

For more information

• Media advisory (06/02/09) and contact details
• IPY activities (national and international) throughout February and March