International Polar Year 2007–2008 - WMO

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IPY 20 07–20 08
Box 8 “The State of Polar Research” (2009)
By the time of JC-6 (Quebec City, October 2007) the IPY
field phase was barely 6-months old, but the JC already
turned its attention to assessment of the effectiveness
of the overall program. In this, the JC aimed for a very
preliminary and brief assessment of whether IPY had
achieved a level of research, which would not have existed
without such an internationally collaborative effort.
Other criteria to be included in the assessment were
whether IPY addressed the key research issues identified
in the Framework document (Rapley et al., 2004); whether
international collaboration had been enhanced; whether
IPY had significantly increased funding available for
polar research; and how IPY had progressed against
its Education, Outreach and Communication “legacy”
objectives. Allison, Béland and Carlson were tasked with
drafting a paper on this for comment and feedback from
JC members by the end of 2007.
This brief “assessment” was eventually submitted as a
paper and published as a mid-term review of IPY (Allison
et al., 2008). It was realised, however, that it was too early
for a complete and impartial assessment of IPY activities
and that the JC should aim for another report on the status
of IPY. The IPY sponsors (ICSU and WMO) advocated
for a modest-size overview that could be presented at the
conclusion of the IPY field program in spring 2009 and
which would highlight IPY cooperation, major advances
and the most important issues for the polar regions.
At JC-7 (St Petersburg, July 2008), Allison presented
a draft outline of such a status report and JC members
reviewed examples of major broad-scale advances in
polar science from the new results presented at the SCAR/
IASC Open Science Conference. The status report (called
“The State of Polar Research”), which evolved with the
considerable input from David Carlson and IPO, included
these scientific highlights and the new observational
networks advanced by IPY cooperation. The report
stressed the continuing urgency for polar research and
recommended enhanced and ongoing support and
funding for polar research, sustained multidisciplinary
observational systems, and a system for long-term IPY
data preservation.
The “State of Polar Research” (Allison et al., 2009 – Fig.
1.5-17) was released online for the IPY Ceremony on 25
February 2009 and printed copies were distributed by
WMO in English, French, Spanish and Russian. This
brief (16-page) document highlighted main IPY achievements
by early 2009, but it was broadly acknowledged
that it would be over-shadowed by the scientific advances
that would eventually come from the program in the
next few years.
Fig. 1.5.17. Cover page of
the ‘State of Polar Research’
document ( Allison et al., 2009).