International Polar Year 2007–2008 - WMO

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IPY 20 07–20 08
Fig. 1.6-1. IPO staff
members during
the days of the JC-4
meeting on Svalbard,
September 2006. Left
to right: Cynan Ellis-
Evans, Rhian Salmon,
Nicola Munro, David
Carlson and Odd
Rogne.
(Photo courtesy: David.
Carlson)
were compiled into a searchable web-based database
and assembled against seven themes by the IPO and
evaluated by the Joint Committee members prior to
and at their first meeting in March 2005 (Chapter 1.5).
Over the next nine months the IPO (now with fulltime
Director David Carlson), working with the Joint
Committee, coordinated the entire process to ensure
continuity and confidence, encouraged links and
collaborations between the proponents of these many
EoIs. That effort resulted in 422 full project proposals
submitted in three batches between spring 2005 and
winter 2006. The IPO undertook an enormous amount
of information processing, coordination, promotion
and solicitation in developing consensus and building
project teams.
The IPO also played a major role in helping to
develop many of the full proposals and in establishing
the overall IPY science program through a fair, open
and accessible international endorsement process.
IPO staff interacted personally with the project
coordinators (usually two coordinators per project),
assisted in the application process, advised on
improvements and revisions, helped identify and
negotiate partnerships, and ensured a prompt
review process for the submitted proposals by the JC
members. The final 231 endorsed projects (170 with
eventual funding – Appendix 2) were each represented
on what became the iconic IPY honeycomb chart
(which was itself an innovation of IPO Director Carlson
– Appendix 6).
During this period the IPO also broadly promoted
IPY internationally and developed partnerships with
key bodies and organizations. Among many invited
and keynote speaking requests, IPO staff presented
the concept and plans for IPY to the Foreign, Environment,
and Research Ministers, and Prime Ministers of
several countries; Arctic, EU, Nordic, and Saami Parliamentarians;
the Executive Boards and General Assemblies
of ICSU, WMO, and the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC); Presidents of International
Scientific Unions; and to Global Climate Funding
Agencies. They presented widely to IPY National
Committees and at a wide range of relevant scientific
conferences, symposia and workshops. They were
particularly active promoting and explaining IPY at
meetings of polar scientific and political bodies (e.g.
European Polar Board, Arctic Science Summit Week,
Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials meetings, Antarctic
Treaty Consultative Meetings, etc.) and at fora concerned
with climate and climate change (e.g. UNFCCC
Negotiations, WMO Commission on Atmospheric Sciences,
etc.). The IPO Director David Carlson was particularly
energetic and enthusiastic in his travel and
advocacy in support of IPY (Box 1; Fig.1.6-2).