International Polar Year 2007–2008 - WMO

1.2 How IPY 2007–2008 Was Born: 1997–2003
Lead Author:
Igor Krupnik
Contributing Authors:
F.W.G. Baker, Robert Bindschadler, Paul Egerton, Chris Elfring, Leonard Johnson,
Vladimir Kotlyakov, Chris Rapley, Eduard Sarukhanian and Jörn Thiede
Reviewers:
Ian Allison and Leah Goldfarb
Introduction
Unlike three previous International Polar (Geophysical)
Years in 1882, 1932 and 1957, IPY 2007–2008 lacks
an origination legend of its own. So far, it has not generated
its iconic ‘creation myths,’ similar to the story
of the dinner party at James Van Allen’s house in April
1950 that gave rise to IGY or Carl Weyprecht’s proposal
of 1875 that opened the door to IPY-1 (Chapter 1.1). A
few published historical accounts on the origination
of IPY 2007–2008 are rather brief; they also commonly
dwell on certain lines of its multifaceted history. 1 The
emerging history of IPY 2007–2008 is, actually, very
complex and, in contrast to its predecessors, this IPY
had numerous early advocates and independent origination
sources over the course of several years. It also
had a few false starts. Compared to the previous IPYs, it
was much more a ‘bottom-up’ development with a far
broader interdisciplinary appeal, as it engaged larger
swaths of polar science community, beyond meteorology,
oceanography, atmospheric and space studies
that were instrumental to IPY-1, IPY-2 and IGY.
For over four years, from 2000 when the idea was
put forward until spring 2004, many groups debated
and advanced their proposals for a new IPY, until these
independent, often competitive streams merged into
a common planning process. Therefore, creating a
shared origination narrative of IPY 2007–2008 remains
a work in progress. It is also an urgent task while our
memory is still fresh and most of the relevant sources
are in hand. This chapter covers the period from the
first discussions about launching the new IPY until
summer 2003, when those efforts crystallized into
a dedicated planning process spearheaded by the
PA R T O N E : PL A N N I N G A N D I M PLEMEN T I N G I PY 20 07–20 0 8
ICSU Planning Group (Chapter 1.3). It relies upon
the emerging archives of various sources, including
documents, papers, letters, website postings and
recorded (taped) narratives of several early IPY
champions (see Acknowledgements). A more detailed
summary will be left for future historians to explore.
The IPY 2007–2008 Origination:
Chronology and Narrative
1982 –1983: ‘Aborted’ 25th Anniversary
Evidently, the first time people started talking
about the ‘fourth’ IPY was in the late 1970s, as the 25th
anniversary of IGY was approaching. In 1978, ICSU
established within its framework an ad hoc Group
(later Committee) to study the desirability of ICSU
commemorating in 1982-83 the anniversaries of all
three earlier IPYs (F.W.G. Baker, pers. comm., 19 January,
2010). The Group was chaired by Marcel Nicolet, the
former Secretary General of CSAGI (Chapter 1.1) and
it was composed of several remaining IGY veterans,
Vladimir Beloussov, W.J. Granville Beynon, Jean
Coulomb, Viggo Laursen, Alan Shapley, with F.W.G.
(Mike) Baker as Secretary. The idea of a new IPY was
discussed during the meeting at the ICSU Secretariat
in April 1981, but as no agreement was reached, no
proposal for actions was put to ICSU. Nevertheless
the Committee suggested to ICSU that two lectures
should be organized at the forthcoming ICSU 19th
General Assembly in Cambridge in 1982 as part of the
commemoration of the three IPYs (Fig. 1.2-1); these
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