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International Polar Year 2007–2008 - WMO

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will trigger more permafrost thawing. The new IPY<br />

estimate of total below ground soil carbon stored in<br />

permafrost regions (ca. 1672 PgC) is more than twice<br />

the previous value. It is more than double the present<br />

atmospheric pool (ca. 750 PgC) and three times larger<br />

than the total global forest biomass (ca. 450 PgC)<br />

(Chapter 2.7).<br />

Multiple IPY studies solidified the basis for improved<br />

assimilation of satellite data in numerical<br />

weather models for regional polar prediction. Particular<br />

emphasis was put on improving the representation<br />

in models of surface processes, high-latitude clouds,<br />

cloud/radiation interactions and other key energy exchanges<br />

in the Arctic. These atmospheric models are<br />

now being run at increased resolution and are able<br />

to reproduce several processes that are essential for<br />

high-impact weather prediction. The newly incorporated<br />

processes include the role of local and middle<br />

latitude flow distortions caused by steep orographic<br />

changes, for example that in Greenland, and mesoscale<br />

phenomena referred to as “polar bombs”.<br />

In the social/human field, by far the most important<br />

frontier theme explored in IPY <strong>2007–2008</strong>, was the<br />

relationship between indigenous perspectives<br />

developed via generations of shared knowledge<br />

and observations, and the data and interpretations<br />

generated through thematic scholarly research. The<br />

field that compares such perspective did not exist<br />

prior to the late 1990s. Several IPY projects contributed<br />

to our increased understanding of how indigenous<br />

knowledge could be matched with instrumental data<br />

in monitoring the changes in Arctic ice, snow and<br />

vegetation condition, marine mammal and caribou/<br />

reindeer migrations, behavioral patterns of polar<br />

animals and fishes. Another ‘frontier’ area in IPY social<br />

science studies centers on making polar research<br />

culturally and socially relevant to local residents by<br />

collaborating with new groups of stakeholders on<br />

research planning in their home areas (Chapter 5.4).<br />

As more attention is being paid to local concerns and<br />

community observations, the new research goals are<br />

set through dialogue with local communities (Chapters<br />

2.10, 3.10 and 5.4).<br />

The preservation of the polar environments from<br />

possible impacts has been revealed as an important<br />

issue connected with the increasing human impacts.<br />

The introduction of non-native species in the isolated<br />

Antarctic environment has been studied during IPY<br />

and opens a way for future protection actions.<br />

Yet another frontier area pioneered in IPY 2007–<br />

2008 is the comparative study of northern-southern<br />

hemisphere processes under the concept of ‘fringe<br />

environments’ (Hacquebord and Avango 2009);<br />

this concept is relevant to both hemispheres. In the<br />

social sciences and humanities field, it focuses on the<br />

history of polar explorations, commercial use of local<br />

resources, polar governance, tourism and heritage<br />

preservation (Chapter 2.10).<br />

Theme 5: Unique Vantage Point of the<br />

<strong>Polar</strong> Regions<br />

The fifth theme sought to leverage the polar regions<br />

as unique sites for investigating distant realms. The<br />

vantage point theme aimed to use the unique location<br />

and conditions of the polar regions to develop and<br />

enhance observatories studying the Earth’s inner core,<br />

the Earth’s magnetic field, geospace, the Sun and<br />

beyond. The questions advanced ranged from what<br />

is the influence of solar processes at the polar regions<br />

on earth’s climate to what is the state of the earth’s<br />

magnetic dipole.<br />

During IPY, astronomers continued leveraging the<br />

unique observing conditions offered by the polar<br />

regions to conduct a range of astronomical studies.<br />

<strong>Polar</strong> sites from South Pole, Dome C, Dome A, Dome<br />

F and Ridge A on the East Antarctic ice sheet to<br />

Arctic sites in Ellesmere Island and Greenland were<br />

evaluated as sites for new observatories (http://<br />

mcba11.phys.unsw.edu.au/~plato/). Places with<br />

already existing observatories, such as South Pole<br />

(Amundsen Scott Station) and Dome C (Concordia<br />

Station), have been broadly recognized as key places<br />

with great potential for astronomical observations<br />

and have been improved during IPY. Measurements<br />

of the atmospheric water vapor above Dome A during<br />

IPY showed it to be the driest location on Earth, with<br />

a vapor column as low as 25 microns of precipitable<br />

water for days at a time. With this dry atmosphere, the<br />

Antarctic plateau sites are the only locations on our<br />

planet from where routine astronomical observations<br />

in the terahertz spectrum (10 12 Hz) are possible. During<br />

IPY, astronomers detected a previously unknown class<br />

of galaxy clusters by studies of the Cosmic Microwave<br />

l e g a C I e s 539

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