International polar year 2007-08.

Advancement in Earth system science has been intertwined with the three International Polar Years since 1882 (see [table][1]). International discussions are now converging toward the Fourth International Polar Year (IPY-4) in 2007 with an objective of inclusive interdisciplinary collaboration to accelerate our understanding of how the polar regions “respond to, amplify and drive changes elsewhere in the Earth system” ([1][2], [2][3]). The idea for the first IPY came from 11 European nations that were concerned about polar connections with the Little Ice Age climate that had dramatically impacted their agriculture, health, and economies over the previous 300 years. Responding with coordinated ground-based projects in the Arctic and Antarctic, IPY-1 became a bipolar experiment to interpret meteorological and auroral linkages with Earth's magnetic field during a period of maximal sunspot activity ([3][4], [4][5]). Fifty years later, with experiments 10 km into the sky from hot-air balloons, 40 nations collaborated in IPY-2 with an additional focus of radio science during a solar minimum at the time. By the 1950s, Earth system perspectives had broadened on a planetary scale, and IPY-3 was launched as the International Geophysical Year (IGY) from 1 July 1957 through 31 December 1958. Under the umbrella of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), the IGY involved 67 countries across 14 disciplines with more than 2500 stations around Earth ([3][4], [4][5]). A principal catalyst for the IGY was the development of satellites that would generate unprecedented perspectives of the Earth system and, like technological innovations from the previous IPY, would contribute directly to the national interests of the participating countries. In fact, the “space race” began with nearly two dozen artificial satellites being launched during the IGY, starting with Sputnik I on 4 October 1957 ([5][6]). Given these extensive national investments, the IGY collaborators instituted the World Data Center system, which remains vital for utilizing, sharing, and preserving scientific information as an international asset. The IGY also heralded the current era of synoptic Earth system science with ICSU coordination of the International Geosphere-Biosphere, World Climate Research, and International Human Dimensions Programmes. International Polar Years have continuously expanded interdisciplinary horizons to understand the world we live in. IPY-4 has the potential for involving all nations in more than two dozen disciplines with activities extending more than 72,000,000 km from Earth. In this inclusive context, IPY-4 could add value by creating innovative strategies to integrate Earth and planetary data ([6][7]) from past and ongoing research programs. Importantly, in our global society ([7][8]), such information-technology strategies will contribute to the welfare of nations by opening new doors for knowledge discovery. View this table: 1. 1.[↵][9] Discussions about IPY-4 and related research on the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year can be found at , , [www.eoss.org/igy.htm][10], and . 2. 2.[↵][11] See the interactive Web site with the general approach, objectives, and workplan for IPY-4 that was proposed to ICSU in May 2003 ([www.nationalacademies.org/prb/ipy][12]). 3. 3.[↵][13] 1. S. Chapman , IGY: Year of Discovery (Univ. of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 1960). 4. 4.[↵][14] 1. J. T. Wilson , IGY: Year of the New Moons (Knopf, New York, 1967). 5. 5.[↵][15] 1. L. V. Berkner, 2. H. Odishaw , Science in Space (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1961). 6. 6.[↵][16] 1. M. T. Chahine, 2. M. F. A'Hearn, 3. J. H. Rahe , Comparative Planetology with an Earth Perspective (Kluwer, Dordrecht, Netherlands, 1995). 7. 7.[↵][17] In December 2001, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 56/183 for the World Summit on the Information Society ([www.itu.int/wsis/basic/index.html][18]). 8. 8.[↵][19] 1. P. A. Berkman , Science into Policy: Global Lessons from Antarctica (Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 2002). 9. 9. Support is provided by a grant from the National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Digital Library Program (NSF/DUE 0329044). [1]: #T1 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #ref-3 [5]: #ref-4 [6]: #ref-5 [7]: #ref-6 [8]: #ref-7 [9]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1. in text" [10]: http://www.eoss.org/igy.htm [11]: #xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2. in text" [12]: http://www.nationalacademies.org/prb/ipy [13]: #xref-ref-3-1 "View reference 3. in text" [14]: #xref-ref-4-1 "View reference 4. in text" [15]: #xref-ref-5-1 "View reference 5. in text" [16]: #xref-ref-6-1 "View reference 6. in text" [17]: #xref-ref-7-1 "View reference 7. in text" [18]: http://www.itu.int/wsis/basic/index.html [19]: #xref-ref-8-1 "View reference 8. in text"