About the IPY


What is the IPY?
The First International Polar Year
The Second International Polar Year
The Third International Polar Year (The International Geophysics Year)
International Polar Year 2007-2009

What is the International Polar Year?

The international polar year (IPY) is an intensive two year multidisciplinary program of collaborative international science, research and education focused on the Arctic and Antarctic regions. For more info on the IPY, visit www.ipy.org.

The First International Polar Year was held 1881-1884

IPYThe First IPY was held in 1881-1884. This event was inspired by Austrian explorer Carl Weyprecht. Although Weyprecht died before the first IPY, his advocacy of the benefits of international cooperation to
advance scientific polar exploration stimulated the formation of the first IPY.

IPYThe first international expeditions to the Polar Regions were under- taken during this IPY. 12 countries participated in the first IPY, and explorers established 14 primary research stations, with 12 of these
located in the Arctic. The focus of these stations was to conduct meteorology and geophysics research.

 

The Second International Polar Year

IPY 2In 1932-1933, the second IPY was proposed and promoted by the International Meteorological Organization.

40 nations participated, and 40 permanent observations stations were established in the Arctic. Additional highlights

IPY 2

 

The Third International Polar Year (The International Geophysics Year)

The legacy of international research and collaboration grew during the third IPY, from 1957—1958. The focus of this UPY was geophysics. More than 70 scientific organizations, from all over the world, participated in this IPY.

By the conclusion of this IPY:

International Polar Year 2007-2009

IPY 4IPY 2007-2009 is the biggest and most exciting polar year to date. It features more than 200 projects involving thousands of scientists from over 60 countries. Projects cover a wide range of physical, biological, and social research projects.

IPY 4This IPY has a special dimension, as it highlights human health issues of northern communities. Never before has an IPY featured human health.

The Arctic Human Health Initiative (AHHI) is a coordinating project that will organize the health-related research projects and advance and expand the joint research agenda of the eight member countries composing the Arctic Council.

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