Call for Papers
Session at Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting
The International Polar Year and Geography: A Legacy for the Future
7-11 March 2006
Chicago, Illinois
For further information, please go to:
http://www.aag.org/
On three occasions over the past 125 years scientists from around the
world joined together to organize concentrated scientific and exploring
programs in the polar regions. In each major thrust, or "International
Polar Year" (IPY), scientific knowledge and geographical exploration
were advanced substantially. Geographers and their professional
organizations (e.g., AAG, AGS) made important contributions to each of
the previous IPYs.
The key concept of the first IPY in 1882-1883 was that geophysical
phenomena could not be surveyed by one nation alone; it was understood
that an undertaking of this magnitude would require coordinated
international efforts. In all, 12 countries participated, and 15
expeditions to the polar regions were completed (13 to the Arctic, and 2
to the Antarctic). A principal legacy of the first IPY was setting a
precedent for international scientific cooperation (see Annals of the
Association of the American Geographers 73(4), pp. 463-484). For the
Second International Polar Year (1932-1933), the International
Meteorological Organization proposed and promoted an effort to
investigate the global implications of the newly discovered "Jet
Stream." The International Geophysical Year (IGY) during 1957-58 brought
new technologies to polar science and celebrated the anniversaries of
the First and Second IPYs. The scientific, institutional, and political
legacies of the IGY endured for decades, many to the present day (see
Science Communication 26 (2), pp. 162-187).
The International Polar Year in 2007-2009 will expand this legacy of
scientific achievement and societal benefits (http://www.ipy.org).
Planning for the current IPY program has resulted in more than 100
coordinated projects to date, many of which include cryospheric topics
and related societal issues. High priority has been given to problems
requiring concurrent synoptic observations at many points involving
cooperative observations by many nations, and to creating a legacy of
observing sites, facilities, and systems to support ongoing polar
research and monitoring. These projects will ensure that data collected
under the IPY are made available in an open and timely manner, and
efforts will be made to intensify the recovery of relevant historical
data and ensure that these also are made openly available. IPY is
intended to attract and develop a new generation of polar researchers,
engineers, and logistics experts, and to engage the awareness, interest,
and understanding of schoolchildren, the general public, and
decision-makers worldwide in the purpose and value of polar research and
monitoring. Additional information on the U.S. and Canadian programs are
found on the respective websites:
http://www.us-ipy.org
http://www.ipy-api.ca/
The IPY session(s) at AAG's Chicago meeting will encompass topics
related to any aspect of the cryosphere, including education (with
emphasis on K-12), public outreach, data accessibility, development and
human impacts, traditional knowledge, the polar and mountain regions as
observed from Space, and the history of polar exploration.
To participate in this session, please register for the meeting and
submit your abstract online at the AAG website:
http://www.aag.org/
Then, e-mail your abstract along with your Presenter Identification
Number (PIN) to one or both of the conveners (below) by Tuesday, 11
October. Feel free to also e-mail prior to abstract submission if you
have questions about this session.
Session Organizers
Frederick E. Nelson
Department of Geography, University of Delaware
E-mail: fnelson [at] udel.edu
Jerry Brown
International Permafrost Association
E-mail: jerrybrown [at] igc.org