There's so much we dont' know about the poles

This is the first such designation for 50 years, somewhat surprising considering how much attention is currently focussed on the likely future of the polar regions as global warming intensifies.

Previous IPYs were held in 1882-3, 1932-3 and 1957-8 and provide an opportunity for teams of scientists to co-ordinate their research studies towards some common objectives.

IPY actually cuts across two calendar years to allow for research to be carried out equally in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

This year the main objectives are to determine the current environmental status of the polar regions, quantify past and present environmental changes to predict future scenarios and investigate the links between the polar environments and the rest of the planet.

Scientists will also be exploring the frontiers of science within the regions, using the polar regions to develop and enhance observation of the Earth's interior and space and explore the historical and social aspects of human settlement in polar areas.

The British Antarctic Survey will be among the institutions taking part in the international effort. Their focus will be on how rapidly ice sheets melt due to increasing global temperatures.

In the last few years, two large ice sheets (Larsen A and Larsen B) have collapsed unexpectedly, exposing large areas of fresh ice.

Although these events have been a sobering reminder of the impact of rising global temperatures, it has provided scientists with interesting opportunities to study an environment that was previously off limits.

The ice itself contains pockets of air trapped from thousands of years ago when the ice first melted.

These can be analysed for further information on the relative concentrations of atmospheric gases during that time, for clues on what we can expect in the future.

Another consequence of the ice collapse is that it has opened up a vast new area of seabed (an area the size of Jamaica!) for study.

Scientists have already been surveying this area for wildlife and have come across several new species of shrimp, anemones and sea squirt.

There is also evidence that despite the fact that this area was closed to plant life for many years (due to the overburden of ice), it has now been colonised by algae already, allowing a complete eco-system to build within only five years.

Information like this will be crucial to understanding how the natural environment will respond to rising sea and air temperatures over the next few decades.

No doubt, over the coming year, as a result of work carried out during IPY, we will hear about new discoveries and predictions of future climate conditions.

For news and updates on IPY, visit the dedicated website at www.ipy.org or the British Antarctic Survey at www.antarctic.ac.uk.