Belgium’s contribution to The International Polar Year (IPY 2007/2008)

Content:

1. What is the IPY 2007/2008?
2. Why a focus in the pole areas?
3. How is the IPY organized?
4. Belgium’s participation?
5. Belgian Youth Steering Committee?
6. Links to complementary resources

1. What is the IPY 2007/2008?

The International Polar Year, IPY 2007/2008, is an initiative of the International Council for Science (ICSU), that officially lasts from 1 March 2007 up to 1 March 2009, including 2 Arctic and 2 Antarctic summers. It aims at getting to an equally high success as former two International Polar Years (1882/1883 and 1932/1933) and International Geophysical Year (IGY, 1958), where an intensive burst of internationally coordinated, interdisciplinary, scientific research and observations focused on the earth’s high latitudes was created.

2. Why a focus in the pole areas?

The white surfaces and the cold water circulation of the poles form a key role in the global climate system of our planet; the pole regions are also our early warning systems for climate change; and the ice archives earth’s climate trough geological time scales.
However we still remain remarkably ignorant of many aspects of how polar climate operates and its interaction with polar environments, ecosystems and societies. To have any hope of understanding the current global climate and what might happen in future the science community needs a better picture of conditions at the poles and how they interact with and influence the oceans, atmosphere and land masses. An IPY in 2007-2008 also affords an opportunity to engage the upcoming generation of young Earth System scientists and to get the public to realize just how much the cold ends of the sphere we all live on really do influence us.
The International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008, hence, provides a unique opportunity to bring research and science centers together to promote polar science.

3. How is this IPY organized?

The entire polar community at individual, national and international level (from research institutes, schools, public organizations,..) were invited by the International Programme Office to create project proposals for activities during the IPY. A very large number Expressions of Intents (EoI’s) (870+) were thus submitted and assessed. The many proposals are now linked back to six IPY themes. The project managers should now develop their projects to produce more detailed proposals by end-June. The JC will then assess the proposals for IPY endorsement.

4. Belgium’s participation?

The IPY programme is still developing. An extraction of what is available on the IPY website in its current state gives the following development for Belgium.

After an initial submission of ideas channelled through our National Committee (Prof Hugo Decleir, Dr Annick Wilmotte, Celine Dessaucy), 33 proposals with Belgian involvement have retained. There are five proposals where Belgians have the lead:

The first, SCAR-MarBIN (ID N° 83), will constitute the information component of the SCAR-Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML), and the Antarctic node of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), the information component of the world-wide programme Census of Marine Life (CoML). SCAR-MarBIN will allow the exploitation of data emerging from a matchless multi-scale investigation effort, which will lead to a comprehensive assessment and a better understanding of the actual diversity and status of Antarctic marine life. SCAR-MarBIN is lead by Claude DeBroyer of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

The second proposal is called BIANZO2 (ID N° 391): biodiversity of three representative groups of Antarctic Zoobenthos. This biological project will search for the impact of global warming on three target animal groups, namely nematodes, amphipods and echinids. They are representatives of three different size classes (from a few µm to several centimeters) in the bottom fauna of the Southern Ocean. Ann Vanreusel from the Marine Biology Section of Ghent University will lead this proposed project.

Project 3, The Sixt Continent Initiative-Capacity Building in Antarctic Scientific Research (ID N° 191), proposed by the International Polar Foundation (IPF) involves working with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Belgian Science Policy Office, the South African Antarctic programme and UNEP, to address capacity building in scientific research relating to the Polar Regions and Climate Change. Scientists from developing countries would be invited to participate in Antarctic research activities, and to work with participating institutes.

Project 4, Galileo-Arctic Drift Expedition (ID N° 375), also proposed by the International Polar Foundation (IPF) is looking to design and build a new reinforced ice class vessel, which will be equipped to carry out scientific monitoring and observation activities in the Arctic Ocean during the IPY, in support of the research activities planned under pan Arctic programmes such as the Integrated Arctic Ocean Observing System (iAOOS).

Project 5, Design, development and construction of a new Belgian Antarctic research station based on sustainable technology, high energy efficiency and using renewable energy as the primary energy source (ID N° 412). The station will be operational at the end of the IPY. After its construction the base will be maintained and operated by Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) (see also under agenda of the Belgian Polar Plarform,

5. Belgian Youth Steering Committee

The International Polar Year Youth Steering Committee (IPY-YSC) was recently created in the framework of IPY 2007-2008, aiming at involving young researchers and youth from different backgrounds in the IPY program. It is meant as a global effort to focus research attention and public interest on the world’s Polar Regions and the issues facing these areas. This YSC consists of representatives of different countries (e.g., Belgium, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Portugal, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States), which are responsible for providing the link between the International YSC and their own National Youth Steering Committees.

The Belgian YSC, for which a call for participation was posted on the Belgian Polar Platform aims at forming a network of young polar researchers, providing a background for future collaborations, and creating opportunities to share their work with a broader public. Together with people from other backgrounds (artists, students, teachers) they will try to reach especially those who don’t easily get in touch with (polar) science. The Belgian YSC had its first meeting on 08-06-06, in which these aims and potential activities were discussed. Possible activities to focus on are e.g., the organization of a polar competition and exhibition on polar issues (both scientific and artistic), combined with a popularizing scientific conference. The Belgian YSC keeps with regular intervals in contact with the International YSC via audio meetings to discuss (inter)national efforts and actions.

Collaboration with BE-POLES, the International Polar Foundation (IPF) and Jeugd, Cultuur en Wetenschap (Flemish organization that aims at promoting science to the youth, JCW will be an additive to this stimulating project.

People interested in joining the YSC are still welcome. Contact info: mieke.sterken@UGent.be

6. Links to complementary resources

A list of all proposals where Belgium is mentioned as participating country is extracted from the IPY website.

Emeritus Hugo Decleir presented IPY during the BE-POLES workshop.
IPY Canada welcomes you to their Canadian International Polar Year Web.