The Poles & The Planet: International Polar Year 2007-08 — Dr Rhian Salmon

Описание: Many physical and biological systems on the Earth appear to be experiencing substantial recent changes, beyond the expected range of natural variability. Many of these changes show most clearly, and appear to happen most quickly, at the poles. Between 2007 and 2009, thousands of physical, biological and social scientists from more than sixty nations will study the Polar Regions as part of a large internationally-coordinated research effort known as the International Polar Year (IPY). This lecture will visit the 125 year legacy of IPY and introduce urgent present-day topics including shrinking snow and ice, polar-global connections, and the impacts of change on Arctic residents. Addressing these critical issues requires an interdisciplinary approach to understanding land, air, oceans, people, ice, and space.

After completing a PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry, Dr Rhian Salmon spent three summers and one winter working in Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey. Upon return, she was overwhelmed by the beauty of the continent, convinced by the importance of polar research, and disappointed by the huge gulf between scientific knowledge and public awareness of issues of global concern. She worked as Education and Outreach Coordinator for the International Polar Year 2007-8, an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate earth system science in real-time.

Talk presented at ISS2007: EcoScience, the 34th Professor Harry Messel International Science School, held at the University of Sydney in July 2007.