INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR

Four times in the past 125 years, scientists from around the world have come together to carry out collaborative scientific research and exploration programs in the polar regions. Each program came to be known as a “polar year,” and involved an intense period of cooperative research providing a snapshot in time. This work resulted in major new scientific discoveries and fundamentally changed how science is conducted in these areas.

Canada has now participated in all four successful polar years. The most recent International Polar Year (IPY) officially began in March 2007 and wrapped up in March 2009. This period involved scientists from 67 countries, who employed new research technologies to carry out a broad range of cooperative scientific studies.

Nunavut hosted more scientific research than any other Canadian province or territory. In 2007, it hosted 50 IPY research activities involving 400 researchers. In 2008, 156 research activities took place in the territory, involving 461 scientists. The results of their work will greatly improve our understanding of conditions and changes occurring in the polar regions and their influence around the globe.

Since 2006, Nunavut Research Institute has hosted the IPY coordination office for the territory. Its work will continue until 2011.

NRI’s Amanda Kilabuk is the Nunavut IPY coordinator.

Over the past three years, the Nunavut IPY coordination office has worked to engage and support local communities and agencies to develop their own IPY research proposals.  We’ve also helped evaluate the social and cultural merit of IPY research activity in the territory, and we’ve provided research proponents with information on permitting requirements and helped them to plan community consultations, outreach and reporting activities in Nunavut.

Now that the official observation period for IPY 2007-08 has wrapped up, Nunavummiut should soon begin to reap the benefits of the research results. The Nunavut coordination office will continue to be a contact point for information dissemination, networking and dialogue related to IPY until 2011. We will continue to develop materials to make research available to Nunavummiut, and actively raise awareness of the legacy which be left by this exciting scientific period.

This project/exhibit was made possible with the generous support of the Government of Canada Program for International Polar Year.