News

Researchers from eleven countries met in Potsdam on 7-9 of November to launch a new, four-year EU project. What happens when the vast amounts of carbon in Arctic soils are released to the atmosphere? This is the central question field-researchers, operators of long term observatories and modellers from 18 partner institutions in the EU intend to answer with the PAGE21 project. "I'm looking forward to close co-operation between the leading scientists in European permafrost research in the Arctic" said P…

Steven Mark Solomon1950-2011 In the early hours of August 20, 2011, the Arctic science community lost Steve Solomon, a valued colleague, an inspired and passionate northern scientist, and a dear friend to many in the circumpolar world. After an eclectic and varied early career (as lab tech, bicycle courier, farmer, maple-syrup producer, salmon fisherman, mud-logger, lecturer and exploration geologist, among other pursuits nowhere near the Arctic), Steve Solomon joined the Geological Survey of Canada (G…

As the active layer cools in the northern hemisphere, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) organizes the Discipline of the Month: Permafrost If you understood the first sentence, or especially if you didn’t, this is the month for you. Check out and contribute to the Permafrost Page (http://apecs.is/research-fields/cryosphere/permafrost), and regularly visit again for updates. In the second half of the month, present at or attend a Permafrost Virtual Poster Session. Please load you…

The IPA regrets to communicate that Enrique Mario Buk died on May, 24 after a short illness in the city of Mendoza, Argentina. Enrique was born on May 27, 1939 in Comodoro Rivadavia, Patagonia, Argentina. As Geologist of the Universidad del Sur, Bahía Blanca, he was an active member of the South American and Argentine Permafrost Association. He was a close collaborator of Arturo Corte and contributed to all periglacial and geocryological conferences in Argentina. He was particularly dedicated to hydro…

The International Permafrost Association is pleased to welcome the entry of South Korea as its 26th country member. The South Korean representation will be led by Dr. Yoo Kyung Lee, from the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI, www. kopri.kr). Korea has been active in permafrost research since over 20 of years, but the inception of the Korea Polar Institute has given a boost to its permafrost community which is active both in the Arctic and the Antarctic. The Korean permafrost committee will consist …

New international report on the state of the circumpolar Arctic coast: State of the Arctic Coast 2010 – Scientific Review and Outlook http://www.arcticcoasts.org The coast is a key interface in the Arctic environment. It is a locus of human activity, a rich band of biodiversity, critical habitat, and high productivity, and among the most dynamic components of the circumpolar landscape. The Arctic coastal interface is a sensitive and important zone of interaction between land and sea, a region that pr…

The IPA is happy to present the new Frozen Ground and the IPA Country Reports for 2010. The new issue of the bulletin of the International Permafrost Association, Frozen Ground, is available online at: http://ipa.arcticportal.org/publications/frozen-ground Frozen Ground has been modified to a shorter, sharper and more attractive format (8 pages) and focuses on the highlights from 2010. Reports from the member countries activities are also available online in a new online publication of the IPA, the IPA…

The Melnikov Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk, Russia celebrates its 50th anniversary (1960-2010). On November 25 and 26, 2010, the anniversary will be celebrated in Yakutsk with a ceremony including a series of lectures, films and a concert. More information on the institute can be found on its website: http://www.sitc.ru/ync/ync_eng/ice.htmFounded in 1960, the Permafrost Institute, a member institution of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, is dedicated to basic and applied investigati…

The International Permafrost Association releases the IPA-IPY Thermal State of Permafrost (TSP) Snapshot Borehole Inventory, the first comprehensive global inventory of permafrost temperatures as an output of the International Polar Year During the planning and implementation of the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007 – 2009, the International Permafrost Association (IPA) coordinated the acquisition of permafrost temperature data under the Thermal State of Permafrost (TSP) Project #50. The TSP project …

State of the Arctic Coast 2010 The draft State of the Arctic Coast 2010 report is available at http://arcticcoasts.org (draft – Do not quote or cite)The Arctic coastal interface is a sensitive and important zone of interaction between land and sea, a region that provides essential ecosystem services and supports indigenous human lifestyles; a zone of expanding infrastructure investment and growing security concerns; and an area in which climate warming is expected to trigger landscape instability, ra…