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The IPA Senior Vice-President, Chris Burn, has been awarded the Canadian Polar Medal. Prof. Burn is being honored for his contributions to permafrost science based on his work in the western Canadian Arctic, productive partnerships with stakeholders in Canada's North, and dedicated training of the next generation of northern researchers. Prof. Burn is also on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Permafrost Association. The Polar Medal was presented to Prof. Burn in Ottawa on November 5th. The list of…

The IPA currently has an open call for new Action Groups. Action Groups are meant to fund targeted groups working towards the production of well-defined, permafrost-related products. Action Groups are funded on a competitive basis at up to 2500€ per year (maximum of 5000€ over the life of an Action Group). These groups focus on clearly defined research outputs, such as maps, science plans, or databases, that can be supported through the organization of workshops, management support, technical suppo…

Registration is currently open for the inaugural annual meeting of the Canadian Permafrost Association (CPA)! The IPA encourages those working with permafrost in Canada to consider attending this meeting at Yukon College in Whitehorse. We are pleased to see this growing national network.

The 5th European Conference on Permafrost officially began this morning at the Opening Ceremony at Le Majestic Congress in Chamonix. Participants were welcomed by Philip Deline on behalf of the Local Organizing Committee, the mayor of Chamonix, and IPA President Hanne Christiansen. During the ceremony, the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Wilfried Haeberli, a prolific permafrost scientist and general cryosphere expert with extensive experience studying and working in the Alps. The IPA w…

The Council of the International Permafrost Association convened in Chamonix, France on 24 June as part of the 5th European Conference on Permafrost (EUCOP5), an IPA regional conference. Council members reviewed the IPA’s activities over the past two years (when the Council last met), and had a number of discussions related to our Regional and International Conferences on Permafrost, which are a priority of the IPA. The IPA was pleased to gather today as the governing body of the association and look…

Frozen Ground 41, which details IPA activities in 2017, is now available as a PDF! This newsletter demonstrates the diversity of interests and high level of involvement among our members, especially PYRN members. Many thanks to those that have participated in the highlighted activities and/or contributed material for this volume of Frozen Ground. If you are curious about IPA happenings in other years, all Frozen Ground volumes are available via the "Publications" tab.

Congratulations to our collaborators and friends at AWI with their EU-funded project, Nunataryuk, which kicks-off this week. Nunataryuk (an Inuvialuit word roughly translating to coast) will focus on the degradation of coastal permafrost and its implications in the climate system. The IPA supported this proposal and are happy to see it funded, and look forward to the opportunities and insights it will bring to the permafrost community. Read more about Nunataryuk in this AWI press release: https://www.a…

The IPA Executive Committee currently has an open call for new Action Groups. Action Groups are meant to fund targeted groups working towards the production of well-defined, permafrost-related products. Action Groups are funded on a competitive basis at up to 2500€ per year (maximum of 5000€ over the life of an Action Group). These groups focus on clearly defined research outputs, such as maps, science plans, or databases, that can be supported through the organization of workshops, management supp…

The Frozen Ground Cartoons team has recently made a website that provides digital access to the informative and beautiful cartoons produced for the project. The cartoons are a unique, approachable, and fun way to communicate science, and represent approximately two years of collaboration between permafrost scientists and professional illustrators. A complete booklet with all the cartoons and information about the project will be available at the end of the year. The Frozen Ground Cartoons project is fu…

Earlier this afternoon, the 2nd Asian Conference on Permafrost came to a close at Hokkaido University. The conference was a definite success and covered a wide range of permafrost research and engineering topics through a total of 141 presentations (86 oral presentations and 55 posters). In total, there were 178 participants from 17 countries. Though the conference was located in Japan, many participants came from elsewhere in Asia – including 62 from China and 6 from Mongolia. Japan and Russia were th…