- IPYWhat is the International Polar Year?Why scientists from dozens of countries focus on the poles together, and what four Polar Years achieved.
- IceSea ice, ice sheets and glaciersHow much polar ice is being lost, how it is measured, and what it means for sea level.
- ClimateWhy the poles warm fastestPolar amplification, feedbacks and effects far from the poles.
- PeoplePeoples of the ArcticThe Indigenous peoples and communities who live in the far North.
- SkyAuroras and space weatherWhat causes the northern and southern lights and how to see them.
- DataPolar dataWhere the data from the Polar Years and today's research can be found.
Four Polar Years so far
- 1882–83: the first coordinated polar observations.
- 1932–33: the Second Polar Year.
- 1957–58: the International Geophysical Year.
- 2007–08: the Fourth International Polar Year, which ran from March 2007 to March 2009.
Read the full history and what is planned for the next Polar Year.
About this site
From 2007 this address was the website of the Fourth International Polar Year. Today it is an independent, non-commercial educational site with new content checked against scientific sources. Old links lead to the matching topic, and the reports and documents of the old site remain available at their original addresses. More about the site.