What's it like to be a research scientist working in the Arctic and Antarctica? In celebration of the International Polar Year, the Exploratorium gave polar scientists cameras and blogs and asked them to document their fieldwork in real time. The result is a groundbreaking Web-based project, Ice Stories: Dispatches from Polar Scientists, where you can follow along on the scientists' research, ask questions, and share in their discoveries as they occur. The site was nominated for a 2008 Webby Award for Best Events and Live Broadcasts in the Online Film and Video category.
Last winter, Ice Stories focused on Antarctica; this summer, the focus shifts to the Arctic, where we're working with a whole new crew of scientists. Follow along with an archeologist who's recovering and studying ancient artifacts and remains near Barrow, Alaska, before erosion washes them out to sea. Meet a researcher from Brown University, who, along with a team of people, is hoping to reconstruct the last 8,000 years of climate change in Greenland by examining fossilized algae in lake sediments. And look over the shoulder of a scientist who's "reading snowflakes" for clues about changes in polar caps over time. You'll meet several other researchers, too, who are also deeply involved in Arctic-based studies about polar biology, geology, and the human impacts of climate change.
With the shift in location from Antarctica to the Arctic, we've also redesigned our Web site. There are stunning new photos and videos, plus succinct background information on topics including climate change, polar bears, greenhouse gases, and more. Webcasts are a big part of the Ice Stories project too. From May 22 to June 22, 2008, we'll produce live Webcasts from the Arctic. For example, we'll go to both poles on the summer solstice; connect with a scientist at a field station on top of Greenland's vast ice sheet; and discover how traditional Inuit knowledge has informed the work of a biologist studying seals in Alaska. For a complete list of Webcasts or to watch archived versions of Webcasts you may have missed, go to the website.
Ice Stories: Dispatches from Polar Scientists is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. For more information, please contact Mark Andrews at (415) 674-2860 or mandrews [at] exploratorium.edu.
This program is supported by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed by this program are those of the PIs and coordinating team, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.