Building on the IGY anniversary.

Abstract

The Editorial by M. R. Alpert “The International Polar Year” (5 Mar., p. 1437) and the accompanying article “A year to remember at the ends of the Earth” (News Focus, R. Stone, G. Vogel, 5 Mar., p. [1458][1]) recall the activities of previous International Polar Years (IPY) and announce a new campaign timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (IGY; 1957–58). IPY 2007–08 is one of several major international geophysical research programs that will celebrate the IGY and build on that heritage to energize new global research. Another initiative is the International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE; 2005–07), a program originally proposed by the International Union of Geological Sciences and UNESCO. The major themes of IYPE include groundwater, health, cities, natural hazards, natural resources, climate change, deep Earth, and the oceans. An outreach component will inform policy-makers and the general public of new results that impact the environment and human populations. Other initiatives include the International Heliophysical Year 2007 (IHY) and the electronic Geophysical Year 2007–08 (eGY). The IHY will focus on fundamental global questions of the physical relationships between the Sun and Earth and will enhance an ongoing NASA program “Living with a Star” as well as a new initiative of the International Council for Science (ICSU) Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics entitled “Climate and Weather in the Sun-Earth System.” The eGY is a cross-cutting initiative that aims to use modern technology to revolutionize not only the dissemination of scientific data, but also the capacity to process, analyze, and visualize information in the pursuit of new knowledge. The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), one of the sponsoring and coordinating bodies of the original IGY, has established a Committee for IGY+50 to foster interactions among the various global initiatives. The IUGG General Assembly in Perugia, Italy, 2 to 13 July 2007, will provide an opportunity for new results from all of these programs to be presented to honor the 50th anniversary of the IGY. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.303.5663.1458