Abstract
In 2007 several events were organized to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (IGY, 1957-1958). The celebrations will last until 2009 and are taking place within different contexts: the International Polar Year (IPY), the International Heliophysical Year (IHY), the electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) and the International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE). IGY offered a very appropriate and timely occasion to undertake a series of coordinated observations of various geophysical phenomena all over the globe. Italy took part in the broad international effort stimulated by IGY. In fact, Italy participated in observations and studies in many of the proposed scientific areas, in particular Geomagnetism and Aeronomy. The Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica (ING) started the installation of observatories, and updated and ensured continuous recording of geophysical observations. Geomagnetism, ionospheric physics, seismology, and other geophysical disciplines, were advanced. Although much of the work was undertaken in Italy, some attention was also devoted to other areas of the world, in particular Antarctica, where Italy participated in seismological observations. This paper gives a summary of the Geomagnetism and Ionospheric Physics activities within IGY. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of this historical event and its outcomes for the improvement of geophysical observations and the post-IGY growth of scientific investigations in Italy.
Highlights
In 2007 several events were organized to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (IGY, 1957-1958)
Twenty-six proposing Countries were involved in the proposal to International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU); the Soviet Union and its allies were not initially included
As the proposal was being evaluated, CNR allocated 120 million Italian Lira from its ordinary budget to IGY activities. All these efforts granted Italy a major role in IGY: during the V Assembly of the Special Committee for the IGY, held in Moscow in 1958, the Italian delegates reported on their contribution to 12 of the 14 IGY working groups
Summary
In the 1950s a small group of eminent physicists including James Van Allen, Lloyd Viel Berkner, Siegfried Frederick Singer and Sidney Chapman, realized that the peaceful post war time was a good occasion to start a strong, internationally coordinated, scientific program for a new global geophysical endeavour. Participation of Soviet scientists in the Rome IUGG (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics) Assembly in 1954 gave a good opportunity for a first open discussion on the IGY program. The Soviet Union delegates participated in the discussion with representatives of all other countries and subsequently the Soviet Union and its allies joined the program with a very comprehensive scientific approach It was a truly international effort, occurring against a background of cold war, suspicion and weapons escalation. A comprehensive series of global geophysical activities allowed scientists from around the world to take part in a series of coordinated observations of various geophysical phenomena During these two and one-half years, more than 10,000 scientists participated, making the IGY a unique event in the history of science and surely the greatest international geophysical scientific enterprise conducted up to that point. Advances in cosmic ray research, climatology, glaciology, oceanography, terrestrial atmosphere, seismology, geomagnetism, theoretical analysis of glaciers, and many other fields of investigation were only some of the successful results of this extraordinary event
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