Rapid Changes at Poles Found in Major International Study

More than 150 research projects conducted during the International Polar Year (IPY) show major changes occurring at both poles, with ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctic rapidly losing mass, sea ice disappearing, ocean waters around Antarctica warming, and large quantities of methane being released as permafrost melts. During the 2007-2008 International Polar Year, thousands of scientists from more than 60 countries took part in 160 research projects at both poles. Their work, costing $1.2 billion, was underwritten by national governments and the United Nations. While the rapid disappearance of summer sea ice in the Arctic has been well documented, the IPY research revealed significant changes in Antarctica, including warming waters around the continent and a freshening of the water because so much ice in the region is melting. The changes could affect global ocean circulation and weather patterns, scientists said. “These changes are signs that global warming is affecting the Antarctic in ways not previously suspected,” said an IPY statement. Steadily rising sea levels from melting polar ice sheets also show that “what happens in the polar regions affects the rest of the world and concerns us all,” the statement said. The last IPY took place in 1957-1958.