25 February 2009: During a special ceremony at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Council for Science released a report titled “State of Polar Research,” which summarizes the results from the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008.

The report provides new evidence of the widespread effects of global warming in the Polar Regions, including that snow and ice are declining in both the Arctic and the Antarctic, affecting human livelihoods, local plant and animal life in the Arctic, as well as global ocean and atmospheric circulation and sea level.
The wide-ranging IPY findings result from more than 160 endorsed science projects assembled from researchers in more than 60 countries. Launched in March 2007, the IPY covers a two-year period to March 2009 to allow for observations during the alternate seasons in both Polar Regions. A major IPY science conference will take place in Oslo, Norway, in June 2010. [WMO press release] [State of Polar Research]