International Polar Year

International Polar Year is a recurring event that focuses science and education on Earth's remote polar regions. There have been four of these years since its inception in 1882.

First International Polar Year
In 1875, Austro-Hungarian naval officer Karl Weyprecht proposed a coordinated scientific approach to researching Arctic phenomena. Over the next seven years, Georg Neumayer, director of the German Maritime Observatory, organized the first IPY, which had twelve participating nations: the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, Canada, and United States. From 1882 to 1883, they operated twelve stations in the Arctic and two in the sub-Antarctic.

Second International Polar Year
The International Meteorological Organization proposed and promoted the second IPY (1932–1933). Shortly after World War I, mysterious behavior in telegraph, radio, electric power, and telephone lines convinced engineers and scientists that the electrical geophysics of the Earth needed more study. Forty-four countries participated, but due to the Great Depression, the plan of erecting a network of stations in Antarctica had to be abandoned.

Third International Polar Year


International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from 1 July 1957 to 31 December 1958. Sixty-seven countries participated in projects encompassing eleven Earth sciences. A major component was the study of Antarctica, a land heretofore largely unknown.

Fourth International Polar Year
The fourth IPY was sponsored by the International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research assumed responsibility for coordinating all IPY-related Antarctic research. The IPY included intensive research and observation periods in the Arctic and Antarctic from 1 March 2007 until its conclusion 12 June 2010 at the IPY Oslo Science Conference.

Trivia

 * It has been a popular topic for postage stamps.