IPY-CARE: Climate of the Arctic and its Role for Europe
Posted on 20.07.2005 • in Projects
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The overall objective of IPY-CARE (International Polar Year - Climate of the Arctic and its Role for Europe) is to create, co-ordinate and prepare a Pan-European science and implementation plan for an Arctic climate change and ecosystems research programme as contribution to the International Polar Year.
IPY-CARE is an endorsed project by the IPY Joint Committee with more than 80 partners from many different countries. The project is coordinated by Prof. Ola M. Johannessen at Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center (NERSC) and with Prof. Jörn Thiede, Alfred-Wegner Institute for Polar and Marine Research Professor (AWI), as chairman of the Steering Committee. IPY-CARE is presently supported by the European Commission through a Specific Support Action.
The role of the International Polar Foundation (IPF), as a partner in IPY-CARE, is to promote positive communications approaches, including through development of the IPY-CARE public website.
The Arctic has over the last 2-3 decades warmed more than other regions of the world, and the sea ice cover has decreased in the order of 10% in the same period. Climate models furthermore indicate that anthropogenic global warming will be enhanced in the northern high latitudes due to complex feedback mechanisms in the atmosphere-ocean-ice system. At the end of this century, the Arctic Ocean is predicted to be "a blue ocean" during summer time. The Arctic may therefore encounter the most rapid and dramatic changes during the 21st century, with significant consequences for environment and human activities.
The IPY-CARE Specific Support Action will create a coordinated plan for European Arctic climate and ecosystem research programme by organsing expert groups who will develop a science and implementation plan for a coordinated pan-European IPY-CARE programme.
