The International Polar Year ends in Norway

After two mid-way conferences, one in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2008 and one in 2009 where the location is not yet determined, the International Polar Year (IPY) will end with a big conference in Oslo. Thousands are expected to attend the conference which has been titled “Early Science Conference”.

– We have high hopes for this conference”, says The Minister of Education and Research, Øystein Djupedal. “It ties together and sums up the many international polar research projects, and we hope it will lead to further co-operation when it comes to international research activities. Hence the conference in Oslo may turn out to be an inaugural conference as much as a closing conference.”

Some of the issues discussed at the conference may be: changes in the snow and ice cover, how the Polar Regions are connected to global environment, and polar ecosystems and bio-diversity.

Canada and Norway were the first countries to make a specific offer to arrange the announced end conference. The final decision was then made by the IPY Joint Committee.

As of now, little more than the time and place is set for the end conference. Steering groups, the programme committee – the whole organizational structure around the conference will be set at a meeting in Quebec, Canada on October 24.