Blogging from the top of the world

July 16, 2008 2:33 AM

Dispatches from Polar Scientists -- A compilation of blogs "in celebration of the International Polar Year (2007-08), [giving] you an up-close-and-personal look at research in extreme environments through the thoughts and experiences of the scientists working there. We’ll post their photos, videos, and blogs on this site."
posted by fourcheesemac (10 comments total)

Miniature ecosystems. Cool.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:24 AM on July 16, 2008

Miniature ecosystems

Ooooo...and Tardigrades, too! Thanks, fourcheesemac and flapjax at midnight!
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 8:09 AM on July 16, 2008

This looks really cool but I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that they're all American bloggers [more correctly, they all work on the American part of the Arctic - one is Canadian]. What happened to the International bit of the International Polar Year?
posted by hydrobatidae at 8:34 AM on July 16, 2008

For some more stories from Antarctica... Big Dead Place.
posted by Area Control at 9:00 AM on July 16, 2008

Exactly how up-close-and-personal?
posted by christopherious at 12:02 PM on July 16, 2008

hydro -- having just returned from the arctic myself, I can tell you it's crawling with scientists from many countries, and I am sure that's true in Greenland and Canada (at least) this summer. Not sure why people aren't blogging from other places, but it might have to do with the availability of satellite internet uplinks at base stations.

The sense of urgency is intense. There is no question whatsoever that climate change has arrived in a big way up there.

Anyway, glad a few people dug this.
posted by fourcheesemac at 3:18 AM on July 17, 2008

What happened to the International bit of the International Polar Year?

Looks like the Russians have other things to worry about at the moment than blogging.
posted by Lebannen at 7:32 AM on July 17, 2008

Yeah, sorry fourcheesemac - I feel I came off a little harsh. I wasn't commenting on the contents of the post as much as wanting more.

I spent a couple years up there so I know some of the problems related to internet in the Arctic but it would have been cool if the global IPY project put a focus on blogging or other means of communicating with the public.

I couldn't believe the neat stuff that people were doing up there - archeology, NASA, National Geographic, seabirds, mammals, fish. I even know someone on an icebreaker going through the Northwest Passage this summer. I wish there was some priority given to sharing this with everyone (before it's too late).
posted by hydrobatidae at 8:57 AM on July 17, 2008

No worries, I didn't think you were being harsh, just looking for explanations.

It's already way "too late" in a lot of ways, I think. But that's another conversastion.

Here's two interesting stories, for people with arctic interests:

The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission has signed a deal with BP to limit use of explosives in the Beuafort and Chukchi seas during the Bowhead migration.


In another interesting development, the Kivalina Iñupiat are suing a group of energy companies for the effects of climate change -- for billions.
posted by fourcheesemac at 2:31 PM on July 17, 2008

christopherious, that's *Antarctica!* Arctic folks have a real attitude about the Antarctica crowd. At least our world is *inhabited.*

And the condoms are for the penguins.
posted by fourcheesemac at 10:50 AM on July 18, 2008