Summary
The International Polar Year 2007–2008 (IPY) was an intensive, internationally coordinated scientific research campaign in the Arctic and the Antarctic sponsored by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In two action-packed years, IPY researchers observed exciting new phenomena, made fundamental scientific discoveries, developed new methods and tools, advanced interdisciplinary and international links in polar science and, most importantly, gained new understanding of the role of the polar regions in the total Earth system. IPY 2007–2008 took place during a time when our planet was changing faster than ever in recorded human history, especially in the polar regions. Polar changes are critical because of various feedbacks involving the ocean, the cryosphere and/or the biosphere, each of which has the potential to accelerate the rates of global changes. The need for polar research has never been greater.