[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13098-13099]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise to take this time to speak about 
the Arctic and the upcoming International Polar Year. The Arctic is 
still a new frontier for many in Congress. For many, it is too far 
away, too dark and too cold to merit much attention. But whether you 
represent Florida, Iowa, or any other State, Americans around the 
country are connected to events in the Arctic. From climate change and 
the development of our natural resources, to international treaties and 
maritime rights, more knowledge about each of these issues is needed to 
help us formulate and shape the policies that will impact the Arctic 
and our country for future generations.
  It has been nearly 14 years since the United States last developed an 
Arctic policy. The world was a different place 14 years ago. The Cold 
War had just ended. Climate change was barely being considered as an 
issue. An accessible, navigable Arctic Ocean was nowhere near as real a 
prospect as it is today. The Arctic Council, an intergovernmental 
organization that addresses many of the common concerns and challenges 
faced by the Arctic states, was just getting started. And we had 
nowhere near the sensitivity to the changes life is bringing to 
indigenous residents of the Arctic.
  Times have changed, and we need a new Arctic policy. The upcoming 
International Polar Year will be the 50th anniversary of the 
International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958 and continues a tradition 
of international science years that began in 1882-1883 and again in 
1932-1933.
  The purpose of the International Polar Year is to spark an interest 
in those whose expertise may not be in the Polar Regions. Most 
importantly, the theme is international.
  IPY is being led by the International Council for Science, ICSU, and 
the World Meteorological Organization, WMO. Participating nations so 
far include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, 
Czech Republic, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, 
Greenland, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New 
Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, 
Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of 
America, Uruguay, and others.
  The International Polar Year is actually 2 years, from March 1, 2007, 
until March 1, 2009, allowing two field seasons of research in both the 
Arctic and the Antarctic. The timeframe was selected to encourage an 
intensive burst of effort that can be coordinated among many nations. 
During this time, scientists will lay the groundwork for sustained 
assessments of environmental change and variability. In addition, the 
resulting enhanced infrastructure and observation systems will provide 
an improved foundation for ongoing science.
  In the United States, the administration has asked the National 
Science Foundation to lead U.S. IPY activities. NSF allocated roughly 
$13 million for this fiscal year for research opportunities. The 
announcements for these research grants will occur sometime in late 
July or August of this year.
  Another round of grants is expected in February or March of 2007, as 
the President requested $62 million for fiscal year 2007 just in time 
for the start of the IPY.
  Other agencies are contributing to IPY, including the National 
Institute of Health, NASA, the State Department, and the Department of 
Energy. In fact, the Department of Energy is sponsoring a summit on 
energy development and rural power as it relates to the Arctic. The 
core of the summit will be a technology conference held in Anchorage, 
AK, the week of October 14, 2007. Leading up to the technology 
conference and following the summit to its completion will be an 
education and outreach effort with the goal of capturing the interest 
of the public and decisionmakers and attracting and developing the next 
generation of scientists, engineers, and leaders.
  Despite the many events and research projects that will be happening 
around the world, it is important that we not lose focus on why we are 
having IPY: to make a contribution that will not only serve as a 
benchmark in understanding the polar regions but also help leave a 
legacy for future scientists and researchers. The worst-case scenario 
for IPY is for great scientific achievements to happen over the next 2 
years, and nobody knows about it. Showcasing IPY is essential.
  As scientists work to achieve breakthroughs in their respective 
fields, they will also be increasing their collaboration with local 
communities and indigenous people as partners in research from 
designing the projects and collecting and interpreting the data to 
disseminating the results.
  There are already projects trying to achieve a greater partnership. 
For example, The STUDENT-PARTNERS Project, SPP, headed by the Woods 
Hole Research Center in Massachusetts, unites students, teachers, and 
scientists to study the role of rivers in the Arctic system and create 
an innovative and effective education and outreach program. By 
partnering with K-12 grade students and teachers living beside the 
largest Arctic rivers in Russia, Canada, and Alaska, the high frequency 
river water samples that are needed to understand hydrologic and 
biogeochemical fluxes in the river systems will be obtained. In the 
process, the capability we seek in a multinational Arctic river 
observing network will be developed.

[[Page 13099]]

  In the Bering Strait School District in Alaska, teachers are trained 
to educate students in grades K-12 about climate change data collection 
and scientific study. The project blends modern science with Native 
tradition, language, and subsistence needs. Full community involvement 
has been achieved in 13 of the 15 villages in the school district.
  Scientists from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska 
work with teachers and students to collect data on weather, erosion, 
sea ice movement, and wave and wind action. Native elders are involved 
in teaching the students using the Native language, culture, and 
historical observations. The elders use the data to assist them in 
predicting dangerous weather and sea conditions as the plan for 
subsistence activities. What they are doing not only benefits the 
community and sustains Native traditions, it also generates a new 
generation of individuals interested in Arctic science.
  The upcoming International Polar Year can play a significant role in 
focusing our Nation, and for that matter the world, on the work that is 
being done, and needs to be done, in the Arctic. I plan to use the 
occasion of the International Polar Year to bring more of my colleagues 
to the north. When I say the north, I mean going to the Permafrost 
tunnel in Fairbanks or the Toolik Field Station on the North Slope of 
Alaska to see for themselves what the Arctic is really like.
  The IPY is also an opportunity to craft greater coordination and 
cooperation among Arctic nations so that those who live in the Arctic 
benefit. And perhaps most important of all, it is an opportunity to 
develop the next generation of Arctic researchers to carry on this 
important work.
  I look forward to further discussions on the Arctic as the 
International Polar Year draws closer and the relevance of the Arctic 
to the Nation and the world as a whole.

                          ____________________