During the U.N.-backed International Polar Year (IPY), about 50,000 people will be involved in 228 projects such as studying marine life in the Antarctic, mapping how winds carry pollutants to the Arctic, or examining the health of people, polar bears or penguins.
David Carlson, director of the IPY Programme Office, said the icy ends of the earth had been overlooked too long. "This part of the planet has its problems and it needs to get a higher level of attention," he told Reuters.
See full story
photo by Cattoo