Welcome

Welcome to the Polar Research Board (PRB). The PRB is a unit of The National Academies, which is comprised of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. The PRB provides independent analysis to the federal government and the nation on matters of science and technology research needs, environmental quality, natural resources, and other issues in the Arctic, the Antarctic, and cold regions in general.



New Report: Martha Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica: An International Polar Year Legacy

International Polar Year (IPY) 2007 2008 was an intense, coordinated field campaign of polar observations, research, and analysis. It was one of the largest collaborative science programs ever attempted, involving more than 200 projects and people from more than 60 nations. In honor of its long-time leader, Ms. Martha Twitchell Muse, and to provide a lasting legacy of IPY, the Tinker Foundation is establishing an annual, prestigious prize: the Martha Muse IPY Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica This $100,000 unrestricted prize will be awarded following a nominations process similar to that of the National Medal of Science, meaning that people are nominated by others in the community. The goal is to provide recognition of the individual's outstanding and important work and to call attention to the importance of understanding Antarctica in this time of global climate change. This book outlines the strategy and steps necessary to take the Martha Muse Prize from concept to implementation. It describes the prize s purpose and nature, the system that could be used to announce the prize and collect nominations, potential procedures to be used by the Selection Committee, and possible post-award activities.

Download a free pdf of the report from the National Academies Press.



New Report: Scientific Value of Arctic Sea Ice Imagery Derived Products

Press Release

During the 1990s, environmental scientists and members of the intelligence community collaborated to consider potential uses of classified assets and data to advance the understanding of environmental change. This program collected classified overhead imagery at six sites around the Arctic basin. Hundreds of unclassified products derived from those images have been produced but not yet released to the public. The National Research Council has reviewed the derived products, and reports that they show detailed processes that are important for studying effects of climate change on sea ice and habitat--data that are not available elsewhere. The report recommends that the products be released as soon as possible to the scientific research community.

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2010 State of the Arctic Conference
16-19 March 2010
Miami, Florida

The State of the Arctic Conference will be held 16-19 March 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Miami in Miami, Florida, USA. The main goal of the conference is to review our understanding of the arctic system in a time of rapid environmental change.

It will provide an open international forum for discussion of future research directions aimed toward a better understanding of the arctic system and its trajectory. Topics will range from basic understanding of the Arctic and system-wide change to developing response strategies to adapt and mitigate change. The conference also will provide an opportunity for resource management and service agencies to link the most recent science findings to their objectives and priorities. All of the sessions have been designed to include human dimensions and social science research to ensure a balanced portfolio in conference talks and discussions.

For more information, please visit the State of the Arctic website at http://soa.arcus.org/.
To register, go to:
http://soa.arcus.org/register.



Report Available: Exploration of Antarctic Subglacial Aquatic Environments: Environmental and Scientific Stewardship.

At the request of the National Science Foundation, this report assesses what is needed to responsibly explore subglacial lakes. The report concludes that it is time for research on subglacial lakes to begin, and this research should be guided by internationally agreed upon protocols. The report suggests an initial protocol, which includes full characterization of the lakes by remote sensing, and minimum standards for biological and other types of contamination.
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Download Report Brief

Contact Information:
Polar Research Board
The National Academies
500 5th Street, NW, Keck-603
Washington, DC 20001
Telephone: (202) 334-3479
Fax: (202) 334-3825

Please direct inquiries to the Director, Chris Elfring.

The National Academies Building is located one block west of the Judiciary Square Metro Station and two blocks east of the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station. For detailed directions, click here.