Reading and thinking about International Polar Years: five recent books

Within the polar science community the Polar (and Geophysical) Years represent signal events. We often read, largely within geoscience literature, that those events represented positive and dramatic steps forward in international science. From five recent books—two historical compilations...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Research
Main Author: Dave Carlson
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2013
Subjects:
IPY
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v32i0.20789
https://doaj.org/article/d555c7ef3e5a4edfb773b4796c606a7b
Description
Summary:Within the polar science community the Polar (and Geophysical) Years represent signal events. We often read, largely within geoscience literature, that those events represented positive and dramatic steps forward in international science. From five recent books—two historical compilations and three personal narratives—augmented by interviews with a few key participants, a more cautious picture emerges, of remarkable successes but also of occasional or even persistent missteps and deficiencies. An improved understanding of the IPY concept and experience can provide useful guidance for future polar and global science.