A 100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE RUSSIAN GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY EXPEDITION TO KAMCHATKA (1908–1910)

For three centuries, the main task of geography in Russia was gathering information about the geographical features of the country. The unique image of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS) is largely due to its expeditionary activities. The RGS Kamchatka Complex Expedition of 1908-1910 was to explore and examine the flora and fauna of the Kamchatka peninsula, mainly in the area of volcanoes. The expedition to Kamchatka played a significant role in promoting science in the Russian Far East. Important scientific and public institutions were founded in this region as a result of this endeavor. Two institutions directly associated with the expedition are the Kamchatka branch of the RGS and the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences). These institutions are important members of the Russian scientific community and are well known around the world

The Arctic Herald

The information and analytical journal, published by the Russian Geographical Society, was first released in 2012 and "conceived as the platform for communication amonf the expert community, as well as all those engaged and interested in the problems of today's Arctic", as stated by Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, for the first number of the journal. "The journal is intended to assist in realization of one of the Russian priority in the region" -- he continues --- "its development as a zone of peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity for the benefit of all people living there"

Science and exploration in the high interior of East Antarctica in the twentieth century

The highest part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, more than 4000 m above sea level, has been an area that has seen a considerable scientific research effort undertaken by the Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition, and its international collaborators, since January 2005. That includes the establishment of the most remote of the Chinese Antarctic stations, Kunlun, at Dome A in 2009. However, the exploration and mapping of this region had been commenced many decades earlier, most notably by inland traverses of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the 1957–1958 International Geophysical Year (IGY) and later; and the extensive surveys of Antarctic surface and sub-ice topography by airborne radio-echo sounding made by the US National Science Foundation–Scott Polar Research Institute–Technical University of Denmark (NSF-SPRI-TUD) in the late-1960s and the 1970s. Here we provide a history of the activities and achievements of these earlier programs. Recent topographic maps of the ice sheet surface in the Dome A region, produced using Chinese GPS data and satellite altimetry, have shown the maps compiled from the earlier data were remarkably accurate

A Framework for the International Polar Year, 2007-2008

The polar regions are integral components of the Earth system. As the heat sinks of the climate system they both respond to and drive changes elsewhere on the planet. Within them lie frontiers of knowledge as well as unique vantage points for science. Yet because of their remoteness and harsh nature, the poles remain insufficiently studied. With recent technological advances providing new scientific possibilities, and humankind‘s need for environmental knowledge and understanding ever increasing, the time is ripe for a coordinated international initiative to achieve a major advance in polar science. For this reason, the International Council for Science (ICSU) decided to take the lead in organizing an International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007-2008. They did so by establishing an IPY Planning Group (PG) charged with developing the IPY 2007-2008 science plan and implementation strategy. This report is the outcome of the PG‘s work. It is based on input from individuals, from over 40 governmental and nongovernmental organizations that have endorsed or expressed support for IPY 2007-2008, and from the 32 IPY National Committees or National Points of Contact established so far. It is also results from discussions and debate at over a dozen international meetings covering the gamut of science disciplines, from a series of "town" meetings, and from two Discussion Forums hosted by ICSU and attended by representatives of the IPY National Committees and a variety of interested polar organizations

The scope of science for the International Polar Year, 2007-2008

The International Polar Year 2007““2008 will be the largest internationally coordinated research programme in 50 years. It will be an intensive period of interdisciplinary science focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic. IPY 2007““2008 research activities were assembled from the ideas of researchers in more than 60 countries. A total of 228 projects have been endorsed by the ICSU/WMO Joint Committee for IPY 2007““2008. These projects have a strong interdisciplinary emphasis and address the six themes as well as education and outreach objectives. IPY projects will exploit new technological and logistical capabilities and strengthen international coordination of research. They aim to attract, engage and develop a new generation of researchers and raise the awareness, interest and understanding of polar residents, educators, students, the general public and decision makers worldwide. IPY projects will collect a broad-ranging set of samples, data and information which will be made available to an unprecedented degree. IPY 2007““2008 aims to leave a legacy of enhanced observational systems, facilities and infrastructure. The observational networks to be established during IPY include integrated ocean observing systems in both the Arctic and Southern Oceans, coordinated acquisition of satellite data products from multiple space agencies and observational systems for astronomy, sun““earth physics, atmospheric chemistry, meteorology, ecosystems, permafrost, glaciers and geophysics. Many observing systems within IPY will be developed within the framework of existing international global observing systems

THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF RUSSIAN GEOGRAPHERS AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL UNION

The National Committee of Russian Geographers and its association with the International Geographical Unio