Joint Assembly '06

23 - 26 May 2006, Baltimore, MD

Click above to see initial meeting announcement.

Joint Assembly '05

23 - 27 May 2005, New Orleans, LA

Cryosphere Focus Group - 2005 Spring Meeting Highlights:

      Cryosphere research from field, modeling, laboratory, and satellite perspectives was presented in the General Cryosphere sessions. From ice grains, to ice cores, to ice sheets and their sub-glacial lakes, to vast snow fields and sea ice, a series of presenters discussed their results on practically every aspect of the Cryosphere. The necessity of better understanding the past, present, and future nature of the cryosphere and its role in the global climate system is becoming ever more clear; the results presented at this meeting highlighted progress towards that goal.

      The International Polar Year (IPY) Sessions further discussed an intense, coordinated campaign of polar observations, research, and analysis that is planned to begin in 2007. The IPY is an international program of broad scope that will further our understanding of physical and social processes in the polar regions and examine their globally-connected role in the climate system. This is an exciting time in the evolution of the IPY, with a wide array of important science being proposed that will be supported by dedicated education, outreach, and data management. In the International Polar Year sessions, we heard updates from the ICSU- WMO planning process and the US planning process. In addition, we learned about USGS plans for the IPY, and heard about approaches for education and outreach. Various communities presented their ideas for IPY activities that span a wide range of topics involving people, ideas, and tools.