The Polar Science Center (PSC) is a unit of the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington. PSC was established in 1978 at the end of the multiyear Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX), a major NSF/ONR program. In 1982 PSC was incorporated into the Applied Physics Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research facility. PSC provides comprehensive logistics and support for numerous polar field experiments.

Polar Science Center researchers observe and model the physical processes that control the nature and distribution of sea ice and polar ice sheets, the structure and movement of high-latitude oceans, and the interactions between air, sea, ice and biota. The Center has made major contributions to the understanding of how the arctic system has undergone important changes during the past four decades.

North Pole ever closer to having no ice: Scientists seek causes for decline

The North Pole could be ice-free in summer months as soon as next decade, and University of Washington experts on shrinking Arctic ice floes are sounding the alarm.

Seasonal Sea Ice Prediction and Outlook for 2008

The decline in Arctic sea ice over the past 30 years has generated enormous interest in seasonal sea ice forecasts for the Arctic. Such forecasts would be of great value for shipping, resource exploration, and planning of field experiments.

Greenland Meltwater and Ian Joughin in the news.

• Greenland Ice Slipping Away but Not All That Quickly in Science Magazine
• Good Signs from Greenland's Ice Sheet on National Public Radio
• Water Power Cracks Ice Sheet on Science Friday.

Spring fieldwork has begun

Read updates from the Arctic on the North Pole Environmental Observatory's webpage.

(The photo is from 2006 field work.)

"Freezer Lab" Simulates Snowball Earth Conditions

Physicist Bonnie Light's research in the APL-UW Cryosphere Science Laboratory is included in the examination of what an hypothesized frozen Earth of the distant past may have been like for the TV series Naked Science on the National Geographic Channel.

Polar Science Weekend, March 6-8, 2008

For the third year in a row the Polar Science Center is teaming up with Pacific Science Center for Polar Science Weekend. This is a chance for the public to meet researchers and see the equipment they use and learn more about the polar regions.

Arctic Adventure! Ocean Tales of Currents and Creatures Lecture Series, Feb. 12, Feb. 26, and March 11.

Please join the UW College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences and the UW Alumni Association for this exciting lecture series focusing on the research of COFS scientists in the Arctic. Learn what it's like to live and work in this remote, inhospitable and ever-changing part of the world!

Applied Physics Laboratory Biannual Report

This year's Applied Physics Laboratory Biannual Report includes a nice article, with great photographs, about Ian Joughin's research on Greenland's glacial melt. The Biannual report also features a variety of other projects that other department's within the lab are conducting.

AIDJEX Revisited: A Look Back at the US-Canadian Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment 1970-78 (Untersteiner, N., A.S. Thorndike, D.A. Rothrock, and K.L. Hunkins) was published in the September issue of Arctic.

AIDJEX Bulletin Library now online

The full set of AIDJEX Bulletins have been converted to PDF files at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA under the direction of Ron Kwok and with financial support from NASA. Visit the web site to browse the complete contents and download Bulletins.

International Polar Year: 2007 - 2008

IPY 2007-2008 will be an intense campaign of polar research and education. Scientists at the Polar Science Center are looking forward to incorporating out currently active and planned projects into IPY!

For more information check out a brief summary of the National Research Council report "A Vision for the international Polar Year 2007-2008", the US Interagency web site and the US National Committee web site.