Today the U.S. National Research Council released a synthesis of reports from thousands of scientists in 60 countries who took part in the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-08, the first in over 50 years to offer a benchmark for environmental conditions and new discoveries in the polar regions.

Most research initiatives aim to discover more knowledge.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA-funded researchers have created the first complete map of the speed and direction of ice flow in Antarctica.

In a unique and complex example of "science diplomacy," teams of US and Swedish scientists are sailing this month aboard two research vessels to study the ecology of the Amundsen Sea, one of the least-explored and most productive bodies in Antarctic waters, and to gauge the potential effects of a changing climate on the Southern Ocean.

An award-winning new website is using realtime imagery from ESA's Envisat satellite to provide a wealth of information on sea ice to aid safe passage through the treacherous waters of the Antarctic.