The fourth International Polar Year (IPY) is a bit of a misnomer — it's actually two years long. From March 2007 to March 2009, a host of scientists will head out to both the Arctic and Antarctic for targeted research, from marine biology to anthropology. Here's a look at some of the projects being planned — although funding for some is still pending.

Whale movement

Credit: K. SCHAFER/CORBIS

Several hundred beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in the Arctic will be tagged with satellite transmitters and, in some cases, oceanographic data collectors. Understanding the timing and pattern of beluga movements in relation to ice and ocean conditions may help efforts to protect the whales in the face of climate change.

Ocean microbes

A Norwegian-led effort to document the biodiversity of microorganisms in the polar seas could provide a basis for understanding how these creatures help to regulate the ecosphere.

Polar astronomy

Because of their extremely cold, dry, stable air, the polar plateaus provide the best sites on Earth for a range of astronomical observations. An Australian-led team will assess just how good the conditions are for astronomy at sites including Dome A on the Antarctic plateau.

Spider survey

Credit: J. HAMMEL/STUTTGART UNIV.

German researchers hope to lead a survey of spider biodiversity across the Arctic. Because spiders adjust their lifecycles to microclimatic conditions, studying them can help scientists track the effects of rising temperatures on terrestrial habitats.

Carbon pools

An international effort, led by Sweden, plans to assess the quantity and quality of organic matter in high-latitude soils. The work may prove crucial to predicting what could happen to the enormous stock of carbon trapped there if the soils thaw.

Martian mimics

Credit: CORBY WEST/JPL

The Phoenix spacecraft will land on Mars during the IPY. Scientists hope to compare data from the planet's northern polar region with soil measurements from an analogous 'extreme environment': the Antarctic Dry Valleys.

Antarctic aliens

More than 40,000 people visit the Antarctic each year — and they probably bring with them the seeds and spores of non-native species. The IPY will see the first full assessment of the environmental impact of these visitors.

Past warming

One way to predict what might happen in a warmer climate is to look back in time. The WARMPAST project will use Arctic sediment cores to reconstruct ocean temperatures for the past tens of thousands of years.

Icy lakes

Credit: LANDSAT

Scientists from Canada and Russia will pore over historical data to see how the timing of ice freezing and breaking up on Arctic lakes has changed over the past 50 years.

Changes in sea level

UK and other researchers plan to add gauges to monitor the sea level and tides in the waters around Antarctica.

Arctic greening

Climate change is likely to alter the distribution and type of plants at high latitudes. Assessing satellite data, and doing field studies to produce new vegetation maps for Russia, Alaska and Canada, will help scientists predict such changes.

Reindeer herders

Credit: INGER MARIE GAUP EIRA/EALÁT

The knowledge and experience of nomadic reindeer herders, accumulated over generations, will be documented to establish how herders living across Norway, Russia and Alaska can sustain their way of life.

Warm vents

Studying hydrothermal vents on the Arctic mid-ocean ridge is a challenge as major portions of the ridge lie more than 4,000 metres under pack ice. In July and August, robotic vehicles will dive to the Gakkel Ridge to search for vents.

Satellite shots

Credit: BYRD POLAR RES. CENTER/CAN. SPACE AGENCY

The photographic power of Earth-observing satellites is being pooled to yield a wide range of snapshots of the world's polar regions in the highest resolution possible.

Solar activity

Scientists will take measurements from the polar regions to assess whether variation in the Sun's activity affects Earth's weather and climate by influencing a global electrical circuit in the atmosphere.

Particle physics

Physicists will use the IceCube observatory being built at the South Pole to search for subatomic particles called neutrinos. During the IPY, glaciologists are being invited to use the detectors to study ice flow.

Polar bears

Credit: B & C ALEXANDER/NHPA

A Danish-led team will examine contaminants in the muscles and bones of polar bears killed by Inuit hunters. Chemical analyses of the bears' body tissues could also shed light on how much climate change is stressing the animals.

Open leads

Some 200 researchers from 15 countries will study the circumpolar flaw lead — an area of open water that forms each autumn when the main Arctic pack ice pulls away from coast. With thin ice becoming more common in the Arctic seas, this region offers a glimpse of how changes to the ice affect ocean life.