The world is marking the fourth International Polar Year in 2007-08, providing a time to reflect on the importance of the frozen reaches in the Arctic and the Antarctic to the health of the planet and to consider the implications that the changing climate in those regions may have around the globe.

The University has strong links to the International Polar Year, with a history steeped in polar research and status today as a leading polar science center. In 2005, UD became an institutional member of the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, and today, cold regions research includes scientists from many departments and colleges involved in dozens of projects.

The following four pages of articles in this issue of the Messenger represent just the tip of the iceberg concerning the breadth and depth of work under way on campus. More detailed descriptions of the research, as well as updates on these and other studies as the year goes on, can be found online at [www.udel.edu/research/polar].