by Academician Yuri LEONOV, member of the National Steering Committee on participation of the Russian Federation in preparation and implementation of measures within the framework of the International Polar Year The Regular International Polar Year, which lasted from March of 2007 through February of 2009, proved fruitful: in the course of a two-year cycle of system observations in the Arctic and Antarctic regions scientists of different countries obtained a lot of new data on our planet. Academician Yuri Leonov, head of the geological and geophysical studies carried out during this period told about some results achieved by Russian specialists to our correspondent Yevgeniya Sidorova. — Mr. Leonov, how was research work conducted under the auspices of the International Polar Year organized in our country? —  The Russian Government established the National Steering Committee on participation of the Russian Federation in preparation and implementation of measures within the framework of the International Polar Year (its co-chairmen were Alexander Bedritsky, Head of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Arthur Chilingarov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma). The Steering Committee and its subordinate Interdepartmental Coordinating Research Committee (chairman—Ivan Frolov, Director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute) were entrusted with coordination of studies carried out under projects of the international program and national projects. All of them were grouped into seven directions. Under only one direction, which was called "Geological History and Lithosphere of Polar Regions" and included geological and geophysical studies (the direction was headed by me), a total of 30 projects were realized, including 4 projects in the Antarctic region and the rest in the Arctic region. The Russian Academy of Sciences and the Federal Agency for Nature Management of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation were initiators ... Читать далее