THE LARGEST POLAR RESEARCH PROGRAM IN 50 YEARS

This is the official website of the book "Antarctica, White Heart of the Planet". I published the book (in collaboration with Brigitte Huard) to celebrate the Fourth International Polar Year (IPY) and raise the public awareness on the Antarctic, the last great wilderness on Earth.

The International Polar Year is a large scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009. IPY, organized through the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), is actually the fourth polar year, following those in 1882-3, 1932-3, and 1957-8.
In order to have full and equal coverage of both the Arctic and the Antarctic, IPY 2007-2008 covers two full annual cycles from March 2007 to March 2009 and will involve over 200 projects, with 60.000 scientists from over 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics. It is also an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate, follow, and get involved with, cutting edge science in real-time. The campaign aims to educate and involve the public while helping to train the next generation of engineers, scientists and leaders. IPY 2007-2008 will initiate a new era in polar science with a stronger emphasis on interdisciplinary research including physical, ecological and social sciences, and strong partnerships with indigenous communities and educators.

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN SELECTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR OFFICE (CAMBRIDGE, UK) TO BE IN THE IPY POLAR BOOKS COLLECTION. SEE THE LINK TO THE RIGHT.

ANTARCTICA, WHITE HEART OF OUR PLANET

This book of photographs (dimensions: 28 cm x 32 cm - 224 pages ) is entirely focused on the ANTARCTIC and is designed for the general public. It is one of a kind book, with a stunning selection of pictures taken by some of the World renown photographers. The book is divided into four main chapters:

1) The Continent
2) History of Exploration
3) Life in an extreme environment
4) A continent of Peace, dedicated to Science

These four chapters are illustrated with a selection of pictures taken by photographers (including myself) from many different countries; being a Photo editor as well as a photographer I also made the photo selection, choosing the most spectacular photos I could find (among the photographers are: Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Frans Lanting, Ingo Arndt, George Steinmetz, Paul Nicklen, Colin Monteath, Tui de Roy, Stéphane Compoint and others).

Yann Arthus-Bertrand is the world-renowned author of "The Earth from Above"; while Frans Lanting, Paul Nicklen, Ingo Arndt are World Press Photo winning awards. Many photos are spread on double-pages.

There are 4 main texts, plus 10 interviews with scientists and other professionals, all from different countries, involved with the Antarctic. At the end of the book is a 32 pages Encyclopedia. The foreword was written by Jean-Louis Etienne, a well-known French doctor and polar explorer who crossed Antarctica in 1989-90 with 5 other people from different nations, to draw the attention to the Antarctic Treaty.
Jean-Louis Etienne has climbed the Erebus and reached the North Pole on skis, and will soon fly over the Arctic Ocean in an Airship, to study the effects of Global warming on pack ice.
The most important thing for me was that the photographers and those interviewed should come from different countries, and not from a single nation, since the key word in Antarctica is “collaboration”. All the major science projects are international. The book is published in France by Editions Belin and in Italy by Giunti Editore.

LINK: http://www.ipy.org/index.php?ipy/detail/polar_books

LOOK INSIDE: THREE DOUBLE PAGES OF THE BOOK

ADMIRE:

THE STUNNING BEAUTY of the Antarctic landscapes

Photo: Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Altitude

LEARN: read interviews with an explorer, a Twin Otter pilot, an expert on Krill, a medical doctor, a meteorite researcher, an ecologist, a glaciologist who participated to the Third International Polar Year....a scientist who became the Education and Outreach coordinator with the IPY office, a world renown photographer (Y. Arthus-Bertrand, author of the above photo - summit of Mt. Discovery....)

BE A WITNESS:

OF LIFE AND DEATH IN THE MOST EXTREME OF THE CONTINENTS......

Photo: Paul Nicklen-World Press Photo Award 2007, in the Nature
category

LUCIA SIMION: BIOSKETCH

Note on the Author: Lucia Simion (to the right, with Floryse Grimaud, Head of the Press Office at Belin's Publishing House in Paris).

Lucia Sala Simion was raised and educated in Italy and France, so she feel she belongs to both countries. She grew up in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a stone’s throw from the house of Commander Jean-Baptiste Charcot, Antarctic and Arctic explorer. The Gentleman of the Poles. After getting a degree in Medecine, Lucia became a Science journalist as well as a Photojournalist. She has taken part in 8 expeditions to Antarctica (3 to Dome C-Concordia, to cover the building of the french-italian station and the EPICA Project).
She just came back from The Ice, where she was deployed to cover the ANDRILL SMS project, at Scott base and McMurdo, on Ross Island. She has been to the Italian station Mario Zucchelli and back to CONCORDIA as well. Her dream is to make a winter-over in Antarctica. (Photo: Flore Goldhaber)