The third International Polar Year (IPY) will be held 2007 - 2008. The main purpose of the IPY is to reinforce researches and international cooperation regarding issues of the Polar areas and increase the knowledge of their specialities and importance to the ecosystem of the earth, climate and hydrology. The two former International Polar Years were in 1882 - 1883 and 1932 - 1933. 

A joint committee of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has supervised the preparation of the upcoming   Polar Year and will review and categorise the suggestions to IPY projects. Various research projects will in fact extend for two years i.e. from March 2007 – March 2009, so opportunities will be given to collect data from both Polar areas.

In many countries IPY national committees have been founded to work on the preparation of the Polar Year.