During the 2 years of the 2007-08 International Polar Year, the photographer Christian Morel carried out a series of reports that bear witness to the scientific and human activities of researchers working in polar environments. These missions took place in the Arctic on permanent and temporary bases and camps, aboard icebreakers and oceanographic ships, and within indigenous communities.

The book is based on the unique experiences that took place while documenting some 300 researchers from 4 continents and on the wide range of written and photographic resources that we’ve created.

This book is an effective and sustainable means of opening the minds of the general public, decision-makers, the scientific community, and funders to polar science, the poles, environmental and climate issues, and the associated global challenges.