The International Polar Year 2007-2009 spurred intense geophysical and geological research over several frontier regions in Antarctica and in the Arctic. These investigations are providing novel views of: i) deep crust and lithosphere structure; ii) the processes of geological evolution, including their interplays with supercontinental assembly and breakup; iii) the opening of ocean gateways; iv) the influence of geological boundary conditions on ice sheet evolution and dynamics.
This session will provide an international and interdisciplinary forum where results from major geoscience projects will be presented. Examples include: airborne, marine and satellite exploration; active and passive seismic studies; GPS and seismic polar networks; magnetotelluric and geomagnetic depth sounding; geological field research and sediment provenance studies; regional and continental-scale compilations of geophysical and geological datasets; models of lithosphere structure, geodynamic evolution, and new models of geological boundary conditions for paleotopography and ice sheet evolution.