International day for the polar oceans

The world celebrated the Eighth Polar Day on March 18 aspart of International Polar Year (IPY) 2008 to 2009, which is being commemorated between March 14 and 19. 

This year's theme will focus on polar oceans, the deep, cold seas which exert a powerful control on the Earth's climate and act as chemical and biological "pumps", playing an important role in the global carbon cycle,removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

They also support the fisheries industry and ice-dependent birds and mammals, including polar bears in the Arctic and penguins in the Antarctic.