DOCSLIB.ORG

Forskningsstation Zackenberg I Nordøstgrønland Historien 1991-2008

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Forskningsstation Zackenberg I Nordøstgrønland Historien 1991-2008 INHOLD TIDSSKRIFTET GRØNLAND 2 HANS MELTOFTE OG MORTEN RASCH: Udgivet af Det Grønlandske Selskab Kraemer Hus, L. E. Bruunsvej 10 Forskningssration Zackenberg 2929 Charlottenlund i Nordøstgrønland Telefon 39 63 57 33 Giro 6 40 34 76 Historien 1991-2008 Fax 39 63 55 43 E-mail [email protected] 18 OLE BENNIKE, NAJA MIKKELSEN www.groenlandselskab.dk OG RENE FORSBERG: www.tidsskriftetgronland.dk IBAN DK 9820 0080 14 80 32 71 Tobias Ø SWIFT/BIC NDEADKKK SE nr. 19 04 29 28 26 MOGENS NORDEN GULDBRANDSEN: Ansvarshavende redaktør Tanker om en hændelse der Laila Ramlau-Hansen kunne være undgået Hvidhøj 1B Stevnstrup, 8870 Langå Om Danmark Ekspeditionens Telefon 51 36 01 84 Slædehold 1’s sidste rejse E-mail: [email protected] De i artiklerne fremsatte synspunk- 42 ROBERT PETERSEN: ter er forfatternes egne – og står i Claudius Clavus Niger alle tilfælde for forfatterens eget an- svar Om den danske geograf og kartograf Claus Claussøn Swart og hans Redaktionelle synspunkter i tidsskrif- tet dækker ikke nødvendigvis i alle formodede rejse til Grønland tilfælde Det grønlandske Selskabs i 1420’rne eller 1430’rne synspunkter 58 TROELS SUNDWALL: Eftertryk i uddrag er tilladt med kildeangivelse Inspektionsfartøjet Tidsskriftet ”Grønland” er udgivet Ejnar Mikkelsen med støtte fra bl.a. Kulturministeri- ets bevilling til almenkulturelle tids- skrifter, Juullip Nipittittagaa/Den grønlandske Julemærkefond. AAGE V. JENSENS FONDE Sonning Fonden KØBES MALERIER – BILLEDER M.M. Forsiden Unge polarforskere ved MED RELATION TIL GRØNLAND Forskningsstation Zackenberg KONTAKT i Nordøstgrønland. Foto: Henning Thing. KUNSTHANDLER Grafisk udformning ROAR CHRISTIANSEN Urs Gjerding Box 348, 3900 Nuuk/Godthåb Telefon +299321393 – Fax +299322393 Tryk www.galleri.gl Gullanders Bogtryk A/S e-mail: [email protected] AF hans Meltofte og Morten rasCH Forskningsstation Zackenberg i Nordøstgrønland Historien 1991-2008 Alt det vi vidste om floraen og RESUMÉ faunaen i højarktisk Grønland I maj 2008 udkom en engelsksproget videnska- frem til 1990’erne var baseret på belig bog på forlaget Elsevier Academic Press. nogle få ekspeditioners undersø- Baseret på 10 års forskning ved Zackenberg i Nordøstgrønland beskriver de 64 forfattere på gelser – det ene år her, det andet 563 sider, hvorledes højarktiske økosystemer år der. fungerer og kan forventes at reagere på klimaændringer. I denne artikel fortæller vi om Der fandtes altså hverken en samlet kortlæg- tilblivelsen af Forskningsstation Zackenberg og dens historie frem til 2008. ning eller lange tidsserier, der kunne belyse år- til-år-variationerne og de mere langsigtede æn- dringer i naturen i relation til klimavariationer og andre faktorer. Derfor drømte flere af de for- HANS Meltofte skere, der arbejdede i højarktisk Grønland, Hans Meltofte er ornitolog (fig. 1) om at kunne etablere en lille forsknings- og dr. scient. fra Københavns station, hvor man ved simpel overvågning af Universitet, men er nu ansat planter og dyr kunne følge udviklingen fra år som seniorrådgiver i Dan- marks Miljøundersøgelsers af- til år. Stationslederen på Danmarkshavn Vejrsta- deling for Arktis Miljø. Han tion, den navnkundige ’guvernør’ Knud Fischer, har arbejdet mere end 30 sæ- havde endda i en kronik i Politiken den 19. fe- soner i Arktis siden han be- bruar 1984 argumenteret for, at skat fra perso- gyndte som radiosondemand på vejrstationer i Nordøstgrønland for 40 år siden. nalet på de øde stationer i Østgrønland burde gå til driften af en sådan forskningsstation. MORTEN RASCH Morten Rasch er PhD i natur- Zoologisk Museums geografi fra Københavns Uni- versitet. Han var i perioden Grønlandsundersøgelser 1993-1996 videnskabelig le- Mange ting her i verden beror på sammenfald der ved Arktisk Station i Qe- af heldige omstændigheder. Sådan var det qertarsuaq/Godhavn og har også med etableringen af en forskningsstation siden 1998 har han fungeret som videnskabelig leder for i Nordøstgrønland. Da en lille gruppe forskere Forskningsstation Zackenberg. på Zoologisk Museum i København etablerede 2 Tidsskriftet Grønland 1/2009 HANS MELTOFTE OG MORTEN RASCH: FORSKNINGSSTATION ZACKENBERG I NORDØSTGRØNLAND Fig. 1. Grønland med klimazoner, pakisens Højarktis udstrækning i april og september samt Lav - og Subarktis placeringen af Zackenberg og en række byer. Pakis i september Pakis i april et uformelt samarbejdsudvalg, Zoologisk Mu- Det Arktisk Ocean seums Grønlandsundersøgelser for at koordi- nere den danske zoologiske indsats i Grøn- Grønlandshavet land, kom etableringen af en feltstation i Nordøstgrønland hurtigt på dagsordenen. I et oplæg fra den 8. januar 1986 til udvalget Qaanaaq / Thule skrev den ene af denne artikels forfattere, Hans Meltofte, således bl.a. under titlen Zackenberg ”Etablering af en permanent forskningssta- tion i højarktisk Grønland”: Baffin Bugt Ittoqqortoormiit / ”Denne stations opgaver bør først og fremmest Scoresbysund være at etablere en baggrundsviden om lokale biologiske forhold inklusive en årlig monitering af primær- og sekundærproduktionen i udvalgte prø- Greenland veområder, samt f.eks. svingninger i lemmingbe- indlandsis stande, fuglebestande, m.v. En sådan basisviden vil skabe en voldsomt forbedret baggrund for nær- Nuuk / mere studier over samspillet mellem disse forhold, Davis Straæde Godthåb samt alle andre specialundersøgelser i øvrigt, idet Danmarks Stræde en af de største svagheder ved sådanne undersø- gelser i dag er mangelen på referencemateriale. Samtidig vil tilstedeværelsen af en sådan station væsentligt kunne lette adgangen og arbejdsmulig- hederne i en del af Grønland, som det ellers er me- get vanskeligt at nå. Etableringen af en sådan sta- tion bør forestås af et kommende ”Polarinstitut.” Op ad bakke Den første ’medvind’ blev dog hurtigt afløst Ideen vandt så megen støtte, at udvalget kort af nye udfordringer, nu for at sikre fælles efter skrev til Kommissionen for Videnskabe- fodslag internt i polarforskningen. Ikke lige Undersøgelser i Grønland (KVUG) og på- alene mødte etableringen af en permanent pegede vigtigheden af etableringen af en forskningsstation modstand, det gjorde hele permanent forskningsstation i Nationalpar- ideen om et polarcenter også. Stærke kræf- ken i Nord- og Nordøstgrønland, og udval- ter omkring grønlandsforskningen strittede gets formand, professor Bent Muus, promo- imod, idet man mente, at såvel et polarcen- verede den i Hjemmestyrets rådgivende ud- ter som en forskningsstation ville lægge be- valg for nationalparken (fig. 2). Herfra var ve- slag på så mange penge, at det ville gå ud jen kort til de folk, der samtidig arbejdede over forskningsbevillingerne. En del af de med etableringen af et Dansk Polarcenter til danske polarforskere – særligt på det geolo- støtte for dansk polarforskning, og oprettel- giske og geofysiske område – havde ikke be- sen af en forskningsstation i Østgrønland hov for en forskningsstation, idet de foretrak blev hurtigt gjort til en væsentlig arbejdsop- at arbejde mange forskellige steder i Grøn- gave for det kommende polarcenter. land og ikke blot på én lokalitet. De havde Tidsskriftet Grønland 1/2009 3 HANS MELTOFTE OG MORTEN RASCH: FORSKNINGSSTATION ZACKENBERG I NORDØSTGRØNLAND Fig. 2. Zackenberg ligger centralt i Nationalparken i Nord- og Nordøstgrønland, som samtidig er et Man and the Biosphere Reserve med pligt til at forske og monitere. Nationalparken har en stor bestand af Moskusokser. Foto: N.M. Schmidt, Zackenberg, marts 2008. endvidere selv så store institutioner i ryg- samarbejde mellem Arktisk Station og Forsk- gen, at de ikke mente, at havde behov for et ningsstation Zackenberg. polarcenter til at varetage deres interesser. Ved et møde på Geografisk Institut, Kø- Dansk Polarcenter i nøglerolle benhavns Universitet, om oprettelsen af et I mellemtiden var de menneskeskabte klima- polarcenter gik professor Villy Dansgaard, ændringer blevet alment kendt i såvel offent- som stod bag den første iskerneboring i ligheden som blandt politikere. Det betød, at Grønland, således på manges vegne imod en lille hytte med plads til 2-3 forskere ikke ideen om både polarcenter og forskningssta- blev skønnet tilstrækkelig, men at man i ste- tion. Stationens fortaler, Hans Meltofte, det måtte satse på en stor forskningsstation, måtte ved denne lejlighed gøre opmærksom der, som Dansk Polarcenters (DPC) logistik- på, at det for biologer var afgørende at få chef, T.I. Hauge Andersson senere beskrev etableret en facilitet for langtidsmonitering, det, ”ikke kunne blive stor nok”. I 1988 blev og at et polarcenter var en ideel ramme for der nedsat et udvalg i Statsministeriet vedrø- en så stor opgave. Det samme gjorde den rende oprettelse af DPC, som skulle være unge Morten Meldgaard i en artikel i nærvæ- med til at sikre kontinuiteten i dansk/grøn- rende tidsskrift i 1990. landsk arktisk forskning, herunder forsk- Også internt i Zoologisk Museums Grøn- ning vedrørende klimaændringer i Grøn- landsundersøgelser blev etableringen af en land samt oprettelse af forskningsstationer. feltstation i Nordøstgrønland modarbejdet, Her og i det videre forløb spillede den tidli- idet nogle frygtede, at den ville blive en kon- gere direktør for Grønlands Hjemmestyre, kurrent til Arktisk Station i Godhavn. Mod- nu kommitteret i Statsministeriet, Gunnar standen blev ’neutraliseret’, og erfaringerne Martens, en helt afgørende rolle med at bære har siden vist, at der har været et udmærket planerne igennem til det politiske niveau. 4 Tidsskriftet Grønland 1/2009 HANS MELTOFTE OG MORTEN RASCH: FORSKNINGSSTATION ZACKENBERG I NORDØSTGRØNLAND Da DPC blev oprettet
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Obituary.Pdf
    The Polar Record, Vol 16, No 100,1972, p 107-111 107 Printed in Great Britain OBITUARY ROLAND ERNEST BESCHEL, a pioneer in lichenometry, died on 22 January 1971. He was born in Salzburg on 9 August 1928 and obtained a D Phil in 1950 from the University of Innsbruck with a thesis on urban lichens and their growth. In 1955, he left a professorship at Rosenburg College in Switzerland for a position at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. In 1959, he joined the biology department of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and was at his death Professor of Biology and Director of the Fowler Herbarium. He became a Canadian citizen in 1965. His fieldwork took Hm to west Greenland, to many parts of northern Canada, and to parts of the Soviet Arctic seldom, if ever, visited by westerners. His research interests were directed mainly to botanical approaches to climate and chronology, chiefly by means of dating rock surfaces. Recently he had become deeply interested in the application of computers to geobotanical problems. Lt-Col FREDERICK SPENCER CHAPMAN, DSO and bar. TD, MA. author, explorer, mountaineer, and schoolmaster, was found dead on 8 August 1971 at Wantage Hall, University of Reading. He left a wife and three sons. He was born on 10 May 1907 and spent his boyhood near the Lake District, where he early acquired a deep love of the countryside and of nature. After school at Sedbergh, he went to St John's College, Cambridge, took an honours degree in English and history, and, through friendship with Geoffrey Winthrop Young, was introduced to the world of mountaineering.
    [Show full text]
  • Årsrapport 2012 Museet
    ÅRSRAPPORT 2012 MUSEET Nunatta Katersugaasivia Allagaateqarfialu Grønlands Nationalmuseum og Arkiv P.O. Box 145, DK-3900 Nuuk www.natmus.g Årsrapport 2012 for Grønlands Nationalmuseum FORORD I 2012 fik vi søsat et forprojekt til et af vore større indsatsområder inden for forskning, nemlig et tværvidenskabeligt projekt som vi kalder Alle Tiders Mennesker – den globale klimaændring og kulturminderne i Grønland. Projektets formål er at undersøge klima- ændringernes indvirkning på bevaringen af fortidsminder i Grønland. Et pilotprojekt blev afviklet i Nuuk-området i første omgang i samarbejde med forskere fra flere forsknings- institutioner i Danmark. Det er et spændende tiltag som fortsætter i 2013 i fuld vigør. Den første halvdel af året har arbejdspladsen stået i trommedansens tegn. Museet fortsatte indsatsområderne inden for den immaterielle kulturarv med at slå et slag for trommedansen, da det er et område som har museets særlige bevågenhed. Således har vi i samarbejde med udøvende trommedansere arrangeret mange workshops i flere byer, hvor vi aktiverede en del unge mennesker med at få dem til at bygge egne tromme og lærte dem i udøvelse i trommedans og -sang. Det blev et vældig succesfuldt projekt som man lagde mærke til i offentligheden og som allevegne blev positivt modtaget. På formidlingssiden har året også været præget af forberedelse til opsætning af en ny permanent udstilling om de ældste tider og kulturer. Således åbnede vi udstillingen Inutoqqat - Ancient People og som fortæller om de tidligste kulturer fra omkring 2500 f.Kr. og op til år 1200 e.Kr. Årsrapporten vil give et lille indblik i, hvad vi foretager os på museet.
    [Show full text]
  • Catalogue of Place Names in Northern East Greenland
    Catalogue of place names in northern East Greenland In this section all officially approved, and many Greenlandic names are spelt according to the unapproved, names are listed, together with explana- modern Greenland orthography (spelling reform tions where known. Approved names are listed in 1973), with cross-references from the old-style normal type or bold type, whereas unapproved spelling still to be found on many published maps. names are always given in italics. Names of ships are Prospectors place names used only in confidential given in small CAPITALS. Individual name entries are company reports are not found in this volume. In listed in Danish alphabetical order, such that names general, only selected unapproved names introduced beginning with the Danish letters Æ, Ø and Å come by scientific or climbing expeditions are included. after Z. This means that Danish names beginning Incomplete documentation of climbing activities with Å or Aa (e.g. Aage Bertelsen Gletscher, Aage de by expeditions claiming ‘first ascents’ on Milne Land Lemos Dal, Åkerblom Ø, Ålborg Fjord etc) are found and in nunatak regions such as Dronning Louise towards the end of this catalogue. Å replaced aa in Land, has led to a decision to exclude them. Many Danish spelling for most purposes in 1948, but aa is recent expeditions to Dronning Louise Land, and commonly retained in personal names, and is option- other nunatak areas, have gained access to their al in some Danish town names (e.g. Ålborg or Aalborg region of interest using Twin Otter aircraft, such that are both correct). However, Greenlandic names be - the remaining ‘climb’ to the summits of some peaks ginning with aa following the spelling reform dating may be as little as a few hundred metres; this raises from 1973 (a long vowel sound rather than short) are the question of what constitutes an ‘ascent’? treated as two consecutive ‘a’s.
    [Show full text]
  • Department of the Navy
    A Strategic Blueprint for the Arctic the for Blueprint A Strategic DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY DEPARTMENT aBlueArctic aBlueArctic The Los Angeles-class fast-attack surfaces submarine 769) (SSN through Toledo USS the ice as part of Ice Exercise (ICEX) (U.S. Navy 2020. photo by Michelle Lt. Pelissero) [ FOREWORD ] a merica’s interests, stretching from Maine in the North Atlantic across the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait Blue Aand Alaska in the North Pacific to the southern tip of the Aleutian Island chain, are best served by fostering compliance with existing rules to assure a peaceful and prosperous Arctic Region. This forward looking regional blueprint describes how the Department will apply naval power as we continue to prepare for a more navigable Arctic Region over the next two decades. It stresses an approach that integrates American naval power with our joint forces, interagency teammates, allies, and partners to preserve peace and protect this northern maritime crossroads and gateway to our shores. This regional blueprint focuses on coop- Arctic eration, but ensures America is prepared to compete effectively and efficiently to maintain favorable regional balances of power. Our Department Team—Sailors, Marines, and Civilians—has taken steps throughout our history to protect American interests in our northern waters. We will build upon these efforts to maintain enhanced presence, strengthen cooperative partnerships, and build more capable naval forces for the Arctic Region. The time has come to write the next great chapter in the history of our Department, to prepare for an Alaskan Arctic and a Blue Arctic where America’s Navy-Marine Corps team, alongside our allies and partners, will be called to protect our interests and people and ensure this region remains peaceful and prosperous for future generations.
    [Show full text]
  • En Queerteoretisk Læsning Af Kønsopfattelser I Grønland I Et Historisk Perspektiv
    EN QUEERTEORETISK LÆSNING AF KØNSOPFATTELSER I GRØNLAND I ET HISTORISK PERSPEKTIV Navn: Malu Aima Rohmann Fleischer Opgavetype: Speciale ECTS-Point: 30 Institution: Ilisimatusarfik- Grønlands Universitet Afdeling: Kultur- og Samfundshistorie Vejleder: Ebbe Volquardsen Afleverings dato: 28. januar 2020 Antal sider: 90, uden forside, litteraturliste og bilag Antal tegn: 218.726 (uden mellemrum) Foto: Eigil Knuth (Knuth 2003 [1943]:151,189) Abstract The main purpose with this thesis is to examine how inuit in Greenland have perceived various gender identities, throughout time. I have chosen to examine this starting with the identity categories tikkaliaq and nuliakaaliaq, which means people who are raised to be a as the “opposite gender” In present day, there are multiple contradicting theories about gender perception of precolonial inuit in Greenland. The majority of those that work with gender perception of inuit agree that the majority of the European missionaries and Arctic explorers, whom have described a binary gender perception, both within precolonial as well as colonial inuit, have not had a focus on the inuits own perception of gender, and the importance of gender in the inuit society. The main argument is often that the binary gender perception there is present today that effects inuit in Greenland, is a result of colonization. Some of the most dominating theories that are used in present day regarding gender in precolonial inuit, is the thesis that inuit has had a third gender, and the thesis of genderlesness. It is the idea that the social structure of precolonial inuit in reality was not based on gender. In both theses, identity categories like tikkaliaq and nuliakaaliaq are used as an argument for that gender either has had a significant importance to the inuits precolonial social structure, or that gender has not played a significant role.
    [Show full text]
  • I AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPLORATION a SOCIAL and CULTURAL
    AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPLORATION A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY, 1890-1930 A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Robert D. Lukens May 2011 Examining Committee Members: Kenneth L. Kusmer, Advisory Chair, Department of History Andrew C. Isenberg, Department of History Susan E. Klepp, Department of History Frederick E. Nelson, External Member, University of Delaware, Department of Geography i ABSTRACT The Arctic has long held power over the American imagination as a place of otherworldly beauty, life-threatening elements, and dangerous wildlife. Nearing the end of the nineteenth century, in a time of great anxiety about the direction of American society, the region took on new significance. As a new frontier, the Arctic was a place where explorers could establish a vigorous and aggressive type of American manhood through their exploits. Publications, lectures, newspaper accounts, and other media brought the stories of these explorers to those at home. Through such accounts, the stories of brave explorers counteracted the perceived softening of men and American society in general. Women played a crucial role in this process. They challenged the perceived male-only nature of the Arctic while their depiction in publications and the press contradictorily claimed that they retained their femininity. American perceptions of the Arctic were inextricably intertwined with their perceptions of the Inuit, the indigenous peoples that called the region home. In the late-nineteenth-century, Americans generally admired the Inuit as an exceptional race that embodied characteristics that were accepted in American Society as representing ideal manhood.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes References
    Furs and fabrics : transformations, clothing and identity in East Greenland Buijs, C.C.M.; Buijs C.C.M. Citation Buijs, C. C. M. (2004, May 26). Furs and fabrics : transformations, clothing and identity in East Greenland. Mededelingen van het Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde. CNWS Publications, Leiden. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/56410 Version: Not Applicable (or Unknown) Licence agreement concerning inclusion of doctoral thesis in the License: Institutional Repository of the University of Leiden Downloaded from: https://hdl.handle.net/1887/56410 Note: To cite this publication please use the final published version (if applicable). Cover Page The handle http://hdl.handle.net/1887/56410 holds various files of this Leiden University dissertation Author: Buijs, Cunera Title: Furs and fabrics : transformations, clothing and identity in East Greenland Date: 2004-05-26 Notes Introduction 1. Inuit are accustomed to identifying themselves in relation to the place in which they live. The name of a people is composed of their settlement or area (Tunu- means East or back, backside) followed by a suffix –miut, or in the East Greenland language –miit, which means people. Nowadays the East Greenlanders use a new modern spelling based on pronuncia- tion and on new ideas of orthography, for which a new dictionary has yet not been pub- lished. In this publication the latest published East Greenlandic orthography is used. 2. Today, the Ammassalik district counts c. 3000 East Greenlanders, Tunumiit. They live in the districts capital Ammassalik (Tasiilaq) and in seven villages; one of them is Tiniteqilaaq, with c. 160 Tiniteqilamiit, where part of this research was conducted.
    [Show full text]
  • Copenhagen Radiocarbon Dates Iv
    [AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE RADIOCARBON SUPPLEMENT, VOL. 2, 1960, P. 12.251 COPENHAGEN RADIOCARBON DATES IV HENRIK TAUBER Carbon-14 Dating Laboratory Department of Natural Sciences, National Museum, Copenhagen The following list includes samples from sites or sections described in archaeologic or geologic publications. Several others, already dated, will be published when the archaeologic and geologic investigations are concluded. INTRODUCTION Counting technique.-All dates reported here were made with the propor- tional gas-counting technique. The counter is made of mild steel and has a sensitive volume of 2 liters. The sample is introduced in the counter as purified CO2 at a normal pressure of 2 atmospheres, corrected for the standard tem- perature of 298.2°K. The counter is shielded with 8 inches of .iron, a ring of 17 G-M counters arranged in anticoincidence with the proportional counter, and 1 inch of distilled mercury. The mercury is contained in the hollow wall of the counter itself. In this way radioactive dust cannot be deposited between the mercury shield and the proportional counter. All pulses larger than about 8 mV at the central wire are registered. With this counting equipment the background is 5.2 counts/min at a barometric pressure of 760 mm Hg. The barometric effect on the background is 0.16 counts/min per cm Hg. The activity of contemporary material is 24.60 counts/min. If necessary, samples are given a pretreatment with 1% phosphoric acid and 2% sodium hydroxide. Age calculations.-For samples K-501 through K-595, the contemporary standard was tree rings from A.D.
    [Show full text]
  • The Early Palaeoeskimo Period in the Eastern Arctic and the Labrador Early Pre-Dorset Period: a Reassessment
    MASTER OF ARTS McMaster University (ANTHROPOLOGY) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: The Early Palaeoeskimo Period in the Eastern Arctic and the Labrador Early Pre-Dorset period: a reassessment. AUTHOR: Karen Ryan SUPERVISOR: Dr. Peter Ramsden NUMBER OF PAGES: 121 II McMf,STER U['\iVEHSITY LIBRARY ABSTRACT By the end of the 1960s research in the Eastern North American Arctic had defined a single widespread Early Palaeoeskimo culture, dubbed Pre-Dorset since it preceded Late Palaeoeskimo Dorset culture. Subsequent investigations in Greenland resulted in the recognition of two other occupations, Independence I and Saqqaq, that, while different, were considered part of the Pre-Dorset manifestation. However, in the mid-1970s it was proposed that Independence I and Pre-Dorset should be considered culturally and temporally distinct. This classification system clearly divided the period and did not allow for interactions between the groups. While this proposal was initially questioned, it has come to dominate interpretation of the Early Palaeoeskimo period. At the same time as this framework was being promoted, a small number of Early Pre-Dorset sites were excavated in Labrador. Classified as Pre-Dorset, these sites nonetheless exhibited Independence I and Saqqaq influences. The reasons for this could not be fully explained, though a relationship between Labrador and the High Arctic was proposed. This thesis reevaluates the place of Labrador Early Pre-Dorset within the sphere of the Eastern Arctic following upon almost thirty years of archaeological work, both in Labrador and elsewhere in the Eastern Arctic. Recent evidence suggests that researchers must rethink their view of the Early Palaeoeskimo period and the vision of Independence I and Saqqaq relations.
    [Show full text]
  • Greenland 1998
    DEREK FORDHAM Greenland 1998 The Inland Ice Once again traverses of the Inland Ice predominated in expedition applications to the Danish Polar Centre. Out of a total of 42 applications for expedition permits 19 were for ice cap crossings, 11 for general mountaineering and the remainder for other activities. This year very few expeditions planning to cross the Inland Ice chose to break: away from the 560km 'trade' route between Isertok and Kangerdlugssuaq. Thomas Elboth and Martin Skjervagen (Norway) made the earliest crossing, starting in mid-April from Isertok on the east coast. After 22 days they arrived at Kangerdlugssuaq, the west coast airfield, just as the rescue helicopter was set­ ting outto search for an unidentified expedition which had requested assistance. The next expedition to start was that of Bernard Muller (France) and three companions who started from Kangerdlugssuaq heading east on 23 April and reached Isertok on the east coast 28 days later having used a para-sail on eight of those days. The first four Icelandic women to cross the ice cap started on 26 April under the leadership of Einar Torfi Finnsson and reached the west coast in 25 days having used para-sails for a couple of days. En route they stopped at the abandoned early warning station DYE 2 and were appalled at how, even on the vast emptiness of the Inland Ice, previous expeditions - and there cannot have been that many - had left the station in such a mess with absolutely no thought for expeditions that might follow and have need of the facilities left by the US.
    [Show full text]
  • Medals and Awards Gold Medal Recipients
    Medals and Awards Gold Medal Recipients The Gold Medals (Founder’s and Patron’s Medals) originated as an annual gift of fifty guineas from King William IV. It was awarded for the first time in 1831, for the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery. In 1839 the Society decided that this sum should be converted into two gold medals of equal value, to be designated the Founder’s Medal and the Patron’s Medal. Today both Medals are approved by Her Majesty The Queen. Gold Medal recipients are listed in full below: 1832 Founder's Medal - Richard Lander For important services in determining the course and termination of the Niger 1833 Founder's Medal - John Biscoe For his discovery of Graham’s Land and Enderby’s Land in the Antarctic 1834 Founder's Medal - Captain Sir John Ross For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic 1835 Founder's Medal - Sir Alexander Burnes For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia 1836 Founder's Medal - Captain Sir George Back For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River 1837 Founder's Medal - Captain Robert Fitzroy For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru 1838 Founder's Medal - Colonel Francis Rawdon Chesney For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta of Susiana 1839 Founder's Medal - Thomas Simpson For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast of North America Patron's Medal - Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction Stefansson's Expeditions
    Introduction Between 1906 and 1918, anthropologist and explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson (1879- 1962) went on three expeditions into the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic, each of which lasted between sixteen months and five years. He published some 24 books and more than 400 articles on his travels and observations, including his autobiography (1).' There is also a voluminous literature on his life and work (2). Stefansson was an ambitious and successful explorer and he soon became a public figure in North America and Europe, well-known for his description of the "Blond Eskimo" (Copper Inuit), his discovery of new lands in the Arctic, his approach to travel and exploration, and his theories of health and diet. His successes in exploration, however, as Collins points out, "have tended to obscure the fact that he was Young Vilhjálmur primarily an anthropologist," although some anthropological works Stefansson have referred to his writings and he continues to be cited in ethnographic and historical works on indigenous peoples of the North American Arctic, particularly Iñupiag ("North Alaskan Eskimo") (3). Stefansson was born in the Canadian Icelandic community at Arnes, Manitoba. His parents, along with 250 other Icelandic colonists recruited by the Canadian government in 1877, left from north Iceland to settle near Winnipeg, in "New Iceland" as the settlement came to be called. Stefansson attended university from the age of eighteen, first at the University of North Dakota and later at the University of Iowa and Harvard University. Early on he developed an interest in comparative religion and anthropology and for some time he seems to have been torn between priesthood and anthropology.
    [Show full text]