DOCSLIB.ORG

ADA259873.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
ADA259873.Pdf AJ JANi. 11993 11N The cover is based on an 1898 photograph of the Belgian ship Belgica by moonlight while trapped in pack ice in Antarctica's Bellingshausen Sea from March 1898 to March 1899. The photograph is used with the permission of the Nationaal Scheepvaartmuseum, Antwerp. Belgica, under the command of Captain Adrien de Gerlache, was the first vessel to "winter over" in the Antarctic. Serving in Belgica were Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer who was the first to reach the South Pole in 1911, and Dr. Frederick Cook, an American who later claimed to be the first person to reach the North Pole. Artwork for the cover by Juan Medrano AMERICA ON THE ICE Accesion For NTIS CRA&I DTIC TAB lyl'C Q1•I••C'gD untfiannounced'••""••--- Byy ....-.... Distribution f Availability Codes Avail and/or Dist Special Statement A per George Maerz NDU-NSS-RD Washington, DC 20319-6000 Nm4 1/11/93 NSF Ph,ý bý R. K-.n American scientist on the South Polar Plateau. AMERICA ON THE ICE Antarctic Policy Issues Frank G. Klotz - 1990 -1 -o -.. National Defense University Press I Fort Lesley J. Mc Nair O) Washington, DC 93 1 04 082 National Defense University Press Publications To increase general knowledge and inform discussion, NDU Press publishes books on sub- jects relating to US national security. Each year, in this effort, the National Defense University, through the Institute for National Strategic Studies, hosts about two dozen Senior Fellows who engage in original research on national security issues. NDU Press publishes the best of this research. In addition, the Press publishes other espccially timely or distinguished writing on national security, as well as new editions of out-of-print defense classics, and books based on University-sponsored conferences concerning national security affairs. Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Defense University, the Department of Defense. or any other US Government agency. Cleared for public release; distribution unlimited. The photograph on page 15, and on which the cover art is based, is protected by copyright: permission to reprint it must be obtained from Nationaal Scheepvaartmuseum, Antwerp. Other portions of this book may be quoted or reprinted without permission, provided that a standard source credit line is included. NDU Press would appreciate a courtesy copy of reprints or reviews. William A. Palmer. Jr., Cheltenham, Md., proofread the page proofs of this book, under contract DAHC32-90-A-0035. Connie Moy, Editorial Experts. Inc., Alexandria, Va.. indexed this book, under contract DAHC32-90-0032. NDU Press publications are sold by the US Government Printing Office. For ordering infor- mation, call (202) 783-3238 or write to the Superintendent of Documents. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Klotz. Frank G., 1950- America on the ice : Antarctic policy issues / Frank G. Klotz. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. I. Antarctic regions-International status. 2. United States-Foreign r, lations-- 1945- I. Title JX4084.A5K56 1990 .341.2'9'09989-dc 20 90-13300 CIP First printing, November 1990. vi To my wife, Nancy, and our favorite "adventurers," Justin and David Contents Illustrations xi Foreword xiii Preface xv Acknowledgments xxi Chronology xxiii 1. Antarctica Before the Treaty 3 Rival Territorial Claims-Cold War Dimension- International Geophysical Year-Conference on Antarctica 2. The Antarctic Treaty System 35 The Antarctic Treaty 35 Duration-Scope-An Arms Control Agreement-A Claims Settlemert-A Science Compact-An Admin- istrative Framework Operation and Expansion of the Treaty System 53 Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings- Recommendations-Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals-Convention on the Conservation of Ant- arctic Marine Living Resources An Appraisal of the System 77 3. Challenges to the Antarctic Treaty System 81 Antarctic Resources-Participation in Antarctic Policymaking-The Sovereignty Time Bomb 4. US Interests in the Antarctic 129 Current US Policy 130 Organization for Policymaking 136 The Bureaucracy-Congress-Interest Groups The Policymaking Process 155 ix 5. The US Antarctic Program 159 Scientific Activities-Antarctic Stations-Logistics Support-Managing the Logistics Program-Maintaining an Influential American Presence in the Years Ahead Appendixes A. The Antarctic Treaty 195 B. Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals 203 C. Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) 215 D. Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities 235 Notes 293 Selected Bibliography 319 Abbreviations 327 Index 329 The Author 345 Illustrations Maps 1. Territorial claims in the Antarctic 6 2. Drake Passage 22 3. Scope of the Antarctic Treaty 41 4. The Antarctic Convergence 42 5. Gondwanaland 88 6. Year-round Antarctic stations 119 7. The frontage theory 126 8. McMurdo Sound (including Marble Point) 168 Photographs American scientist on South Polar plateau Frontispiece 6,000-year-old "dirty ice" 4 Belgica, home for first "wintering-over," 1898 15 Mail arrives aboard USS BEAR, 1939-41 17 American aviators explore vast Antarctic stretches 19 Admiral Byrd during 1947 Operation High Jump 23 Adm. Byrd prepares for first Operation Deep Freeze 28 Flags indicate original Treaty signatories 36 Military personnel support scientific activities 45 On-ice research project 49 Scott hut preserved as historic monument 61 Krill is major food source 62 Weddell Seal, one of six seal species in Antarctica 66 Scientists tag seals 68 Penguins benefit from marine resources convention 71 xi Drilling granite cores 82 Oil development may endanger Skua, Emperor Penguin 94 Marine resource research 100 Scientist adjusts pyrheliometer 130 Mt. Erebus, site of 1979 aircraft crash 135 Seismic station on Abbott Peak, Mt. Erebus 147 Helicopter lands on deck of icebreaker POLAR SEA 160 Ice ablation study in "dirty ice" 164 Weather balloon is launched at South Pole Station 166 McMurdo Station. logistics hub of US Antarctic program 170 Amundsen-Scott Station establishes US presence 172 Paul Siple. American scientist and explorer 174 Ski-equipped LC-130 is workhorse of Antarctic program 176 POLAR SEA supports US operations 180 Scientists conduct research from tents 187 Scientists pose with Opus at South Pole Endpiece Tables I. Parties to the Antarctic Treaty 38-39 2. Antarctic Treaty consultative meetings, 1961-89 55 3. US Antarctic program budget requests and appropriations 145 4. House hearings on Antarctic issues 149-50 5. Senate hearings on Antarctic issues 152 xii Foreword Working together under the highly successful Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the United States and other nations have quietly and peacefully pursued exploration and scientific research in Antarctica. The treaty, however, could be subject to major revi- sion in 1991 and possibly even elimination. It is therefore impor- tant to review US national interests in anticipation of a new treaty arrangement that may necessitate modifying US policy toward Antarctica. Frank Klotz examines Antarctica before the 1959 treaty. and then scrutinizes the operation of the treaty itself. In doing so, he notes that three significant challenges to continued coop- eration in the Antarctic have arisen despite 30 years of interna- tional cooperation. First, as the world has become more aware of dwindling natural resources, the modest discoveries in the Ant- arctic are attracting more attention. Second, certain nations, not signatories to the treaty, have questioned the fight of the treaty members to control resource development. Third. disputes over territorial sovereignty remain to be resolved. As competition for resources increases, the issue of "who owns the Antarctic" could lead to contention. This thoughtful study provides a sound framework for crafting a US strategy on these emerging Antarctic issues. 6 A. BALDWIN Vice Admiral, US Navy President, National Defense University xiii Preface Most works on the Antarctic describe the region with a series of forbidding extremes. The continent is said to be the coldest, driest, highest, windiest, and most remote place on earth. At least one other extreme merits inclusion on this list: Antarctica also is the most neglected continent in both the prac- tice and study of American national security policy. The reasons for this neglect are not hard to fathom. Precisely because of all Antarctica's extremes, only a hand- ful of Americans have ever expressed an interest in the region. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, sailors from New England explored the waters of the Southern Ocean in search of seals for trade. Later, commercial exploitation of the region's living resources gave way to heroic feats by famous explorers. The adventures of Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Admiral Richard Byrd opened up the Antarctic in both a literal and figurative sense, as the popular imagination became seized with the haunting images of the last earthly frontier. Yet, for all its majestic beauty, the Antarctic never pos- sessed sufficient wealth or strategic significance to command broad and sustained attention from the American body politic. Even as more Americans became aware of the region, Antarctica remained the province of the few. Indeed today, it is populated only by a small circle of scientists, and the civilian and military officials who support
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Antarctic Peninsula
    Hucke-Gaete, R, Torres, D. & Vallejos, V. 1997c. Entanglement of Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, by marine debris at Cape Shirreff and San Telmo Islets, Livingston Island, Antarctica: 1998-1997. Serie Científica Instituto Antártico Chileno 47: 123-135. Hucke-Gaete, R., Osman, L.P., Moreno, C.A. & Torres, D. 2004. Examining natural population growth from near extinction: the case of the Antarctic fur seal at the South Shetlands, Antarctica. Polar Biology 27 (5): 304–311 Huckstadt, L., Costa, D. P., McDonald, B. I., Tremblay, Y., Crocker, D. E., Goebel, M. E. & Fedak, M. E. 2006. Habitat Selection and Foraging Behavior of Southern Elephant Seals in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #OS33A-1684. INACH (Instituto Antártico Chileno) 2010. Chilean Antarctic Program of Scientific Research 2009-2010. Chilean Antarctic Institute Research Projects Department. Santiago, Chile. Kawaguchi, S., Nicol, S., Taki, K. & Naganobu, M. 2006. Fishing ground selection in the Antarctic krill fishery: Trends in patterns across years, seasons and nations. CCAMLR Science, 13: 117–141. Krause, D. J., Goebel, M. E., Marshall, G. J., & Abernathy, K. (2015). Novel foraging strategies observed in a growing leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) population at Livingston Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Animal Biotelemetry, 3:24. Krause, D.J., Goebel, M.E., Marshall. G.J. & Abernathy, K. In Press. Summer diving and haul-out behavior of leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) near mesopredator breeding colonies at Livingston Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Marine Mammal Science.Leppe, M., Fernandoy, F., Palma-Heldt, S. & Moisan, P 2004. Flora mesozoica en los depósitos morrénicos de cabo Shirreff, isla Livingston, Shetland del Sur, Península Antártica, in Actas del 10º Congreso Geológico Chileno.
    [Show full text]
  • Records, 1974-2005
    Robert B. Klaverkamp Antarctic Collection, circa 1947-1948, 1958 Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives Smithsonian Institution Archives Washington, D.C. Contact us at [email protected] Table of Contents Collection Overview ........................................................................................................ 1 Administrative Information .............................................................................................. 1 Historical Note.................................................................................................................. 1 Descriptive Entry.............................................................................................................. 2 Names and Subjects ...................................................................................................... 2 Container Listing ............................................................................................................. 3 Robert B. Klaverkamp Antarctic Collection https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_247088 Collection Overview Repository: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C., [email protected] Title: Robert B. Klaverkamp Antarctic Collection Date: circa 1947-1948, 1958 Identifier: Accession 02-223 Creator:: Klaverkamp, Robert B. Extent: 0.43 cu. ft. (1 12x17 box) Language: English Administrative Information Prefered Citation Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 02-223, Robert B. Klaverkamp Antarctic Collection Historical Note These records document the participation
    [Show full text]
  • Antarctic Primer
    Antarctic Primer By Nigel Sitwell, Tom Ritchie & Gary Miller By Nigel Sitwell, Tom Ritchie & Gary Miller Designed by: Olivia Young, Aurora Expeditions October 2018 Cover image © I.Tortosa Morgan Suite 12, Level 2 35 Buckingham Street Surry Hills, Sydney NSW 2010, Australia To anyone who goes to the Antarctic, there is a tremendous appeal, an unparalleled combination of grandeur, beauty, vastness, loneliness, and malevolence —all of which sound terribly melodramatic — but which truly convey the actual feeling of Antarctica. Where else in the world are all of these descriptions really true? —Captain T.L.M. Sunter, ‘The Antarctic Century Newsletter ANTARCTIC PRIMER 2018 | 3 CONTENTS I. CONSERVING ANTARCTICA Guidance for Visitors to the Antarctic Antarctica’s Historic Heritage South Georgia Biosecurity II. THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT Antarctica The Southern Ocean The Continent Climate Atmospheric Phenomena The Ozone Hole Climate Change Sea Ice The Antarctic Ice Cap Icebergs A Short Glossary of Ice Terms III. THE BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT Life in Antarctica Adapting to the Cold The Kingdom of Krill IV. THE WILDLIFE Antarctic Squids Antarctic Fishes Antarctic Birds Antarctic Seals Antarctic Whales 4 AURORA EXPEDITIONS | Pioneering expedition travel to the heart of nature. CONTENTS V. EXPLORERS AND SCIENTISTS The Exploration of Antarctica The Antarctic Treaty VI. PLACES YOU MAY VISIT South Shetland Islands Antarctic Peninsula Weddell Sea South Orkney Islands South Georgia The Falkland Islands South Sandwich Islands The Historic Ross Sea Sector Commonwealth Bay VII. FURTHER READING VIII. WILDLIFE CHECKLISTS ANTARCTIC PRIMER 2018 | 5 Adélie penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula I. CONSERVING ANTARCTICA Antarctica is the largest wilderness area on earth, a place that must be preserved in its present, virtually pristine state.
    [Show full text]
  • Polar Geography the Historical Development of Mcmurdo Station
    This article was downloaded by: [Texas A&M University] On: 19 August 2010 Access details: Access Details: [subscription number 915031382] Publisher Taylor & Francis Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37- 41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Polar Geography Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t781223423 The historical development of McMurdo station, Antarctica, an environmental perspective Andrew G. Kleina; Mahlon C. Kennicutt IIb; Gary A. Wolffb; Steve T. Sweetb; Tiffany Bloxoma; Dianna A. Gielstraa; Marietta Cleckleyc a Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA b Geochemical and Environmental Research Group, Texas A&M, College Station, TX, USA c Uniondale High School, Uniondale, New York, USA To cite this Article Klein, Andrew G. , Kennicutt II, Mahlon C. , Wolff, Gary A. , Sweet, Steve T. , Bloxom, Tiffany , Gielstra, Dianna A. and Cleckley, Marietta(2008) 'The historical development of McMurdo station, Antarctica, an environmental perspective', Polar Geography, 31: 3, 119 — 144 To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/10889370802579856 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10889370802579856 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.informaworld.com/terms-and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date.
    [Show full text]
  • Explorer's Gazette
    EEXXPPLLOORREERR’’SS GAZETTE GAZETTE Published Quarterly in Pensacola, Florida USA for the Old Antarctic Explorers Association Uniting All OAEs in Perpetuating the History of U.S. Navy Involvement in Antarctica Volume 7, Issue 2 Old Antarctic Explorers Association, Inc Apr-Jun 2007 San Diego, California Night Launch of USNS Richard E. Byrd USNS Richard E. Byrd, (T-AKE-4) Launching Ceremony Compiled by Billy-Ace Baker Laura Kissel, Byrd Polar Research Center, and OAEA President, John Lamont West, contributed to this article. HE SECOND SHIP TO BE NAMED IN HONOR OF THE region by air in May 1926. He was awarded the Medal of FAMOUS Navy polar explorer was launched on 15 Honor for the flight. Two and a half years later, Byrd began T May 2007 in San Diego, CA at the NASSCO his first expedition to Antarctica. He commanded the first Shipyard. The U.S Navy’s newest re-supply ship, flight over the South Pole on 29 November 1929. Byrd USNS Richard E. Byrd is a dry cargo/ammunition ship completed four more expeditions to the Antarctic continent designed and built by General Dynamics. The mission of the over the next 26 years, including Operation Deep Freeze in ship will be to deliver ammunition, provisions, stores, spare 1955 the IGY expedition that established seven U.S. stations parts, potable water, and petroleum products to strike groups in Antarctica . and other naval forces. Speakers at the launching ceremony included The A 1912 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a Honorable Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy; Naval Aviator, Byrd (1888–1957), explored the North Pole See: Byrd Launching on page 4.
    [Show full text]
  • New Mexico Daily Lobo, Volume 089, No 147, 5/6/1985." 89, 147 (1985)
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository 1985 The aiD ly Lobo 1981 - 1985 5-6-1985 New Mexico Daily Lobo, Volume 089, No 147, 5/ 6/1985 University of New Mexico Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/daily_lobo_1985 Recommended Citation University of New Mexico. "New Mexico Daily Lobo, Volume 089, No 147, 5/6/1985." 89, 147 (1985). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/daily_lobo_1985/72 This Newspaper is brought to you for free and open access by the The aiD ly Lobo 1981 - 1985 at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in 1985 by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Fastballers' fade Impressive improvisors Thf;) baseball team's .the Phantasmagoria hopes for a .conference Improvisational group championship took a wants to carry on · .step backward in fall­ the tradition of ing to UTEP. ~econd City .. See Sports for ResQits See Arts Vol. 89 Monday, Moy6, 1985 Hearing focuses on VNM employment Farer backs By Camille. Cordova co-op funds Employment discrimination at the By Ben Neary University of New Mexico was the focus ;()f a h.:aring Thursday called University of New Mexico Pre:li­ by the New Mexico Advisory Com­ dent Tom Farer sUpports increased mittee to the U.S. Commission on funding for the Skills Center and the Civil Rights. Child Care Co•op. The committee, chaired by for­ Farer spoke before administrators mer New Mexico Lt. Governor and members of student government Roberto Mondragon, heard pre­ Friday at a meeting to discuss the sentations Thursday morning by structure and allocation of manda­ Un.iversity President Tom Farer and tory student .fees.
    [Show full text]
  • Typical Girls: the Rhetoric of Womanhood in Comic Strips Susan E
    Typical girls The Rhetoric of Womanhood in Comic Strips Susan E. Kirtley TYPICAL GIRLS STUDIES IN COMICS AND CARTOONS Jared Gardner and Charles Hatfield, Series Editors TYPICAL GIRLS The Rhetoric of Womanhood in Comic Strips SUSAN E. KIRTLEY THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS COLUMBUS COPYRIGHT © 2021 BY THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. THIS EDITION LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION- NONCOMMERCIAL-NODERIVS LICENSE. THE VARIOUS CHARACTERS, LOGOS, AND OTHER TRADEMARKS APPEARING IN THIS BOOK ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS AND ARE PRESENTED HERE STRICTLY FOR SCHOLARLY ANALYSIS. NO INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED OR SHOULD BE IMPLIED. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Kirtley, Susan E., 1972– author. Title: Typical girls : the rhetoric of womanhood in comic strips / Susan E. Kirtley. Other titles: Studies in comics and cartoons. Description: Columbus : The Ohio State University Press, [2021] | Series: Studies in comics and cartoons | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “Drawing from the work of Lynn Johnston (For Better or For Worse), Cathy Guisewite (Cathy), Nicole Hollander (Sylvia), Lynda Barry (Ernie Pook’s Comeek), Barbara Brandon-Croft (Where I’m Coming From), Alison Bechdel (Dykes to Watch Out For), and Jan Eliot (Stone Soup), Typical Girls examines the development of womanhood and women’s rights in popular comic strips”—Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2020052823 | ISBN 9780814214572 (cloth) | ISBN 0814214576 (cloth) | ISBN 9780814281222 (ebook) | ISBN 0814281222 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Comic strip characters—Women. | Women in literature. | Women’s rights in literature. | Comic books, strips, etc.—History and criticism. Classification: LCC PN6714 .K47 2021 | DDC 741.5/3522—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020052823 COVER DESIGN BY ANGELA MOODY TEXT DESIGN BY JULIET WILLIAMS TYPE SET IN PALATINO For my favorite superhero team—Evelyn, Leone, and Tamasone Castigat ridendo mores.
    [Show full text]
  • Wilhelm Filchner and Antarctica Helmut Hornik and Cornelia Lüdecke
    Berichte ??? / 2007 zur Polar- und Meeresforschung Reports on Polar and Marine Research Steps of Foundation of Institutionalized Antarctic Research Proceedings of the 1 st SCAR Workshop on the History of Antarctic Research Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Munich (Germany), 2-3 June, 2005 Edited by Cornelia Lüdecke Rückseite Titelblatt Steps of Foundation of Institutionalized Antarctic Research Proceedings of the 1 st SCAR Workshop on the History of Antarctic Research Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Munich (Germany) 2-3 June, 2005 Edited by Cornelia Lüdecke Ber. Polarforsch. Meeresfor. Xxx (2007) ISSN 1618-3193 Cornelia Lüdecke, SCAR History Action Group, Valleystrasse 40, D- 81371 Munich, Germany Contents Table of Contents Table of Contents .......... ................................................................................................I Figures List ....................................................................................................................V List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................VI Preface .................................................................................................................iX Introduction ........................................................................................................1 1 The Dawn of Antarctic Consciousnes J. Berguño ............................................................................................................3 1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................3
    [Show full text]
  • The Annual Report 2008
    TT hehe AA nn tartarcc tictic SSititee InInvv enentt ororyy 2008 Annual Report from O c eanites, Inc. To all Oceanites supporters and friends — IInsiide .. .. .. I’m happy to report that our work continues at a very high level of achievement, both on the science front with the Antarctic Site Inventory project, as well as on the education front with the Oceanites website and Antarctic Site Inventory our upstart University Of Antarctica. News Our work continues because of the gracious and very generous assis- tance of so many of you,in the midst of these very difficult,economic times. Speaking for all of us in the Oceanites community, we are overwhelmingly The 2008-09 Field Season grateful for your support. Rest assured: For the Antarctic, for the penguins, to better understand Opus & The Oceanites the vagaries and consequences of global warming — we will keep the Website good fight going. Another field season is underway, with the impetus of a new grant award from the US National Science Foundation and the ongoing support Heroes — Jean-Baptiste of both Lindblad Expeditions and the National Geographic Society, whose Charcot & Louis Gain vessels, the National Geographic Endeavour and National Geographic Explorer, we utilize to gather data for the Antarctic Site Inventory. I also want to introduce you to Opus The Penguin and all the excitement that’s Contact Details happening on the Oceanites website. Thanks again. We’re looking forward to more successes and glad that you’re with us. Keep dreaming penguins! With all best wishes, Ron Naveen President, Oceanites, Inc. November 30, 2008 Antarctic Site Inventory News The Antarctic Site Inventory continues setting the We are hoping these analyses will enable a more pre- pace with its Antarctic Peninsula monitoring program.
    [Show full text]
  • Navigation in the Antarctic
    NAVIGATION IN THE ANTARCTIC by Alton B. M oody, U .S.N .R . Division of Navigational Science, Hydrographic Office, U. S. Nat)}) (A ddress delivered at the annual meeting of the Institute of Navigation, Hotel Statler, Washington, D. C., June 24th, 1947) Interest in and speculation concerning the antarctic increased considerably last year when several nations announced their intentions of sending expeditions to the frozen continent surrounding the south pole. Largest of these was the U . S. N avy’s Operation Highjump, which made polar explorers of some 4000 persons. Although the navigators of this expedition were hindered by the lack of charts of the accustomed accuracy, the surprising fact is not the paucity of information available but the abundance of it, when the position of the region is considered. The antarctic is separated from the world’s civilization and trade routes by the world’s stormiest seas. Some 90 per cent of the population of the earth lives in the northern hemisphere. The only great circle routes of potential commercial interest crossing the antarctic continent are those from eastern South American cities such as Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro to Australia—certainly not the world’s most traveled routes. Yet H. O. 138, the Sailing Directions for Antarctica, contains 312 large pages of condensed information which Operation Highjump found to be reliable. Tw o and a half pages are devoted to a bibliography. HISTORY OF ANTARCTICA There are many reports of landfalls by early mariners who were driven south by violent storms, but most of these were of islands in the sub-antarctic.
    [Show full text]
  • Chronology of U.S. Coast Guard Polar and Ice Operations
    CHRONOLOGY OF U.S. COAST GUARD POLAR AND ICE OPERATIONS 1867- United States acquires the Alaskan Territory from Russia - after the purchase USRC Lincoln carried the U.S. delegation for the transfer ceremony -the Revenue Cutter Service becomes the presence of the Federal Government in the new territory including the transportation of judges, marshals, prisoners, and witnesses; conduct of courts; enforcement of customs and immigration statutes; and enforcement of laws related to fisheries and wildlife. 1868- USRC Wayanda ordered to Alaskan waters to protect the interests of the United States and prevent the killing of fur-bearing mammals (seals) 1877- U.S. Army troops are withdrawn from the Alaskan territory. Governance falls to the Treasury Department and its representative, the Collector of Customs. As a law enforcement arm of the department, the Revenue Cutter Service is the embodiment of the law. 1880- USRC Corwin undertakes the first of what would become annual cruises in the Bering Sea to enforce the laws and provide a government presence in Alaska. 1882- Michael Healy, first African-American to command a U.S. government vessel becomes captain of USRC Corwin. He would later command USRC Bear and institute the transfer of reindeer from Siberia to Alaska. 1884- USRC Bear came to the rescue of the US Army’s Greely Expedition which had set up a camp to study the winter conditions of Ellesmere Island. Relief ships in 1882 and 1883 had failed to reach the party. USRC Corwin cruised along the Alaskan ice pack to gather samples of seals for the Smithsonian Institution. 1885 Charles H.
    [Show full text]
  • Operation Highjump 1 Operation Highjump
    Operation Highjump 1 Operation Highjump Operation Highjump (OpHjp), officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946-1947, was a United States Navy operation organized by RADM Richard E. Byrd Jr. USN, (Ret), Officer in Charge, Task Force 68, and led by RADM Richard H. Cruzen, USN, Commanding Officer, Task Force 68. Operation Highjump commenced 26 August 1946 and ended in late February 1947. Task Force 68 included 4,700 men, 13 ships, and multiple aircraft. The primary mission of Operation Highjump was to establish the Antarctic research base Little America IV.[1][2] Highjump’s objectives, according to the US Navy report of the operation , were: USS Sennet (SS-408) participating in Operation Highjump 1. training personnel and testing equipment in frigid conditions; 2. consolidating and extending United States sovereignty over the largest practicable area of the Antarctic continent (This was publicly denied as a goal even before the expedition ended); 3. determining the feasibility of establishing, maintaining and utilising bases in the Antarctic and investigating possible base sites; 4. developing techniques for establishing, maintaining and utilising air bases on ice, with particular attention to later applicability of such techniques to operations in interior Greenland, where conditions are comparable to those in the Antarctic; 5. amplifying existing stores of knowledge of hydrographic, geographic, geological, meteorological and electro-magnetic propagation conditions in the area; 6. supplementary objectives of the Nanook expedition. (The Nanook operation was a smaller equivalent conducted off eastern Greenland.)[3] Timeline The Western Group of ships reached the Marquesas Islands on December 12, 1946, whereupon the Henderson and Cacapon set up weather monitoring stations.
    [Show full text]