Antarctic Magazine September 2016
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THE PUBLICATION OF THE NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY Vol 35, No. 4, 2017 35, No. Vol LAGACE LEGACY EDITION What does the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement Mean for Antarctica? New Zealand: 60 years in Antarctica Vol 35, No. 4, 2017 Issue 242 Contents www.antarcticsociety.org.nz is published quarterly by the New Zealand Antarctic Society Inc. ISSN 0003-5327 EDITOR: Lester Chaplow ASSISTANT EDITOR: Janet Bray INDEXER: Mike Wing Antarctic magazine New Zealand Antarctic Society PO Box 404, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand Email: [email protected] The deadlines for submissions to future issues are 1 February, 1 May, 1 August, and 1 November. Back cover PATRON OF THE NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY Professor Peter Barrett, 2008 News 45 NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY LIFE MEMBERS What does the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement The Society recognises with life membership those people who excel in furthering the aims Mean for Antarctica?: Implications for New Zealand’s and objectives of the Society or who have given future research priorities 46 outstanding service in Antarctica. They are elected by vote at the Annual General Meeting. The number of life members can be no more New Zealand and the International Geophysical Year (IGY) than 15 at any one time. 1957–1958: a brief overview 52 Current Life Members by the year elected: 1. Robin Ormerod (Wellington), 1996 Rediscovering the Christchurch Magnetic Observatory: 2. Baden Norris (Canterbury), 2003 3. Randal Heke (Wellington), 2003 An essential New Zealand link to early Antarctic exploration 55 4. Arnold Heine (Wellington), 2006 5. Margaret Bradshaw (Canterbury), 2006 What’s Behind the Photo? 57 6. Ray Dibble (Wellington), 2008 7. Colin Monteath (Canterbury), 2014 Charles Williams: “A Lion in Courage”; 8. John Parsloe (Canterbury), 2014 9. Graeme Claridge (Wellington), 2015 New Zealand Maritime Hero 58 10. David Harrowfield (Canterbury), 2016 11. Robert Park (Canterbury), 2016 The Man who Shared a Cabin with Shackleton: 12. Alec McFerran (Canterbury), 2017 13. Frank Graveson (Auckland), 2017 Morton Moyes and the Aurora Relief Expedition, 1916–17 60 14. Mike Wing (Auckland), 2017 ELECTED OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY Remembering a Diplomatic Breakthrough for the Ross Sea 63 National President: Linda Kestle North Island Vice-President: Vacant Tribute: Norman Hardie: December 1924–October 2017 64 South Island Vice-President: Margaret Bradshaw National Secretary: Gigi Green Wal’s Dog on Ice Back cover National Treasurer: Lester Chaplow Immediate Past-President: Mariska Wouters BRANCH CHAIRS Auckland: Linda Kestle NEW EMAILS Canterbury: Shirley Russ Wellington: Robin Falconer Calling New Zealand members and subscribers affected by Vodafone cancellation of email services: if you previously used a Vodafone, Clear, ihug, or Paradise email address could you The New Zealand Antarctic Society is a please urgently advise our Membership Team – [email protected] – Registered Charity CC27118. of your new email address. Cover photo: Surface meltwater export off the Nansen ice shelf at a 130-metre-wide shear-margin river waterfall on 12 January 2014. Photo credit: Robert Fletcher, from Bell et al., (2017, Nature). Photo above: Vince Belgrave prepares Dog for a flight to Cape Bird. Photo courtesy of Trevor Chinn. Issue 242 NEWS From the Editor From the President In this issue, Antarctic is privileged to have The new Society website has been running since as our lead article, the text of a lecture that late September and has been a significant achievement Timothy Naish, presented as his recent SCAR for the Society, being planned and delivered in just lecture to the 45th Antarctic Treaty Consultative 12 months, and within budget. The Society now has a Meeting in Beijing this year, entitled What does fresh and modern public face, offering improved and the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement expanded communications and services for members. Mean for Antarctica? Joining the Society or renewing membership is now an The Society extends its congratulations to automated option. There is an online merchandise store, Randal Heke on his award of the New Zealand and the website provides a platform for our Antarctic Antarctic Medal. (Some of Randal’s Antarctic magazine and upcoming events, and an electronic reminiscences are in our June 2016 issue.) archive reaching back around 60 years of Antarctic Following the completion of Scott Base, by issues. A single Facebook page is also linked to the a construction team lead by Randal, the website for all those social media-ites. Sincere thanks New Zealand flag was raised there on 20 January must go to our Patron Dr Peter Barrett who has led the 1957; 2017 marking 60 years of New Zealand’s website development with a small, creative, talented, presence in Antarctica. New Zealand’s initial and determined subcommittee. involvement in Antarctica involved both the In October we sadly lost another of our life members, Trans-Antarctic Expedition and the International Norman Hardie, who, in the foreword to Hardie’s 2006 Geophysical Year. Much has been written, here memoir On My Own Two Feet, Hillary called “a skilled and elsewhere, about the TAE, and in this issue mountaineer and a formidable explorer… renowned for Fred Davey gives us a brief overview of the IGY: his considerable determination and refusal to accept New Zealand and the International Geophysical defeat”. He was a peer of Hillary’s, joining him on Year. several expeditions, including one to Antarctica to make In three historical pieces, John Clemens the first ascent of Mt Herschel. and Sue Molloy write of Rediscovering As this very busy and productive Antarctic year the Christchurch Magnetic Observatory, draws to a close I would like to encourage you to Bill Conroy writes of Charles Williams: “A Lion check out and make use of the new website, enjoy in Courage”, and Richard McElrea discusses some time out, and enjoy the planned Antarctic-related The Man who Shared a Cabin with Shackleton. events around the three branches at the end of 2017 Capping off New Zealand’s 60 years in and into 2018. Antarctica Jillian Dempster, in Remembering a Diplomatic Breakthrough for the Ross Sea, writes about the brand new Ross Sea Marine Dr Linda Kestle Protected Area, which came into force on 1 December 2017, and some of the hurdles in bringing it into being. Further to the note from the President, we THE LAST INHABITANT OF SHACKLETON’S HUT acknowledge the life of Life Member Norman Oliver Sutherland, who spent the 1962–63 summer at Cape Hardie, with a Tribute by Colin Monteath. Royds as a 19-year-old student studying the Adélie penguin colony there, has recently written and published a memoir of his time in Antarctica. He was the last person to live in Ernest Shackleton’s 1907 hut, accompanied by various visiting Scott Lester Chaplow Base staff during his sojourn. Graham Billing’s novelForbush and the Penguins, later turned into a feature film, was based CORRECTION: on Oliver’s experience at Cape Royds. In our previous issue, vol. 35, no. 3, it was stated that “In 2016 the international Antarctic science community through COMNAP identified Copies of the 43-page booklet The Last Inhabitant of the most critical scientific questions facing the global Antarctic science community.” In fact this was done through the SCAR (Scientific Shackleton’s Hut can be ordered from the author, duvedal39@ Committee on Antarctic Research) Horizon Scan Process; see paper by gmail.com, at a cost of $20, plus $7 postage. Kennicutt et al. in Antarctic Science, pages 1–16, 2014. Vol 35, No. 4, 2017 See our new website www.antarcticsociety.org.nz 45 CLIMATE CHANGE What does the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement Mean for Antarctica?: Implications for New Zealand’s future research priorities By Timothy Naish, Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. [email protected]. arlier this year I was and the Southern Ocean in climate The Paris Climate Agreement invited to present the change and sea-level rise is especially Something quite remarkable E Scientific Committee significant. happened towards the end of 2015 on Antarctic Research (SCAR) SCAR is developing future in Paris at the 21st meeting of the Lecture to the 45th Antarctic Treaty research priorities that address the Conference of Parties (COP 21) to Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in rapid pace of environmental change, the UNFCCC. The 196 member Beijing, China. Through discussion and the growing global sustainability nations agreed to keep global with SCAR’s president, Steven problems it brings. SCAR will warming below 2 °C, the “safe Chown, we decided I should address continue to provide rigorous, guardrail for dangerous climate the overarching question – “What defensible scientific evidence to change” identified by the IPCC will the success or failure of the the ATS, but in addition it aims and introduced by the UNFCCC at Paris Climate Agreement mean for to expand its partnerships and Copenhagen in 2009. This goal is Antarctica’s physical and biological influence, such as its engagement to be achieved through nationally systems, and what will be the with the Intergovernmental Panel on determined commitments (NDCs) broader impacts for humanity?” Climate Change and United Nations aimed to reduce all anthropogenic So, why this choice of topic? The Framework Convention on Climate greenhouse gas emissions to zero ATCM is attended largely by lawyers, Change (UNFCCC). In particular, before the end of this century. diplomats, and officials charged with SCAR recognises the importance Following pressure from vulnerable the governance of activities of the of the global adoption of the African and low-lying coastal Parties in the Antarctic region, as Sustainable Development Goals, nations, the parties further agreed to outlined by Antarctic Treaty System and initiatives to give effect to them, “pursue efforts” to limit temperature (ATS) and its Agreements – The such as Future Earth.