POL Volume 11 Issue 71 Front Matter

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

POL Volume 11 Issue 71 Front Matter THE POLAR RECORD Editor: L. M. Forbes. Editorial Committee: B. B. Roberts, G. de Q. Robin, T. E. Armstrong, H. G. R. King Vol. 11 May 1962 No. 71 CONTENTS FRONTISPIECE Sir James Clark Ross ARTICLES : Inuvik, Canada's new Arctic town. By Gordon B. Pritchard . page 145 Biographical note on James Weddell, R.N. (1787-1834). By Ann Savours . 155 Further observations on sastrugi, snow dunes and the pattern of surface winds in Antarctica. By K. B. Mather . 158 The population of the north of the USSR. By Terence Armstrong . 172 FIELD WORK : Jacobson-McGill University Arctic Research Expedition to Axel Heiberg Island, Northwest Territories, 1959-61: Operations in 1961 179 Search for early Norse remains in north-east Canada, 1960 and 1961 181 Birmingham University Expedition to south Greenland, 1961 . 182 Sea ice runways: United States project "Ice Way", 1961 . 182 United States Arctic Research Laboratory Ice Station, "Arlis-2", 1961 183 Activities on Ice Island T-3, 1961 183 Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions, 1960-61 . 184 Soviet activities in the Antarctic, 1960-61 189 United States activities in the Antarctic: winter 1961 . 191 NOTES: The Northern Sea Route, 1961 . 194 Animal population estimates in the Soviet Arctic .... 195 Symposium on prevention of floating ice formation by air bubbling, Ottawa, 1961 : . 196 Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey: change of name . .197 South African organization for Antarctic and sub-Antarctic activities 197 A thickness gauge for floating ice . .198 New type of blizzard mask 199 Danish ice-strengthened ship Nella Dan . • . 199 SCAR Bulletin, No. 11 Recording sea ice distribution from meteorological satellites. By D. Q. Wark 201 Antarctic glaciological report, 1960. By A. P. Crary . 203 144 CONTENTS SCAR Bulletin, No. 11 {cord.) Provisional list of Antarctic meteorological observations 1960. 204 Notes on isotope glaciology. By E. Picciotto 206 Stations operating in the Antarctic, summer 1961-62, winter 1962 . 208 Index of SCAR Bulletin . .209 OBITUARY 210 ERRATA 214 RECENT POLAR LITERATURE 215 Thirty-fifth Annual Report on the work of the Scott Polar Research Institute ............ 250 Engraved by Henri/ Coulc after a painting by ./. Witdman SIR JAMES CLARK ROSS 15 April 1S00 to 3 April 1802.
Recommended publications
  • Navigation on Shackleton's Voyage to Antarctica
    Records of the Canterbury Museum, 2019 Vol. 33: 5–22 © Canterbury Museum 2019 5 Navigation on Shackleton’s voyage to Antarctica Lars Bergman1 and Robin G Stuart2 1Saltsjöbaden, Sweden 2Valhalla, New York, USA Email: [email protected] On 19 January 1915, the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, under the leadership of Sir Ernest Shackleton, became trapped in their vessel Endurance in the ice pack of the Weddell Sea. The subsequent ordeal and efforts that lead to the successful rescue of all expedition members are the stuff of legend and have been extensively discussed elsewhere. Prior to that time, however, the voyage had proceeded relatively uneventfully and was dutifully recorded in Captain Frank Worsley’s log and work book. This provides a window into the navigational methods used in the day-to- day running of the ship by a master mariner under normal circumstances in the early twentieth century. The conclusions that can be gleaned from a careful inspection of the log book over this period are described here. Keywords: celestial navigation, dead reckoning, double altitudes, Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worsley, Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Mercator sailing, time sight Introduction On 8 August 1914, the Imperial Trans-Antarctic passage in the 22½ foot (6.9 m) James Caird to Expedition under the leadership of Sir Ernest seek rescue from South Georgia. It is ultimately Shackleton set sail aboard their vessel the steam a tribute to Shackleton’s leadership and Worsley’s yacht (S.Y.) Endurance from Plymouth, England, navigational skills that all survived their ordeal. with the goal of traversing the Antarctic Captain Frank Worsley’s original log books continent from the Weddell to Ross Seas.
    [Show full text]
  • The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1955-1958
    THE COMMONWEALTH TRANS-ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 1955-1958 HOW THE CROSSING OF ANTARCTICA MOVED NEW ZEALAND TO RECOGNISE ITS ANTARCTIC HERITAGE AND TAKE AN EQUAL PLACE AMONG ANTARCTIC NATIONS A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree PhD - Doctor of Philosophy (Antarctic Studies – History) University of Canterbury Gateway Antarctica Stephen Walter Hicks 2015 Statement of Authority & Originality I certify that the work in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree nor has it been submitted as part of requirements for a degree except as fully acknowledged within the text. I also certify that the thesis has been written by me. Any help that I have received in my research and the preparation of the thesis itself has been acknowledged. In addition, I certify that all information sources and literature used are indicated in the thesis. Elements of material covered in Chapter 4 and 5 have been published in: Electronic version: Stephen Hicks, Bryan Storey, Philippa Mein-Smith, ‘Against All Odds: the birth of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1955-1958’, Polar Record, Volume00,(0), pp.1-12, (2011), Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print version: Stephen Hicks, Bryan Storey, Philippa Mein-Smith, ‘Against All Odds: the birth of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1955-1958’, Polar Record, Volume 49, Issue 1, pp. 50-61, Cambridge University Press, 2013 Signature of Candidate ________________________________ Table of Contents Foreword ..................................................................................................................................
    [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]
  • 2019 Weddell Sea Expedition
    Initial Environmental Evaluation SA Agulhas II in sea ice. Image: Johan Viljoen 1 Submitted to the Polar Regions Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as part of an application for a permit / approval under the UK Antarctic Act 1994. Submitted by: Mr. Oliver Plunket Director Maritime Archaeology Consultants Switzerland AG c/o: Maritime Archaeology Consultants Switzerland AG Baarerstrasse 8, Zug, 6300, Switzerland Final version submitted: September 2018 IEE Prepared by: Dr. Neil Gilbert Director Constantia Consulting Ltd. Christchurch New Zealand 2 Table of contents Table of contents ________________________________________________________________ 3 List of Figures ___________________________________________________________________ 6 List of Tables ___________________________________________________________________ 8 Non-Technical Summary __________________________________________________________ 9 1. Introduction _________________________________________________________________ 18 2. Environmental Impact Assessment Process ________________________________________ 20 2.1 International Requirements ________________________________________________________ 20 2.2 National Requirements ____________________________________________________________ 21 2.3 Applicable ATCM Measures and Resolutions __________________________________________ 22 2.3.1 Non-governmental activities and general operations in Antarctica _______________________________ 22 2.3.2 Scientific research in Antarctica __________________________________________________________
    [Show full text]
  • Public Information Leaflet HISTORY.Indd
    British Antarctic Survey History The United Kingdom has a long and distinguished record of scientific exploration in Antarctica. Before the creation of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), there were many surveying and scientific expeditions that laid the foundations for modern polar science. These ranged from Captain Cook’s naval voyages of the 18th century, to the famous expeditions led by Scott and Shackleton, to a secret wartime operation to secure British interests in Antarctica. Today, BAS is a world leader in polar science, maintaining the UK’s long history of Antarctic discovery and scientific endeavour. The early years Britain’s interests in Antarctica started with the first circumnavigation of the Antarctic continent by Captain James Cook during his voyage of 1772-75. Cook sailed his two ships, HMS Resolution and HMS Adventure, into the pack ice reaching as far as 71°10' south and crossing the Antarctic Circle for the first time. He discovered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands although he did not set eyes on the Antarctic continent itself. His reports of fur seals led many sealers from Britain and the United States to head to the Antarctic to begin a long and unsustainable exploitation of the Southern Ocean. Image: Unloading cargo for the construction of ‘Base A’ on Goudier Island, Antarctic Peninsula (1944). During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, interest in Antarctica was largely focused on the exploitation of its surrounding waters by sealers and whalers. The discovery of the South Shetland Islands is attributed to Captain William Smith who was blown off course when sailing around Cape Horn in 1819.
    [Show full text]
  • PEOPLE in the POLAR Regions
    TEACHING DOSSIER 2 ENGLISH, GEOGRAPHY, SCIENCE, HISTORY PEOPLE IN THE POLAR REGIONS ANTARCTIC, ARCTIC, PEOPLES OF THE ARCTIC, EXPLORATION, ADVENTURERS, POLAR BASES, INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, FISHING, INDUSTRY, TOURISM 2 dossier CZE N° 2 THEORY SECTION Living conditions in the Polar Regions are harsh: very low temperatures, violently strong winds, ground often frozen solid, alternation between long nights in winter and long days in summer and difficult access by any means of transportation. Yet despite everything, people manage to live either permanently or temporarily in these regions, which are unlike any other. Who are these people? PEOPLE IN THE ANTARCTIC Antarctica is a frozen continent surrounded by an immense ocean. The climate is so extreme that there is virtually no life at all on land; any life there is concentrated on the coast (seals, penguins, whales, etc.)1. No human beings live in Antarctica on a permanent basis; however people have managed to endure short and extended stays on the continent during the past 200 years. THE EXplorers: A BALANCE BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACHIEVEMENT AND science Because it was so difficult to reach, the Antarctic was the last region of the world to be explored. Until the 18th century, the frozen continent remained very much a figment of people’s imaginations. Then in 1773, the English navigator and explorer James Cook became the first man to reach the southernpolar circle (Antarctic Circle). Yet it was not until 1820 that the Russian navigator F.F. Bellingshausen and his men discovered that Antarctica was not just made entirely of sea ice, but a continent in its own right, because they saw a mountain there.
    [Show full text]
  • Unit 3. Antarctic Oceanography Lesson 1
    ANTARCTIC Unit 3. Antarctic Oceanography Lesson 1. – Overview and Research Stations Lesson Objectives: • Introduces the continent of Antarctica and the oceans that surround it • The student will learn about the geography, history and climate. • The second section of this chapter discusses research stations and the scientists who live on the frozen continent. Antarctica is a continent located form 25 million years ago. The at the southern-most point of ice in Antarctica locks up more the globe. Millions of years ago, than two-thirds of the planet's this landmass was attached to fresh water. If the Antarctic ice a giant landmass that consisted were to melt, the sea would rise of modern-day South America, almost 200 feet. It is the only India and Africa. Powerful underground forces ripped a large piece of land from this giant landmass, which then drifted to its current position at the bottom of the globe. It is surrounded on all sides by the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. continent that man had left untouched for Antarctica's cold, thick hard millions of years. covering, called an Antarctica is ice considered the sheet, coldest and driest continent on began to earth. Temperatures decrease regions inland. Temperatures as one moves from the coastal during the long, dark winters ©PROJECT OCEANOGRAPHY ANTARCTIC OCEANOGRAPHY 87 ANTARCTIC range from –4° F to –22° F on Blizzards are produced not by the coast, -40° F to –90° F falling snow, but when high inland. During the summers, winds (100- 200mph) blow coastal temperatures average ground snow around, creating 32° F (occasionally climbing to blinding conditions and 50° F), while the inland summer snowdrifts that can cover local temperatures range from –4° F research stations in an hour.
    [Show full text]
  • UVRA Polar Opposites
    Exploration, Exploitation and Explanation: Some Historical Relations in Antarctica. by James Gardner Outline Proposition: Antarctica has become known to us through interactions within and among Exploration (mapping), Explanation (science) and Exploitation (use and consumption of extant resources). Evidence: Revealed through the historical record of travel to and within the region over the past 250 years, a process that continues today and points to a future. Focus: Primarily the Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent Southern Ocean and Sub-Antarctic Islands and with some reference to continental Antarctica. Some Background How did Antarctica come to be as it is? What is it like today? How is it governed? What is its future? Geographic Isolation 35m years ago Separation from S America Circumpolar Ocean and Atmosphere Circulation How do we know that Antarctica has changed position and may not have looked like it does now? Scotia Sea, Scotia Arc and Drake Passage South America PlateFalkland/Malvinas Is. Atlantic Plate Shag Rocks Cape Horn South Georgia Drake Passage Pacific/ Phoenix Plate S. Sandwich S. Orkney Is. Is. S. Shetland Is. Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic Plate Today it is governed through the Antarctic Treaty System The Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) • Composed of the Treaty itself plus numerous protocols, conventions and other attachments for regulation of all activity in the region. • It sets aside the area south of 60 deg S as a scientific preserve with freedom of investigation within limits and an area devoted to peace. • The 12 countries most involved in Antarctic research during IGY 1957-58 negotiated the Treaty among themselves and signed it in 1959.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Geography (1913)
    22101104657 o a. 2 2 5 . > ^ a ' ; ctf 5-5 2 3 c £ 3 a a o o >* 3 5 ’55 31 *5 c HISTORY OF GEOGRAPHY BY J. SCOTT KELTIE, ll.d., Secretary'of the Royal Geographical Society, AND O. J. R. HOWARTH, m.a., Assistant Secretary of the British Association for the Advancement of Science - Ok '>->< 5 \ uwmw London : WATTS & CO., JOHNSON'S COURT, FLEET STREET, E.C. £oG W*'i [ Printed in Great Britain by Watts & Co., Johnson’s Court, Fleet Street, London, E.C.4 c v-'- <V /r A I historical l medical v 1/8r}&' z-yC^) PREFACE This is not a history of geographical exploration, though the leading episodes in the advance of our knowledge of the face of the Earth are necessarily referred to in tracing the evolution of geography as a department of science. That is the object of this volume as one of a series dealing succinctly with the history of the various sciences. We are not con- cerned to discuss whether Geography is entitled to be con- sidered as a science or not. It is hoped that in the attempt to tell the story of its evolution up to the present day it will be evident that it is as amenable to scientific methods as any other department of human knowledge, and that it performs important functions which are untouched by any other lines of research. I use the first person plural because I am greatly indebted to Mr. O. J. R. Howarth in coming to my help after I had accumulated much of the material, but was seriously delayed owing to.
    [Show full text]
  • Xixth CENTURY
    CHAPTER V XIXth CENTURY I Boo. — Loyalty Islands, discovered by Capt. Butler in the “ Walpole”,explored in 1828 by Dumont d'Urville. 1800. — Antipodes Islands, discovered by Capt. Woodhouse in H.M.S. “ Reliance” who called them Penantipodes. 、 • S 1801-03. ~ 1 Matthew Flinders, in H.M.S. “ Investigator,,,made a voyage to Terra Australis and explored some coasts of southern Australia. S 1801-1803. ~ ■ !Capt. Nicolas Bandin and F. Peron, in the “ Géographe”,the “ Naturaliste” , ‘‘ Casuarina ”,explore Tasmania, the Great Australian Bay and the west coast of Australia in their voyage ,of discovery to the Austral Lands. 1802. — Murray : exploration of Australia. 1802. — Palmyra Island,discovered by Capt. Sawle,in the American ship “ Palmyra,,. 1803. _ Turnbull : Pacific Archipelagoes (Tuamotu Islands). 1803. ~*.James Stanier Clarke : “ The progress of maritime discovery, from the earliest period to the close of the xvmth Century, forming an extensive system of Hydrogra­ phyś charts, 10 vignettes, 4 vol., Straham, London. 1803-06. ~ ■ Voyage round, the World by Admiral Krusenstern and Lisiansky in the “ Neva ” and “ Nadesha Exploration of the Carolines, Marshall, Hawaii, Northern coasts of the Pacific and Strait of Bering. 1803-08. — Lieut. W. F. W. Owen, makes a survey of the East Indies. 1804. ~ • Ocean Island (Gilbert Island), discovered by the “ Ocean,,. 1804-06. — Exploration of the Red Sea by Capt. Court in the “ Panther,,• 1804-06. — Captains Lewis and Clarke explore the Missouri River up to its head together with the river head and course of the Columbia River. 1806. — Auckland Island,discovered by Capt. Abraham Bristow in the “ Ocean ” and named after Lord Auckland.
    [Show full text]
  • Naming Antarctica
    NASA Satellite map of Antarctica, 2006 - the world’s fifth largest continent Map of Antarctica, Courtesy of NASA, USA showing key UK and US research bases Courtesy of British Antarctic Survey Antarctica Naming Antarctica A belief in the existence of a vast unknown land in the far south of the globe dates The ancient Greeks knew about the Arctic landmass to The naming could be inspired by other members of the back almost 2500 years. The ancient Greeks called it Ant Arktos . The Europeans called the North. They named it Arktos - after the ‘Great Bear’ expedition party, or might simply be based on similarities it Terra Australis . star constellation. They believed it must be balanced with homeland features and locations. Further inspiration by an equally large Southern landmass - opposite the came from expressing the mood, feeling or function of The Antarctic mainland was first reported to have been sighted in around 1820. ‘Bear’ - the Ant Arktos . The newly identified continent a place - giving names like Inexpressible Island, During the 1840s, separate British, French and American expeditions sailed along the was first described as Antarctica in 1890. Desolation Island, Arrival Heights and Observation Hill. continuous coastline and proved it was a continent. Antarctica had no indigenous population and when explorers first reached the continent there were no The landmass of Antarctica totals 14 million square kilometres (nearly 5.5 million sq. miles) place names. Locations and geographical features - about sixty times bigger than Great Britain and almost one and a half times bigger than were given unique and distinctive names as they were the USA.
    [Show full text]
  • S COTLAND and the a NTARCTIC Southpole-Sium
    S COTLAND AND THE A NTARCTIC SouthPole-sium v.2 Bibliophilia Antarcticana Craobh Haven, Scotland • 1-4 May 2015 Inside front cover (above): The Scottish Thistle. Source: wikimedia Background: The Antarctic Tartan. Compiled and produced by Robert B. Stephenson. Issued in an edition of 100 for the SouthPole-sium v.2 Scotland and the Antarctic COTLAND has played a significant part in Antarctic exploration through her sea S captains, sailors and scientists. In the eighteenth century no-one had seen the Antarctic continent and only Captain Cook had crossed the Antarctic Circle. In the nineteenth century Scottish names began to appear on maps of the Antarctic islands and mainland Antarctica. The Weddell Sea was named in 1822 after the Scottish sealer James Weddell while the other great indentation in the Antarctic, the Ross Sea, was named after James Clarke Ross in 1843. The Ross family came from Wigtownshire. Between 1872 and 1876 the Challenger expedition was the first major oceanographic expedition in the world. The captain, Sir George Nares, came from Aberdeen. Much of the work on the specimens and information brought home from the Challenger expedition was processed in the Challenger offices in Edinburgh. One of those working on these reports when a student in Edinburgh was William Speirs Bruce. In 1892 four Scottish whalers from Dundee sailed south looking for right whales. On board the Balaena was the Scottish scientist William Speirs Bruce. Although this was a commercial venture, and despite obstruction by the captain of the Balaena, Bruce managed to collect a lot of meteorological information, descriptions of life in the Antarctic and a few specimens.
    [Show full text]