bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antarctic trials of the multi-box corer, a new device for benthos sampling
Authors: Gerdes D.
Published: October 2009

A multi-box corer is described, recently designed and constructed as part of the Euromar Project, through cooperation between the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research and Fa. MAK Krupp Maschinenbau GmbH Kiel. Deployed successfully during the RV Polarstern expedition ANT VI/3 early in 1988, the multiple corer provided nine samples over a sampling area of 2–3 m2, thus obtaining more reliable abundance values than a single corer, and providing insights into the spatial variability of macrobenthic organisms. Equipped with a UW-video, the corer facilitates controlled economic collection of sediment and macrobenthos in depths down to 5000 m.
Habitat preferences of polar bears in the western Canadian Arctic in late winter and spring
Authors: Stirling Ian , Andriashek Dennis , Calvert Wendy
Published: October 2009

Between late March and May, from 1971 through 1979, we surveyed 74,332 km2of sea-ice habitatin the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf in the western Canadian Arctic. We defined seven sea-ice habitat types and recorded sightings of polar bears and their tracks in each to determine their habitat preferences. 791 bears (including cubs) and 6454 sets of tracks were recorded. 42.3%, 39.7%, and 15.6% of the bears were seen on floe-edge, moving ice, and drifted fast-ice habitats, respectively. Significant differences in habitat preferences were shown by bears of different sexes and age classes. Adult females accompanied by cubs of the year were the only group that showed a strong preference for fast ice with drifts, probably because they could feed adequately there while avoiding adult males that might prey upon their cubs. The highest densities of seals are found in floe-edge and moving ice habitats and this likely explains the predominance of bears there. Lone adult females and females with two-year-old cubs, adult males, and subadult males were found two and one-half to four times more frequently than predicted in floe-edge habitat. Since there are no data to suggest seals are more abundant along the floe edge than in moving ice habitat, the preference of these groups of adult polar bears for the floe edge in spring may be related to reproductive behavior.
Aerial survey of walrus haul-out sites in west Spitsbergen and Moffen
Authors: Cruwys E. , Weinstein Dan
Published: October 2009

In July 1992 two aerial surveys were conducted to assess the size of the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) population at haul-out sites reported on the northwest coast of Spitsbergen and on Moffen. Walrus have been extensively hunted in Svalbard during the past 350 years, and in 1952 concern about decreasing stocks caused the Norwegian government to pass a law protecting the animals from hunting. At the time of the survey, it is likely that the walrus would have been at some stage of the moult, and it is tentatively suggested that the physiological changes reported to take place during moulting can cause lethargy and sluggishness that may make walrus less susceptible to disturbance by engine noise. Thirty-seven walrus were counted on the survey around Moffen, and three walrus on the northwest coast of Spitsbergen three days later.
Airborne tourism in the Antarctic
Authors: Swithinbank Charles
Published: October 2009

There are two classes of airborne tourism in Antarctica: overflights without landing, and fl ights including landing. The earliest overflight was in 1956, but there were no regular flights until 1977, when Qantas and Air New Zealand began overflights with wide-bodied aircraft. A crash on Mount Erebus in 1979 that killed 257 people drew attention to the absence of effective planning, air traffic control, and rescue services. Landings began in the South Shetland Islands in 1982, when C-130 aircraft of Fuerza Aerea de Chile brought passengers from Punta Arenas. Since 1983, tourists have been accommodated in a Chilean government hostel. Flights to the interior began in 1984 when climbers were taken to the Sentinel Range by ski-equipped aircraft. Unmodified transport aircraft have been used since 1987, making wheel landings on naturally occurring bare ice in the Heritage Range. Tourists were taken from this site to the South Pole in 1988 by smaller, ski-equipped aircraft. Owing to the lack of conventional airfields in Antarctica, the future of intercontinental operations may depend on the development of additional airfields on bare ice. There are many possible sites. Most are near the periphery of the continent but some are in high latitudes, one only 300 km from the South Pole. A few of these will allow direct flights of unmodified passenger aircraft from South America, South Africa, Australia, or New Zealand. The possibility of 300 day-trippers stepping onto the ice from a Boeing 747 raises a variety of safety and environmental concerns. The challenge to the Antarctic Treaty System will be to reconcile the interests of governments, scientists, airlines, tour operators, tourists, and environmentalists.
An episode in the Franklin search: the Prince Albert expedition, 1850. Part 1.
Authors: Stone Ian R.
Published: October 2009

In 1850 Lady Franklin sent out the first of her private expeditions in search of her husband and the crews of HMS Erebus and Terror, lost in the islands of the Canadian Arctic. The expedition sailed in Prince Albert, a vessel Lady Franklin acquired for the purpose. Its aim was to winter in Prince Regent Inlet and explore the area to the west, using two separate boat parties. These parties were to be under Commander Charles Codrington Forsyth, RN, the captain of the ship, and William Parker Snow. After passage to Prince Regent Inlet, Forsyth turned back because he was prevented from penetrating the inlet further than Fury Beach by what was regarded as unbreachable ice. Prince Albert then passed near Cape Riley, where Snow obtained information concerning relics that had been found by another expedition and that indicated that Franklin had wintered in that vicinity. News of this and further relics were brought back to Britain by Forsyth. The return caused much disappointment to Lady Franklin. She determined to send Prince Albert out again with a different commander. Snow wished to have that post, but it was allocated to William Kennedy.

This study is an analysis of the events surrounding the expedition, with reference to the light they throw on the personalities involved. It is suggested that the main reason for the failure was that the preparation was mismanaged. No efforts were made to secure the appointment of people who had sufficient similarity of interests or background to be an effective team. Forsyth found the situation on board such that he decided to conclude the voyage as soon as a reasonable excuse for returning presented itself.
Seabird mortality in longline fisheries around South Georgia
Authors: Dalziell Janet , Poorter Maj De
Published: October 2009

Incidental mortality of Southern Ocean seabirds due to fishing activities well away from the breeding grounds has been implicated in the population declines of wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) on South Georgia (Croxall and others 1990) and lies Crozet, black-browed albatross (Diomedea melanophris) on lies Kerguelen, and possibly the southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus) (Jouventin and Weimerskirch 1990). Albatrosses are particularly at risk from longline fisheries, based on the high proportion in recoveries of banded birds from longline fishing vessels off Brazil (Croxall and Prince 1990), and on direct observation of albatross during surface and midwater longline fishing for tuna in the Tasman Sea (Brothers 1991).
The United Nations and Antarctica, 1992: still searching for that elusive convergence of view
Authors: Beck Peter J.
Published: October 2009

The tenth successive annual UN session on the ‘Question of Antarctica’ took place at the close of 1992. The UN First Committee considered the topic during the week following the close of the Seventeenth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting held at Venice. The passage of yet another resolution critical of the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) suggested that little had changed as compared to previous sessions. However, during 1992, UN reports and discussions displayed evidence of a growing acknowledgement of a range of ‘positive’ developments on the part of the ATS, most notably the benefits accruing from the Protocol on Environmental Protection's designation of Antarctica as ‘a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science’ in which mining is prohibited. Significantly, both critics and the German spokesman for the Antarctic Treaty parties (ATPs) — individual ATPs still refused to participate in either the UN discussions or vote because of their belief that the UN has no meaningful role to play in the affairs of a region subject to a valid international legal regime—expressed satisfaction with the concerted approach towards Antarctica embodied in Agenda 21 of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which met at Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. As a result, ATPs agreed to ensure that research products were freely available to the international community. In December 1992 the adoption of UN resolution A47/57 reaffirmed the continuing divide between ATPs and other members of the international community regarding the management of Antarctica, even if the UNCED–type formula offers one route back to consensus when the UN takes up the topic again at the close of 1993.
Protected areas review: McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea
Authors: Harris Colin M.
Published: October 2009

As a result of new provisions in the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty a number of countries are reviewing the management plans for protected areas in Antarctica. The United States and New Zealand have initiated a review of the 15 existing sites in the Ross Sea region, using an independent party, the International Centre for Antarctic Information and Research, to facilitate and coordinate the process. Management provisions are being revised to comply with the Protocol, and improved maps for the sites are being prepared using Geographical Information Systems. Visits in 1993/94 gathered field information, and thus far two sites have had new plans drafted: these are proceeding through the international review process. Input and comment is invited from interested parties with experience in these areas.
Protected nature areas in the Russian Arctic
Authors: Volkov A.E. , de Korte J.
Published: October 2009

The protected nature area system in Russia is well developed in general, although not as well in the Arctic. On 1 January 1994 the total area of all types of Arctic reserves covered about 19.7 million ha, comprising about 10.2% of the area of the Russian Arctic. There are five categories of protected nature areas: strict nature reserwes (zapovedniki), national nature parks (natsional'nyye parki), nature monuments (pamyatniki prirody), special purpose reserves (zakazniki), and nature-ethnic parks (prirodno-etnicheskiye parki). The system of the zapovednik is unique. The oldest strict nature reserve in the Arctic is Kandalakshskiy (1939). Other major nature reserves include Ostrov Vrangelya (created in 1976), Taymyrskiy (1979), Ust-Lenskiy (1985), and Bol'shoy Arkticheskiy (1993). The first nature-ethnic park in the Arctic, Beringiya, was established in 1993. Because of the unstable economic and political situation in Russia, the nature protection system has a difficult time. Furthermore, the legal structure that defines the purpose of and responsibility for these areas is sometimes not completely clear, and a great deal is dependent on presidential decrees that, through time, have limited validity. The cooperation of Russian, western European, and North American scientists who study birds breeding in the Russian Arctic and migration patterns to temperate regions could give major support to the nature re-serves in the Russian Arctic.
Linking tourism and art in Canada's eastern Arctic: the case of Cape Dorset
Authors: Milne S. , Ward S. , Wenzel G.
Published: October 2009

The Inuit of Canada's eastern Arctic are increasingly turning to tourism as a source of much-needed income and employment. The government of the Northwest Territories, in conjunction with local communities, is attempting to develop a ‘sustainable’ form of tourism in the region, with an emphasis on maximizing local economic linkages while minimizing negative socio-cultural and environmental impacts. One key strategy for increasing the ‘downstream’ benefits of visitor expenditure has been an attempt to forge better links between tourism and the region's arts sector. This paper examines some of the key issues and problems that face the implementation of such a strategy in the Baffin Island hamlet of Cape Dorset. It commences with a profile of the community, its arts sector, and its nascent tourism industry. It then presents findings from a household/business survey designed to gauge resident attitudes towards tourism and provide information on the links that exist between the industry and the arts sector. The data reveal that while residents are supportive of further tourism development there is considerable disagreement among different interest groups about the amount of interaction that should occur between tourism and the local arts sector. In conclusion, the paper outlines some approaches that may allow the linkages between these two important components of the local economy to be strengthened.
The incidence of scurvy in sixteenth- and seventeenth- century voyages to the Canadian Arctic
Authors: Davidson Robert
Published: October 2009

Scurvy was a long-recognised problem amongst sailors, the cure and prevention ofwhich is sometimes incorrectly accredited to James Lind in the mid-eighteenth century. However, the therapeutic value of many antiscorbutic foods was discovered long before Lind's treatise on the scurvy was published in 1753, and problems with the deficiency continued well into the twentieth century. Through an examination of early Arctic exploration (1585–1632), the incidence and practical knowledge of this much-feared condition are analyzed. During this half century, knowledge of scurvy was far from complete, as is revealed in the journals of a number of voyages that set out in search of the Northwest Passage. From the careful reading of these journals many questions about the incidence of scurvy in the early exploration of the Canadian Arctic can be addressed.
Historical observations of Prince Gustav Ice Shelf
Authors: Cooper A.P.R.
Published: October 2009

Prince Gustav Ice Shelf, situated between James Ross Island and Trinity Peninsula at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, West Antarctica, has retreated rapidly between 1989 and 1995. This paper re-examines historical accounts of the area and plots the position of the ice shelf at various times, from 1843 onwards. These results show that an episode of rapid retreat between 1957 and 1959 preceded the recent rapid retreat, and that the ice shelf has been retreating for most of the period since 1843. The mechanisms underlying the two periods of rapid retreat are considered.
Guidelines for people approaching breeding groups of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae)
Authors: Giese Melissa
Published: October 2009

Increases in the number of people travelling to Antarctica has led to more frequent interactions between people and Antarctic wildlife, yet the effects of visitation on the animals has received limited scientific assessment. This study conducted experiments to measure the responses of incubating Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) to controlled human approaches to determine which approach distances and approach styles caused the least disturbance to the birds. Three minimum approach distances were tested: 30, 15, and 5 m. Approaching penguins to 30 m had no measurable effect on either their behaviour or heart rate, while approaching as close as 15 m significantly elevated their heart rates above resting, undisturbed levels even though there was no behavioural indication of this response. Approaching penguins to 5 m significantly interrupted the penguins' incubation behaviour, with the potential to cause egg-cooling. Approaches to 5 m elevated heart rates above those measured when birds were undisturbed, approached to either 15 or 30 m, or exposed to ‘natural’ disturbances (that is, other penguins or south polar skuas, Catheracta maccormicki). The study also identified certain Adelie penguin behaviours that may be indicative of disturbance in response to human visitation. People visiting breeding penguins could learn to identify these behaviours, so they can monitor and modify any effects of their visit.
Klarius Mikkelsen's 1935 landing in the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica: some fiction and some facts
Authors: Norman F. I. , Gibson J. A. E. , Burgess J. S.
Published: October 2009

Exploratory activities of Norwegians, particularly those directed by Lars Christensen, off eastern Antarctica are discussed briefly in relation to contemporary Antarctic investigations and politics. The interests of Norway there and Christensen's role in establishing an understanding of the local coastline are indicated. Particular attention is paid to the landing made by Klarius Mikkelsen in the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica, on 20 February 1935. Note is taken of the site's recent re-discovery, and the symbolic role of the landing in the national aspirations of Norway, Britain, and Australia is discussed. Mikkelsen operated under commercial and scientific interests promoted by Christensen, and his landing was, at least in published material, seen as an extension of them. However, there is a suggestion that not only had a new Norwegian land been discovered, and a landing made, but that a claim to it was at least considered. Such a claim was not appropriate given previous agreements between Norway and Britain. The site's location and environs are discussed, as are subsequent flights over it and visits made there by Australian expeditioners. The ambiguity associated with claims that Caroline Mikkelsen was the first woman to land on the Antarctic mainland is also examined. Since Mikkelsen's site was on an island within the Tryne Group, to the north of Davis station, if a mainland location is required to establish such an event, then an alternative (Scullin Monolith) is proposed; however, on this occasion four women were involved, but who was first ashore remains uncertain.
Remote sensing of oil spills on frozen ground
Authors: Rees W. G.
Published: October 2009

Remote-sensing methods, using electromagnetic radiation detected by airborne and spaceborne instruments, have the potential to revolutionise the investigation of oil contamination in high latitudes. Spaceborne monitoring, in particular, offers many advantages, including: obtaining data from relatively inaccessible areas; day and night, all-weather observations; regular monitoring opportunities; spatial resolution of 20 m or better; and areal coverage of 30,000 square kilometres or more. Calibrated, spatially registered data can be readily integrated into geographic information systems for evaluation and prediction of spill behaviour. However, very little investigation of this potential has yet been undertaken. This paper reviews the possibilities for monitoring soil characteristics, including thermal regime, the presence of contamination, and long-term consequences of spills, for topography, hydrology, and vegetation cover.
Modification of silt microstructure by hydrocarbon contamination in freezing ground
Authors: White T. L. , Coutard J.-P.
Published: October 2009

The thermodynamic conditions within the active layer overlaying perennially frozen ground and in ground subjected to seasonal frost are such that there is continuing translocation of water and ice and the displacement of soil particles. The introduction of an immiscible hydrocarbon contaminant (Arctic diesel fuel) into this dynamic porous medium results in microstructural changes that take place as a function of both cryogenic processes and contaminant concentration. Micromorphological and scanning electron microscope observations combined with image analysis revealed evidence of reorganisation of silt microfabric and changes to intra-particle porosity. The degree of interaggregate porosity increased as a function of increasing concentration of the hydrocarbon contaminant. Intra-particle porosity within individual soil aggregates was observed to decrease as a function of increasing contaminant concentration.
Arctic environmental cooperation in transition
Authors: Scrivener David
Published: October 2009

The period from September 1996 to September 1998 represented a transition phase in the process of circumpolar Arctic cooperation on environmental protection, which had begun in 1991 with the establishment of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy and had been broadened with the agreement by the eight Arctic governments to create an Arctic Council. The genesis of the Arctic Council had been protracted due to diverging perspectives on various aspects of its functional scope, organisational structure, and funding and on issues of representation. This article discusses the extent to which the conflicts that had dogged the Council's genesis were resolved during its subsequent ‘post-natal’ period preparing for the Council's first ministerial-level meeting in Iqaluit in September 1998.
Tethered to an iceberg: United States policy toward the Antarctic, 1939–1949
Authors: Moore Jason Kendall
Published: October 2009

US policy toward the Antarctic between 1939 and 1949 reflected the inability of the Department of State and other government personnel to agree on the region's relevance to national security. Washington's intent to gain worldwide prestige by promoting a harmonious settlement of the dispute over sovereignty claims complicated the international situation to an extent that necessitated a shift to the status quo moratorium proposed by Chile. The United States finally attempted to rally support for this alternative that, in turn, complicated how to exclude the USSR. Although the risk of Soviet encroachment seriously concerned US officials, it posed less immediate dangers than letting conflict escalate between Britain, Chile, and Argentina.
The paranormal Arctic: Lady Franklin, Sophia Cracroft, and Captain and ‘Little Weesy’ Coppin
Authors: Lloyd-Jones Ralph
Published: October 2009

Although Jane Franklin has acquired a well-deserved reputation for stoicism and perseverance in the search for her missing husband (a central theme of nineteenth-century polar exploration), there remains evidence that she was prepared to resort to the surprising measure of the use of spirit mediums. The suggestion that she, or any Arctic explorers on the spot, had heeded such methods, led to a bitter public debate in the 1890s, involving survivors of the search for Franklin. Not only is it a particularly strange and absorbing story, but there also emerges evidence that Lady Franklin's papers may have been deliberately censored in order to preserve her credibility.
A search for cultural and contextual identity in contemporary Arctic architecture
Authors: Zrudlo Leo
Published: October 2009

This paper describes a two-decade search for a means of giving cultural and/or contextual identity to contemporary architecture in Arctic Québec. Although the search took place in Arctic Québec and for the Inuit of that area, it is proposed that the process and the examples could be useful for the Arctic in general. The notion of global uniformity in architecture is presented and the possible disappearance of the identity of any small cultural group and its consequences are considered. The lack of visual indicators in contemporary Arctic architecture is discussed, and it is suggested that the buildings were not designed for the Inuit people or for a very harsh climate in an unusual physical environment. A few examples of buildings from the early 1970s to more recent times, which display some hint of cultural or contextual sensitivity, are discussed. Definitions for culture and context from various architects, theorists, critics, and organisations are given. An analytical framework that correlates Arctic cultural and contextual sources with three different perceptual levels of expression to be integrated into a design at various levels of architectural representation is set out. A research project on culturally appropriate Inuit housing and several architectural design studios on a variety of building types are then delineated, giving a brief account of their genesis as well as a discussion of their cultural/contextual sources of inspiration, the perceptual level of expression, and the level of architectural representation.
Evolution of the coping strategies in an isolated group in an Antarctic base
Authors: Barbarito Marta , Baldanza Simona , Peri Antonio
Published: October 2009

The Antarctic environment is well known for its hostility (cold, isolation, and confinement). The effects of the Antarctic experience on human health are controversial, as some studies emphasise negative (‘pathogenic’) and others positive (‘salutogenic’) effects. In the process of human adaptation to extreme environments, the cognitive and behavioural strategies — defined as coping — that individuals use are a basic component.

This study investigated the use and the changes of coping strategies in nine Antarctic wintering-over expeditioners by administering the COPE questionnaire three times during the year. The results showed a composite use of the coping strategies in the group. The ways of coping, focusing on problem solving and developing personal maturity, were judged to be those most used over the period. Some variations connected with the specific environment were noticed. There was an increase in self-distancing from problems, disengaging from the socio-operational environment, procrastinating, and emotional levelling, particularly in mid-winter. This lethargic, apathetic attitude, which is called ‘freezing,’ may represent a defence against useless energy expenditure and may reduce stress response. This ‘immobilisation’ strategy, well reflected in the symptoms of the ‘winter-over syndrome,’ appears to be adaptive in an environment where the control an individual can exert is highly limited. The results seem to support the salutogenic effects of the winter-over experience.
Management and remediation of contaminated sites at Casey Station, Antarctica
Authors: Snape Ian , Riddle Martin J. , Stark Jonathan S. , Cole Coleen M. , King Catherine K. , Duquesne Sabine , Gore Damian B.
Published: October 2009

The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty requires that past and present work sites be cleaned up unless removal would result in greater adverse environmental impact than leaving the contaminant in its existing location. In the early 1990s Australia began the documentation of contaminated sites associated with its research stations, which resulted in an extensive record of contamination at abandoned stations and waste-disposal sites. Currently the technical capability to remediate these sites does not exist because of environmental challenges that are unique to the cold regions. Investigations indicate that clean-up operations in the past have proceeded without adequate precautions and without effective monitoring. To address these problems, three research priorities have been identified to assist meeting international and national obligations to clean up these sites. They are: understanding contaminant mobilisation processes; development of ecological risk assessment for use in monitoring and setting priorities; and development of clean-up and remediation procedures. This study provides sufficient information to guide the completion of a clean-up at Casey Station and to indicate how other similar sites should be managed. The next stage is to develop the theory into an operational plan to include detailed protocols for clean-up, monitoring, site remediation, and management of the waste stream from site to final repository. To achieve this, the Australian Antarctic Division has established a contaminated sites taskforce to facilitate the transition from research and development of techniques to implementation of suitable clean-up options.
A survey of Eskimo sites from Mesters Vig to Kuhn Ø, northeast Greenland
Authors: David Robert G.
Published: October 2009

In 1946 P.V. Glob published a gazetteer of Eskimo settlement sites in northeast Greenland, and this remains the most comprehensive list to date. Between 1990 and 1994, four expeditions visited a variety of locations between 72 and 75°N and recorded a significant number of new sites. In addition, some of the sites recorded by Glob were revisited, and revisions to his descriptions have been found to be necessary. This article draws attention to the limited archaeological survey work of recent years in the northeast fjords, and reviews the nomenclature used by previous authorities in describing the sites and structures of the region, in particular the so-called ‘mosaics’ or ‘children's playthings.’ It then goes on to offer revisions of some of Glob's descriptions (using Glob's numerical system), and concludes by listing and briefly describing the features of the sites recently discovered.
The settlement of disputes under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
Authors: Wilder Martijn
Published: October 2009

Since the Antarctic Treaty came into operation, Antarctic affairs have been characterised by international cooperation. The major issues of potential conflict, namely sovereignty, military activity, and mining, have now been largely removed. As a result, the remaining disagreements between parties have been resolved through consultation and negotiation. No dispute has ever found its way to judicial settlement, with most disagreements usually resolved at an early stage through ATCMs. While there is no reason to suspect that the use of consultation and negotiation will not continue, with the introduction of far more comprehensive measures for the protection of the Antarctic environment, combined with the significant increase in activity in and around the continent, there is a greater likelihood of situations occurring that clearly breach these principles or give rise to a dispute. In addition, where extensive damage to the environment has already occurred, negotiation may be limited, so that the other mechanisms for settling disputes must be instituted. The dispute procedures of the Protocol, taken almost entirely from CRAMRA, represent the most comprehensive system for the peaceful settlement of disputes arising in any Antarctic instrument to date. However, clear problems such as remedies, enforcement, and uncertainties with respect to standing and liability remain. Until these problems are resolved, all aspects of all disputes cannot be covered, and comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment specified in the Protocol will remain an objective, not a reality.
The United Nations and Antarctica, 1994: the restoration of consensus?
Authors: Beck Peter J.
Published: October 2009

The twelfth successive UN session on the ‘Question of Antarctica,’ held at the close of 1994, saw a major change of direction. One brief session of the First Committee, followed by the General Assembly's adoption of resolution A49/80 without a vote, signified the restoration of a consensus approach towards the ‘Question of Antarctica’ for the first time since 1985. Resolution A49/80 stressed the need for Antarctic Treaty Parties (ATPs) to meet commitments undertaken at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and particularly to continue providing the wider international community with information about Antarctic developments. The ‘Question of Antarctica’ will not be placed on the UN agenda again until 1996, thereby breaking the sequence of annual UN discussions started in 1983. On the surface, consensus was restored, but it is debatable how far the outcome represented merely a papering over of the cracks rather than the basis for an enduring solution to the problems dividing ATPs and their critics. The key point at issue remains the nature and extent of the UN's future role in Antarctic affairs, particularly as ATPs will only accept a limited UN role performed within the context of the Antarctic Treaty System.
Ostrova De-Longa: an analysis of palaeoenvironmental data
Authors: Makeyev Vyacheslav , Pitul'ko Vladimir , Kasparov Aleksey
Published: October 2009

Data were obtained during an interdisciplinary project carried out on the Ostrova De-Longa (De Long Islands) in 1987–90. The archipelago—consisting ofthree islands discovered by an American expedition underGeorge Washington De Long in 1879—81 and two islands discovered by a Russian expedition led by Boris Vil'kitskiy in 1913— 14—have rarely been visited and even less investigated. Information relating to the glaciology, palaeogeography, flora, and palaeozoology from the end of the Pleistocene and the Early Holocene was studied. Traces of a Mesolithic culture from as far back as 8000 BP were discovered on Ostrov Zhokhova, and information about the adaptive capabilities and hunting practices of this aboriginal culture was obtained. Excavations indicate that the site explored on Ostrov Zhokhova is one of the oldest in the high Arctic.
Profile: Aubyn Trevor-Battye
Authors: Stone Ian R.
Published: October 2009

Victorian and Edwardian travellers who ventured into little-known parts of the world formed essential links between the early pioneer geographical and scientific explorers, and modern tourists of today. While they were generally cultured people, interested in making useful observations in the areas they visited, they often indulged in travel for its own sake, devoting much of their lives to it almost as an addiction. Aubyn Bernard Rochfort Trevor-Battye (Figure 1) was just such a person. He was a gentleman of means who spent much time travelling, and can be considered a minor explorer. He excelled as an observer of peoples and wildlife; he was an adequate draughtsman, and his writing holds the attention of the reader though it lacks finesse. Of his verse, possibly the less said the better.
The Second Polar Year, 1932–33
Authors: Simpson G. C.
Published: October 2009

In 1875 Lieutenant Weyprecht—an Austrian sailor who had himself led the “Tegetthoff” Arctic expedition—gave an address before a German scientific society in which he complained about the small scientific results which had been obtained by the numerous expeditions which had recently been in the Arctic. Although, he said, nearly every branch of science is deeply interested in the Arctic, practically ho scientific data had been brought back. He laid the blame on two facts; first, that the main objects of the expeditions had been the winning of fame by geographical discovery, and secondly the entire absence of co-ordinated and simultaneous observations. He therefore proposed that there should be concerted international action to send a series of expeditions into the polar regions whose main object would be to take meteorological and magnetic observations for a complete year.
The British Polar Exhibition, July, 1930
Authors: Bernacchi L. C.
Published: October 2009

A British Polar Exhibition, under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society, was held at the Central Hall, Westminster, from July 2 to July 19.
Notes on the Eskimo Kayak
Authors: Mercanton P. L.
Published: October 2009

I have read, with much interest, the article on the kayak and its construction and use, which appeared in the The Polar Record, No. 7, the more so since it revives for me old memories of more than twenty years ago. I know you will be interested to hear that the Swiss Trans-Greenland Expedition, led by the late A. de Quervain in 1912, made use of the kayak as often as possible. Six or seven members of the expedition practised the art, though more on the west coast than in the Angmagssalik district. The “juniors” Flick and Gaule had even taken with them from Switzerland their own kayaks, which had been made in Zurich, of canvas, and they had both learnt to turn over and right themselves, after the Greenland manner—on the lake at Zurich. The depôt left for de Quervain, for use on his arrival at the east coast of Greenland, contained four kayaks, with which to complete the journey to Angmagssalik, and in fact, he arrived there by kayak, having threaded his way through the ice-floes.
The Southern Cross Expedition, 1898–1900: a personal account
Authors: Evans Hugh B.
Published: October 2009

In 1897–98 I went to lies Kerguelen on a sealing expedition in the sealer Edward, returning to London later in 1898. It was through this that I learned that Carsten Egeberg Borchgrevink was in London preparing an Antarctic expedition. He had served as an ordinary seaman in Antarctic in 1894–95 when H. J. Bull made a voyage to the Ross Sea, making the first landing in Victoria Land.
The structure and function of the Greenland Health Services
Authors: Andersen Søren
Published: October 2009

Greenland, the world's largest island, stretches some 2 700 km from north to south and about 1 050 km from east to west. It has a total area of 2175 km2, five-sixths of which is covered by an ice sheet. About 40 000 Greenlanders and 7 000 Danes inhabit a coastal ice-free area of about 150 000 km2, most of which is in south-west Greenland. Since 1953, Greenland has been an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark and is represented by two elected members of the Danish Parliament (Folketing), and it has its own local government. The country is administered from Denmark by the Ministry of Greenland (Ministeriet for Grønland) and, in Greenland, the Governor (Landshøvdingen) is the chief representative of the State.
Conservation of Arctic fauna and its habitats
Authors: Curry-Lindahl Kai
Published: October 2009

In reviewing the conservation of Arctic fauna, it may be useful to describe what is meant, geographically and ecologically, by the word Arctic, as it is used here. Geographical boundaries are not often the same as ecological boundaries, and the Arctic Circle itself has no zoogeographical significance. Permanently ice-covered land and treeless lands with permanently frozen subsoil in the Northern Hemisphere would be included in any definition of the Arctic region, and in northern countries the timber line constitutes a satisfactory southern limit for the region in question. In mountains, it is altitude rather than latitude that gives an Arctic character to climate and landscape, as in the Urals, the mountain chain of Scandinavia (south to 59°N) and eastern Siberia, and the Rocky Mountains of North America.
The chemical structure of the spermaceti organ of the Sperm Whale
Authors: Morris Robert J.
Published: October 2009

In the last few years there has been much interest in various physiological processes known to take place within toothed whales, dolphins, and porpoises (odontocetes). Such processes as respiration, audio-communication, echolocation, and buoyancy control have all been studied (Evans, 1967; Caldwell and Caldwell, 1968; Matthews, 1968; Poulter, 1968; Norris, 1968; 1969; Norris and Evans, 1967; Clarke, 1970). The odontocetes have been found to possess a large, fat-rich body called a “melon” in their foreheads, directly in front of the skull. It has been suggested that this melon is an acoustical transducer for transmitting and possibly focusing ultrasonic sound waves into the surrounding water for the purpose of echolocation (Norris, 1968; 1969; Norris and Evans, 1967). Certainly all odontocetes are known to produce orientated beams of sound, generated, it is thought, at the extermities of the animal's nasal plug (Evans and others, 1964; Norris, 1964).
The study of global atmospheric pollution in Antarctica
Authors: Peel D. A.
Published: October 2009

Waste products from man's activities, released into the environment, distribute themselves between the atmosphere, the land, the sea and, through these, to the biota. There is a constant interchange of material between reservoirs leading, it is thought, to an ultimate sinking of trace materials into the depths of the ocean where they slowly accumulate on the ocean bed and are removed from the circulation system. Substances released into the air can rise into the upper atmosphere and spread all over the world before they finally sediment into the lower atmosphere and suffer washout. The overall lifetime of a particular pollutant is determined by its concentration in each reservoir and by its rate of transfer between different pairs of reservoirs. A major goal for scientists is to achieve a quantitative description of this process for the major pollutants so that in the future it may be possible to predict the changing concentrations with time, in each reservoir, of a potentially harmful pollutant of known input rate into the environment.
Friction on Snow Surfaces: Part I. Friction on Ski
Authors: Seligman G.
Published: October 2009

The scientific work to account for the sliding properties of snow and ice is not abundant. Osborne Reynolds suggested that a skate slid on ice owing to the lubrication caused by pressure-melting. Bowden and Hughes, after studying the measurements made by the last-named as physicist to our glaciological expedition to the Jungfraujoch in 1938, formed the opinion that this could not alone account for the action of ski sliding upon snow. I had reached a somewhat similar conclusion some years ago after a study of the structure of snow crystals on the surface of snow fields.
Propeller Sledges on the German Greenland Expedition, 1930–31
Authors: Schif Curt
Published: October 2009

Modern polar research calls for a much more specialised and efficient travel technique than did polar exploration of even a few years ago; and, as a result, great strides have been made in perfecting the modern mechanical methods of transport. The old method of dog-sledging, with its comparatively low speeds and light loads, is already being replaced, to some extent, by mechanically driven sledges and aeroplanes. Several expeditions at work in the Arctic and Antarctic during the last few years have been able to make excellent use of air transport, but the first mechanically driven sledges were at best only moderately successful, and each reached its limit according to its construction either as a result of bad ice, slush, or deep powder snow, where the wheels or caterpillar band became bogged.
Tractor Transport in the Soviet Arctic
Authors: Urvantsev N.
Published: October 2009

Mechanical transport was first used by the author of this article at the time of the investigation of the Norilsk mining field (Lat. 69° 20′ N., Long. 88° 8′ E.) in 1925 for the purpose of taking goods from the port of unloading to the village of Dudinsk on the River Yenisei over a distance of 85 km. across tundra. At that time the tractor industry had only just come into being in the Soviet. Special machines for cross-country freight did not exist, so imported caterpillar tractors of the Reno make were used, drawing sledges freighted up to five tons. Certain constructional defects in the machines, and particularly in the sledges, as well as lack of experience in the work, combined to make the results far from satisfactory at this stage. At the end of the winter we had only succeeded in making one full journey and had transported only ten tons of profitable cargo on three machines. Nevertheless, this first experiment was valuable in that it demonstrated that, given mechanical improvement, the tractors might revolutionise polar transport. In this case, for instance, three machines had transported rapidly a cargo which would have required a caravan of two hundred and forty reindeer. It was ascertained also by this trial that caterpillar tractors of this type were suitable only for work in the vicinity of a base on smooth and hard roads. For transport over long distances in new and soft snow they were less satisfactory.
Hydrographic Surveys Along the Northern Shores of the Soviet Union
Authors: Schokalsky Jules
Published: October 2009

The first Russian voyages from the White Sea to the Kara Sea, and round the Yamal Peninsula to the Gulf of Ob were probably made as early as the eleventh and twelfth centuries, but these ventures were of a commercial rather than a scientific nature.
Antarctic Whaling, 1935–36
Authors: J. O. B.
Published: October 2009

By mutual agreement of the two countries British and Norwegian pelagic whaling in the Antarctic (with which for whaling purposes South Georgian waters are included) during the season 1935–36 was limited to the period December 1, 1935, to March 15, 1936. The only factory ship not limited in her operations by this restriction was the Japanese Tonan Maru, ex Antarctic, then operating under her new flag for the second time. The pelagic season was thus limited to 106 days. In actual fact many ships ceased working before March 15; two factories had reached Norway before the end of March, and nine by the middle of April. It is hoped that the curtailment of season, and in particular the later start ensured, will have afforded useful protection to the stock, particularly that of the most valuable species, the Blue whale, which is at present the most menaced by intensive whaling.
The Work of the R.R.S. Discovery II andR.R.S. William Scoresby
Authors: Deacon G. E. R.
Published: October 2009

The Discovery II left St Katharine Dock on October 7, 1937. She will be away for twenty months continuing her research on the distribution of whales, hydrology and plankton.

The first seven months (the southern summer) are to provide data for comparison with those obtained on the winter circumpolax cruise of 1932 and with those of the survey of the southern part of the Pacific Ocean in 1934. The work was to have been done in 1935-36, but it was not completed as it was necessary to revise the programme after a voyage had been made to the Ross Barrier to pick up the American airman, Mr Lincoln Ellsworth.
The Scientific Work of the International Ice Patrol Board
Authors: Fleming W. L. S.
Published: October 2009

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic sank as the result of a collision with an iceberg and a large number of her passengers and crew were drowned. As a direct result of this disaster an International Conference on the Safety of Life at Sea was convened in London. In order to protect transatlantic shipping from dangers of icebergs and field-ice it was clear that it would be necessary to institute a systematic patrol of the North Atlantic. This work was undertaken by the United States Coast Guard who have carried it out most ably under the direction of the International Ice Patrol Board. As at present organised, the patrol is carried out by three vessels. One is an oceanographic vessel fully equipped with a seagoing laboratory which attempts to make one current map per month of the area that appears most critical at the time. The other two are patrol vessels which make cruises of two weeks' duration and relieve one another every fifteen days.
Exercise Musk-ox, 1946
Authors: Wilson J. T.
Published: October 2009

Exercise Musk-ox was no isolated adventure, but the culminating test of several years of wartime work. In it, vehicles, equipment, and techniques of training and of air-supply, secretly developed during the war, were given an open test to ascertain their usefulness in northern Canada. Because the public had not been aware of this secret work by the services, Exercise Musk-ox was hailed by them as a new idea, but it would not have been possible had not the equipment and methods all been ready and proven before tbe close of the war.

So great had been these wartime improvements that none of those men best acquainted with the north country and with older methods of transportation believed that the ground party had any chance of driving 2600 miles without roads across the Arctic and sub-Arctic in less than 2½ months. Neither was it generally realised that the military purposes had already been served and that this was no tactical exercise but a demonstration of the soundness of military development and an experiment in applying it to peaceful pursuits in the Canadian Arctic.