bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diverting Soviet rivers: some possible repercussions for the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Cattle Howard
Published: October 2009

Plans exist in the USSR to divert southward part of the flow of some northern Russian and Siberian rivers, notably the Northern Dvina, Pechora, Ob' and Yenisey, to alleviate water shortages in Central Asia, Kazakhstan and the Ukraine, and counter falling water levels in the Aral and Caspian Seas. Possible effects of diverting small and large amounts of river water away from the Arctic are discussed in the light of recent observations and modelling studies of Arctic basin hydrology and sea ice distribution. Current evidence suggests that small diversions planned to operate before the end of this century will have little effect on ocean circulation or sea ice distribution. Larger-scale diversions planned for the future might affect sea ice formation over the shelf regions of the Kara and Barents Seas, but are unlikely to have a major effect on circulation or sea ice distribution over the Arctic Ocean as a whole.
The United Nations' Study on Antarctica, 1984
Authors: Beck Peter J.
Published: October 2009

In 1983 the UN Secretary-General was requested by the General Assembly to prepare a ‘Study on the question of Antarctica’ for the 1984 meeting of the Assembly. Published in November 1984, the Study provided a foundation for the UN First Committee's discussions of 28–30 November. These demonstrated, as had the discussions of the previous year, the polarization of views among UN member states for and against the Antarctic Treaty System. The UN resolution that followed the discussions similarly represented little advance on that of 1983, merely postponing any decision for a further year. Meanwhile the considerable amount of information marshalled for the Study may help to spread interest in Antarctic affairs and enhance international understanding.
Prediction of performance on the International Biomedical Expedition to the Antarctic (IBEA)
Authors: Taylor A. J. W. , McCormick I. A.
Published: October 2009

Biographical variables, clinical ratings and psychological tests were used to predict performance of the eleven subjects involved in the International Biomedical Expedition to the Antarctic. The results showed that of the biographical predictors, past polar experience and age were best for predicting low stress and high arousal. Of the clinical predictions those made by a psychologist who had access to both interviews and psychometric material, and had been to the Antarctic, were more accurate than those of two other psychologists who had access to only the psychometric material and had not been there. Of the psychological tests, the initial stress scores were found to be good predictors of later stress and arousal, the initial arousal scores to be good predictors of later stress and self adaptation ratings, and the preferred interpersonal distance scores to be good predictors of independent observer ratings and peer ratings of adaptability.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act: conflict and controversy
Authors: Thomas Monica E.
Published: October 2009

Pending land claims by Alaska Natives were extinguished by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. This act marked the culmination of more than 100 years of expressed Federal concern for protection of land rights of aboriginal peoples within the region, starting with the 1867 Treaty of Cession. The Federal legislation provided both a cash and a land settlement, and mandated creation of corporations to manage the resulting assets. Two amendments, in 1976 and 1980, attempted to alleviate certain problems arising from the original act. Nonetheless, many difficulties with the act itself are becoming more apparent as the 1990s approach, and certain sections of the act such as taxation and stock alienation become activated. This paper discusses the major events leading to passage of the act, key provisions of the act, and the major controversies and conflicts facing Alaska Natives through the next two decades as a result of the legislation.
Excavations at a Younger Stone Age settlement in Varangerfjord, Norway
Authors: Renouf M. A. P.
Published: October 2009

In 1978 the Younger Stone Age (6500–1800 BP) site of Nyelv Nedre Vest in Varangerfjord, northeastern Norway, was partly excavated before road widening, allowing reassessment of Younger Stone Age settlement patterns in die area. Early settlement in Varanger was formerly thought to involve regular seasonal movements between sites. Analysis of faunal refuse from Nyelv Nedre Vest now indicates year- round occupation, and re-examination of data from other inner fjord sites suggests diat they too might have housed sedentary or semi- sedentary populations. Special-purpose satellite' camps seem also to have been associated with these settlements. This settlement pattern has implications for other aspects of the social group, and the results of the analysis are relevant to other settlement studies in northern maritime regions.
Wettertrupp Haudegen: the last German Arctic weather station of World War II: Part 2
Authors: Barr William
Published: October 2009

On 23 February the uppermost edge of the sun appeared briefly for the first time over the southern horizon; by 1 March the sun's full disc had appeared, and thereafter the daylight period lengthened rapidly. Apart from some minor cases of insomnia, lack of appetite and lassitude, the long period of darkness had had little effect on the wintering party in terms of either morale or physical health. Most importantly, there had been absolutely no sign of scurvy, undoubtedly due to the regular dose of vitamins which Dege insisted his men take, and to a substantial intake of reindeer meat over the winter.
Tuberculosis in Western Alaska, 1900–1950
Authors: Flanders Nicholas E.
Published: October 2009

Tuberculosis was the major cause of death among Alaska Native peoples during the first half of the twentieth century, with a crude death rate estimated at 810 per 100,000. Apart from a few medical articles, not much is known of the impact of the disease on the people. This paper reviews published articles, unpublished reports by government teachers, hospital records and other materials for several Native villages in western Alaska from the period 1900–50. These archival sources suggest that tuberculosis was prevalent at the start of the century, that tuberculosis morbidity and mortality increased until the public health efforts of the 1950s and '60s, and that highest mortality rates were found among women between the ages of 15 and 35. Traditional cultural practices that brought people together for fatiguing activities in confined areas may have contributed to the spread of the disease. Public health efforts of federal teachers aimed to improve personal hygiene, household cleanliness and ventilation. Their efforts were thwarted by environmental and economic factors, primarily the limited amount of wood. Ultimately, the comments of these public officials may have reflected more their own moral beliefs than the actual etiology of the disease.
Measurement of declination at South Georgia 1700–1984
Authors: Simmons D. A.
Published: October 2009

Declination, or the difference between true and magnetic north, is one of the earliest parameters to have been measured systematically over the earth's surface. Values are available for South Georgia and the surrounding area from 1700 to the present. Observations were made from ship by Edmond Halley in 1700, by James Cook in 1775 and thereafter more frequently. Land-based observations were made during the First Polar Year in 1882–3, more recently by the British Antarctic Survey 1975–82. Declination has diminished from 23°E in 1700 to about 9°W in 1980, approximately 0.1° per annum. The modern observations suggest that the rate of change has slowed in recent years.
The archaeology of a Netsilik Inuit camp depicted by John Ross in 1831
Authors: Savelle James M.
Published: October 2009

The archaeological remains associated with a Netsilik Inuit camp, illustrated by John Ross at Sheriff Harbour, Boothia Peninsula, NWT in 1831, are described. The site, consisting of four tent rings and two external hearths, was originally occupied by 23 Inuit over a four-day period. Associated with a first-contact between Inuit and Europeans, and relating to a recorded historical event, the remains are of unique archaeological and historic interest, and an aid to the study of various site formation processes.
Limnology of Garrow Lake, NWT, Canada
Authors: Dickman M. , Ouellet M.
Published: October 2009

Garrow Lake (area 418 ha, greatest depth 47 m), Little Cornwallis Island, NWT, Canada, is the northernmost recorded hypersaline meromictic lake, Covered 11 months annually with ice up to 2.4 m thick and internally stratified, its waters at 20 m reach temperatures of 9.1°C from solar heating throughout the year. Salinity varies from less than 0.01% at the surface to over 75% at the bottom. Isostatic uplift isolated the lake from the sea about 3000 BP. Isotope dating indicates that the bottom water has been unmixed for nearly 2500 years. An advancing permafrost wedge appears to have forced brine from pores in rock strata below the watershed into a talik (chimney) in the lake centre. From November 1981 the lake has received approximately 100 tonnes/hr of mine tailings rich in lead and zinc. Dissolved oxygen introduced along with the slurry may be important in reducing anaerobic photosynthetic bacteria. Biotic diversity is low. Only one vertebrate,Myoxocephalus quadricornis(four-horned sculpin), occurs in the lake. The zooplankton consists of only one species,Limnocalanus macruras; phytoplankton includes 51 taxa dominated by flagellates.
Oil versus caribou in the Arctic: the great debate
Authors: Sheldon Jerome F.
Published: October 2009

In Alaska, development interests are pitted against conservationists on the question of whether the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge shall be opened to oil exploration. The area in question lies close to Prudhoe Bay's enormous reserves of petroleum and natural gas. It is also the primary calving ground for the Porcupine caribou herd of some 180,000 animals, and the public debate centres on how this herd, that migrates between Alaska and Canada, would be affected. The decision on opening the Arctic coastal plain to development will rest with the US Congress.
Three 17th century whaling stations in southeastern Svalbard: an archaeological missing link
Authors: Hacquebord Louwrens
Published: October 2009

Remains of three whaling stations on small islands south of Edgeøya, Svalbard, are described. They are believed to be British stations dating from the 17th century. Construction of tryworks and dwellings may represent an intermediate stage between that of Basque whaling stations in southern Labrador and of west European stations on the west coast of Spitsbergen.
Polar mirages
Authors: Rees W.G.
Published: October 2009

After a brief outline of how mirages are formed in polar regions, this paper discusses several kinds of mirages noted in the literature of polar exploration—those creating illusory land, the Novaya Zemlya effect, longrange visibility and magnification, and multiple images and the Fata Morgana.
The impact of the Grenfell Mission on southeastern Labrador communities
Authors: Kennedy John C.
Published: October 2009

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries British medical missionary Wilfred Grenfell created a mission in northern Newfoundland and Labrador, now part of eastern Canada. The Grenfell Mission's approach to health, educational, agricultural and industrial development are described and its impact on the southeastern Labrador region is examined. The mission changed the region's settlement pattern and economy by creating centralized mission communities: however, its failure to generate sustained economic alternatives to fishing and trapping inadvertently paved the way for the economic dependency still characteristic of the region. The Grenfell case confirms the need for viable development scenarios and for meaningful local participation in community development.
SS Windward—whaler and Arctic exploration ship
Authors: Buchan Alex R.
Published: October 2009

Windward, a three-masted barque, was built in Peterhead in 1860 for the whaling trade, and fitted with steam engines in 1866. Almost every year for 33 years she visited the Arctic in pursuit of whales and seals, latterly belonging to the Grays, an outstanding Peterhead whaling family. Sold in 1894 to Captain Joseph Wiggins, she was bought later in the same year by Alfred Harmsworth for the use of Frederick G. Jackson in his exploration of Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa (Franz Josef Land).Windwardwas Jackson's ship for three years, including one winter beset in the ice; journeying from her, Jackson substantially recharted Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa, and the ship brought home Fridtjof Nansen after his epic drift with the polar ice. In 1897 Harmsworth offered the vessel to Robert Peary, who was planning an assault on the North Pole from the northern tip of Greenland or from Ellesmere Island. After four years with Peary, including two winters trapped in the ice,Windwardreturned to her roots in whaling from Scotland. She was lost in Davis Strait in 1907.
Confusion of place names; an example from Antarctica
Authors: Hattersley-Smith G. , Thomson M. R. A.
Published: October 2009

Place names in the Hughes Bay area, Danco Coast, Antarctica well illustrate naming problems that give rise to confusion or ambiguity. This note shows the origins of conflicting place names, providing a warning to scientists and others and a key of foreign equivalents to some of the names accepted for British official use.
Non-Soviet shipping in the Northeast Passage, and the legal status of Proliv Vil'kitskogo
Authors: Franckx Erik
Published: October 2009

When the United States dispatched icebreakers to Proliv Vil'kitskogo [Vil'kitskii Strait] in 1967, the Soviet Union did not allow the vessels to accomplish the passage, basing their refusal on a requirement, provided for in municipal legislation, that warships seek prior authorization. During the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (1973–82) the USSR reversed this policy: innocent passage was granted in principle to merchant and war vessels alike. This article analyzes whether this fundamental policy change, together with some other novelties in Soviet legislation, substantially influenced the regime applicable to Vil'kitskii Strait. Theoretical considerations would apparently answer this question positively. Actual state practice, though still open to conjecture, points rather in the opposite direction.
Aboriginal rights and litigation: history and future of court decisions in Canada
Authors: Elias Peter Douglas
Published: October 2009

Recent decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitution Act 1982, and the establishment of the Office of Native Claims, would seem to have assured the rapid settlement of outstanding issues regarding aboriginal rights and native title to lands. More recently, the seeming abandonment by government of political and negotiated resolution of these issues has left litigation as the remaining recourse for native groups to protect their interests. The courts, however, have become increasingly demanding in terms of what must be proven in order to make a successful case at law. It is predicted that the costs and technical difficulties of providing such proofs will limit the number of rights cases before the courts, and the chances of success for those that are mounted.
SPRI participation in the Winter Marginal Ice Zone Experiment, MIZEX-87
Authors: Rottier P.
Published: October 2009

This article outlines the Marginal Ice Zone Experiments (MIZEX), which began in 1983, and summarizes research investigations in Fram Strait during the most recent MIZEX of March and April 1987, involving members of the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI). An important field of investigation was ambient noise in the ice-edge region and the physical processes which produce it.
The wreck and salvage of SSTelefon
Authors: Heyburn Henry R. , Stenersen Gunnar
Published: October 2009

The steamshipTelefon, an eight-year-old steel freighter used for carrying cargos to the Antarctic whaling ships of Chr. Christensen, struck a reef at the entrance to Admiralty Bay, South Shetland Islands, on 26 December 1908. Salvaged through the enterprise of Capt A. A. Andresen, of the Sociedad Ballenera de Magellanes, she was grounded in Port Foster, Deception Island, and eventually refloated and repaired to continue working with the whaling fleet.
Beyond boom and bust: a strategy for sustainable development in the North
Authors: Pretes Michael , Robinson Michael
Published: October 2009

Many northern regions of North America have come to rely heavily on extraction of non-renewable resources for their income, at the expense of traditional land-based economies. Such extraction leads to boom and bust income, destructive to long-term planning for sustainable development. Natural resource trust funds, as exemplified in Alberta, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico, would help to provide the stability that is currently lacking in Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Maintained by setting aside part of the current income from non-renewable resources, they yield capital and income that can be used to encourage the mixed, self-sustaining local communities appropriate for the North.
The ‘open door’ into Antarctica: an explanation of the Hughes doctrine
Authors: Hall H. Robert
Published: October 2009

This article seeks to explain the doctrine concerning sovereignty in Antarctica articulated by Charles E. Hughes, a former US Secretary of State, and to account for its persistence in underpinning US Antarctic policy. The doctrine was part of the New Imperialism — the surge of colonial expansion and spheres of influence that occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. US imperialism sought to establish an ‘open door’ international order to exploit America's growing economic power; the Hughes doctrine extended this policy into Antarctica, preserving US access to all of the region by denying recognition of claims by other countries.
The demise of elephant sealing at South Georgia, 1960–68
Authors: Dickinson A. B.
Published: October 2009

Uncontrolled scaling for furs and oil began on South Georgia about 1786 and continued sporadically until the early 20th century. From 1909 onward legislation covered licensed killing of male elephant sealsMirounga leonina. This provided for a successful oiling industry that lasted almost 60 years, operated by whalers primarily in early spring before the whaling season began. Biological research ensured that quotas in the last decade remained within the carrying capacity of the stocks. High-grade seal oil enhanced revenues from whaling, providing overall 16% of the volume and 19% of the value of total annual catches, with much higher proportions in some seasons. The seal oil industry did not long survive the demise of whaling on South Georgia, finally ending in 1968.
Driftwood on Heard Island
Authors: Smith J. M. B. , Rudall P. , Keage P. L.
Published: October 2009

Samples from 73 pieces of non-structural driftwood on Heard Island (53°06′S, 73°30′E) were identified to genus or species. Thirty-one belonged to South American species of Nothofagus. The remainder, consisting mostly of conifers especially Picea and Larix, probably came from ships' cargoes. The assemblage is similar to those reported, from smaller samples, on other southern islands. Other items of flotsam, including fishing buoys and drift-cards, are also reported from Heard Island. The significance of driftwood transport from South America to the island in accounting for long-distance dispersal of terrestrial and intertidal organisms is discussed.
Summer weather at Royal Bay, South Georgia, 1882–83 and 1981–82
Authors: Craig Hamish , Gordon John E.
Published: October 2009

During the 1981–82 austral summer a Joint Services Expedition to South Georgia recorded meteorological observations at Royal Bay, near to the site of the German station of the First International Polar Year in 1882–83. Comparisons between the two sets of observations emphasize the storminess of the climate and indicate slightly higher temperatures in 1981–82. Weather conditions at Royal Bay in 1981–82 were more comparable to those at King Edward Point (Grytviken), the main meteorological station on the island, than in the central mountains of the Salvesen Range.
Military radar defence lines of northern North America: an historical geography
Authors: Fletcher Roy J.
Published: October 2009

Northern Canada and Alaska from 1945 to 1951 had only a minor military presence and no radar surveillance of airborne threats. Fear of nuclear attack from the USSR led to the installation of numerous radar stations between 1951 and 1958. Alaska gained an inner and an outer arc of radar stations, and Canada the Pinetree Line, Mid-Canada Line, Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line and the little-known Pine-Gap radars of the east coast, from Newfoundland to Baffin Island. The Mid-Canada line closed in 1965 and the Pine-Gap stations were dismantled nine years later. The Pinetree and DEW lines ceased operation in 1988. Alaskan radar facilities were upgraded in the mid- 1980s, and in 1987 and 1988 similar radars were installed at the 14 stations of the North Warning Line, built along the abandoned DEW and Pine-Gap lines from northwestern Alaska to southern Labrador. Very long-range over-the-horizon radars at three locations will be completed by the early 1990s to monitor aircraft in the vicinity of Alaska and the east and west coasts of Canada. The ballistic missile early warning radars installed in the early 1960s in Alaska and Greenland received major improvements in the late 1980s.
The constitutional status of Yukon Territory
Authors: Smyth Steven
Published: October 2009

The Meech Lake Accord constitutional amendment proposal generated extensive debate throughout Canada and the Canadian north. Aboriginal and northern Canadians were particularly vocal in their opposition to the Accord. Northerners were especially offended by the ‘unanimity’ clause, which would have given every province a veto over the creation of new provinces in the north. This paper provides a brief history of the Yukon's constitutional status, and discusses options for future constitutional development, in the context of an impending Yukon Indian land claims settlement and the issues raised by the Meech Lake accord.
International involvement, autonomy and sustainable development in the Arctic
Authors: Lyck Lise
Published: October 2009

Five phases of international involvement in the Arctic are identified. The importance of analyzing internationalization development as a continuous process, instead of as separate periods replacing each other, is set into focus. Core problems of attaining autonomy in the Arctic are identified and related to southern-based strategies. Sustainable development, here analyzed, requires an identity to be developed among people as well as an integrated economy. Lack of identity and persistence of a non-integrated economy are often characteristic of Arctic areas. Greenland's development, analyzed within this theoretical framework. is hampered by a non-integrated economy, which must be changed soon if sustainable development is to be realized by the end of the century.
India in Antarctica: perspectives, programmes and achievements
Authors: Dey Anita
Published: October 2009

India's interest in Antarctica dates from 1956, when the Indian government first raised the question of the peaceful use of Antarctica in the UN. Although India began as a strong critic of the Antarctic Treaty System, and, indeed, conducted scientific activities on the continent for two years without being a member of it, India recognised that her interests would be better served by joining the Treaty as a full member.
Canada's Eastern Arctic Patrol 1922–68
Authors: Mackinnon C.S.
Published: October 2009

Concerned to assert sovereignty over northern territories, Canada in 1922 began an annual patrol to the eastern Arctic to establish and maintain police posts. The experienced Captain Bernier and theArcticmade four trips; then from 1926 to 1931 the government charteredBeothic, a larger sealing ship. The patrol was led by a civil servant and transported doctors, scientists, court officials and representatives of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As part of depression economies in the 1930s, space was rented on the Hudson's Bay Company'sNascopieunder Capt Smellie and many more Inuit were visited, but fur trading interests took precedence. Major McKeand, the patrol leader, had many roles and useful research continued, butNascopiesank in July 1947. With postwar concern for a heightened government presence in the Arctic, and after some interim arrangements, the patrol was resumed in 1950 inCD. Howe. The new expedition was especially designed for an expanded medical team eager to test all Inuit for tuberculosis, as a result of which many were evacuated to southern hospitals. In 1959 Northern Affairs turned over command of the slow-moving patrol to the senior doctor, and in 1968 National Health and Welfare belatedly decided that the movement of Inuit into settlements with nursing stations and airstrips made theC. D. Howeservice redundant, so the patrol was discontinued.
Evaluating breeding habitat and populations of ringed seals Phoca hispida in Svalbard fjords
Authors: Lydersen Christian , Ryg Morten
Published: October 2009

In Tempelfjorden and Sassenfjorden, Svalbard, 12 March to4 April 1990, a Siberian husky dog was used to detect ringed seal breathing holes in the ice, using random stratified sampling to sample 20% (40 km2) of the total area. The area was estimated to contain 997 ringed seal breathing holes, corresponding to 293 ringed seals. A maximum of 185 pups were born in the area. A breeding condition factor was constructed to enable comparisons of yearly and areal variation in ice cover and precipitation within ringed seal breeding habitats.
Fur seal skull from sealers' quarters at Sandy Bay, Macquarie Island, Southern Ocean
Authors: Townrow K. , Shaughnessy P. D.
Published: October 2009

Fur seals were exterminated from Macquarie Island about 20 years after discovery of the island in 1810. Their specific identity is unknown. Few fur seals were reported at the island until it was occupied by the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions in 1948. Fur seal numbers are now increasing. An archaeological excavation at a sealers' quarters at Sandy Bay in 1988 revealed the fragmented skull of a young Antarctic fur sealArctocephalus gazella1.1 m below the surface in a layer dated in the 1870s and 1880s. This period coincides with the recovery of fur seal populations in the South Atlantic Ocean following earlier harvesting. Elsewhere it has been argued that the Antarctic fur seal is unlikely to have been the original fur seal at Macquarie Island because few individuals of that species are ashore in winter, which is the season when the island was discovered and fur-seal harvesting began. It is concluded that the Sandy Bay skull is from a vagrant animal.
Soviet-Norwegian Historical Expedition to Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa
Authors: Barr Susan
Published: October 2009

In summer 1990 a Soviet-Norwegian expedition spent three weeks travelling to and around Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa (Franz Joseph Land). The main purpose of the expedition was to locate the remains of Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen's wintering quarters of 1895–96, and other historical sites at Cape Flora, Eira Harbour, Camp Ziegler, Buchta Tichaja and Teplitz Bay were also visited. The group experienced an amazing openness in this area which has been closed to visitors since 1930. The historical sites and their present condition are described.
Municipal government in Greenland
Authors: Benoit France , Martens Gunnar
Published: October 2009

This article describes how Greenlandic municipalities operate. A summary of the evolution of municipal government in Greenland is followed by an overview of their demography, politics, and administration. A list of jurisdictions is provided through a study of municipal expenditures, with reference to the municipality of Narsaq (Narsap kommunia). The article concludes with an examination of the perspectives of municipal government in Greenland.
The hunt for marine reptile fossils on western Ellesmere Island
Authors: Osczevski Randall J.
Published: October 2009

An expedition of the Canada/China Dinosaur Project collected several large marine-reptile fossils on western Ellesmere Island in the summer of 1989. They were led to the area by a 1939 report that a large fossil skeleton had been seen north of Trold Fiord by a member of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police patrol in 1926. This paper examines the events of the original discovery and an unsuccessful attempt by David Haig-Thomas to locate the fossils in 1937–38. Haig-Thomas had visited the area in 1935 as a member of the Oxford University Ellesmere Land Expedition. His party had reached a fiord variously identified as Trold Fiord or Vendomc Fiord, but a study of his probable route suggests that it was neither. This inaccurate identification misled Haig-Thomas' later search. In 1989, pieces of fossil bone from a large marine reptile were collected at a site compatible with the 1939 description.
The source and calving of ice island ARLIS-II
Authors: Jeffries Martin O.
Published: October 2009

On the basis of existing data on the dimensions, shape, surficial geology, and glaciological structure of ice island ARLIS-II, used in combination with aerial photographs of northernmost Ellesmere Island taken in 1950 and 1959, the source of the ice island is positively identified as the Alfred Ernest Ice Shelf. The duration of the recent drift of ‘Hobson's Choice’ ice island from the vicinity of the Alfred Ernest Ice Shelf to northern Ellef Ringnes Island, used as a model for the duration of the drift of ARLIS-II between the same points, suggests ARLIS-II broke off the ice shelf in approximately 1955.
Satellite remote sensing of polar snow and ice: present status and future directions
Authors: Massom Robert
Published: October 2009

Polar snow and ice masses exert a profound influence on global climate and ocean circulation, and are in turn influenced by climate. Satellite remote sensing constitutes the only practical and systematic means of gaining long-term overviews of any change or variability that may be occurring in key snow and ice parameters. Current relevant satellite sensors are reviewed and future developments evaluated to determine how these may lead to improved retrievals of the key parameters. Sensors to be launched on satellite platforms planned for the end of the century and beyond include both improved versions of existing sensors (such as MODIS) and new classes of sensors (such as imaging spectrometers and laser rangers/altimeters) applied to polar remote sensing for the first time.
Ice processes and growth history on Arctic and sub-Arctic lakes using ERS-1 SAR data
Authors: Morris K. , Jeffries M. O. , Weeks W. F.
Published: October 2009

A survey of ice growth and decay processes on a selection of shallow and deep sub-Arctic and Arctic lakes was conducted using radiometrically calibrated ERS-1 SAR images. Time series of radar backscatter data were compiled for selected sites on the lakes during the period of ice cover (September to June) for the years 1991–92 and 1992–93. A variety of lake-ice processes could be observed, and significant changes in backscatter occurred from the time of initial ice formation in autumn until the onset of the spring thaw. Backscatter also varied according to the location and depth of the lakes. The spatial and temporal changes in backscatter were most constant and predictable at the shallow lakes on the North Slope of Alaska. As a consequence, they represent the most promising sites for long-term monitoring and the detection of changes related to global warming and its effects on the polar regions.
Comparative evaluation of ALMAZ, ERS-1, JERS-1, and Landsat-TM for discriminating wet tundra habitats
Authors: Belchansky Gennady I. , Ovchinnikov Gregory K. , Douglas David C.
Published: October 2009

Systematic image-classification methods were applied to ALMAZ, ERS-1, and JERS-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and Landsat-TM multispectral satellite images to evaluate the relative information content of the satellite data for discriminating wet tundra habitats in northern Alaska. Results suggest that SAR data can be used to concurrently detect a maximum of four or five landcover classes using the methods of this study. Combining two or more SAR images from different satellites improved the detection of some classes, particularly water bodies. Combining full-resolution SAR data with Landsat-TM did not improve the detection capabilities of Landsat-TM alone. Further research is needed to assess other image-classification and SAR data processing methods.
NDVI, biomass, and landscape evolution of glaciated terrain in northern Alaska
Authors: Walker D.A. , Auerbach N.A. , Shippert M.M.
Published: October 2009

The patterns of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) on three glacial surfaces of different ages in the vicinity of Toolik Lake, Alaska, were examined. NDVI was derived from SPOT multispectral digital data, and the images were stratified according to boundaries on glacial geology and vegetation maps. Ground-level measurements of NDVI from common vegetation types were also collected, using a portable spectrometer. Late Pleistocene glacial surfaces have lower image-NDVI than older Middle Pleistocene surfaces, and the mean NDVI is correlated with approximate time since deglaciation. The trends are related to differences in NDVI associated with vegetation growing on mineral vs peaty substrates. Nonacidic mineral substrates are more common on the younger landscapes, and acidic peaty soils are more common on the older surfaces. The field-NDVIs of acidic dry, moist, and wet tundra are consistently higher than those of corresponding nonacidic tundra types. These same trends are seen when the SPOT NDVI image is stratified according to vegetation boundaries appearing on two detailed vegetation maps in the region. Above-ground biomass of moist and wet acidic tundra is significantly greater than corresponding nonacidic types. Vegetation species composition was examined along two transects on the oldest and youngest glacial surfaces. Shrub cover is the most important factor affecting the spectral signatures and biomass. Older surfaces have greater cover of shrub-rich tussock tundra and shrub-filled water tracks, and the younger surfaces have more dry, well-drained sites with low biomass and relatively barren nonsorted circles and stripes. These trends are related to paludification and modification of the terrain by geomorphic and geochemical processes. Similar patterns of spectral reflectance have been noted in association with a variety of large-scale natural disturbances in northern Alaska. However, extrapolation of these results to much broader regions of the circumpolar Arctic will require the use of sensors covering larger areas, such as the AVHRR aboard the NOAA satellites.
Monitoring, classification, and characterization of interior Alaska forests using AIRSAR and ERS-1 SAR
Authors: Williams C.L. , McDonald K. , Rignot E. , Viereck L.A. , Way J.B. , Zimmermann R.
Published: October 2009

At the Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest (BCEF), past ecological research has been directed at forest successional processes on the floodplain of the Tanana River and adjacent uplands. Research at the Bonanza Creek site continues on the mosaic of forests, shrublands, and wetlands in a wide variety of successional stages on the Tanana floodplain. This paper reviews research since 1988 into the capabilities of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for monitoring, classification, and characterization of these forests using radar remote sensing and modelling techniques. Classifications of successional stages, obtained by use of different classifiers on multi-frequency and multi-polarimetric AIRSAR data, are contrasted; these classifications have been used to predict classification accuracies obtained with ERS-1 data, and to estimate the utility of an ERS-1 and RADARSAT combination for classification. Forest classifications, used in combination with ground-truth data for more than 50 forest stands, are used to summarize the distribution of biomass on the landscape. This will allow projections of future biomass. Monitoring of forest phenology, seasonality of flooding, and freeze–thaw transitions is ongoing. Also, direct monitoring of dominant tree species is demonstrating diurnal variation and interrelationships among environmental, physiological, and backscatter measurements.
Relating CO2 fluxes to spectral vegetation indices in tundra landscapes: importance of footprint definition
Authors: Hope A.S. , Fleming J.B. , Vourlitis G. , Stow D.A. , Oechel W.C. , Hack T.
Published: October 2009

Carbon flux measurements made at an elevated point are associated with an effective upwind area or ‘footprint.’ Since Arctic tundra landscapes can exhibit substantial heterogeneity within the footprint of an eddy correlation tower, it may be necessary to determine the relative point source contributions to the observed flux if landscape properties are to be related to the flux. This study evaluates the potential importance of representing footprint source contributions in relationships that are developed between tower observations of net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (NEE) and a remotely sensed spectral vegetation index. Satellite data collected over the foothills region of the North Slope of Alaska are used to determine spatial patterns of a spectral vegetation index in the calculated footprints of 30 randomly selected tower locations. A previously developed relationship between NEE and the vegetation index is used to calculate NEE at each tower location using two techniques, one that explicitly considers the footprint pattern of relative contributions to tower fluxes and another that ignores these patterns. The results indicate that if carbon fluxes measured at a tower are to be related to remotely sensed spectral vegetation indices, then it is necessary to consider the relative flux contributions from within the tower footprints for sites on the North Slope of Alaska.
On the possibility of remotely sensing global dimethyl sulfide sea-to-air flux
Authors: Jodwalis Clara M. , Benner Richard L.
Published: October 2009

Biogenic emissions of sulfur from the ocean surface are believed to be a significant contribution to the atmospheric aerosol burden, thus playing a significant role in climate. The possibility exists for using remotely sensed data to locate sources, map distributions, and estimate global-scale fluxes of marine sulfur flux. By definition, estimates of surface trace-gas flux from satellites are indirect. Empirical algorithms must be derived using direct surface flux measurements. This technology does not currently exist, and may be many years from coming to fruition. This paper discusses the possibilities of developing a satellite-based dimethyl sulphide (DMS) flux capability and describes a new technique that can be used to develop the necessary empirical relationships. It demonstrates the feasibility of using a sulfur chemiluminescence detector (SCD) for measuring surface sulfur-gas flux directly from the ground. It also estimates ocean surface sulfur-gas flux using two related, indirect methods, known as the variance method and the inertial dissipation method. These methods can be used in the Arctic, where the ocean-to-atmosphere flux may be a significant fraction of global biogenic sulfur emissions.
Measurements of calcium and phosphorus concentrations in the neonatal dentine of Weddell and crabeater seals using energy-dispersive x-ray analysis
Authors: Cruwys E. , Robinson K. , Boyd I.L.
Published: October 2009

Concentrations of calcium and phosphorus were measured in the neonatal dentine of 11 crabeater and 11 Weddell seal postcanine teeth with an energy-dispersive x-ray analyser. The extent of variation in elemental concentrations in different parts of the tooth, differences between species and individuals, and whether variation in elemental concentrations can provide information about dentine deposition mechanisms were assessed. No consistent patterns in elemental deposition in different parts of the tooth were found, but there were differences in concentrations between and within species. Post-natal dentine is composed of layers that appear alternately bright and dark in backscattered electron images. The elemental composition of neonatal dentine was closer to the dark bands than to those that appeared bright. It is suggested that the composition of neonatal dentine is more similar to the dark than the bright layers of dentine because of nutritional stresses that were occurring during mineral deposition.
Antarctica and the modern geographical imagination (1918–1960)
Authors: Dodds Klaus J.
Published: October 2009

This paper examines how different technologies of exploration and mapping transformed human understanding of the Antarctic in the period 1918–1960. In the aftermath of the ‘heroic’ expeditions, European and American governments began to invest considerable monies in support of national expeditions for the purpose of claiming and mapping the polar continent. The collection of practical geographical information during the inter-war period was overtaken by the advent of polar aviation and aerial mapping in the 1930s. The aeroplane and the aerial camera played key parts in expanding stores of knowledge about the continent and altering perceptions of place. Finally, the paper considers the 1955–1958 Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE). This venture was significant because it was widely understood to be the final chapter in the geographical and scientific assualt on the Antarctic. The TAE was the high point of polar achievement, as a range of technologies were brought to bear on the surface of the Antarctic icesheet. Thereafter, the cultural and political significance of the polar continent changed in the face of new challenges for human exploration in the realms of outer space and the Moon.
Arctic summer sea-ice SAR signatures, melt-season characteristics, and melt-pond fractions
Authors: Jeffries M. O. , Schwartz K. , Li S.
Published: October 2009

Variations in multiyear sea-ice backscatter from the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) aboard the ERS-1 satellite are interpreted in terms of melt-season characteristics (onset of melt in spring and of freeze-up in autumn, and the duration of the snow-decay period, the melt season, and the melt-pond season) from late winter to early autumn 1992 in two regions of the Arctic Ocean: the northeastern Beaufort Sea adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Islands in the Canadian high Arctic and the western Beaufort Sea north of Alaska. In the northeastern Beaufort Sea, the onset of melt occurs later, and the periods of snow-cover decay and the occurrence of melt ponds are shorter than in the western Beaufort Sea. These melt-season characteristics of each area are consistent with previous observations that the northeastern Beaufort Sea has one of the most severe summer climates in the Arctic Ocean. A model, which assumes that the backscatter from multiyear floes is the sum of backscatter from bare ice and melt ponds, is used to derive the melt-pond fraction during the summer. The results show that melt-pond fractions decrease from an early-summer maximum of about 60% to a late-summer minimum around 10%. The magnitude of the melt-pond fractions and their decline during the summer is consistent with previous, more qualitative data. The SAR model, which gives melt-pond fractions with lower variability and less uncertainty than previous data, offers an improved approach to the reliable estimation of the areal extent of water on ice floes. Suggestions for further improvement of the model include accounting for the consequences of wind-speed variations, summer snowfall, and freeze/thaw cycles and their effects on melt-pond and ice-surface roughness.
Short- and long-term impacts of human disturbances on snow-free surfaces in Antarctica
Authors: Campbell I. B. , Claridge G. G. C. , Balks M. R.
Published: October 2009

The speed with which tracks form as a result of trampling on exposed ground surfaces in Antarctica was investigated in the McMurdo Sound and Dry Valleys regions, by a simple treading experiment. Distinct tracks formed with fewer than 20 foot passes — as measured by stone cover, surface soil exposure, and track width — and they continued to develop with increasing traffic levels. Track development was rapid and most obvious on sandy gravel soils with a pebbly desert pavement, but slower and less distinct on soils with an extensive cover of surface boulders.

The persistence of human impact from ground disturbances, which occurred up to 30 years previously, when pits were dug during field science investigations, was assessed using a range of previously defined criteria. Recently disturbed sites, where some action had been taken to restore the site immediately after disturbance, showed the least overall impact. Impacts persisted longer at sites where no restoration had been undertaken, but the remaining impact varied with factors such as exposure to wind and the age of the land surface. These results demonstrate the fragility of Antarctic soil surfaces and the terrestrial environment, as well as the long time-scales for recovery of Antarctic ground-surface disturbances.
Scale, context, and application of traditional knowledge of the Canadian north
Authors: Duerden Frank , Kuhn Richard G.
Published: October 2009

There is strong contemporary interest in the application of traditional environmental knowledge (TEK) of physical environments and land-use patterns in northern Canada. This interest relates to land claims, land-use planning, cultural preservation, resource management, and environmental monitoring. The application of TEK to land and resource management is critically examined and a typology relating scale, user group, and the transformation of knowledge is developed. Of the many challenges facing the incorporation of TEK in resource-management initiatives, perhaps the greatest is the recognition of the appropriateness of scale. The conclusions reached in this paper reaffirm the notion that scale and context are key components in maintaining the validity and integrity of TEK. The primary role of TEK appears to be with providing the most valid and intelligible interpretations of local geographies and prescribing locally appropriate resource-management strategies.
The sublime yet awful grandeur: the Arctic panoramas of Elisha Kent Kane
Authors: Potter Russell A. , Wamsley Douglas W.
Published: October 2009

In mid-nineteenth century America, the Arctic adventures of Elisha Kent Kane were a common and central subject for the emerging mass media. Kane's exploits were retold through illustrated newspapers, magazines, and books, but his narratives found one of their widest audiences through the medium of the ‘panorama.’ Initially presented in fixed locations, these panoramas later traveled across the country, combining large moving canvasses with a variety of visual and theatrical effects. Kane's two Arctic expeditions were among the most popular subjects represented by panoramas in the period before the American Civil War. This article examines the history of the panorama as it reflected and shaped public interest in the Arctic regions, including earlier polar expeditions, and gives a detailed account of the Kane panoramas. Other optical media that represented Kane's exploits are also considered. Because of its broad audience and widespread appeal, the panorama, along with other emergent visual technologies, played a vital yet overlooked part, both in disseminating Kane's accomplishments and in elevating Kane to prominence and fame in the mid-nineteenth century.