bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The ‘shift method’ in the Arctic
Authors: Armstrong Terence
Published: October 2009

This paper examines an example of the functioning of what is referred to in the Soviet literature as the shift method (vakhtennyy metod) of working mineral resources in remote northern locations. The essence of the method is that the workers have their homes and families at some established centre in the south, and are flown in to their place of work in the north for shifts of a few weeks, during which long hours are worked. Thus at the northern end living accommodation can be very simple, with no need for elaborate social facilities, and substantial economies should accrue. These economies would more than offset the cost of transportation, and would become apparent if account were taken of the indirect as well as the direct costs of the enterprise—that is, the associated towns, highways, airports, power stations and so forth.
Joseph-Fidele Bernard On the Bering Sea frontier (1921–1922)
Authors: Barratt Glynn
Published: October 2009

In a great number of articles now, Soviet historians have dealt with the attractive theme of the enormity of western, and especially American, activities on the north-eastern fringes of Siberia—activities which, starting in the 1860's, lasted for three quarters of a century. Yet, showing no disrespect to scholars of the stamp of N. Zhikharev, S. V. Bakhrushin, and M. I. Belov, through the operation of one underlying tendency all these accounts of western penetration of Chukotka may be regarded as comprising one large group. For 40 years they have tended, if not wholly to ignore the final phase of North American commercial ‘intervention’ in Chukotka in the years following 1920, then at least to place no emphasis whatever on the awkward facts, for instance, that ‘friendly direct contact between Alaska's and Chukotka's natives went on for several years’ and that some trips between the continents ‘went on until as late as 1944’. The reasons for this are not hard to find: Chukotkan history of the third decade is potentially embarrassing to Moscow. In 1921 the question of whether or not Chukotka formed a part of the Soviet state had not been settled, nor was absolute authority exercised in the remote north-east by the Bolsheviks at that point or, indeed, in 1922. Now a White Russian force would dominate an area, now a detachment of the Japanese army. Worse, there was hostility towards the Bolsheviks in Chukotka even after the demise of the anti-Bolshevik leader Bochkarev in 1923. But more embarrassing than any anti-Bolshevik or petty-bourgeois sentiment, there can be no doubt, has proved the tiresome fact that Moscow blessed the trips to Anadyr' and other points on the Chukotkan littoral made by western schooner masters. Here is the rub: for the new government ‘found it convenient to encourage some American traders to continue, because the Government's own communications with Chukotka were so uncertain’.
Soviet fishery jurisdiction in the Arctic
Authors: Butler William E.
Published: October 2009

The creation of a 200-nautical mile [370-km] fishing zone in December 1976 for certain marine areas off the coast of the USSR, including Arctic waters, is a significant development for a subject which has given rise in the past to diplomatic exchanges and confrontations with foreign powers.
Bernhard Hantzsch: the probable cause of his death in Baffin Island in 1911
Authors: Rowley Graham
Published: October 2009

Bernhard Hantzsch was a German zoologist and explorer, born in 1875, whose first work in Canada was in northernmost Labrador in 1906. He returned to the north in 1909 with the object of exploring the then unknown Foxe Basin coast of Baffin Island. His plan was to set off from Cumberland Sound and travel with Eskimos across Baffin Island by way of Nettilling Lake and the Koukdjuak River, follow the coast north and west to Fury and Hecla Strait, and then make his way to Pond Inlet. Unfortunately, the ship that was taking him to Kerketen sank in Cumberland Sound; although all aboard made their way safely to Blacklead Island, most of his supplies were lost. Nevertheless he set off, ill-equipped, in the spring of 1910 with a group of Eskimos. By the end of the year he had established winter quarters at the mouth of what is now 245 Sylvan called the Hantzsch River, with two families, Aggakdjuk, his wife Arnga and their children, and Ittusakdjuak and his wife Sirkinirk.
Ross Ice Shelf Project, 1976–1977
Authors: Clough John W.
Published: October 2009

The Ross Ice Shelf is a floating sheet of ice about the size of France. It ranges in thickness from 200 m to approximately 1 000 m. The Ross Ice Shelf Project (RISP) seeks to shed more light on the ice shelf's relationship to the west Antarctic ice sheet and on the possibility that significant fluctuations in thickness and extent have taken place during recent history. The project also aims to learn more about the unique ecological system in the unexplored waters under the ice shelf and in the sediments which floor the Ross Sca embayment.
Cambridge Spitsbergen Expedition, 1977
Authors: Harland W. B. , Pickton C. A. G. , Wright N. J. R.
Published: October 2009

A Cambridge expedition was in Svalbard during late June, July and August 1977 and undertook geological field work concerning late Precambrian/Palaeozoic stratigraphy. One party of the expedition completed a small scale exploration drilling contract for a German industrial concern. Members of the expedition were: W. B. Harland (leader, geologist); C. A. G. Pickton (geologist/driller with Party D); N. J. R. Wright (Party D, geologist); K. Swett and D. Johnson (Party A, geologists from the University of Iowa); M. J. Hambrey and P. Waddams (Party C, geologists); S. R. Larter and B. Bowler (Party D, drillers/geoscientists from the University of Newcastle); J. Gammage, R. Hanks, D. Burkitt, P. Doughty, and G. Thwaites (Party B, boat captains and crews). The activities of the expedition were divided into two phases.
Cambridge Spitsbergen Expedition, 1979
Authors: Pickton C. A. G. , Harland W. B.
Published: October 2009

The 1979 Cambridge Spitsbergen expedition consisted of 13 members and was in the field from mid-June to late August. An advance party of seven left England on 18 June, arrived in Longyearbyen by scheduled flight, and then continued to the base building ‘Mexico’ in Ny-Alesund by chartered Cessna 185. The members were: W. B. Harland (expedition leader, geologist), P. Waddams (geologist), M. F.Chantrey (boat captain), S. G. Chandler (engineer), A. S. D. McCracken, T. D. Parker and J. H. Nebelsick (geological assistants)
The Arctic Committee of 1851: a background study Part 2
Authors: Holland Clive
Published: October 2009

In part 1 of this article (Polar Record, Vol 20, No 124, January 1980, p 3–17) we examined the troubled course of relations between captains Horatio T. Austin and William Penny during the early stages of their expeditions in search of Sir John Franklin in 1850–51. In this second part, we shall examine the climax of their uneasy cooperation, namely a prolonged dispute which took place throughout the course of 11 August 1851; then we shall look at the consequences of this dispute after their return home to Britain, including the setting up of the Arctic Committee to resolve the differences between them, and the controversial aftermath of the committee's inquiry.
The development of Antarctic tourism
Authors: Reich Rosamunde J.
Published: October 2009

The Antarctic continent and its off-lying islands are probably the part of the world least disturbed by man. If all human activity beyond latitude 60°S ceased, all that would remain would be the remnants of scientific stations and a few dilapidated structures associated with Antarctic whaling when it was a land-based industry. Many hold the view that efforts should be made to retain this near-pristine condition and there is therefore widespread opposition to all forms of commercial enterprise in the Antarctic, including tourism. While there may be grounds for opposing the harvesting of living resources because of the possibility of over-exploitation, and for opposing the extraction of Antarctic minerals because of the danger of irreversible environmental damage, opposition to tourism, especially as there are no facilities in the Antarctic specifically designed for their benefit, seems more difficult to justify.
Future prospects for Arctic wildlands in North America
Authors: Parker Walter B.
Published: October 2009

The fascination of the polar regions for the people of southern climes has always rested on the aura of mystery created by inaccessibility and the sense of prospective freedom offered by lands that were supposedly not claimed or utilized. Later, the intensive use of Arctic lands by their aboriginal inhabitants became clearer to those southerners who took the time to live for long periods in the Arctic, especially those whose opinions were open to the reality of what they observed around them. The Antarctic did not, of course, have a resident population to influence perceptions and has thus created a very different range of interests.
Shipping routes, ice cover and year-round navigation in the Canadian Arctic
Authors: Dey Balaram B.
Published: October 2009

Past forecasts by geologists of potentially large oil and natural gas reserves in the North American Arctic (eg, Prudhoe Bay, the Mackenzie delta, and the Canadian Arctic islands) are coming closer to reality. Results from Canmar (Canadian Marine Drilling Ltd of Calgary) drill ships working in the southern Beaufort Sea continue to support the prediction of considerable hydrocarbon deposits in this area. The most significant discovery, gas amounting to 0.48–0.50 trillion m3 [17–18 trillion ft3] was made by Panarctic Oils Limited in the Canadian High Arctic, in particular the Drake field off Melville Island and the surrounding region (Star Phoenix, 1980a). Panarctic Oils is a government-industry consortium; Petro-Canada owns 45 per cent of the shares and provides the bulk of the exploration budget.
Sea-borne tourism in the Antarctic: an evaluation
Authors: Codling Rosamunde J.
Published: October 2009

In an earlier article, tracing the development of commercial tourism in the Antarctic (Reich, 1980), I presented the currently available information on the scale and concentration of tourist activities. From this examination the broad conclusion was that over a 24-year period since tourism began, numbers of visitors landing, primarily from ships but also from aircraft, averaged less than 840 a year. Roughly three-quarters of these visits were concentrated on about nine places, all of which were occupied scientific research stations. In this paper an attempt is made, partly based on first-hand experience of a tourist cruise, to gauge the impact of sea-borne tourism. A description of the cruise precedes consideration of tourism in relation to the Antarctic Treaty. Planning issues are raised in certain recommendations on tourism adopted by the Antarctic Treaty nations, and these are examined. There are more questions than answers, partly due to lack of data, but I hope that by drawing attention to these issues further consideration will be given to them.
‘The North-west Passage, or voyage finished’: a polar play and musical entertainment
Authors: Claustre Daniel
Published: October 2009

Among the collections of the Scott Polar Research Institute is the manuscript of the New Georgia Gazette, a newspaper completed on board ship during William Edward Parry's first expedition in search of a North-west Passage, 1819–20. The expedition stimulated much interest at home partly for its achievement in discovering half of the North-west Passage, and for its novelty as the first expedition deliberately to spend a winter in high Arctic latitudes. It is thus no great surprise that, after the expedition's return home, a printed version of the Gazette was published, for it provides a vivid insight into life on board ship during that unprecedented Arctic winter. However, at the back of the original manuscript of the newspaper is a play written during the expedition under the title, The North-west Passage, or voyage finished, which was not included in the publication. The reason for its exclusion is not given, but it cannot have been due entirely to the dissatisfaction of Parry, who was happy enough to refer to it in his narrative of the expedition (Parry, 1824, p 127), or to its lack of success, since it was most favourably reviewed at the time of its performance. Nor was the play ever entirely forgotten. In Jules Verne's novel, Les aventures du Capitaine Halteras (1861, part 2, p 426) Dr Clawbonny comments ‘Parry composa lui-meme pour les fetes de Noel une comedie tout a fait en situation; elle eut un immense succes et était intitulee Le Passage du Nord-Ouest ou la Fin du Voyag’. Paul-Emile Victor (1968, p 223) also mentions the play's existence, but it was only very recently that this full text of the play was rediscovered at the back of the original Gazette.The manuscript of the play is neatly handwritten in an unknown hand and occupies 19 pages measuring about 20×32 cm.
Logistic aspects of geological studies in the Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica, 1979–80
Authors: Splettstoesser John F. , Webers Gerald F. , Waldrip David B.
Published: October 2009

The most ambitious field project of the 1979–80 austral summer season in Antarctica was conducted in the Ellsworth Mountains (Fig 1), when 42 scientists and technicians studied a variety of geological problems in an area which included both the Sentinel Range to the north and the Heritage Range to the south (Fig 2), from about 77°15'S to 80°30'S and 80°W to 87°30'W.
How waves break up inshore fast ice
Authors: Squire Vernon A.
Published: October 2009

Vertical accelerometers deployed on fast ice in Raudfjorden, Svalbard in early summer 1983 recorded characteristics of ice-coupled waves at the ice edge and during their passage under die ice sheet. Subsequent analysis indicated an unexpected increase in amplitude of waves of all periods some 20 to 30 m in from die ice edge. This is associated with a pair of heavily-damped waves, which become especially relevant at or beyond some critical angle and decay rapidly with distance from the edge; their coalescence may account for the increase in wave amplitude, and explain why ice tends to break out in strips parallel to the ice edge.
Aleksandr Stepanovich Kuchin: the Russian who went south with Amundsen
Authors: Barr William
Published: October 2009

Aleksandr Stepanovich Kuchin (1888–1912) was already an experienced mariner and oceanographer when Amundsen invited him to join the Fram expedition of 1910–12. Expecting a voyage through the Barents Sea, Kuchin found himself on an expedition to the Antarctic. While Amundsen's sledging parties sought the South Pole, Kuchin remained with the ship, completing an excellent oceanographic survey of the southern Atlantic Ocean. Returning to Russia in 1912 he was recruited, by the geologist and explorer V. A. Rusinov to join a scientific expedition to Svalbard. As deputy leader of the party and captain of Gerkules, the expedition ship, Kuchin played an important role in the Svalbard survey. Then once again found himself heading in an unexpected direction: on completing the Svalbard work, Rusanov decided to attempt the Northern Sea Route to the Bering Strait. Gerkules disappeared and was never seen again; her loss, presumably in the Kara Sea, brought to an untimely end the career of a promising young polar explorer.
New southernmost record for Antarctic flowering plants
Authors: Smith R. I. Lewis , Poncet Sally
Published: October 2009

Smith (1982) reported the discovery in 1981 of Antarctic hair grass Deschampsia antarctica Desv. on the largest of the Refuge Islands (68° 21' S) in Marguerite Bay, off the south-west coast of Antarctic Peninsula (Figure 1). This, was at the time the southernmost record of one of Antarctica's two native flowering plants. The only ecologically suitable area for vascular plants south of these islands appeared to be the Terra Firma Islands, 40 km along the coast, which Smith had been unable to reach due to dense pack ice. Earlier reports of grass and grass-like plants on the Terra Firma Islands could not be accepted as reliable in the absence of accurate descriptions, specimens or photographs, for elsewhere the bushy grey-green or yellow lichens Usnea antarctica and U. fasciata have been mistaken for grass when viewed from a distance. However, both Deschampsia antarctica and also Antarctic pearlwort Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth) Bartl., Antarctica's other flowering plant, have now been positively identified at a site on Barn Rock (68° 42' S, 67° 32' W) in the Terra Firma group.
Profile: Samuel Hearne
Authors: Stone Ian R.
Published: October 2009

Samuel Hearne is best known to students of polar history because of his famous overland expedition of 1770–72, when he became the first European to reach the northern coast of North America at the mouth of the Coppermine River. Fewer know of his other notable journeys, in which he established Cumberland House as an inland trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company; fewer still may be aware of his capture, while Governor of Prince of Wales' Fort on Hudson Bay, by the French naval commander la Pérouse in 1782. That Hearne was an attractive and interesting character emerges clearly from his own account of his major expedition (a classic in exploration literature) and his other writings. However, he was also a figure of controversy, both during his life and subsequently, and this lends interest to his story.
Recent changes in the glaciers of Heard Island
Authors: Allison Ian F. , Keage Peter L.
Published: October 2009

Heard Island, a heavily glacierized volcanic island in the Southern Ocean, is 80% ice-covered, with glaciers descending from 2,400 m to sea level: major glaciers are up to 7 km long with areas exceeding 10 km. Much of the island was photographed from the air in 1947 and again in early 1980. Photographs and limited ground surveys record changes (mostly retreats) in glacier fronts. Retreat is most marked on the eastern flanks where former tidewater glaciers are now grounded inland. Glaciers on northern and windward western flanks still end in ice cliffs but have narrowed; glaciers and ice caps on Laurens Peninsula (maximum elevation 710 m) are up to 65% smaller. Nearby lies Kerguelen and other southern islands with long climatic records have warrned significantly since the early 1960s. Surface and upper-air climatic data from Heard Island 1947–54 and records from automatic weather stations 1980–82 suggest that Heard too has warmed slightly, concurrently with a possible northward shift of low-pressure system tracks in this region. Temperatures have remained above average through the early 1980s and glacier retreat is expected to continue.
Fiscal viability and the constitutional development of Canada's northern territories
Authors: Stabler Jack C.
Published: October 2009

The constitutional development of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories has become a topic which is debated with increasing frequency and by an ever-widening group of participants. Provincial status is seen by many as the logical, ultimate goal. Admission of new provinces to the confederation, previously a rather straightforward process, depends on conditions which the Constitution Act of 1982 has altered. For the first time candidates are now required to be fiscally sound prior to admission. In this paper the circumstances in which Canada's northern territories might become fiscally viable are investigated, using simulation analysis. It is concluded that fiscal viability awaits the development of some of the frontier mega-projects proposed in recent years.
Moving loads on sea ice
Authors: Squire V. A. , Langhorne P. J. , Robinson W. H. , Heine A. J. , Haskell T. G.
Published: October 2009

A load moving on sea ice, whether the weight of a vehicle or the pressure exerted by a low-flying aircraft, produces a deflection which can in extreme cases cause ice failure. The magnitude and shape of the deflection profile depends on the weight and speed of the vehicle) and also the the ice thickness and properties, with flexuralgraviry waves radiating from the source at speeds above a critical value. This wave pattern was studied in detail on flat, snow-free sea ice in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Surface strain was measured directly and microcracking activity monitored to correlate measured strain with possible generation of dangerous cracks. Speeds of up to 28 m sec-1(60 mph) were achieved with a pickup truck, and up to 80 m sec-1with a US Navy C131 aircraft. Initial comparison between theory and experimental results is very encouraging.
A bioclimatic index of human survival times in the Antarctic
Authors: de Freitas C. R. , Symon L. V.
Published: October 2009

An index of human ‘survival time outdoors in extreme cold’ (STOEC) has been developed, using body-atmosphere energy budget modelling procedures. The index, which is applicable in places like Antarctica where only limited climatological data are available, is based on the calculated rate of fall of core temperature from 37°C to 27°C of a standard inactive healthy subject in full polar clothing.

Applied to data from 12 Antarctic stations it indicates relative severity of their mean and extreme climatic conditions. The severest winter conditions become lifethreatening after only about 20 minutes. At most stations in winter, exposure outdoors for more than two hours would be dangerous. Conditions at all coastal stations in summer are mildenough to allow a normal core temperature to be maintained. The index has many applications, for example estimating likely survival times of immobilized accident victims and guidelines for duration of work periods outside.
Adam Olearius's ‘About the Greenlanders’
Authors: Scheffel David
Published: October 2009

The 17th-century German traveller and writer Adam Olearius is best known for his account of travels in Russia and Persia, first published in 1656. Parts of this work have been translated into English under the title ‘The travels of Olearius in seventeenth-century Russia’. Among hitherto untranslated sections is the chapter ‘Von den Grünländern’, an early and well-researched account of Greenland and its inhabitants, prompted by his examination of a party of three Greenlanders in Gottorp, Schleswig, in 1656. This article is a translation of the chapter, with an introduction to Olearius and his background.
Historical archaeology at Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica
Authors: McGowan Angela
Published: October 2009

Archaeological investigations formed part of the conservation work of Project Blizzard in 1985–86 at the site of Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911–14) huts, Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay. The extent and nature of the archaeological resources are described, and the results of excavations inside the main hut in 1985 are summarized. Excavation stratigraphy is interpreted in the light of the documented post-abandonment history of the site, and used to measure the extent to which human activity inside the hut may be contributing to its deterioration.
Profile: Ike Schlossbach
Authors: Goodrich Peggy , Stonehouse Bernard
Published: October 2009

Born in Neptune, N J USA of immigrant stock in 1891, Issac Schlossbach became a graduate of the US Naval Academy and a pioneer in naval submarines and aviation. Invalided from the navy after the loss of one eye, he served with Sir Hubert Wilkins in the Nautilus submarine expedition to the Arctic in 1931, with Richard Byrd in Antarctica in 1933–35, and as navigator, pilot or observer in eight further north and south polar expeditions, He made his final visit to Antarctica with Operation Deepfreeze in 1960–61 at the age of 70, dying in his home town after a long and active retirement in 1984.
Another sterile annual ritual? The United Nations and Antarctica 1987
Authors: Beck Peter J.
Published: October 2009

The UN Secretary-General's third Report of September 1987 provided the background for the fifth annual round of the UN's consideration of the ‘Question of Antarctica’. The First Committee's discussions in November 1987 resulted in the adoption by large majorities of two further UN resolutions in favour of a moratorium on the Antarctic minerals regime negotiations, an enhanced UN role in the operations of the Antarctic Treaty System, and the exclusion of South Africa from Consultative Meetings. On the surface, the session might be dismissed as yet another ‘sterile annual UN ritual’, serving to confirm the international community's lack of consensus about the future management of Antarctica. In reality, the episode, suggesting that the UN/Antarctic relationship may be at the crossroads, offered several points of interest, including increased signs of strain within the Antarctic Treaty System consequent upon the South African issue, and a greater appreciation by the critics of the need to work for change within the framework of the existing Antarctic Treaty regime.
Arctic voyages of the motor-cutter Belvedere, 1983–87
Authors: Bockstoce John
Published: October 2009

This article summarizes voyages in the western Arctic of North America during four summers 1983–87, in an 18.3 m cutter-rigged steel motor cruiser, for the purpose of research into the history of commercial whaling, sealing and fur trading. Use of a small, self-sufficient sea-going boat allows access into the small harbours and coves where relics of commerce from the sailing-ship and early steam-ship eras are mostly found.
Nathalie Fairbank's journey down the Yukon River in 1905
Authors: de Freitas Helen
Published: October 2009

In 1905 Nathalie Fairbank left Seattle on a journey by sea, train and river across Yukon Territory and Alaska, accompanying Brigadier A. W. Greely and his daughter on a tour of inspection of US Army Signal Corps telegraph posts along the Yukon River. This article is her account of the journey, with contemporary illustrations.
Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities: a major addition to the Antarctic Treaty System
Authors: Beck Peter J.
Published: October 2009

In June 1988, at the final session of the Fourth Special Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Wellington, New Zealand, the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (CRAMRA) was adopted, bringing to a successful conclusion six years of negotiations. Christopher Beeby, chairman of the discussions, presented the convention as the most important political development affecting Antarctica since the 1959 treaty, especially as it established the ability of the Antarctic Treaty System to reach an internal accommodation even upon matters raising serious political, legal, environmental and other issues. There remain uncertainties regarding the future development of the Antarctic minerals question; for example, when will the minerals convention and the proposed institutional framework come into effect, will its ratification encourage mining, can the fragile Antarctic environment be adequately protected against mining, how will certain key terms and concepts be defined, and will the regime's operation bring latent tensions to the surface? It is also difficult to predict how other governments will react to the convention, in the light of recent UN resolutions on Antarctica. The convention is perceived within the Antarctic Treaty system as a significant development, but it will be some time before a considered evaluation of the Antarctic Minerals Regime can be conducted.
Mammals of central North Greenland
Authors: Bennike O. , Higgins A. K. , Kelly M.
Published: October 2009

Central North Greenland, an uninhabited and rarely visited region bordering the Arctic Ocean, supports arctic hare, collared lemming, wolf, arctic fox, polar bear, stoat, ringed seal and musk ox. Their distribution and abundance were noted during Geological Survey of Greenland expeditions in 1984–85, which visited virtually all land areas in the region, including nunataks and islands. Bones of reindeer, bearded seal and narwhal were also found. Ringed seal and reindeer are known to have been present in the region by the early Holocene.
A bibliography of terrestrial ecosystems on Iles Crozet, Indian Ocean
Authors: Frenot Yves , Vernon Philippe , Bellido Alain
Published: October 2009

This research bibliography gives a brief ecological account of lies Crozet (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises) and lists over 370 studies in terrestrial and freshwater ecology (including laboratory studies) under five headings — history and general aspects, earth sciences, botany, invertebrate fauna, vertebrate fauna.
Country food consumption during the Norman Wells Project, 1982–1985
Authors: Bone Robert M.
Published: October 2009

During public hearings before the Norman Wells Project began, fears were expressed that the project would adversely affect consumption of country food. This note examines consumption of country food by native residents living in four communities in the impact zone of the project The proportion of country food in their diet did not diminish over its construction period, and may have increased slightly, mainly because residents maintained normal harvesting despite handicaps caused by the project. Other mitigating factors were that most construction occurred at a predominately non-native centre (Norman Wells), virtually no natives from the three native communities were employed full-time for the duration of the project, and most of their hunting area was well outside the pipeline impact zone.
Spring distribution, size composition and behaviour of krill Euphausia superba in the western Weddell Sea
Authors: Bergström B.I. , Hempel G. , Marschall H.-P. , North A. , Siegel V. , Strömberg J.-O.
Published: October 2009

Distribution, size composition and behaviour of Euphausia superba were investigated in the northwestern Weddell Sea (59–63°S, 45–52°W) in October-November 1988 using RMT trawling, SCUBA diving and visual examination of the ice undersurface using a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV). Amounts of krill washed onto the ice during ice-breaking along transects were noted. Juvenile and sub-adult krill were found, often in high numbers, in association with seasonal pack-ice, from the outer marginal ice zone to at least 200 nautical miles [3 50 km] into the closed pack-ice zone. Krill caught with the RMT or observed within or close to the ice usually had full guts. They were frequently seen feeding on ice algae, and seemed to concentrate in pressure zones, melting ice and infiltration layers, ie where ice provided both confining crevices and rich algal growth. During twilight numbers of krill increased in open water close to the ice, though ROV observations at night revealed even greater numbers remaining in ice cavities. Direct observations from deck, by divers and by ROV, confirmed that most of the krill population in the uppermost water layer was confined to ice habitats, though in three out of 20 RMT catches krill reached densities of 0.1 nr3 ie normal summer values. ‘Miniswarms’ forming in early November may indicate seasonal transition of at least part of the krill population from winter ice habitat and grazing on ice-algae, to summer pelagic life and filter-feeding on phytoplankton.
Fisheries policy and economic development in Greenland in the 1980s
Authors: Poole Graham
Published: October 2009

Apstract

This article describes the main characteristics of the Greenlandic economy in the 1980s and the aims of the country's Home Rule Government in regard to fisheries policy and economic development. The strategy adopted by the Home Rule Government is presented and evaluated, in terms both of economic theory and of results. Greenland's problems are similar to those of other developing countries, but intensified by its Arctic location, communications problems, a vulnerable resource base and harsh operating conditions inits fisheries, also by its colonial and post-colonial history which has fuelled aspirations towards a high standard of living and given rise to high import demands. Difficulties encountered point towards a modification of the aims and policies of the government, including adoption of a less ambitious approach, focusing upon satisfying basic social and economic needs, and avoiding the mistakes made by the Danish administration in the 1960s and 1970s, which led to alienation of segments of the population from the process of development.
Status and trends of Adélie penguin populations in the Ross Sea region
Authors: Taylor R. H. , Wilson P. R. , Thomas B. W.
Published: October 2009

Aerial reconnaissance and photography were used in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica to determine the breeding locations of Adelie penguinsPygoscelis adeliae, and to count the numbers of nests occupied during the early incubation period. From 1981 to 1987, all islands and sea coasts between 158°E and 175°E were searched, and 11 previously unreported breeding rookeries were discovered. Thirty-eight Adé1ie rookeries are now known from the region, with a total of about 1,082,000 breeding pairs — almost half the world population. Some rookeries were photographed in all, or most, of the seven seasons to study the pattern of natural fluctuations in Adelie populations, and comparisons have been made with earlier counts. Populations at nearly all rookeries have increased in size over the last 10–20 years. Possible reasons for this, and for annual fluctuations in numbers breeding, include seasonal variations in. sea ice and weather conditions, and longer-term climatic change.
CCAMLR and its approaches to management of the krill fishery
Authors: Nicol Stephen
Published: October 2009

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic MarineLiving Resources has met annually since 1982, with the task of implementing the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources; the treaty which was designed to manage rationally the exploitation of resources in the Southern Ocean. The central resource of the region is Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana) and despite nine years of meetings the Commission has yet to adopt any conservation measures to protect krill. This article examines the published work of the Commission, seeking to determine how the Commission has dealt with the krill fishery and why it has not yet developed a krill management plan.
Out in the cold: Canada's experimental Inuit relocation to Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay
Authors: Marcus Alan R.
Published: October 2009

In 1953–55 the Canadian government experimentally relocated Inuit (Eskimo) families from the region of Port Harrison (Inukjuak), on Quebec's Ungava peninsula, to Ellesmere and Cornwallis Islands in the Arctic Archipelago. Today Inuit relocatees allege that they were deceived by the government and suffered greatly as a result of the experiment. The government asserts that the relocation was undertaken for humanitarian reasons. The controversy has recently resulted in hearings before a Canadian parliamentary committee on aboriginal affairs and the Human Rights Commission. A study of the relocation issue prepared for the government, known as the ‘Hickling Report’, rejects Inuit claims of mistreatment. In this paper the Hickling report's findings are assessed. Contrary to the report's conclusions, documentation suggests that one of the government's motives for undertaking the relocation pertained to Canadian sovereignty and exercising ‘effective occupation’ of the islands.
Mixing characteristics of submerged and surface wastewater outfalls at McMurdo Station
Authors: Railsback Steven F.
Published: October 2009

The mixing characteristics of the existing surface wastewater discharge and a proposed submerged wastewater outfall at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, are compared. The wastewater is a combination of sanitary sewage and brine from a desalination plant. Dispersion from a proposed submerged (15 m-deep) outfall was simulated using the CORMIX1 computer model. The mixing characteristics of the surface discharge were estimated from visual observations and a conceptual analysis. The wastewater was found to be less dense than ambient seawater. From the submerged outfall, the effluent is predicted to be diluted by ratios ranging from 80:1 to 450:1 between the point of discharge and the point where the effluent plume begins to spread out underneath the sea ice. The variation in dilution depends mostly on tidal current speed, and dilution of the wastewater with desalinator brine is predicted to provide only minor reductions in concentrations of the effluent. The heat content of the discharge plume from a submerged outfall is expected to cause at least partial melting of the sea ice from underneath. A surface discharge provides much less mixing with ambient water before the effluent spreads along tidal cracks and underneath the sea ice. The submerged discharge is expected to confine settleable wastewater solids to a benthic area near the outfall, but a surface discharge allows solids to settle over a wider area.
Assessing trends in Arctic sea-ice distribution in the Barents and Kara seas using the Kosmos–Okean satellite series
Authors: Belchansky Gennady I. , Mordvintsev Ilia N. , Ovchinnikov Gregory K. , Douglas David C.
Published: October 2009

Trends in the annual minimum sea-ice extent, determined by three criteria (absolute annual minimum, minimum monthly mean, and the extent at the end of August), were investigated for the Barents and western Kara seas and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean during 1984–1993. Four definitions of ice extent were examined, based on thresholds of ice concentration: >90%, >70%, >40%, and >10% (El, E2, E3, and E4, respectively). Trends were studied using ice maps produced by the Russian Hydro-Meteorological Service, Kosmos and Okean satellite imagery, and data extracted from published literature. During 1984–1993, an increasing trend in the extent of minimum sea-ice cover was observed in the Barents, Kara, and combined Barents–Kara seas, for all ice-extent definitions. Root-mean-square differences between hydro-meteorological ice maps and satellite-image ice classifications for coincident areas and dates were 15.5%, 19.3%, 18.8%, and 11.5%, for ice extensions El–E4, respectively. The differences were subjected to Monte Carlo analyses to construct confidence intervals for the 10-year ice-map trends. With probability p = 0.8, the average 10-year increase in the minimum monthly mean sea-ice extent (followed in brackets by the average increase in the absolute annual minimum ice extent) was 12–46% [26–96%], 31–71% [55–140%], 30–69% [26–94%], and 48–94% [35–108%] in the Barents Sea; 20–60% [32–120%], 10–45% [20–92%], 2–36% [13–78%], and 10–47% [8–69%] in the Kara Sea; and 9–43% [26–59%], 9–41% [30–63%], 8–41% [22–52%] and 15–51% [21–51%] in the combined Barents–Kara seas, for ice concentrations El–E4, respectively. Including published data from 1966–1983, the trend in minimum monthly mean sea-ice extent for the combined 28-year period showed an average reduction of 8% in the Barents Sea and a 55% reduction in the western Kara Sea; ice extent at the end of August showed an average reduction of 33% in the Barents Sea.
Sea-ice type classification from ERS-1 SAR data based on grey level and texture information
Authors: Smith D.M. , Barrett E.C. , Scott J.C.
Published: October 2009

This paper describes the development of a practical algorithm for the classification of sea-ice types from ERS-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. The algorithm was based on a combination of grey level and texture information in order to overcome ambiguous grey level values of different ice types. The problem of calculating texture parameters for windows containing more than one ice type was overcome by first segmenting the image so that only pixels from the same segment were included in the calculation of the texture measure. The segmentation procedure was based on the iterative application of a speckle noise reduction filter, and was thus crucially dependent on the ability of such a filter to smooth out noise without destroying edges and fine features. In order to achieve this, a modification to the sigma filter of Lee (1983b) was developed; it out-performed the sigma filter for a model problem. Two ERS-1 SAR scenes of the marginal ice zone east of Spitsbergen in March 1992 were analysed by calculating values of grey level and range for different ice types contained within raw data extracts. Although the grey levels of some of the ice types overlapped, most of the ambiguity was removed through the additional use of range. It was also necessary to test for the wave-like appearance of open water. The classification scheme was demonstrated to identify correctly most of the grease/new ice, first-year ice, multiyear ice, rough ice, pancake ice, and open water in the two SAR scenes, although there was some misclassification of open water as first-year ice.
Last glaciation of Vestfold Hills: extension of the East Antarctic ice sheet or lateral expansion of Sørsdal Glacier?
Authors: Gore D.B.
Published: October 2009

Opinions are divided as to whether the area of Vestfold Hills was formerly covered by the East Antarctic ice sheet or S0rsdal Glacier. Striae orientations have been used to erect the model of extension of the ice sheet followed by a minor lateral expansion of Sørsdal Glacier, while basal till fabrics; distribution of weathered rock; and the nature, orientation, and distribution of moraines have been used to conclude that lateral expansion of Sørsdal Glacier alone can explain the evidence of the last glaciation of Vestfold Hills. A review of all available data supports the model of regional glaciation by an extended East Antarctic ice sheet. Lateral expansion of Sørsdal Glacier has probably only played a minor role in the glaciation of Vestfold Hills since the regional glaciation.
Radiocarbon dates of snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica
Authors: Steele W.K. , Hiller A.
Published: October 2009

This paper presents the results of a radiocarbon dating study of snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Mumiyo (a sub-fossilized accumulation of regurgitated proventricular oil) samples were collected from 15 snow petrel nest sites at nunataks in the northern Ahlmannryggen, Gjelsvikfjella, and Mühlig-Hofmannfjella.

Radiocarbon dating revealed Holocene ages of ca 8500 years and less for all but one of these mumiyo samples. A sample collected at S varthamaren in the Muhlig-Hofmannfjella was dated as old as ca 34,000 a BP, indicating that at least some areas of that mountain escaped the scouring action of glaciers during the last glacial period. Similar pre-Holocene ages have been determined for a small number of mumiyo samples in previous studies. Mumiyo accumulations from some nests indicate periods of occupation as long as 6000 years, whereas the radiocarbon age and volume of other mumiyo samples suggest short periods of frequent nesting activity. As expected, sub-samples extracted from the lower layers of mumiyo pieces generally displayed greater ages than sub-samples from upper layers of the same piece. However, there was no clear-cut correlation between the age of a mumiyo sample and its height above the present ice level. It is suspected that this lack of correlation is due to some of the mumiyo samples being displaced previously through rockfalls.
Profiles of national Antarctic operating agencies of Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties: an introductory study
Authors: Dey-Nuttall Anita
Published: October 2009

Each Antarctic Treaty Consultative Party established its national Antarctic operating agency in circumstances that were unique to itself. For some of the original members of the Antarctic Treaty, the initial organisations have continued to act as their national Antarctic operators. New members have either delegated responsibility to existing government organisations or have established new bodies to implement their national Antarctic programmes. The organisations selected to assume responsibility for operating the individual national Antarctic programmes, although varied, possess similar attributes and fall into four categories. Thedistinguishing features of these categories are based on the extent of the functions and financial responsibilities adopted by the agencies. By establishing their nature, this study offers a framework for analysis and a basis for further research on the styles and trends in organising national Antarctic programmes.
Searching for Franklin from Australia: William Parker Snow's initiative of 1853
Authors: Barr William
Published: October 2009

In 1853 William Parker Snow (who had earlier participated in an expedition to search for the missing Franklin expedition in what is now the Canadian Arctic) decided to sink the money he had made in Melbourne during the Australian gold rush into a private expedition to search for Franklin, starting from Melbourne. In the southern autumn of 1853, he bought a 16-ton cutter, The Thomas, and, despite the handicaps of exorbitant prices and shortage of labour, fitted the vessel out for an Arctic expedition during the continuing frenzy of the gold rush. After calling at Sydney, The Thomas started north but encountered a series of violent winter gales that damaged her severely and forced Snow to seek shelter in the mouth of the Clarence River in northeastern New South Wales. By the time the storm damage had been repaired, all but two of Snow's men had deserted. Still in hopes of trying again, Snow sailed his cutter back south to Sydney and there finally abandoned this, one of the more bizarre episodes of the Franklin search.
The Antarctic paintings of Edward Seago (1910–1974)
Authors: Codling Rosamunde
Published: October 2009

The professional artist Edward Seago (1910–1974) travelled to the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia in the 1956/57 austral summer. Although firmly rooted in the English, and in particular the East Anglian, tradition of landscape painting, Seago was able to portray polar landscapes, which he had not previously experienced, with vigour and delight. He went to Antarctica with a firmly established skill in using oils to capture the essence of a landscape, and, despite being on or near the Antarctic Peninsula for only about three days, he produced about 18 oil paintings, predominantly of landscapes and icescapes. In addition, he painted at least a further 17 works of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the whaling industry, and icebergs in the Southern Ocean. Seago had an excellent memory and was able to ‘reproduce’ earlier works, an ability that has caused some confusion. Examples of these counterparts are discussed. A catalogue of his known Antarctic works is given.
Understanding visitor use in Antarctica: the need for site criteria
Authors: Davis Pamela B.
Published: October 2009

The landing of visitors in Antarctica presents wilderness managers with several challenges. Foremost among these is ensuring that visitors do not ‘love the wilderness to death.’ This article presents research gathered on Hannah Point, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands during the austral summer of 1993/94. First, an estimation of duration and type of use was conducted to identify where visitors spent the majority of their time, and second, what conditions, such as weather, physical layout, or on-site supervision, influenced this decision. The implications of these results are discussed vis-à-vis the current system of visitor landings, and suggestions are offered to help devise criteria for landing procedures. This paper stresses how the pattern of visitor landings can be altered, as a preventative strategy, to ensure low impact on visitor sites.