bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Operation “Wunderland”: Admiral Scheer in the Kara Sea, August 1942
Authors: Barr William
Published: October 2009

Of all the high latitude theatres of naval operations in World War II. the Kara Sea theatre represents one of the most interesting, yet one of the least known. Hostilities in the Kara Sea were based on the belief held by German Naval Command that the Northern Sea Route was being utilized for the movement of Lend-Lease materials from the Pacific coasts of Canada and the USA to the Russian front (Armstrong 1953:823, 1955:141; Huan 1958:156; Mineyev 1964:39). German attempts to disrupt these alleged movements were limited almost entirely to naval operations; the Luftwaffe played little part, since even the south-western approaches to the Kara Sea were out of reach of aircraft based in northern Norway (Huan 1958:156). Most of the activity involved U-boat attacks on shipping and on coastal sites, but on one occasion a German surface vessel, the heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer was involved.
Introducing animals to Iles Kerguelen
Authors: Lesel R , Derenne Ph.
Published: October 2009

The archipelago of the lies Kerguelen is a group of volcanic islands in the Indian Ocean roughly equidistant from the Malagasy Republic, Australia and Antarctica. It is formed of around 300 islands amounting to some 7 000 km. The main island alone, usually called “Grande Terre”, covers nearly 6 000 km. Descriptions of the archipelago have been given by Paulian (1953) and Aubert de la Rue (1954). Several attempts have been made to acclimatize animals to these islands. Being entirely without terrestrial mammals they have, during recent centuries, attracted the attention of sealers and whalers, anxious to maintain a supply of fresh meat near their sealing and whaling grounds. At the beginning of this century, various attempts at economic exploitation led to the introduction of some domestic species. More recently, several similar attempts have again been made but these have sprung more from a desire to populate these empty spaces than from any systematic programme of acclimatization. The more recent introductions have extended even to the islands’ streams.
A guide to current published meteorological data for northern lands. Part 2
Authors: Fletcher Roy Jackson
Published: October 2009

Due to its length the Guide to current published meteorological data has been split into two parts. The first part of the Guide was published in Polar Record, Vol 17, No 110, 1975, and included data for Alaska, northern Canada and Greenland. This second part contains data for northern Finland. Iceland, northern Norway, northern Sweden, and northern and eastern USSR. For the convenience of the reader the list of symbols has been repeated.
The Aurora
Authors: Carmichael Hugh
Published: October 2009

The aurora is a peculiar glow visible in cloud-free night sky. It is most frequently seen in high latitudes, but during very intense displays it may occur even in the tropics. The aurora in the northern hemisphere is called aurora borealis; in the southern aurora australis.
Notes on the Prevention and Treatment of “Spekk Finger”
Authors: Rodahl Kåre
Published: October 2009

Spekk finger is the Norwegian name for a condition which is confined to people engaged in Arctic sealing. The word indicates that the disease has its origin from the blubber of seals and other mammals.
A 4000-Mile Flight Through North-Western Canada
Authors: Camsell Charles
Published: October 2009

The aerial flight of some 4000 miles which commenced at Prince Rupert, B.C., and took me through northern British Columbia, south-eastern Yukon and the Mackenzie River district and ended at Edmonton, Alberta, was undertaken during the month of August, 1935, for the purpose of inspecting the work of several geological parties working in these northern regions.
The Work of the Arctic Institute in 1937
Authors: Samoilovitch R. L.
Published: October 2009

In outlining the scientific research work to be carried out by the Arctic Institute of the U.S.S.R. in 1937, we will begin with a brief description of the geological and prospecting work to be done. These expeditions form part of a large scheme for systematic geological survey and research along the whole stretch of the Soviet Arctic. The chief expeditions are as follows:

(1) In 1937 geological work will be continued at Pay-Khoe, under the leadership of A. B. Khabakov. A geological survey will be made on a scale of 1: 200,000, and a topographical survey on a scale of 1: 100,000, over an area of 4000 sq. km. Prospecting for minerals in the Khabarov and Amderma districts forms another important branch of the expedition's work. The party will remain in the field from March to December 1937.
The Plane and Tractor Used by the British Graham Land Expedition
Authors: Hampton W. E.
Published: October 2009

Only one aeroplane could be taken by the expedition and this necessarily had to be a single-engined machine, as there were no twin-engined aeroplanes at the price which the expedition could afford to pay. As a result great care had to be taken to choose a machine which was equally good as a seaplane and as a skiplane, with quickly interchangeable undercarriages, and which would combine as many of the most essential qualities as possible. The first essential was wooden construction. Many people, apparently qualified to give an opinion, will say that wooden construction is not suitable for service in cold climates, but I have found it extremely good during eighteen months' hard service in Greenland, and again after two and a half years in the Antarctic in much more severe conditions. The chief advantage on an expedition is the ease with which even major repairs can be carried out. It is not necessary to take a comprehensive supply of airframe spares as these can all be cut straight from a length of suitable timber, and even main and tail plane ribs can be constructed with a little patience. The wooden construction appears to be every bit as robust as metal and, of course, cannot corrode.
Progress of the Discovery Committee's Investigations
Authors: G. C. L. B.
Published: October 2009

The publication of a Report on the Progress of the Discovery Committee's Investigations (Discovery Committee, Colonial Office, June 1937) provides a suitable occasion to review briefly the achievements of the last twelve years.
Coal-Mining in Svalbard
Authors: Hoel Adolf
Published: October 2009

The archipelago of Spitsbergen, Bear Island and some adjacent islands, which are collectively named Svalbard, is situated between 74° and 81° N. Lat. and 10° and 35° E. Long. The area is 62,000 sq. km.

Spitsbergen is a mountainous country, in some parts much ice-covered, indented on the west side by many fjords affording good harbours. The coal-bearing areas are relatively ice-free. The northern part of Bear Island is a plain 30–50 m. above sea-level. The southern part consists of mountains more than 500 m. high. The island is lacking in good harbours.
Snow-House Building
Authors: Rowley Graham
Published: October 2009

Igloo is one of the few Eskimo words that most white people understand, and shares with kayak and oomiak the distinction of appearing in almost all English dictionaries and occasional cross-word puzzles. The great majority of Eskimos, however, have never seen a snow house and it is only among the Central tribes (roughly those living in Canada east of the Mackenzie) that it has reached its fullest development. One result of this is that it has seldom been adopted by white travellers except in this region, though here it has been shown time and again during the last hundred years to be the most suitable form of dwelling for winter travel. It does not necessarily follow that the snow house would be as satisfactory in other polar regions, but I think that there are occasions when it could be used by expeditions to their advantage. Certainly all serious travellers should know how to build one in emergency. This is by no means so difficult as it is reputed to be, and two or three days' practice should give a reasonable proficiency. First I shall describe the normal building method of the Igloolik tribe, and then give various modifications which may be preferred according to individual taste.
The Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, 1946–47
Authors: Bingham E. W.
Published: October 2009

In July 1945, the Secretary of State for the Colonies appointed me leader of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey for two years, an appointment which brought a prospect of a free existence in the wide open spaces as compared with routine office life. I soon found this prospect fading over the horizon. For months I was tied to an office, early and late, surrounded by scores of papers, insistent questioners and a ceaseless telephone bell. All this was necessary before the stores were ordered, packed and dispatched and the staff appointed.
Postal History of the Falkland Islands Dependencies
Authors: Bagshawe Richard W.
Published: October 2009

The Antartic continent has been in the limelight during the past year, and it is well known that several countries are claiming parts of the area, which unfortunately overlap. Possessions belonging to Great Britain, but at present disputed, are all islands and territories lying between longitudes 20°and 50° W., south of latitudes 58° S. The islands enclosed by these boundaries are Dependencies of the Falkland Islands consisting of many islands and part the Antartic Continent. South Georgia, the South Orkney Islands, Graham Land, the South Shetland Islands, the South Sandwich Islands, Alexander I Land and part of Coats Land lie within this area, which amounts in all to about three million square miles, and the territories, portions of which are as yet unexplored, extend down to the South Pole. Great Britain permanently occupies the Dependencies, carrying on a whaling industry and scientific research. In addition the Argentine Government has a meteorological station on Laurie Island in the South Orkneys. This was established in 1904 at the request of Dr W. S. Bruce, leader of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition, who had built the station two years earlier. Since 1904 it has been continually manned by meteorologists sent out each year from Argentina. The original party had a post office, the first to appear in Antarctica. This and the more recent ones set up under British administration are marked on the accompanying map. Owing to the impermanence of the population of this part of the world they are naturally not all open continuously.
Lady Kennet: An Appreciation
Authors: Debenham Frank
Published: October 2009

The death of Lady Kennet, on 25 July 1947, has removed one of the earliest and firmest supporters of the Scott Polar Research Institute.

A woman of rare gifts and wide interests, she was at ease in many circles, including those of art and of politics. In the naval and exploration circle, which she entered when she married Captain Scott, she was equally at home and welcomed. The wedding took place when Scott's last expedition, of 1910–13, was being planned, and she at once threw herself into the schemes of her husband, bringing to them a fresh group of supporters and a very original mind.
Edward Augustus Inglefield, 1820–94
Authors: Woodward F. J.
Published: October 2009

Polar explorers are necessarily men of many parts, but even among that fraternity Admiral Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield seems to have commanded a particularly wide range of talents. Apart from his seamanship, he possessed artistic and mechanical accomplishments. He was the inventor of the hydraulic steering gear and of the “Inglefield anchor”; he wrote several pamphlets on naval subjects including one on terrestrial magnetism; the distinction of his paintings, of which several were exhibited at a naval exhibition at Chelsea in 1891 and some at the Royal Academy, is evident from the water-colour of the yacht Isabel in Arctic setting reproduced with this article. He was a gardener, a collector of old glass, and a graceful after-dinner speaker.
Canada's Fur Trade To-day
Authors: Lubbock Michael
Published: October 2009

The public's knowledge of the fur trade in Canada is necessarily slight. The fur trade is conducted in remote districts; there is nothing sensational about it, and it is not much given to talking about itself. Consequently there are many misconceptions about its present state. Some probably imagine that it is still a matter of trapping at will in any district and always finding an abundance of fur. Others believe that the advance of civilisation and excessive trapping have almost entirely destroyed the animal population, and that furs are becoming dangerously scarce. The truth, as so often happens, lies midway between the two extremes, and this article will attempt briefly to explain the salient points of the situation to-day.
Whale Oil and Other Products of the Whaling Industry
Authors: Roberts Brian
Published: October 2009

The extraction of oil from whales is a very ancient process, but no regular oil production existed until the Basques started the whaling industry in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. With their primitive equipment, they only made use of the blubber, the part of the whale richest in oil. The blubber was cut up into small pieces which were cooked in open iron cauldrons. This method was in use until the beginning of the present century, when less wasteful methods were introduced in order to utilise as much as possible of the carcass. Flesh, entrails and bones are now cooked in closed boilers under increased pressure and temperature, and since about 1925 a combined steam and mechanical treatment of the material, known as “apparatus cooking”, has resulted in still more efficient extraction.
The Supposed Westward Drift of Greenland
Authors: J.W.W.
Published: October 2009

It has been brought to our notice that in a recent paper (Astronomical Longitude and Azimuth Observations, Monthly Notices of tlie Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 97, No. 7, 1937, p. 489) Professor Nørlund, the Director of the Danish Geodetic Survey, made the following remarks about the supposed westward drift of Greenland:

“We know that Wegener considered that his hypothesis of the displacement of the continents had been supported by longitude determinations in Greenland, and from them he calculated that Greenland is moving westwards about 2O.metres a year. But the old observations used by Wegener were carried out with primitive instruments and he overrated their exactitude. In 1927 and 1936 the Danish Geodetic Survey carried out longitude determinations at Qôrnoq on the west coast of Greenland with a first class transit instrument, both times on the same pillar. Practically speaking the two measurements gave the same result. It is most likely that the deviations of the old measurements from the new ones are the result of observational errors.”
Twenty-five years of Norwegian sovereignty in Svalbard, 1925–50
Authors: Orvin Anders K.
Published: October 2009

By a treaty signed in Paris on 9 February 1920, Norway was given the sovereignty of Svalbard, comprising all the islands situated between longs. 10° and 35° E. and lats. 74° and 81° N., thus including Spitsbergen, Bjørnøya (Bear Island), Hopen (Hope Island), Kong Karls Land, and Kvitøya (White Island). The treaty, which has since been recognized by a number of other states, was signed by the United States of America, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Ireland, the Dominions of Canada and New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, India, and Sweden. The U.S.S.R. recognized Norway's sovereignty of Svalbard in 1924 but did not sign the treaty until 1935; Germany signed the treaty in 1925. On 14 August 1925, Norway formally took possession and the Norwegian flag was hoisted in Longyearbyen. Since then, twenty-five years have elapsed, and in honour of the occasion the anniversary was celebrated at Longyearbyen in 1950.
German meteorological activities in the Arctic, 1940–45
Authors: Blyth J. D. M.
Published: October 2009

Between 1940 and 1945 the German navy undertook a series of expeditions to the arctic regions in order to obtain regular synoptic weather reports, the international exchange of which had practically ceased upon the outbreak of war in 1939. During these years the German naval meteorological service [Wetterdienst des Oberkommandos der Kriegsmarine] organized and dispatched some thirteen parties, whose task it was to provide the information required to meet the exigencies of modern naval warfare and to enable forecasts of the influence of the “polar front” on European weather to be made. Owing to the strategic situation these activities were confined to Svalbard, East Greenland and Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa (Franz Josef Land). The German air force sent one expedition to Spitsbergen and two to Hopen (Hope Island) but on the whole the Luftwaffe preferred to employ aircraft flying from bases in northern Norway to obtain operational data, making special flights as and when required.
Captain William Adams and Dr R. W. Gray
Authors: Wordie J. M.
Published: October 2009

Arctic whaling from Dundee came to an end just before the last war, having outlasted the Peterhead ships by about twenty years. Men who took part in the whaling, particularly from Dundee, are still alive, but the number is rapidly becoming smaller, and two of the most notable have recently passed on, Dr Gray of Peterhead and Captain Adams of Dundee. Both belonged to well-known whaling families, and both were the authorities for their particular region, Captain Adams for North-East Baffin Island and Dr Gray for the Greenland Sea. They were always willing to impart all that they knew about whales and whaling, and much has now fortunately been recorded. I have had frequent help and advice from both those men, have continually found cause to appreciate the accuracy and minuteness of their Arctic whaling knowledge, and have always relied on them for the “ last word ” on many Arctic problems.
Albert Borlase Armitage—An Appreciation
Authors: F. D.
Published: October 2009

There is a toast which, in the writer's opinion, ought to be drunk whenever the great deeds of an expedition and its leader are being honoured, and that is “To the Second in Command”. After a few such toasts someone might be moved to write a book on the famous Seconds-in-Command who grace the pages of polar narrative, and an impressive list it is. To mention but a few there are Crozier for Ross in the early part of last century, Sverdrup for Nansen in the latter part, Frank Wild for Shackleton, and the subject of this note, Armitage, for Scott on his Discovery Expedition, 1901–04.
The Voyage of the St Roch through the North-West Passage, 1944
Authors: Wordie J. M.
Published: October 2009

The most stirring event in the Arctic in 1944 was the return voyage of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Schooner St Roch from Halifax to Vancouver by the North-West Passage. Not only was it the first passage made in a single summer season, but it was also by a new and probably better route. In her 1940–42 voyage the St Roch had followed Amundsen's southerly track in the reverse direction, namely eastwards. In 1944 Staff-Sergeant (now Sub-Inspector) H. A. Larsen was again in command for the return westward, but on this occasion a northern route was chosen via Barrow Strait and Melville Sound, where Parry had made his attempts in 1819 and 1820 and Bernier in 1908 and 1910.
The Protection of Fur Seals in the North Pacific Ocean
Authors: Roberts Brian
Published: October 2009

The fur seals of the North Pacific comprise three distinct herds, which do not intermingle in any way, having distinct breeding grounds, feeding grounds, and routes of migration. By far the most important of the three herds is that which resorts to the American Pribilof Islands. This herd breeds upon the islands of St Paul and St George during the summer, and in winter passes down through the channels of the Aleutian Islands into the Pacific Ocean. The migration reaches as far south as the coast of southern California and returns along the west coast of North America. The next herd in importance is that resorting to the Russian Komandorski (Commander) Islands. This breeds upon the islands of Beringa and Medni, passing in winter down along the eastern coast of Japan and returning by the same route. The third herd is resident in the Sea of Okhotsk on the Japanese Robben (Kaihyoto) Island, where a considerable remnant still exists. It formerly occupied other rookeries on four islands of the Japanese (formerly Russian) Kuril (Chishimi) group, but these are now virtually extinct. The migration route of this herd lies in the inland sea of Japan.
Naval Participation in the Discovery of the North-West Passage
Authors: Ryder R. E. D.
Published: October 2009

Following directly on the voyages of Captain Cook, who had been killed at Hawaii in 1779, there was a growing interest in the search for a North-West Passage. Although it must have been apparent at an early date that no practicable trade route would be discovered, interest in this geographical feature of the world was not only sustained, but grew right up until the middle of last century. During the Napoleonic Wars, as in the wars of our own times, polar exploration had suffered. With a return to the more humdrum conditions of peace, it was revived with redoubled vigour, reaching a climax in the remarkable series of searched following the disappearance of Her Majesty's Ships Erebus and Terror under Captain Sir John Franklin.
Glaciological Methods
Authors: Ahlmann W:son
Published: October 2009

The study of glaciers may be divided into two branches: (1) the study of the physical properties of glacier ice, firn, and snow; (2) the investigation of the glacier's regime and its meteorological causes. The first branch comprises the thermal and crystallographic conditions of the ice, firn and snow of glaciers, and their transitional forms; also the plasticity, movement, erosion, etc. of glaciers. The second branch is concerned with quantitative determinations of accumulation, ablation and the total regime of glaciers, and with the meteorological causes affecting them. This second branch also includes the reactions of different types of glaciers to changes in their regime.
The supply of expeditions by aircraft
Authors: Victor Paul-Émile
Published: October 2009

The Greenland ice sheet, the area of which is some 1,870,000 sq.km., between three and four times that of France, has remained largely unknown until the present time. Between 1948 and 1951 extensive investigations were made by Expéditions Polaires Françaises (Missions Paul-Émile Victor), relying largely upon new methods of transport which had been developed, particularly in North America, during the Second World War. Perhaps the most important of these were the use of the amphibious tracked vehicle known as the Weasel (Light Cargo Carrier M29C, manufactured by the Studebaker Corporation) to transport men and equipment over the ice sheet, and of aircraft to drop supplies to the ground parties, so that their radius of action could be greatly increased. During the course of the expedition the Weasels covered a combined total distance of approximately 85,000 km., and from 1949 to 1951 a well-equipped scientific observation post, known as the “Station Centrale de Recherches” was maintained in the centre of the ice sheet in lat. 70° 55′ 3″ N., long. 40° 38′ 22″ W. These achievements were made possible by the use of aircraft to drop a total of some 230 tons of stores and equipment on the ice sheet.
Sledge dogs of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1949–52
Authors: Reece Alan
Published: October 2009

Of the sixty-two sledge dogs helonging to the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, twenty-eight dogs came from Jakobshavn and Christianshåb in West Greenland, twelve from Longyearbyen in Spitsbergen and twenty two (including nine bitches) from the Falkland Islands Dependencies. The dogs from Spitsbergen had originated in Canada in 1945; those from the Falkland Islands Dependencies had been bred from dogs originally brought from Labrador in 1945 and 1946. The dogs from Spitsbergen were larger than the others, and several weighed considerably more than 50 kg. The dogs from West Greenland and the Falkland Islands Dependencies were smaller, averaging 40 to 50 kg. At the time when they were acquired by the expedition, the dogs from Spitsbergen and the Falkland Islands Dependencies were in much better condition than those from West Greenland.
Glacier tunnelling and related observations
Authors: McCall J. G.
Published: October 2009

Much of the information given in the following description of techniques of glacier tunnelling is fundamental engineering knowledge and is included specifically for the benefit of glaciologists. Numerical results and their interpretation are omitted; a preliminary report concerning them has been published (McCall, 1952).
The voyage of the Komet along the Northern Sea Route, 1940
Authors: Armstrong Terence
Published: October 2009

Early in 1940 the German naval high command, acting through the German naval attaché in Moscow, opened negotiations with the Soviet Navy for the passage of two ships along the Northern Sea Route in the summer of that year. Agreement with the Soviet naval authorities was reached, possibly without the knowledge of the Soviet Government. The operation was to be carried out in the strictest secrecy, and a sum of 850,000 roubles (calculated on the expenses of the icebreakers involved) was to be paid by the Germans. Preparations accordingly went forward. One of the two ships was obliged for some reason to drop out, leaving only the other, the raider Komet, to make the voyage. The Komet was a converted merchant ship of 3300 gross registered tons driven by Diesel motors. She had a top speed of 14 knots. Special preparations for running in ice included strengthening the hull and screw and testing the steering gear more severely than usual: the special type of screw with removable blades, as used by Russian ships for ice passages, was not available. Her commander was Kapitan, later Konteradmiral, Robert Eyssen. He had worked in the 1930'sfor Hydrografisches Amt des OKK (Hydrographic Office of the German naval high command), and while first officer and later commander of the survey vessel Meteor had had experience in ice navigation off East Greenland. The crew numbered 270, but included no meteorologists or hydrographers. From the commander's point of view, one of the most useful members of the crew was his interpreter, a man referred to in reports as Agent Kroepsch, a person of unknown allegiance. Krbepsch's knowledge of Russian enabled the commander to get a clearer picture of the changeable and, to him, most suspicious attitude of the Russians towards the voyage, and to act accordingly. The voyage itself was remarkable because it showed that with the assistance of icebreakers and good ice and weather conditions very fast time can be made—in fact the voyage was the fastest ever made up to that date.
International organisations for polar exploration
Authors: Roberts Brian
Published: October 2009

An Austrian polar explorer, Karl Weyprecht, was the first to advance a definite scheme for investigating the polar regions on an international level. Weyprecht's idea was that each interested government should establish one or more stations in the polar regions, and that scientific work should be done simultaneously at all stations according to a previously co-ordinated plan. Weyprecht's plan was discussed by an international conference which met at Hamburg in 1879. The delegates at this conference formed themselves into a permanent International Polar Commission whose task was to make further and more detailed plans. In 1880 a Second International Polar Conference met at Berne, and a Third met at St Petersburg in 1881. As a result of the work done by these conferences the First International Polar Year was organised in 1882–83. Eleven countries—Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and U.S.A.—set up and manned for a year twelve stations in the Arctic and two in the Antarctic. The field work completed, the Fourth* and Fifth5 International Polar Conferences met in Vienna in 1884 and Munich in 1891, and arranged publication of the scientific results, which filled 27 volumes. At the Fifth Conference the International Polar Commission was dissolved, its work being completed.
A naval shore radar station in north-west Iceland
Authors: Feachem R. W.
Published: October 2009

In 1941 the Admiralty decided to construct a radar station to overlook Denmark Strait off the north-west coast of Iceland.

The site finally selected was on the top of the promontory between Aðalvik and Ísafjarðardjúp at approximately 1600 ft. (480 m.) above sea-level. A base camp was to be set up at Sæbol in Aðalvik for the maintenance of the station. There was no landward communication except with a few hamlets in the immediate neighbourhood. Supplies were brought by sea from Reykjavík, 180 miles (290 km.) away. There was a telegraph service from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður, and a telephone from Ísafjörður to the base camp. Radio communication was used as little as possible.
Arctic cruise of H.M. Submarine Ambush, 1948
Authors: Davies A. G.
Published: October 2009

On 12 February 1948, H.M. Submarine Ambush sailed from Rothesay, Isle of Bute, to carry out a prolonged investigation into the effects of “snorting” in rough weather and conditions of extreme cold.

H.M. Submarine Ambush, built since the end of the war, is a vessel of some 1350 tons surface displacement, 287 ft. long, embodying a large number of the latest developments including “snort” and radar. Apart from scientific measuring instruments, no special features were installed in the ship and her company, five officers and sixty men, was the normal crew with the addition of Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander W. H. Davidson, R.N., as observer for the Royal Naval Physiological Laboratory, and an assistant. No changes were made and no men were specially selected for the mission.
Analysis of sledge journeys
Authors: Reece Alan
Published: October 2009

The conditions of surface and weather in which sledge journeys are carried out, together with distances travelled and altitudes attained, are of great interest to anyone attempting to analyse and compare performances by various travellers.

To obtain the necessary data the investigator must usually turn to the narrative of the journey concerned and extract the data himself, setting them out in some suitable form. Gordon Hayes adopts this procedure with many journeys in his Antarctica (London, 1928), and John Rymill gives an appendix, analysing the main journeys of the British Graham Land Expedition, 1934–37, in Southern Lights (London, 1938). Many other writers have made similar tables, but essential data always appear to be lacking, and there is no standard form to which such analyses can be reduced.
Illustrated ice glossary
Authors: Armstrong Terence , Roberts Brian
Published: October 2009

This illustrated glossary of sea ice and associated terms is an abstract of a fuller illustrated glossary, also covering land ice terms, which the Institute has had in preparation for many years, and hopes to issue before long as a Special Publication. It is a development of an Admiralty glossary, published in 1953, with such modifications as seem to be required for international agreement.
The Arctic Institute of North America
Authors: Baird P. D.
Published: October 2009

The Arctic Institute of North America was established in 1945 in two small rooms in McGill University, with a staff consisting of Dr Lincoln Washburn and a secretary, who made up for the lack of equipment and facilities by abundant energy and enthusiasm. Since then the Institute's growth has been considerable, always in the direction of its three main objectives—to form a centre for reference information and study on the North American Arctic, to encourage arctic scientific research in any field, and to disseminate arctic information by means of a journal, other publications, and lectures.
British fishery research in the Barents Sea
Authors: Lee Arthur
Published: October 2009

Since January 1949 the Arctic Team of the Fisheries Laboratory, Lowestoft, has been carrying out fishery research from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Research vessel Ernest Holt, an Arctic-type trawler specially built and fitted out so that hydrographic and biological observations can be made on the Arctic fishing grounds throughout the year. At the time of writing the naturalists in the Arctic Team consist of Michael Graham (Leader); G. C. Trout and R. J. H. Beverton (Population studies); J. Corlett and P. T. Marshall (Plankton); Arthur Lee and H. W. Hill (Hydrography); R. W. Blacker (Benthos). I wish to thank my colleagues for allowing me to draw freely on their work which is in preparation for publication, and for contributing the illustrations to this article.
Mapping the Falkland Islands Dependencies
Authors: Leay Petra
Published: October 2009

It is just ten years since the Directorate of Colonial Surveys became responsible for the production and publication of maps of the Falkland Islands Dependencies; in this account it is proposed to give a description of the work completed and an outline of the future programme.

“Operation Tabarin”, inaugurated in 1943, marked the re-establishment of British occupation and scientific activity in the region and included in its policy a programme of continuous scientific investigation within the area between 20° and 80° W. This venture later became known as the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, or F.I.D.S. It is in co-operation with F.I.D.S., and more particularly with the surveyors who work at the Directorate for several months on their return from the Antarctic, that the compilation and plotting of a systematic series of medium scale maps has been possible. In 1951 an article was published in this journal giving a full description of the type of survey undertaken, the methods and the instruments used and a brief summary of the maps published and planned.

At first the need was for maps for planning and other non-scientific purposes, but since 1951 the emphasis has moved towards the larger scales which are required principally as a basis for scientific work as well as for general use within the Dependencies. Between 1948 and 1950 a series of maps covering most of the area north of 75° S. was published at 1:500,000, and this is still the most useful scale for gaining a general picture of the topography. In 1953 work began on a series of maps covering a similar area to be published at 1:200,000. During the last ten years maps have been compiled at scales ranging from 1:9 million to 1:15,000, many of which have been printed and issued for general purposes, while others have been produced to illustrate specialized reports on, for example, meteorology in the Dependencies. It is not, however, proposed to include a detailed summary of these maps here, the following description covers only those maps which are on sale to the public or which form part of a systematic series.
The supply by air of Exercise “Musk-ox”, 1946
Authors: Winfield R. H.
Published: October 2009

It will be remembered that Exercise “Musk-Ox” began on 15 February 1946, when a mechanized force of forty-seven men in eleven Snowmobiles left Churchill on the west coast of Hudson Bay. This force travelled northwards to the Arctic Ocean, and then westwards over the sea ice to Cambridge Bay and Coppermine; from here the route lay southwards over the mainland to Fort Nelson and along the Alcan Highway to Grande Prairie, where the exercise ended in the first week of May. The route covered by the ground force is shown in the map on p. 341. The track of about 3000 miles is roughly the shape of a horseshoe extending from Churchill to Edmonton, with a considerable part of the curve lying within the Canadian Arctic.
Arctic flights of the Aries, 1951
Authors: Mitchell J. L.
Published: October 2009

The Royal Air Force Flying College at Manby in Lincolnshire, England, was established in 1949. During a training course lasting one year, experienced pilots and navigators study all aspects of the operation of an aircraft as a weapon of war. Such an all-embracing syllabus calls for a knowledge of air operations, backed by practical experience, in all parts of the world. Those taking part are introduced to some of the problems peculiar to cold-weather operation in high latitudes by a number of summer air exercises in the arctic regions, and by liaison flights in the winter months to Alaska and Canada.
The position of Victory Point, King William Island
Authors: Cyriax R. J.
Published: October 2009

The narratives of the explorers who have visited the north-west coast of King William Island, and some of the maps, do not agree concerning the position of Victory Point, where, in the opinion of most writers, Captain F. R. M. Crozier, R.N., landed and left a record in April 1848 after abandoning H.M. ships Erebus and Terror. Since a complete survey of the locality is only a question of time, it may be useful to put on record the present knowledge of the subject.
Improving Nutrition at Hudson's Bay Company Northern Posts
Authors: Robertson Elizabeth Chant
Published: October 2009

Until about thirteen years ago managers of Hudson's Bay Company posts in northern Canada chose from their trading stocks whatever foods they required for their families and staffs. In many instances their choice did not provide well-balanced meals. The Company had at that time become concerned about the frequency of illness at northern posts. This occasionally necessitated special mercy flights to bring patients south for medical care. In 1939, therefore, the Company consulted the late Dr F. F. Tisdall, who invited three of his colleagues, Dr T. G. H. Drake, Dr J. H. Ebbs and Dr E. C. Robertson, to assist him in the task of improving nutrition at northern posts. S. H. Jackson later joined the group.
Fire Precautions at Antarctic Stations
Authors: Stonehouse Bernard
Published: October 2009

In 1946 the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey station on Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands was completely destroyed by fire. Stores, valuable equipment and the records of many months' work were lost. In 1948 the station at Hope Bay in Trinity Peninsula was burnt down, with the loss of two lives. In January 1952 the hut of the French Antarctic Expedition at Port-Martin in Terre Adélie was destroyed in the same way. Smaller outbreaks of fire, fortunately detected early and dealt with promptly, have been reported from other stations. Of all the difficulties which can overtake a polar expedition, the loss of its base is perhaps the most disastrous. Nevertheless, the frequency with which such losses seem to occur suggests that there are fundamental errors in the design of the huts, as well as a tendency to underestimate the danger of fire.
Sledges of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1949–1952
Authors: Reece Alan
Published: October 2009

Two designs of Nansen-type dog sledge were used by the expedition: a Norwegian design, supplied by A/S Kolbjorn Knutsen and Co. (see Fig. I), and a British design supplied by Airwork General Trading Co. Ltd. After certain modifications and additions, the Norwegian sledge (S.P.R.I. No. 52/11/1) proved much superior to the British sledge.
Sledge-boats
Authors: Exley J. A.
Published: October 2009

Unstable sea ice conditions in 1955 and 1956 made it advisable to carry some form of boat during sledge journeys from the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (F.I.D.S.) station at Horseshoe Island, in Marguerite Bay, Graham Land. The account given of a sledge-boat in Hints to travellers (Vol. 2, 11th ed., 1938, p. 137) was followed, and a craft similar to that employed by the Oxford University Arctic Expedition of 1935-36 was constructed. When this boat was tested it was found to be unstable. This was due both to the saucer-shaped cross-section and to the fact that the whole load has to be placed on top of the sledge. These disadvantages were overcome by the incorporation into the design of a pair of skis, extended from the sledge outer longitudinal and runner on plywood struts. These widened the bottom of the boat and increased the stability. The new shape was intrinsically more stable, and it was also possible to place cargo in the bottom of the boat, thus lowering the centre of gravity.
The Soviet drifting station SP-3, 1954–55
Authors: Treshnikov A. F.
Published: October 2009

In the early years of Soviet power, expeditions to the Barents and Kara Seas were organized, and this laid the foundations of navigation between the European part of the Soviet Union and the Siberian rivers Ob' and Yenisey. In the course of these voyages great quantities of goods were carried across the Arctic seas, which were to become important in the country's economy.
The breeding and maintenance of sledge dogs
Authors: Taylor R. J. F.
Published: October 2009

One of the logical reasons for exploration is to collect the maximum of information in a specified time; therefore planning should be based on an appreciation of the pregnable gaps in as many fields of science as possible. Present Antarctic exploration is neglecting the biological sciences and in particular those of an experimental nature. Figures published for the contingents from the British Commonwealth, France and Norway at present in Antarctica include twenty-three physicists, thirteen geologists of different varieties and only two biologists. This neglect probably arises from a too rigid conception that field biology is concerned with classification and with natural history. Antarctica, however, offers great possibilities, and even certain advantages, for much biological work, and in particular its simplicity helps ecological thought and nutritional experimentation.
Scurvy during some British polar expeditions, 1875–1917
Authors: Kendall E. J. C.
Published: October 2009

Scurvy was known from the earliest times as a condition likely to arise when men were constrained to live upon a limited diet because of crop failure, siege or extended voyaging. It was first clearly described in the thirteenth century but, although its connexion with restricted supplies and especially with paucity of vegetables and fruit in the diet, was recognized from that period, its occurrence was ascribed to many other factors. Thus, because it often affected many members of a closed community at about the same time, it was thought to be contagious; and although conditions such as cold, the diminution of daylight in polar regions and the constant humidity of sea voyages were the reason for lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, these conditions themselves were suggested as causes of the disease. Likewise poverty, resulting in overcrowding and insanitary conditions, was blamed, whilst in reality economic conditions prevented the poor from buying antiscorbutic foods.
United States air-drop operations in Antarctica, 1956–59
Authors: Tuck John
Published: October 2009

The establishment of the United States IGY stations at the South Pole and in Marie Byrd Land, with their subsequent annual re-supply, has involved the delivery of men and matériel by air on a scale previously unknown to Antarctic operations. “Amundsen-Scott” station at the South Pole was planned and executed entirely by air, with C-124 Globemasters of the United States Air Force air-dropping the great bulk of the required cargo tonnage, and Navy ski-equipped R4D and P2V aircraft delivering personnel and nondrop cargo. In the case of “Byrd” station, the bulk of the cargo was planned for delivery from “Little America V” by tractor train, assisted by skiequipped aircraft carrying personnel and some cargo to the station, and giving logistic support to the tractor trains. A considerable amount of matériel was also air-dropped by the C-124's, both cargo for the station and fuel for the tractor trains. In addition, a small amount of cargo was air-dropped for the setting up of the small summer station on the South Pole route (formerly “Liv Camp”, now the “Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, Beardmore Glacier”).
Spitsbergen characters
Authors: Brown R. N. Rudmose
Published: October 2009

Beachcombers usually are associated with tropical islands, with hot sandy foreshores and coral reefs, backed by waving palms and jungle-clad slopes. They conjure up an atmosphere of dusky maidens and pearls and the other features of a lazy lotus land. But wherever ordered life frays out on the edges of civilization, the beachcomber makes his appearance. He likes comfort, but cheerfully accepts inconvenience provided only that he can escape a life of rules and ordered conventions: he seeks a measure of freedom far beyond the dreams of the noisy democrat. The untrammelled life that the unsocial beachcomber seeks is not impossible in Spitsbergen: true, conditions are not such as would attract lovers of warmth and comfort in every hour of existence, but a nomad's life in the Arctic has not all the discomforts that the inexperienced might believe.
Diving in Antarctic waters
Authors: Neushul M.
Published: October 2009

The traditional methods of studying the marine biology of any coastline almost always involve the collection of plants and animals when the shore is exposed by the fluctuation of the tides. In the Antarctic, however, intertidal collecting is generally impossible due to the continuous abrasive action of floating ice, which scours this zone clean. Further difficulties are encountered in areas where fast ice extends out directly into the water, leaving no intertidal zone exposed. Thus our knowledge of the marine plants and animals of the Antarctic has been obtained largely through the use of the dredge. Skottsberg, in 1906, provided the first indication that there was, below the action of the ice, a rich growth of large marine algae. Unfortunately the bulk of his collections were lost when the Antarctic, the ship of the ill-fated Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1901–03, was crushed and sunk by pack ice.
Eskimo commercial fisheries
Authors: Snowden Donald
Published: October 2009

Arctic char, long a favourite food with the Eskimos, has recently been finding a ready market throughout Canada and the United States. With the increasing concentration of Eskimo populations in settlements, and with their increasing dependence on “white man's” food and equipment, it has become essential to stimulate means of increasing cash income. It was with this in mind that the Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources carried out an experimental project to introduce Arctic char to the southern market in 1958. During the season, about 1,500 lb. were shipped on ice to Montreal and Toronto by air, and were distributed to a number of the best restaurants. Its reception by customers was so enthusiastic that a repeat order for more than the original 1,500 lb. was received in a matter of days.
The construction and use of kayaks in north-west greenland: preliminary report
Authors: Taylor K. I.
Published: October 2009

This paper is a report on the preliminary work of a long-term study of the construction, use and cultural significance of kayaks among Greenlanders living in the Umánaq area of north-west Greenland.
Nutrition and energy expenditure during a polar expedition
Authors: Masterton J. P. , Lewis H. E. , Widdowson E. M.
Published: October 2009

Food intake on a polar expedition has always been a problem to those in charge of the commissariat. For years it has been accepted that man has a very high energy expenditure while sledging. Because of this it has always been the custom to provide a sledging diet which yields the greatest number of calories in the smallest weight.
Overland and air transport facilities of Soviet Antarctic expeditions
Authors: Arshenevskiy Yuri A.
Published: October 2009

When research under the IGY programme began in Antarctica, the Soviet Union undertook the task of studying vast areas of the sector south of the Indian Ocean.

In 1956, the First Combined Antarctic Expedition headed by M. M. Somov set up the main base, Mirny observatory, on the Davis Sea coast. This was followed by five subsequent expeditions inland during which new stations have been established hi the heart of Antarctica.