bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sledges and sledging in polar regions
Authors: Pearson Michael
Published: October 2009

Sledges have been used for millennia in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Until the advent of British Arctic land exploration in the nineteenth century, explorers in these regions had relied on indigenous sledges. The British, and individuals from other nations engaging in polar exploration, often faced different conditions and challenges from those that had faced indigenous peoples, and so a period of adaptation and invention began, to develop sledges that better suited the needs of European survey parties. This paper looks at the range of indigenous sledges and the development of various polar sledge types based on indigenous ski-runner, edge-runner, and toboggan styles of sledges. The development of the Nansen sledge, which became the norm in the Antarctic, is discussed, and the issues and debates involving man-hauling versus dog-hauling and the relative effectiveness of sledges and motive power as shown by recorded sledging performances are outlined.
George Phillips, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, and supplying the Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913–1918
Authors: Gough Barry M. , Greenhouse John Phillips
Published: October 2009

George Phillips, the naval stores officer at Esquimalt, British Columbia, was responsible for supplying from that base the Canadian Arctic Expedition (1913–1918) led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson. In addition to arranging details of supply in conjunction with directives from his superiors, Phillips travelled with Stefansson by steamer to Nome, Alaska, beforeKarluk, the brigantine to be used by the southern division of the expedition, sailed on her ill-fated voyage. This article is based on hitherto unused documentation, including the private notebooks and personal correspondence of Phillips. It examines two issues: first, the problems of supply for the Canadian Arctic Expedition, and, second, the personal views of Phillips with respect to Stefansson and other members of the party.
The Arctic wasteland: a perspective on Arctic pollution
Authors: Davis Norman
Published: October 2009

Arctic pollution has become a focus of attention as a result of the admission byRussia of former indiscriminate dumping of radioactive waste in the Kara Sea; thus, radionuclides in the Arctic Basin have become a major cause for concern. Evidence for the bioaccumulation of toxic contaminants such as organochlorines, PCBs, and heavy metals in the Arctic food webwould seem to raise questions about this issue, there being little evidence of significant levels of radionuclide contamination in higher orders of the chain. However, there is growing evidence of a major influx of toxic material into the Arctic Basin, from riverine input and atmospheric deposition, which is transported to biologically active melt fronts. This suggests thatthe serious polluting of the Arctic Basin, combined with bioaccumulation processes, particularly for organochlorines and trace metals, is a major cause for concern. There is, then, a requirement for an overview of current information on Arctic pollutants, with a consideration of source, transport, and accumulation processes, in order to be able to apply some perspective to the situation, to quantify and qualify the problems, and to suggest appropriate actions.
The first wintering on Svalbard
Authors: Jørgensen Roger
Published: October 2009

The first recorded wintering on Svalbard occurred in 1630–1631. Eight English whalemen were accidentally left behind for the winter. Having no equipment with which to survive the harsh climate, they sailed and rowed their shallop to Bell Sownd (Bellsund), a fjord south of where they were stranded, to an English whaling station where they found a house in which they survived. The location of this whaling station has never previously been established, but, based on archaeological surveys, test excavations, and the story published by one of the winterers, it has now been located at Laegerneset, on the eastern side of Recherchefjorden.

The eight men's most serious problem was obtaining sufficient food for the winter, and therefore food was rationed carefully. An analysis has been made based on the food stock they had when winter set in. Fresh supplies from hunting during late winter and spring were probably vital in keeping the men healthy. Although they undoubtedly would have been able to manage on the food they had collected during the autumn on a basis strictly of caloric intake, it is debatable whether they would have avoided scurvy without fresh meat during the long winter.
The Northern Sea Route, 1996
Authors: Brigham Lawson W.
Published: October 2009

During 1996, Russia's Northern Sea Route (NSR) continued to attract international attention. While overall tonnage carried along the NSR declined to approximately two million tonnes, more operations in the Russian maritime Arctic involved foreign flag ships. Ships of Arctic Shipping Services, a Russian-Finnish joint venture company, delivered fuel supplies to ports along the length of the Russian Arctic coast. Twenty-four polar and sub-Arctic icebreakers remained in the Russian fleet as of 1 January 1996. Notable research results of the International NSR Programme, published in 1996during year three of this international effort, provided additional insights into the potential commercial aspects of the NSR as an international waterway. Demonstration projects were also conducted in the Russian Arctic during winter 1996, using satellite radar technology for sea-ice monitoring.
Jack London's Klondike speculation: capitalist critique and the sled as heterotopia in The call of the wild
Authors: Higginson Ian N.
Published: October 2009

In 1903 Jack London (1876–1916) wrote The call of the wild. This deceptively complex adventure novel concealed the author's vision and critique of a ‘Southland’ society ensnared in a system of capitalism. To reveal the limits of capitalist constructions of knowledge and power, London took his readers from the civilised Southland of California to the frozen uncivilised ‘Northland’ of the Klondike. In this primitive Northland setting, the legacy of a Southland society that valued an individual according to economic mastery was to impede a successful response to London's exacting call of the wild. To investigate London's premise, this paper draws upon the insights of the philosopher Michel Foucault. Foucault argued that knowledge and power can be analysed in terms of region, domain, territory, and field, and his work described how institutions ‘inscribe themselves both on a material soil and within forms of discourse.’ He reasoned that ‘one is able to capture the process by which knowledge functions as a form of power and disseminates the effects of power’ through the critical apparatus of the ‘heterotopia.’ Unlike the idealised space of the Utopia, the heterotopia is a ‘real’ social and cultural space that represents, contests, or inverts other sites found within a culture. Foucault recognised the ‘ship’ as the heterotopia par excellence: ‘a floating piece of space…that exists by itself, that is closed in on itself.’ This paper argues that in London's novel the central heterotopia is the Northland sled.
Are vegetation indices useful in the Arctic?
Authors: Rees W. G. , Golubeva E. I. , Williams M.
Published: October 2009

This paper describes a preliminary investigation of the extent to which the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), derived from satellite optical imagery, can indicate the extent of damage to upland tundra (fruticose lichen and dwarf shrub) vegetation. We combine the results of a previously reported classification of Landsat multispectral scanner imagery from Kol'skiy Poluostrov, Russia, with field measurements of the biomass and spectral reflectance of tundra vegetation. The results show that the NDVI is not strongly influenced by biomass, but that differences in species composition and ground cover are significant. Other workers have concluded that vegetation indices are not useful for boreal forests. It is therefore suggested that the use of the NDVI by itself as an indicator of the state of disturbed vegetation in Arctic regions is not recommended.
Migration of ions of chemical elements in freezing and frozen soils
Authors: Chuvilin E. M.
Published: October 2009

This paper examines the behaviour of ions of chemical elements in freezing and thawing soils and in ice, and analyzes the mechanisms and laws that govern the transfer of ions. Data are given on the ionic permeability of frozen soils and ice. The features characteristic of the interaction of frozen soils with salt solutions are described.
Japan's renunciation of territorial rights in Antarctica and Australian diplomacy
Authors: Scott Shirley V.
Published: October 2009

By Article 2(e) of the 1951 Treaty of Peace, Japan renounced ‘all claim to any right or title to or interest in connection with any part of the Antarctic area.’ This paper traces the process by which Australian diplomacy ensured the inclusion of such a provision in the Treaty and assesses the contemporary significance of the article. While in the unlikely event of the breakdown of the Antarctic Treaty System, Japan would be legally entitled to make a territorial claim on the basis of activities undertaken between the conclusion of the Peace Treaty and the coming into force of the Antarctic Treaty, such a claim would likely be weak. It is more probable that the Japanese government would assert that, just as Japan had had no rights to renounce in Antarctica, neither had any of the Antarctic claimants complied adequately with the provisions in international law for territorial acquisition.
Survey of marine birds and mammals of the South Sandwich Islands
Authors: Convey P. , Morton A. , Poncet J.
Published: October 2009

During January and February 1997, two separate surveys of the birds and seals of the South Sandwich Islands archipelago were made, with further data obtained from the northern islands during February 1998. Together, these surveys provide the most recent and accurate estimates of breeding populations of most species, their distributions, and their habitat. Observations were made (1) from a small vessel operating close inshore, which surveyed approximately 92% of the archipelago's coastline, in addition to making shore counts at selected locations; (2) during a six-week shorebased field camp on Candlemas Island; and (3) opportunistically during helicopter-supported landings and airborne operations over all islands in the archipelago. The surveys recorded 16 species of breeding birds, including the first confirmation of breeding by black-bellied storm petrels (Fregetta tropica) and Antarctic terns (Sterna vittata), the second record of incubating king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), and the location of many previously unrecorded seabird breeding sites. The population of chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica), at approximately 1.5 x 10 pairs is considerably less than the estimate of 5 x 10 pairs currently in use, and represents about 30% of the world population. Populations of chinstrap penguins, Antarctic fulmars (Fulmarus glacialoides), cape petrels (Daption capense), and snow petrels (Pagodroma nivea) in the South Sandwich Islands are of global significance. Five species of seals were recorded. At the time of the surveys, only Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) were confirmed to be breeding, and several new breeding sites were located. Pup numbers showed a small increase compared with the few earlier records, but the population has not undergone the large increases seen on South Georgia and at sites in the maritime Antarctic. The other four species recorded are considered highly likely to breed either within the archipelago or amongst pack ice that seasonally surrounds the islands.
New archaeological sites in the Scoresby Sund fjord complex, East Greenland
Authors: David Robert G.
Published: October 2009

Survey work by the British North East Greenland Project in the Scoresby Sund fjord complex between 70 and 72°N is documented. A number of sites are identified and described, as are two contemporary Inuit playhouses at a current fishing camp. It is indicated that there are opportunities for further archaeological recording within the Scoresby Sund fjord system, although sites within the inner fjord system do not appear to be numerous. Locating them will require determined fieldwork.
A ‘sort’ of self-denial: United States policy toward the Antarctic, 1950–59
Authors: Moore Jason Kendall
Published: October 2009

United States policy toward the Antarctic in the 1950s culminated in the treaty that bears the continent's name — the same treaty that continues to govern relations in the far south. Washington succeeded in promoting the admirable objectives of scientific advancement and international cooperation. In doing so, it also forfeited what many officials believed to be the more important objective of formalizing a national sovereignty claim to halt further erosion of the rights associated with its mammoth expeditions. Trapped by having repeated their non-claimancy, nonrecognition policy, which Secretary of State Charles E. Hughes had announced in 1924, US officials scrambled for alternatives. They finally chose to formalize their policy-making paralysis, rather than a claim, by proposing a treaty that called for a political status quo moratorium, in accord with the Chilean Escudero Plan. That decision impressed some experts as unwise, but it was sufficiently expedient to win the signatures needed for ratification.
Beluga hunters in a mixed economy: managing the impacts of nature-based tourism in the Canadian western Arctic
Authors: Dressler Wolfram H. , Berkes Fikret , Mathias Jack
Published: October 2009

The Inuvialuit Region of the Canadian western Arctic continues to support a variety of land-based activities as part of the regional mixed economy. Tourism development, one of the newer elements of the mixed economy, has potential to conflict with beluga whale hunting, one of the traditional activities. The paper asks the question: can local employment be created through nature-based tourism development in Inuvik, Aklavik, and Tuktoyaktuk in the Inuvialuit Region in ways that support the local mixed economy and minimize conflict with the traditional sector? Results of interviews with Inuvialuit elders and tour operators indicate that both parties regard tourism as a desirable employment option and a creator of economic benefits, with relatively few economic drawbacks and relatively little environmental concern. The problem, however, is that tourism also brings with it social impacts and cultural drawbacks that are, in the Inuvialuit view, mostly related to (a) intrusiveness of tourists, especially in relation to the beluga hunt; (b) representation of the aboriginal hunt in a negative light; and (c) commodification of culture. On the balance, nature-based tourism development has the capability to support the local mixed economy, subject to resolving the conflict between beluga whaling activities and tourists. Fundamentally, however, the conflict is between Inuvialuit lifestyles and values versus the values and expectations of tourists.
Zodiac landings by tourist ships in the Antarctic Peninsula region, 1989–99
Authors: Naveen Ron , Forrest Steven C. , Dagit Rosemary G. , Blight Louise K. , Trivelpiece Wayne Z. , Trivelpiece Susan G.
Published: October 2009

This paper examines the location, intensity, and frequency of zodiac landings by passengers on tourist ships in the Antarctic Peninsula region during 10 seasons, 1989/90 through 1998/99. In this period, the number of passengers increased 307%, from 2460 to 10,013. Zodiac landings have occurred at 165 Peninsula region sites, concentrating in the South Shetland Islands and the northwestern part of the Peninsula. From 1989/90 to 1998/99, the number of zodiac landings in the Peninsula region increased 423%, from 164 to 858. The most visited sites are identified, as are sites experiencing increases in the second half of this 10-year period. The 10 and 20 sites experiencing the most zodiac landings each season consistently account for approximately 55% and 75% of that season's landings, respectively. Based on 1998/99 data, sites with high or medium species diversity or with high or moderate sensitivity to potential environmental disturbance account for a significant percentage of landings. Recommendations are presented for improving the assessment of potential environmental impacts at zodiac landing sites, and for improved methods of reporting site visits by the tour operators involved.
Remediation and restoration of frozen ground: a terminology
Authors: Stonehouse Bernard
Published: October 2009

This paper identifies and discusses terminology used in discussion of disturbance, damage, and rehabilitation in frozen soils and related ecosystems, and provides a vocabulary that may help scientists from different disciplines to identify management objectives and reach common purposes.
Contaminant migration through the permafrost active layer, Mackenzie Delta area, Northwest Territories, Canada
Authors: Dyke Larry D.
Published: October 2009

Buried pits (sumps), used for the disposal of drilling muds in the Mackenzie Delta area of Arctic Canada, provide an opportunity for assessing the effectiveness of ice-bonded permafrost sediments as a containment for industrial wastes. Potassium chloride (KCI) added to drilling muds as a freezing-point depressant provides a suitable tracer, because it is easily identified and natural concentrations in sediment pore water are typically low (less than 0.02 g l−1; potassium). Muds with KCI concentrations of up to 10% by weight (100 g l−1) have been used. In the vicinity of sumps, potassium is found at elevated concentrations of up to several g l−1 in the seasonal thaw layer (active layer) at distances well beyond what would be expected from diffusive transport alone. Within the level alluvial silts of the modern Mackenzie Delta, KCI has moved up to 50 m laterally from sump edges. On surrounding tundra uplands, KCI has migrated several hundred metres downslope within the active layer.

Although ice-rich permafrost sediments appear to form an effective barrier against downward movement of solutes, thawing ice lenses and veins within the active layer greatly increase the lateral hydraulic conductivity in this zone during the thaw season. Compared with unfrozen silty sediments, the large pores left by thawed ice fabric in the same sediment after a freeze–thaw cycle have been shown to increase the hydraulic conductivity up to four orders of magnitude. This phenomenon is probably common in thawing, ice-rich sediments and presumably favours accelerated downhill movement of solutes. On level ground, it is anticipated that KCI movement is promoted by fluid densities approaching that of sea water. Laboratory experiments with thawed sand and both unfrozen and thawing Mackenzie Delta silt confirm the existence of density-driven solute movement and the importance of thawing ice fabric in promoting solute movement. The thawed ice fabric of active-layer sediments and the presence of a frost table promote lateral movement of fluids when a density or elevation gradient is present. These tendencies widen the area potentially affected by contaminant migration from abandoned waste sites and they may also promote the movement of contaminants that escape from future containments.
Trace metals in suspended particulate matter and sediments from the Severnaya Dvina estuary, Russian Arctic
Authors: Koukina S.E. , Calafat-Frau A. , Hummel H. , Palerud R.
Published: October 2009

A geochemical study of the Severnaya Dvina estuary was carried out during two oceanographic cruises to the White Sea. The amount and distribution of trace (Mn, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and major (Al and Fe) elements in suspended particulate matter and sediments were determined. The main source of most metals studied was river discharge. A metal speciation study showed that the prevailing form is in the estuarine sediments, the minerals of which incorporated 60–99% of the total metal contents. Two zones of metal accumulation were found in sediments that were considered as local geochemical barriers within the major river–sea barrier.
Remediation by artificial cooling of dilute clay suspensions contaminated by heavy metals
Authors: Gay G. , Azouni M.A.
Published: October 2009

Vertical freezing of clayey suspensions contaminated by heavy metals was conducted. A small unidirectional thermal gradient applied to a sample placed in a parallelopipedic cell led to the low-rate propagation of an upward freezing front. During this propagation, segregation of salts occurred and the non-solidified phase ahead of the freezing front became enriched with metallic salts. Moreover, some of the non-miscible particles in suspension were repelled by the freezing front. Therefore, the solidified phase became poorer with metallic pollutants bound to such nonmiscible particles as clayey colloids or complexes. Thus, artificial cooling was able to purify a suspension contaminated by heavy metals that exist in various chemical forms. This paper presents results for different experimental conditions and physico-chemical parameters such as the pH and the ratio between the concentrations of metallic cations and clay particles. The influence of these physico-chemical parameters on the speciations of lead and on the efficiency of this method is discussed. These freezing tests carried out on polluted soils should succeed in their remediation. This new method is called ‘cryoremediation’.
In-situ bioremediation of diesel-contaminated soil in Canada's Arctic territory: a case study at the Whitehorse International Airport, Yukon Territory
Authors: Soloway D.A. , Nahir M. , Billowits M.E. , Whyte L.G.
Published: October 2009

Effective remediation of petroleum-contaminated soils in the Arctic is becoming increasingly important as the magnitude of environmental risks becomes better defined. Unfortunately, some of the solutions implemented in southern Canada are too costly to use in the Arctic. However, effective remediation is still necessary. Consequently, traditional techniques are employed, such as excavation and landfarming, which are disruptive to the immediate soils, permafrost, and the surrounding habitat. These remedial methods, however, are becoming unacceptable to First Nations people in some Canadian Arctic communities. This paper describes preliminary results from an in-situ biodegradation study of petroleum-contaminated soils. This technique has the potential to provide an easily applied effective solution to the problem of devising a low cost and uncontroversial method of remediation. Based on bench-scale laboratory feasibility studies, it has been determined that the zone of contaminated soil at the Whitehorse Airport is suitable for in-situ bioremediation application.
The role of the wind in the destruction of an historic hut at Cape Adare in Antarctica
Authors: Harrowfield David L.
Published: October 2009

In 1911 the Northern Party of Robert Falcon Scott's British Antarctic expedition (1910–1913), built a wooden hut at Cape Adare, a locality notorious for gusting, high-velocity winds. During the expedition, the hut suffered superficial damage from 18 storms estimated at force 11–12 on the Beaufort scale. Since then, storms during the intervening 84 years have virtually destroyed the hut. This paper outlines the wind and storm events recorded at Cape Adare and suggests that the topography of the Adare Peninsula forces the strong southeast wind to change to an eastsoutheast wind only on meeting high ground. By the time it reaches Ridley Beach, it assumes the character of a highvelocity katabatic wind. It is suggested that at Cape Adare topographically reinforced winds are largely responsible for the destruction of the historic hut. The reasons for this and a possible history of hut destruction is given.
Human influences on breeding of south polar skuas in the eastern Larsemann Hills, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica
Authors: Wang Z. , Norman F.I. , Burgess J.S. , Ward S.J. , Spate A.P. , Carson C.J.
Published: October 2009

Breeding activity of pairs of south polar skuas (Catharacta maccormicki) in the eastern Larsemann Hills, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica, was recorded in five of six austral summers between 1988 and 1994. More detailed observations of breeding success were made in the 1989/90 and 1993/94 summers. Although relatively few skuas nest in the study area, data suggest that there was inter-annual variation in numbers and locations of territories and chicks fledged. This variation is discussed in relation to increased human activities in the area (development of a summer base and more permanent stations) and to an enhanced access to human-derived foods. It is concluded that there has been some human impact on this species in the Larsemann Hills.
Industrial archaeology at South Georgia: methods and results
Authors: Basberg Bjørn L. , Nævestad Dag , Rossnes Gustav
Published: October 2009

The former whaling stations at Grytviken, Husvik Harbour, and Stromness Harbour on South Georgia were surveyed during two expeditions by a Norwegian party investigating industrial archaeology. This paper decribes the survey methods, which included photographic documentation, measurements, and mapping. Maps of the entire stations were made from photogrammetric and theodolite surveys. Detailed plans of the individual buildings were made, with each room being identified and measured. A detailed photographic survey was also undertaken. The paper then presents the main results of the analysis of the survey so far, and suggests some possibilities for utilizing the results in future research. It also describes an ongoing project on the construction of a CD-ROM on the history of Husvik Harbour, of which the survey data are an important part.
Expedition huts in Antarctica: 1899–1917
Authors: Pearson Michael
Published: October 2009

During the ‘Heroic Era’ of Antarctic exploration, which lasted from 1895 to 1917, nine huts were erected in Antarctica, three of Scandinavian design, three British, and three Australian. Although all of the huts were specially designed to house expedition personnel, each group drew on different precedents, regional architectural influences, and degrees of conscious innovation for polar conditions. Of particular note was the use of different insulation materials, some of which were traditional and some of which were new or experimental. The three groups of huts were very different in concept and construction, yet within each group there were successes and failures in terms of providing adequate comfort for their occupants. This paper looks at the details of design and construction of each hut, and at the factors that might have contributed to the success or failure of a particular hut. These factors included the theoretical thermal efficiency of the design and the construction materials, the effectiveness of the heating and ventilation systems installed, and the amount of floor space available to each man. It is concluded that efficiency depended on a combination of these factors rather than on any one, and that the ‘Heroic Era’ was probably too short a period of time for the best combination (if one existed) to be recognised and adopted to produce a consistently efficient Antarctic hut design.
Human/nature relations in the Arctic: changing perspectives
Authors: Osherenko Gail
Published: October 2009

Differing conceptions of the relationship between humans and the environment shape policies regarding Arctic development and protection. From the fifteenth century to the early twentieth century, conquest and colonization perspectives prevailed. While vestiges of these views still color Arctic policy, the dominant approach of governments today is balanced development. On the horizon, alternative conceptions are gradually changing both policy decisions and decision-making processes in the Arctic. These include sustainable and regenerative development, rational ecology, ecofeminism, and indigenous perspectives.
The economic case for an Antarctic world park in light of recent policy developments
Authors: Herber Bernard P.
Published: October 2009

During the last several years, the Antarctic Treaty System has confronted the world park versus mining issue, resulting in the signing on 4 October 1991, subject to ratification, of a protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, putting in place an environmental protection regime for Antarctica. This paper develops an economic case for the creation of a world park in Antarctica. The argument is based upon the international public good and common property resource characteristics of the seventh continent. The strength of the case is tested against the alternative economic uses of the Antarctic, especially mineral development. The possible creation of an Antarctic world park is evaluated in light of the recent policy events.
Dr Poulter's Antarctic Snow Cruiser
Authors: Freitag Dean R. , Dibbern J. Stephen
Published: October 2009

In 1939 Dr Thomas C. Poulter, Director of the Armour Institute, Chicago and a veteran of Byrd's second Antarctic expedition, designed and constructed a 30 tonne wheeled vehicle known as the Snow Cruiser for use with the US Antarctic Service Expedition. Designed for self-contained long-distance travel, the vehicle had many new features including twin diesel engines, independent electric drive and steering on each of its four wheels, and a light aircraft carried on the roof. It was built in Chicago and tested briefly on sand dunes nearby, before being driven to Boston amid much public interest for shipment to Antarctica. At the Bay of Whales the vehicle quickly became bogged down in snow, and never moved farther south than the expedition's winter quarters. Modern evaluation of wheel-snow interaction suggests that the Snow'Cruiser unladen was three to five times too heavy for its tyres to support it on snow surfaces. It was nevertheless a bold attempt to push forward the frontiers of mobility in exploration, which failed in a spectacular fashion. The vehicle was left behind when the expedition returned home, and has subsequently been lost.
The Exploration of the Graham Land Region
Authors: Mill Hugh Robert
Published: October 2009

The sector of the Antarctic regions between the meridians of 30° and 90° W. is still largely unknown, and offers a particularly attractive field for exploration. It was the scene of the earliest discovery of land south of the Antarctic Circle, of the earliest and also of. the latest economic exploitation of the South Polar regions and it is the only part of the Antarctic where very large areas have been seen from the air but never visited on the surface either by sea or land. It is appropriate that a concise summary of the exploration of this region should be put together, in view of the expedition now being organised by John R. Rymill with the active support of the Royal Geographical Society, the British Government, the Discovery Committee and the Polar Institute.
A continuous profile of sea ice and freshwater ice thickness by impulse radar
Authors: Campbell K. J. , Orange A. S.
Published: October 2009

For several years. Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc has been using an impulse radar system as a shallow subsurface exploration tool for engineering applications. Recently this system has been applied to the measurement of ice thicknesses both on sea-water and fresh-water ice. In the course of a feasibility study performed in December 1972, thebasic operating parameters and limitations of the tool when operated on ice were determined. Following the feasibility study, operational surveys were performed totalling approximately 11 crew-months and covering in excess of 1 500 km of survey route at several locations in the Canadian Arctic. The technique is known as Electromagnetic Subsurface Profiling (ESP), and it can be considered the electromagnetic equivalent of the single-trace acoustic profiling methods used for marine subbottom profiling. In practice, ice-thickness profiling is done by towing a sled-mounted antenna behind a tracked vehicle containing the impulse system (Fig 1). Real-time profile data are displayed graphically on a strip-chart recorder. The data may also be recorded on magnetic tape for later processing and playback.
An annotated check list of the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic vascular flora
Authors: Greene S. W. , Walton D. W. H.
Published: October 2009

Since Greene and Greene (1963) published their check list of the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic vascular flora, a number of works have appeared which have added new taxa for the region and new records for many of the islands. Some nomenclatural changes have also become necessary following taxonomic revisions so the present check list, which adopts a style and layout similar to that used by Greene and Greene (1963), takes the opportunity to incorporate all of these emendations. Although this paper refers to all taxa noted by Greene and Greene (1963), not all of the sources cited by those authors have been repeated.
Fast ice characteristics, with special reference to the eastern Canadian Arctic
Authors: Jacobs John D. , Barry Roger G. , Weaver Ronald L.
Published: October 2009

Arctic sea ice is currently receiving increasing attention, both in relation to technological problems associated with resources development and shipping (Walker and Penney, 1973), and to basic research questions. The polar pack ice in the Beaufort Sea, for example, is the focus of the Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) (Untersteiner, 1974), while an analysis of physical links between the characteristics of polar surfaces and climate is to be the crux of the United States contribution to the Polar Experiment (POLEX) (Weller and Bierly, 1973; National Academy of Sciences, 1974). A general discussion of sea ice, with emphasis on pack ice, has been presented recently by Wittman and Burkhart (1973), but another aspect of the sea ice regime deserving separate attention, particularly in the light of Arctic offshore oil developments, is the landfast or fast ice, ie that part of the sea ice which remains attached to the shore (see “Sea ice terminology”). This paper attempts to provide a broad picture of fast ice characteristics in the context of our field experience in the eastern Canadian Arctic.
The marine benthos of Arctic and sub-Arctic continental shelves
Authors: Curtis Mark A.
Published: October 2009

The study of marine life from the bottom of Arctic and sub-Arctic seas has long been a topic of scientific interest, and such work represents an important part of contemporary biological research in the polar regions. Contributions to this field have been made through the collective efforts of investigators from many nations over the years and include findings of considerable significance for life science studies as a whole, as well as for specific polar problems. Together with contemporary research on the pelagic and planktonic biota of northern waters, current work on the bottom fauna (benthos) offers much potential for developing our fundamental knowledge of biological processes in the Arctic seas.
A review of aerial surveys used for estimating the numbers of barren-ground caribou in northern Canada
Authors: Parker G. R.
Published: October 2009

The range of the barren-ground caribou in Canada includes approximately 700 000 square miles [1 812 993 sq km]: north from the forests of Manitoba and Saskatchewan to the Arctic Ocean and west from Hudson Bay to Alaska. Much of that vast expanse of stunted forests and tundra remained virtually unmapped until the ingress of the aeroplane in the 1930's.
Friction on Snow Surfaces: Part II. Friction on Sledge Runners
Authors: Debenham Frank
Published: October 2009

The preceding article by Mr Seligman has broken the ground for a review of what is known about the nature of friction on sledge runners, which is so vital an element in polar travel.
Discovery II: An Appreciation of the Work Done During her Third Commission
Authors: Wordie J. M.
Published: October 2009

The Royal Research ship, Discovery II, arrived at St Katherine's Dock, London, on July 4, thus completing her third commission, like the others of twenty months' duration so as to cover two Antarctic summer seasons. The scientific work has this time been in the charge of Dr N. A. Mackintosh, with Mr H. F. P. Herdman as chief hydrologist, and Lieutenant A. L. Nelson, R.N.R., in executive command.
The Royal Air Force North Polar Research Flights, 1945
Authors: Winfield R. H.
Published: October 2009

The R.A.F. North Polar Research Flights were made during the month of May 1945 by the four-engined aircraft Aries. In sixteen days these flights covered more than 24,000 miles, the greater part of which lay within the Arctic Circle. The more important objects of the expedition were to investigate the problems of navigation in high latitudes, to make a magnetic survey in the region of the North Magnetic Pole, to test the reliability of magnetic compasses in its vicinity, and finally to observe the effects of polar flying on aircrew.

The Aries was built as a standard Lancaster heavy bomber, identical with those aircraft which fought the battles of the Ruhr and Berlin. The aircraft was modified slightly for polar flying. The range was increased to about 5000 miles by fitting extra petrol tanks in the bomb bays. Extra speed was obtained by removing the camouflage paint and by streamlining the nose and tail. Since the three heavy gun turrets and armour plating were not required, room was found for a further petrol tank in the nose, and a second astrodome amidships. The latter was used for taking sextant readings. Additional space in the tail was welcomed for stowing the emergency equipment.
The Positions of the Magnetic Poles
Authors: Jones Harold Spencer
Published: October 2009

A knowledge of the positions of the magnetic poles is important for the construction of magnetic charts of the polar areas. Charts giving the isogonals, or lines of equal declination, are needed for the purpose of air navigation over the polar regions, which is likely to become of increasing importance. The isogonals have a particularly complicated shape in the polar regions, because both the geographical pole and the magnetic pole are points of singularity, through which all the isogonals necessarily pass.
Cryolite and the Mine at Ivigtut, West Greenland
Authors: Elbo J. G.
Published: October 2009

Cryolite is a rare mineral which is only mined in Greenland and is one of the most important assets in- Greenland economy. It is grey-white and translucent, almost like ice when wet, a fluoride of sodium and aluminium with the chemical formula Na3AlF6. The only commercial source is at Ivigtut in south-west Greenland, whilst the only two other known occurrences—at Pikes Peak, Colorado, and Miass in the Urals—are both small and impure. Lately, however, the Russians have claimed that the geological structure of Kol'ski Poluostrov (Kola Peninsula) would indicate the likelihood of cryolite being found there, and there are also reports of a mine in active production in East Siberia on the Manchurian border.
The Survey Work of the Danish Geodetic Institute in Greenland and Iceland
Authors: Nørlund N. E.
Published: October 2009

This work was commenced in 1927 and has been continued ever since without interruption. Every spring the Institute has sent an expedition to Greenland with the ordinary line steamers. In Greenland, transport to the working places proceeds by means of four fast motor-boats specially built for this work. They are very suitable for use in the numerous rocky fjords and sufficiently large to traverse the long distances from one end of the field of operations to the other. The frequent transfer of the surveyors from one station to another is not the least of the difficulties which the organisation of the survey work in Greenland presents. The distance run by a survey boat during a summer has often exceeded 3500 nautical miles and even reached 5600 miles. There are wireless transmitters and receivers on each boat in order to maintain communication between the different survey parties. Besides the four larger boats, the survey has the use of ten smaller boats for sailing in sheltered waters.
The International Whaling Agreement, 1938
Authors: Mackintosh N. A.
Published: October 2009

In the last number of The Polar Record an account was given of the International Whaling Conference held in London in June 1938. The general procedure was described, and it was explained that the governments of several nations interested in whaling had signed a Protocol embodying certain amendments to the Agreement of 1937.
The Polar Eskimos
Authors: Wright John
Published: October 2009

We read and hear so often of the harm done to primitive peoples by contact with European culture, that it is refreshing to find an exception to this rule. The Polar Eskimos of North-West Greenland were introduced to European culture through the visits of expeditions to that region, and there was no control of these until thirty years ago. Yet these Eskimos do not seem to have suffered any harm or to have lost their original independence. A journey to West Greenland is apt to be disappointing, because the original Eskimo race and culture has been greatly modified, but to visit Thule is to see the Eskimos of the story books, dressed in furs and eating literally almost nothing but meat and blubber, most of it raw.
Survey on Polar Expeditions
Authors: Wright John
Published: October 2009

Most of the major problems of Arctic geography have been solved, and there are now few stretches of coastline which have not been at least roughly mapped. In the Antarctic there are still huge blank spaces on the map, but even there the kind of rough and ready maps that were made by early explorers would now be scarcely adequate. A modern polar survey must be much more accurate and comprehensive if it is to be worth while and have any permanent value, and it therefore takes up rather more of the time which used to be almost entirely devoted to travel. On the other hand, modern inventions such as the light but accurate eyepiece reading theodolite, the camera, and the aeroplane, have made available very much more rapid methods of survey than were possible even twenty years ago.
Whaling, 1938–39
Authors: Roberts Brian
Published: October 2009

In order to safeguard the stock of whales in northern seas, special regulations for Svalbard have been proposed by the Norwegian Government. These regulations forbid both Norwegian and foreign subjects to use a land station for the taking and treatment of whales in Svalbard and Jan Mayen. They follow the international agreements of 1937 and 1938 which provide for the closing of the Northern Hemisphere for pelagic baleen whaling and restriction of the activity of land stations to six months of the year.
Frank Wild
Authors: J. M. W.
Published: October 2009

Frank Wild's death must have been the first thought of Antarctic men meeting each other this winter. Apart from the leaders, no other Antarctic figure has so impressed himself on so many of the rank and file as Wild; for he had been a member of no less than five great expeditions, second in command on the later ones, but on all, whether in high position or not, acting as the guide and instructor to those new to Antarctic work.
William Lashly: An Appreciation
Authors: Cherry-Garrard Apsley
Published: October 2009

Lashly is dead. He was a Chief Stoker in the Navy, and he was one of the last survivors who served on both of Scott's Antarctic expeditions. Scott, Wilson, Bowers, Titus Oates, Atkinson and Wild—all are gone; and Crean who died about a year ago, and Pennell as good as any of them.
A Relic of Ross
Authors: Mill Hugh Robert
Published: October 2009

The wary book-hunter is always on the alert for the unexpected. “Arctic and Antarctic, The Economy of Human Life. 1808. 12mo. morocco”, in a book-list was the unexpected spoor which led to the capture of a rare specimen and afforded a sidelit glimpse of the mind of a great explorer.
The Erebus and Terror at Hobart
Authors: Debenham Frank
Published: October 2009

The following notes on the stay of the Ross Expedition in Van Diemen's Land have been prepared from the diaries of Lady Jane Franklin, which were recently bequeathed to the Scott Polar Research Institute under the will of Miss Jessie Lefroy, a niece of Miss Sophia Cracroft. Miss Cracroft was herself the niece of Sir John Franklin and the lifelong companion of Lady Jane.
Surveying in the Falkland Islands Dependencies
Authors: Stephenson A.
Published: October 2009

An account of surveying in the Falkland Islands Dependencies could be treated as just another description of surveying in one of the outlying parts of the Empire. There is one major difference in comparison with other Colonies, however, which affects the whole outlook and conduct of the survey. This is that in the part of the Dependencies with which we are concerned, namely Graham Land and the Islands to the north, there is no permanent human habitation and no regular means of communication.

I must refer briefly to the historical background of these surveys and the reason for their commission, especially the latter, as without a full understanding of the need and future use of a survey one cannot examine critically the methods used.

Next I shall describe the methods of survey that have been used, which will inevitably entail describing the type of country and various difficulties peculiar to the polar regions.

A summary of the accomplishments up to date will be very brief, as these are shown in the maps that have been published by the Directorate of Colonial Surveys and some of which will be on exhibition.

Finally I shall consider some proposals for future surveys in this territory.
Four eye-witness accounts of Bellingshausen's antarctic voyage of 1819–21
Authors: Armstrong Terence
Published: October 2009

Recently Soviet writers have claimed that Bellingshausen discovered the Antarctic mainland. The weakness of this argument when it is based upon Bellingshausen's own account of the voyage has been made clear in a previous note in this journal. The revival of interest has, however, brought to light several forgotten or hitherto unpublished eyewitness accounts and it is now possible to decide whether the authors held different views from Bellingshausen as to the discoveries made by the expedition.
Antarctic Place-names given by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition, 1902–04
Authors: Brown R. N. Rudmose
Published: October 2009

The following place-names in the South Orkney Islands and the Antarctic Continent were proposed by Dr W. S. Bruce; they were first published in the maps accompanying his paper in the Scottish Geographical Magazine for June 1905, and in the Reports on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of S.Y. Scotia, 1902–04 (Edinburgh, 1907–).
Cross-bred Sledge Dogs in North-East Greenland
Authors: Rodahl Kåre
Published: October 2009

The following notes are based on impressions gained during my stay among Eskimo and European trappers at Clavering Øya, North-East Greenland, in 1939–40. Much attention has been focused on the problem of sledge dogs by European trappers, for during the trapping season they have to depend on their dogs because of the long distances that have to be covered. In an attempt to develop a new type of sledge dog, with the endurance of a Greenland Husky and the speed of an Alsatian, many attempts have been made during the last ten years to breed dogs with these special qualities in view.