bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research on shipborne tourism to the Ross Sea region and the New Zealand sub-Antarctic islands
Authors: Cessford Gordon , Dingwall Paul R.
Published: October 2009

An ongoing programme of tourist survey research, conducted since the 1990/91 summer season, is summarised. While focusing initially on the nature reserves of the New Zealand sub-Antarctic islands, the programme was subsequently extended to encompass related tourist visits to Macquarie Island (Australia) and the Ross Sea region of Antarctica. In accordance with expressed management information needs, the research objectives and the methodology, based on questionnaires distributed by national representatives aboard tour vessels, have evolved from general descriptive visitor surveys to more site-specific visitor assessments. Research findings emphasised that these tourists constitute a distinctive activity group. The impact issues they reported were mainly related to trampling and some site-specific wildlife disturbance, with other impact issues not being prominent. No notable dissatisfactions were apparent or visit improvements demanded, and strong support was indicated for most of the management restrictions applied to onshore visits. Methodological lessons from conducting this survey programme are briefly summarised, and suggestions for future research directions are made, with more emphasis on post-voyage evaluation surveys and assessments of physical impacts related to tourist visits.
Mystery cairns on Washington Irving Island
Authors: McCullough Karen , Schledermann Peter
Published: October 2009

In 1875, members of the British Arctic Expedition under the command of George S. Nares discovered two ancient-looking stone cairns on Washington Irving Island at the entrance to Dobbin Bay, eastern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. At least one of these cairns was destroyed by the expedition members to construct their own cairn. The possibility that these cairns were built by Norse voyagers to Kane Basin is supported by the large number of Norse artifacts recovered from Thule culture Inuit sites in the Bache Peninsula region just south of Washington Irving Island. Surveys of the island have identified scattered boulders marking the location of the cairns, but the question of the builders' identity still remains a mystery.
Colonisation of Greenland by plants and animals after the last ice age: a review
Authors: Bennike Ole
Published: October 2009

In the light of data from the Greenland ice sheet concerning the ice-age climate, and palaeoecological studies of interglacial and Early Holocene deposits, the concept that a large proportion of Greenland's plants and animals may have survived during the ice ages is evaluated. While ice-free areas (refugias) were present, it is concluded that only hardy, cold-adapted species could have survived, which also explains why so few clearly endemic species are present in Greenland. Most members of the present biota are considered to be postglacial immigrants. Some species came to Greenland by walking or flying, but most arrived by passive, long-distance, chance dispersal, carried by wind, sea currents, and, in particular, birds. Transport by birds may explain why so many species arrived from Europe, because vast numbers of geese in particular migrate from northwest Europe to Greenland.
Unlikely heroes: the story of the first men who stood at the North Pole
Authors: Pala Christopher
Published: October 2009

The slow-motion collapse of the claim of Robert E. Peary to have discovered the North Pole raises the question: if Peary was not the first man to stand at the North Pole, who was? The answer appears to be the 24 members of a then-secret Soviet expedition who landed three airplanes on the Earth's axis in April 1948. They were able to make scientific observations during their three-day stay while battling cracking ice. This paper includes interviews with Pavel Senko, who believes he may be the only surviving member of the expedition.
Byrd's heroic 1926 North Pole failure
Authors: Rawlins Dennis
Published: October 2009

Richard E. Byrd's record of the 9 May 1926 flight on which he claimed to have reached the North Pole was unsealed several years ago by the archives of Ohio State University. A close examination of Byrd's writings, calculations, and erasures in this diary shows clearly that, although he and Floyd Bennett achieved a farthest-north-seen and made a heroic attempt to attain the Pole, they never reached that destination. Despite efforts by some organisations and individuals to pretend that there is still a serious controversy, Byrd's own diary data variously confirm the belief long held by most polar experts: that the expedition on the dirigible Norge—led by Roald Amundsen and Lincoln Ellsworth, and piloted by Umberto Nobile — was the first to attain the Pole, on 12 May 1926.
Richard Cyriax's note concerning Thomas Simpson's claim of having discovered the Northwest Passage
Authors: Barr William
Published: October 2009

In 1957 the well-known Arctic historian Richard Cyriax sent a copy of some of his notes to the Hudson's Bay Company Archives. These notes, which are reproduced here in full, concerned the claim by Thomas Simpson to have discovered the Northwest Passage on an expedition from 1837 to 1839. The reasons for Simpson's belief that he had achieved this long-sought-after accomplishment are investigated, and the conclusion is arrived at that, despite his honest belief to have done so, Simpson did not, in fact, complete the Northwest Passage, as that term is normally understood.
Churchill Peaks and the politics of naming
Authors: Korsmo Fae L. , Sfraga Michael P.
Published: October 2009

The highest mountain in North America bears two official names. While most visitors to Denali National Park in Alaska are familiar with the mountain's official name ‘McKinley,’ and with the frequently used Athabaskan name ‘Denali,’ the mountain also has a second official name: Churchill Peaks. This article traces the history and politics of naming Alaska's famous mountain, including the events that led to the addition of Churchill Peaks. Those events began when President Lyndon Johnson was unable to attend Winston Churchill's funeral in January 1965. The resulting controversy surrounding the naming of the great mountain reflects the ambiguous and often troubled relations between the national government and the remote northern periphery of the country.
Antarctica in museums: the Mawson collections in Australia
Authors: Wheeler Barbara , Young Linda
Published: October 2009

The relics of polar exploration are treasured in the museums of a multitude of nations. In Australia, the focus of most such collections is Sir Douglas Mawson and his expeditions to Antarctica in 1911–14 and 1929–31. The nature of these collections divides into the two large categories of scientific specimens and expedition relics. The latter are spread among Australian and other museums in a distribution that speaks of fascination with the exotic and heroic aspects of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition and the geopolitical ramifications of the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition. The specimens, by contrast, have not been treated well, and although thoroughly documented, may be close to losing their integrity as scientific resources. Both types of material merit the renewed attention of their museum-keepers as resources on the history of Antarctica.
An assessment of tundra degradation resulting from the presence of a field camp in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard
Authors: West M. H. , Maxted A. P.
Published: October 2009

During the last two decades the archipelago of Svalbard has evolved as a focal point for tourism and scientific research in the Arctic. In 1995 the Norwegian authorities inaugurated a management plan in order to conserve Svalbard and to minimise environmental degradation resulting from increased anthropogenic activity. However, the potential for accelerated modification of the tundra, as a result of field camps, was not addressed. Parameters, such as percentage vegetation cover, soil compaction, and soil infiltration rate were measured before and after a four-week period of field-camp activity, under controlled conditions, during July 1997. The study site was located near Ny-Ålesund, Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen. Statistical analysis showed that where no significant differences in the parameters were recorded at the control site, the presence of a field camp did cause a significant impact on the Arctic heath tundra surface. For example, mean soil compaction, increased from 1.16 kg cm-2 to 2.57 kg cm-2. The use of good practice procedures, such as moving tents regularly and utilising a groundsheet, did not prevent an impact on the environment. Key parameters at the main study sites were reassessed in July 1999, revealing that no significant recovery from the impact caused in 1997 had occurred. An established campsite at Ny-Ålesund was also studied in 1997, and the results support the findings of the main survey: a significant difference recorded for the parameters measured at the campsite, compared to negligible or no changes at the control site. In order to achieve a sustainable tourism and science-based community in Svalbard, i t is proposed that the existing management plan be expanded to incorporate a set of guidelines for wilderness camping, with the aim of mitigating the impact of field camps on the tundra.
Shipping nuclear cargo via the Northern Sea Route
Authors: Sawhill Steven G. , Ragner Claes Lykke
Published: October 2009

The commercial nuclear industry is considering the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as an alternative transit route for shipments of radioactive material between Europe and Japan, and as an import$sol;export route for shipments into and out of Russia. Technologically, the NSR is a practicable route, and factors that currently make it uneconomical for most commercial cargoes do not generally apply to nuclear ones. A shorter route between Europe and Japan may reduce operating costs and could enhance the safety and security of nuclearmaterial. Shippers are also attracted by the prospect of reducing political opposition along current routes. These advantages are offset by the cost of building specialised ships, uncertainties associated with Russia and its icebreaker fleet, and uncertainties regarding the risk and effects of a severe transport accident involving radioactive material. The likelihood of using the NSR for nuclear transport remains uncertain. Transit use is unlikely without a basis for long-term transport between Europe and east Asia. Russia's plans to expand its nuclear services industry are not dependent on using the NSR: the Arctic alternative via the port of Dudinka is only one of several suggested routes. Whether it is selected will depend upon whom Russia gains as customers and whether it provides the most convenient, cost-efficient option.
Correction to 'Determination of actual snow-covered area using Landsat TM and digital elevation model data in Glacier National Park, Montana'
Authors: Giles Philip T.
Published: October 2009

In the article by Hall and others (1995), a topographic correction factor (C) was developed for estimating actual land area by taking into account the effect of sloping terrain. An error that was made during image processing resulted in values of C being exaggerated. For this note, values of C for the example landscape in Glacier National Park were recalculated, and the results with and without the error are compared. It is shown that the error caused the mean value of C reported for the example landscape to be exaggerated by a factor of 2.62 times.
Algae River: an extensive drainage system in the Bunger Hills, East Antarctica
Authors: Gibson John A.E. , Gore Damian B. , Kaup Enn
Published: October 2009

An extensive terrestrial drainage system, centred on Algae Lake in southern Bunger Hills, is described. The 25-km-long Algae River is the third longest known in Antarctica after Onyx River (Wright Valley, Victoria Land) and Druzhby River (Vestfold Hills, Queen Elizabeth Land). Algae River receives meltwater from the Antarctic ice sheet, Apfel Glacier, and ephemeral and permanent snow banks in the ice-free area of the Bunger Hills. Water flows through a series of epiglacial lakes before reaching the extensive Algae Lake, which in turn has an outlet to Transkriptsii Gulf, a largely fresh-water, tidal epishelf lake connected to the ocean under the Edisto Ice Tongue and Shackleton Ice Shelf. Total flow from Algae Lake was estimated to be greater than 1 x 107m3a-1from data collected in the 1986/87 summer. Some portions of the drainage system that were flowing during the 1946/47,1985/86, 1986/87, 1994/95, 1995/96, and 1998/99 summers were not flowing during the 1999/2000 summer, indicating the variable nature of discharge in the river and emphasising that parts of the drainage network may become disconnected readily.
Recent developments in relations between Argentina, Britain, and the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic
Authors: Dodds Klaus J. , Manóvil Lara
Published: October 2009

This note considers the recent developments in Anglo–Argentine relations vis-à-vis the overseas territories of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The construction of the research station in South Georgia is considered significant because it signals the ending of the 19-year British military presence on the island. The Falkland Islands elections of November 2001 have shown that public opinion is still divided over the provisions of the Anglo- Argentine Joint Statement of 14 July 1999, which inter alia removed restrictions on Argentine passport holders entering the Falklands. Finally, the prospects for further rapprochement between Britain and Argentina are considered, and it is noted that these outstanding territorial disputes will continue to demand careful management notwithstanding the presence of the ‘sovereignty umbrella’ in the case of the Falklands.
Bernard Stonehouse: biologist, writer, and educator
Authors: Cruwys Liz , Riffenburgh Beau
Published: October 2009

This is the first in a series of biographies entitled ‘Children of the Golden Age’, the purpose of which is to describe the background and contributions of a number of significant living figures in polar research, all of whom began their scientific careers and earned their Antarctic spurs in the years following World War II. Bernard Stonehouse was born in Hull on 1 May 1926. Joining the Royal Navy in 1944, he trained as a pilot, and in 1946–50 served as meteorologist, second pilot, dog-sledger, and ultimately biologist with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, mainly from Base E, Stonington Island, Antarctic Peninsula. His first biological investigation was a winter study of breeding emperor penguins. Returning to Britain in 1950 he read zoology and geology at University College, London. Doctoral research at the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology and Merton College, Oxford, involved an 18-month field study of king penguins on South Georgia. Between 1960 and 1968, as senior lecturer, later reader, in zoology, at University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, he continued Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research in McMurdo Sound and on the New Zealand southern islands. A Commonwealth Research Fellowship at the University of British Columbia, 1970–71, gave him opportunities for research in the Yukon. After developing undergraduate and postgraduate studies in environmental science at the University of Bradford, 1972–83, he joined the Scott Polar Research Institute as editor of Polar Record, thereafter forming the Institute's Polar Ecology and Management Group, and heading a long-term study on the ecological impacts of polar tourism. At SPRI he continues to combine the two factors that have always played an important part in his life: working in polar regions and communicating with the general public on issues of biology, the environment, and conservation.
Global interdependence and Arctic voices: capacity-building for sustainable livelihoods
Authors: Nuttall Mark
Published: October 2009

In recent years the concept of capacity-building or capacity development has evolved to help policymakers frame crucial questions about how sustainability can be achieved. However, like sustainable development, capacity-building proves difficult to define, as it encompasses human, technological, educational, organisational, scientific, cultural, financial, and institutional aspects. This article suggests that capacity-building is an approach to sustainable development, its main goal being to enhance the capabilities of people and institutions to improve their skills and abilities to solve problems, define their needs, and strengthen their prospects for achieving sustainable livelihoods. Capacity-building is now a key objective for the Arctic Council — indeed, the Council sees it as a necessary element for both the achievement of sustainable development and for co-operation at circumpolar and wider international levels. The Arctic Council has charged its Sustainable Development Working Group to draft a capacity-building implementation strategy. The overall aim of a capacity-building implementation strategy will be to enhance the Arctic Council's own effectiveness in managing its own structures and developing programmes and activities, and also to shape a capacitybuilding role for the Council in international affairs. This article offers some perspectives on the kinds of critical issues an Arctic Council capacity-building strategy should be concerned with, such as skills, knowledge, well-being, gender equality, and the barriers to capacity-building for sustainable livelihoods. A test of the effectiveness of such a strategy will be how far it strengthens the capacity of the peoples of the Arctic to achieve sustainable livelihoods and how the Arctic Council can build its own capacity to be an enabling environment for Arctic voices to be heard in circumpolar and international contexts.
Moss flavonoids and their ultrastructural localization under enhanced UV-B radiation
Authors: Taipale Tiia , Huttunen Satu
Published: October 2009

A study was made of methanol-extractable UV-B-absorbing pigments under enhanced UV-B treatment. UV-B-absorbing pigments in two common ectohydric mosses showed seasonal variation during the summer months. Pigment contents were highest in June, decreased in July, and thereafter remained unchanged until September. In Hylocomium splendens, a significant increase of pigments was observed at the end of the experiment. The intracellular localization of caffeine-stabilized flavonoids was manifested as dark electron-dense deposits in the cell walls and intracellular dark deposits in the cell plasma. The dark deposits in the cell walls of Pleurozium schreberi were located either in the outer part of the cell wall or in the middle lamellae of the wall structures. Hylocomium splendens had a stratified cell-wall structure, in which three dark electron-dense cell layers could be identified. Intracellular deposits were located in different parts of the cell, but electron-dense deposits were observed at the cell margins and in the proximity of the nucleus. Although certain cell ultrastructural disturbances (for example, lipid accumulation, chloroplast disintegration) in moss leaf cells were observed, the short-term UV-B treatment did not increase the intensity of the dark deposits.
Glacier retreat and melt-lake expansion at Stephenson Glacier, Heard Island World Heritage Area
Authors: Kiernan Kevin , McConnell Anne
Published: October 2009

Historical records, recent observations, and geomorphological evidence indicate that rates of retreat and downwasting of the tidewater Stephenson Glacier, and concurrent expansion of ice-marginal melt-lakes, has increased by an order of magnitude since 1987. Melt-lake expansion is partly the product of greatly accelerated ablation of older, ice-cored twentieth-century moraines. The timing of these changes broadly coincides with reported increases in atmospheric and sea-surface temperatures around other sub-Antarctic islands, but correlates less well with changes along the northern Antarctic Peninsula, where warming has been more rapid. These recent changes in landscape character and geomorphological processes have implications for geodiversity, biodiversity, and cultural heritage values in this World Heritage Area. If the causal climatic warming is anthropogenic, it reinforces the fact that even the most remote and littlevisited nature conservation reserves may be compromised by off-site human impacts, confronting management authorities with difficult philosophical and practical issues.
Peter Anjou: the contours of Novosibirskiye Ostrova become more precise
Authors: Tammiksaar Erki
Published: October 2009

The Russian northeast Siberian expedition (1820–24) is generally associated with Ferdinand von Wrangell. However, although Wrangell was the overall leader of the expedition, it actually consisted of two groups, with Peter Anjou in command of the Ust'-Yansk group. Anjou'sexpeditionnotes, asopposed to Wrangell's, have not been published, and for that reason he is little known. However, the results of his expedition are well comparable to Wrangell's.
Organisation and funding of the Australian Antarctic program
Authors: Lyons David
Published: October 2009

The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) are conducted through the cooperation of various government agencies and research and interest groups. Changes in organisational arrangements since 1946 have reflected the emphasis given to different aspects of Australian Antarctic policy. The Antarctic program is focussed in Hobart, and the lead agency, the Australian Antarctic Division, is currently part of the federal environment portfolio. Australia spent an estimated $A75.7 million on its Antarctic program in the financial year 1991/92, $A67.3 million, or 89%, of which was channelled through the Antarctic Division. The'disposable budget'for research activities has remained relatively static in real terms during the past decade. The consolidation of expenditure through the Antarctic Division and the program approach to budgeting now provide some degree of breakdown of the total expenditure, identify the large sums spent on infrastructure and technology support, and quantify the high threshold cost of research in Antarctica. It remains to be seen what effect the changes in national policies, such as the decision to ban mining in Antarctica, and geopolitical developments will have on future levels of funding.
Tuvan reindeer husbandry in the early 20th century
Authors: Whitaker Ian
Published: October 2009

Among students of the history of reindeer domestication the Tuva occupy a special position. Their homeland, the Sayan mountains and the basin of the upper Yenisey, to the south-west of lake Baykal and to the north of the present-day frontier between the USSR and Mongolia, has frequently been suggested as the region where reindeer were first domesticated. This attribution rests on two types of evidence: the first archaeological, and largely consisting of rock carvings depicting reindeer; and the second ethnographic, comprising observations of the techniques of reindeer management employed by the Tuva, chiefly made by two western travellers, the Englishman Douglas Carruthers in 1910, and the Norwegian Ørjan Olsen in 1914. The fieldwork of Olsen has only been published in Norwegian (Olsen, 1915a; 1915b), and therefore has not been widely used by scientists. Yet of the two travellers he was perhaps better equipped to make technical ethnographic observations. In this article I shall analyse the descriptions of reindeer husbandry made by both men, but with especial attention to Olsen. I shall then assess the contribution that observations of the Tuva might make to the debate between ethnologists on where reindeer (Rangifer tarandusL) were first domesticated.
Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources: a commentary
Authors: Edwards David M. , Heap John A.
Published: October 2009

The text of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which was adopted at the close of a diplomatic conference at Canberra on 21 May 1980, is reproduced elsewhere in this number of Polar Record (see p 383–95). The aim of this commentary is briefly to describe the purposes which the Convention was intended by its negotiators to fulfil, to indicate how those purposes are reflected in the text of the Convention, and to explain where the Convention will fit in the overall scheme of international Antarctic conservation agreements that have come into being over the last 50 years.
The invertebrate collections of the Erebus and Terror Antarctic expedition; a missed opportunity
Authors: Davenport J. , Fogg G.E.
Published: October 2009

Although at the time the zoological establishment had little interest in the smaller planktonic and benthic marine invertebrates, James Ross assisted by Joseph Hooker amassed a large collection of these animals during the Erebus and Terror voyage of 1839–43. These samples perished withoutRoss having carried out his intention of working on them. The only knownmaterial relating to them that survives today consists of a small number of drawings by Hooker in the British Museum (Natural History). These are evidently the remnants of a much larger collection which became dispersed among the experts preparing Challenger reports from 1876 onwards. Undoubtedly Ross and Hooker discovered many new species and genera (an example discussed being an apparently undescribed pycnogonid) which were left undescribed. Their finding of animal life at depths below 300 fathoms was not properly publicized so that Forbes' doctrine of the absence of life in the depths of the sea was able to persist for several more decades.
LIMEX'87: international experiment in the Labrador Sea marginal ice zone
Authors: Drinkwater Mark. R. , Argus Susan Digby
Published: October 2009

Between 15 and 29 March 1987 the Labrador Ice Margin Experiment(LIMEX), a major international field experiment, took place in the Grand Banks region of the Labrador Sea, off the New found land coast. First in a series of experiments to be conducted at the southern ice margin during early spring, the period of maximum ice extent, LIMEX'87 addressed questions on physical properties of the environment and the role of remotely sensed data, particularly microwave data, in providing information for monitoring and forecasting air-sea-ice properties and dynamics.
James Gordon Bennett, the New York Herald and the Arctic
Authors: Riffenburgh Beau
Published: October 2009

James Gordon Bennett Jr (1841–1918), recognized as one of the most important individuals in the development of popular journalism in the United States, was proprietor of the New York Herald, perhaps the most influential American newspaper of his time. The man who sent Henry Morton Stanley to Africa to find David Livingstone, he was also significant in American Arctic exploration during the second half of the 19th century. He played a role in the organization or funding of five Arctic expeditions, including the Jeannette expedition under George W. De Long. Although his interest in exploration was primarily a means to increase the circulation of his newspaper, by his sponsorship Bennett helped contribute to knowledge of the Arctic. More importantly, through extensive coverage in the Herald, he helped create national interest in the Arctic and in polar exploration in general.
The rise and set of Arctic Moon
Authors: Vogel Hal , Shapiro Steve , Zimmerman Daniel
Published: October 2009

The recent discovery in a US Government archive of acomplete run of the newspaper Arctic Moon, written during the early months of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition (1881–84), permits us to see what this 19th century onice publication looked like and examine its contents, and perhaps judge why it had so brief an existence in the tragic expedition led by Lt A. W. Greely to Ellesmere Island.
Economic development in the Kola region, USSR: an overview
Authors: Doiban Vladimir A. , Pretes Michael , Sekarev Alexei V.
Published: October 2009

The Kola region of northwestern USSR is the most highly developed area of the circumpolar north. Development based on exploitation and industrial refinement of natural resources, especially minerals and fish, has produced severe environmental damage in Kola and in neighbouring Norway and Finland. This article reviews the region's resources, existing development strategy and damage, and propose an alternative strategy that is environmentally and socially more benign. Possibilities for reducing the region's ties to central planning authorities and integration of the economy with that of norther Europe are also considered.
The quest for provincial status in Yukon Territory
Authors: Smyth Steven
Published: October 2009

Achievement of provincial status has been the dream of many Yukoners since the early 1900s. This paper reviews the struggle for provincial status by Yukoners, and examines the hurdles that must be overcome to achieve provincehood, and the consequences of not being a province. It concludes with recommendations for building a strategy that could assist the Yukon Government in achieving the goal of provincehood.
Shipwrecked on Mansel Island, Hudson Bay: Dr Henry Brietzcke's Arctic health cruise, 1864
Authors: Barr William
Published: October 2009

During 664 round trips between London and Hudson Bay from 1670 to 1913,21 of the supply ships of the Hudson's Bay Company were wrecked, mainly in the Bay or in Hudson Strait; a further seven were severely damaged. The year 1864 was remarkable in that out of three ships making the outward voyage to the Bay, two ran aground on Mansel Island only one hour apart. One ship, Prince Arthur, was wrecked and abandoned. The other, Prince of Wales, was refloated and was able to reach York Factory with Prince Arthur's crew on board. There Prince of Wales was condemned; the crews of both ships returned to England on board Ocean Nymph. The events of the double shipwreck, the sojourn of the crew at York Factory, and the voyage home have been reconstructed, mainly on the basis of the journal of the medical officer of the Prince Arthur, the logs of both ships, and other documents in the Hudson's Bay Company Archives.
Social changes and the mass media: The Oxford House Cree, 1909–83
Authors: Hanks Christopher C. , Granzberg Gary , Steinbring Jack
Published: October 2009

Under a system of treaties introduced after the confederation of Canada in 1867, the natives of the provinces gave up ownership of the land in return for hunting rights, land reserves, yearly payments of ‘treaty money’ and guarantees of medical care and attention. This article examines some of the changes that have affected the people of Oxford House, a Cree village in northern Manitoba, since Treaty Five was negotiated in 1909. Particular reference is made to changes brought about by the cinema, radio and television in the last two decades. Oxford House, a lakeside settlement with current population of 1 300, is described more fully elsewhere (Manitoba 1972).
Currents, fronts and fine structure in the marginal ice zone of the Chukchi Sea
Authors: Bourke Robert H.
Published: October 2009

Project MIZPAC (Marginal Ice Zone Pacific) was initiated in 1971 by the Arctic Submarine Laboratory, San Diego, California, to further the US Navy's understanding of problems associated with operating submarines under ice-covered oceans. Oceanographers from the Naval Postgraduate School took part in six summer cruises to the marginal sea ice zone (MIZ) of the shallow Chukchi Sea between 1971 and 1978 (Fig 1), providing the first detailed observations of the temperature-salinity structure within this dynamically active zone. Strong horizontal gradients of temperature and salinity marking boundaries between water masses (fronts), are widespread and well developed (Paquette and Bourke 1981). Where water masses intrude upon each other large-scale temperature inversions (anomalous increases in temperature with depth) often appear. Termed fine structure, these temperature anomalies include some of the largest observed anywhere in the world's oceans, sometimes exceeding 2°C over vertical distances of 5–10 m (Paquette and Bourke 1979). This article describes some of the fronts and fine structures observed in the Chukchi Sea, and shows how they develop within the general patterns of sea ice and circulation.
Antarctic marine research in winter: the Winter Weddell Sea Project 1986
Authors: Hempel G.
Published: October 2009

From austral autumn to spring 1986 the West German research ship RV Polarstern made three consecutive cruises to Antarctica in 1986; of these the second and third (27 June–14 December) made up the Winter Weddell Sea Projet, the first detailed winter survey of the pack ice, oceanography and biota of the offshore and eastern coastal Weddell Sea south to 76°S. This article briefly describes the ship and outlines the scientific programme, which involved 137 scientists and technicians from 12 German and 16 non-German institutions. In the cruise of 27 June–17 September research was centred on physical and chemical investigations of the structure and dynamics of water, ice and lower atmosphere, including growth and movement of the icefield. The ship penetrated almost to the coast of Dronning Maud Land, failing, however, to find the Weddell Polynya which had appeared on satellite imagery in 1976–78. The cruise of 28 September–14 December added biological investigations to the programme; crossing the main body of pack ice to investigate the eastern coastal polynya, the biology of sea ice, plankton, fish and bottom fauna, and the breeding and feeding of seals and penguins were investigated. Use was made of a field station established on the mainland ice cliff. Helicopters extended the range of the work on both cruises.
Sea ice conditions during an early spring voyage in the eastern Weddell Sea, Antarctica
Authors: Eicken H. , Grenfell T. C. , Stonehouse B.
Published: October 2009

During a late winter and early spring oceanographic voyage south into the Weddell Sea the icebreaker RV Polarstern first encountered patches and bands of loose floes in 58°S; these increased over the next 150 km to form closed ice pack which extended 1000 km to the coast. Along the coast the ship encountered almost continuous shore leads and polynyas that formed repeatedly despite persistently low air and sea temperatures. These areas of open water, which are generally visible in USA NOAA and USSR METEOR satellite photographs, form under the action of strong offshore winds that carry the main body of pack ice west and southwest. Grease ice, pancake ice and nilas spreading over the open water are rafted and ridged by windgenerated stresses to double thickness or more; these kinds of ice were continually driven westward, accumulating in a distinctive zone along the eastern edge of the pack ice. Polynyas and leads narrow and disappear temporarily only when winds with northerly or westerly components bring the pack ice toward the land, and reform as soon as offshore winds predominate. Open water, often more than 15 km wide, was present close to the ship throught the spring voyage, facilitating oceanographic work as far south as 77°S. Polarstern's full icebreaking capacity was needed only occasionally when winds temporarily pressed the pack ice against the coast. The presence throughout early spring of both fast and pack ice, separated by a zone of thin ice or open water, is essential to large populations of Weddell seals, emperor penguins and whales in the area. The transect from the continent included ice pack that was undergoing early summer decay, characterized by differential expansion and melting which brought about a gradual decrease in concentration toward the ice edge.
The future of Antarctic scientific research
Authors: Drewry David J.
Published: October 2009

Within the stable political context of the Antarctic Treaty regime, science has flourished, achieving considerable prominence and an increasing global relevance. Issues such as stratospheric ozone depletion and enhanced ultraviolet effects, environmental and climatic archive from ice cores, detection of anthropogenic pollution, study of global climate change (such as the carbon cycle and sea level), and analysis of unique collections of meteorites have attracted and focused unprecedented international attention on Antarctica. In the future, major challenges will continue to emerge in Antarctic science, driven by conceptual breakthroughs, innovative field research, and rapidly developing technology. Today's fashionable topics such as global wanning, biodiversity, thecarbon pump, and ozone loss may soon fade. What will replace them remains uncertain. The study of the coupling of presently diverse whole-earth systems appears a possibility: the biogeochemical coupling of landmasses, oceans, and ice geared to the study and provision of new food resources, to meet the demands of a world population in exponential growth, will feature considerably in the next century and involve much Antarctic research. Future science will develop against a backdrop of heightening external pressures: (1) the competing demands from the AntarcticTreaty System, including environmental concerns and possible operating restrictions, and the requirement to provide expert opinion from specialised research, (2) increasing problems of the coordination of an expanding and diverse scientific community, (3) the high cost and level of sophistication of modern research, and (4) accountability, particularly in respect of quality scientific results. Within each of these areas national programmes will assess and determine priorities for the future, which will severely test existing systems for collaboration, logistics sharing, and financial underpinning. Attention will need to be directed at a critical evaluation of the international mechanisms and frameworks for establishing the details of the Antarctic scientific agenda, and its meshing with discipline-based research in general.
Comparative zinc and lead toxicity tests with Arctic marine invertebrates and implications for toxicant discharges
Authors: Chapman Peter M. , McPherson Cathy
Published: October 2009

Epontic and benthic amphipods (Onisimus litoralis, Onisimus juveniles, Gammarus setosus, Anonyx nugax, and A. makarovi) and a pelagic mysid (Mysis oculatus) were collected under ice at Little Cornwallis Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. They were exposed, on site, to dissolved zinc and lead to determine lethal concentrations (LC50s). Incidental information was obtained on salinity and temperature tolerance. Subsequent testing of a temperate amphipod and oyster larvae exposed to the two metals provided comparative data to augment a literature review. The Arctic invertebrates were surprisingly insensitive under all test conditions. The implications for Arctic developments, particularly those involving near-shore, point-source discharges, are discussed and recommendations are made for effectively expanding a presently depauperate Arctic marine toxicity database.
Towards a native visual ethnography in Siberia
Authors: Badger Mark , Balikci Asen
Published: October 2009

In August 1991 the authors organized a field seminar on visual anthropology in the village of Kazym in northwestern Siberia. The intention was to help establish the practice of visual ethnography among a small group of native Siberians interested in actively promoting their culture. (Visual anthropology and visual ethnography are terms used to describe the use of film, video, or photography to reveal a society's cultural characteristics either to itself or to other societies.) Members of the Association forUgrian Salvation, a regional native group, had shown an interest in using video ethnography to extend the awareness of Khant culture and to encourage its preservation and revitalization i n the context of its emergence from mainstream Soviet society. Its original intention to provide a record for scholars and for use by Khant teachers in the regional schools had expanded to include television broadcasting of native programs in the Khanty viewing area. The program proved to be a practical way to enhance local participation in creating visual and written ethnographic records for research, archival, and educational purposes.
Looking at the Falkland Islands from Antarctica: the broader regional perspective
Authors: Beck Peter J.
Published: October 2009

A range of geographical, political, legal, economic, scientific, environmental, and other inter-connections can be drawn between the Falkland Islands and Antarctica. One common element concerns the fact that both areas remain the subject of long-standing dispute between Argentina and Britain. In the past, various attempts have been made to present Antarctic experience as the basis for action in the Falklands question, most notably, as part of the search for a resolution of the Anglo-Argentine impasse regarding sovereignty over the Falklands/Malvinas. A number of proposed linkages are examined, although, admittedly, it is easier to pose questions than to provide answers. Nevertheless, the proposals articulate the merits of viewing the Falkland Islands in a wider regional context, defined as covering the archipelago, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica, and possibly South America.
The legal status of the Northern Sea Route
Authors: Timtchenko Leonid
Published: October 2009

For a long period the Northern Sea Route was considered by the Soviet Union as a national seaway closed to foreign shipping. In 1987 Mikhail Gorbachev announced his intention to open the Northern Sea Route for international navigation. In the following years a number of acts were adopted to realise this idea. These documents clarified to a great extent the attitude of the USSR to the sector concept, historic waters, and other aspects of the northern seas. Nevertheless, some uncertainties in the legal status of the Northern Sea Route remain. This article focuses on the doctrinal views, state practice of the USSR and Russia, and prospects of internationalisation of the Northern Sea Route on the basis of international convention.
The first Antarctic voyage of Edgar Allan Poe
Authors: Higginson Ian N.
Published: October 2009

The Palmer-Pendleton sealing and exploring expedition (1829–1831) was the first American voyage of discovery to the Antarctic that had official government sanction. For the writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), this expedition was an important landmark in an age when science was beginning to change the American continent socially, politically, and geographically. The shift away from Jefferson's agrarian Utopia was marked tangibly by increased industrialisation, the advent of the railroad, the growth of scientific societies, the beginning of elite professionalisation in the sciences, and this major American Antarctic voyage. In the same year as the expedition left the US, Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881), philosopher and author, recorded the effect that such scientific and technological changes had wrought upon the literary artist when he characterised the era metaphorically as: ‘the Age of Machinery in every outward and inward sense of that word.’ The belief that a repetitive, blunt mechanism that stifled artistic imagination had entered society led Poe to offer a stark criticism of science and scientific method in his tale ‘MS found in a bottle’ (1832). This tale, written shortly after the return of the Palmer-Pendleton expedition, centres upon a voyage to the Antarctic and embodies some of Poe's finest early writing. Interleaved with the critique of science are contemporary themes of discovery, and the Romantic preoccupation with man's relationship to nature.
Snow-mass intercomparisons in the boreal forests from general circulation models and remotely sensed data sets
Authors: Foster James , Koster Randy , Behr Helga , Dümenil Lydia , Cohen Judah , Essery Richard , Liston Glen , Thompson Starley , Pollard David , Verseghy Diana
Published: October 2009

In much of the boreal forests, snow covers the ground for half of the year. Since these boreal forests comprise approximately 15% of the land normally covered by snow during the winter and upwards of 40% of the land surface normally snow-covered during the spring and autumn, reliable measures of snow cover and snow mass are required for improved energy-balance and water-balance estimates. In this study, results from snow-depth climatological data (SDC), passive microwave satellite data, and output from general circulation models (GCMs) have been intercompared for the boreal forests of both North America and Eurasia. In Eurasia, during the winter months, snowmass estimates from these data sets correspond rather well; however, in North America, the passive microwave estimates are smaller than the estimates from the climatological data and the modeled data. The underestimation results primarily from the effects of vegetation on the microwave signal. The reason why the underestimation is a bigger problem in North America than in Eurasia is likely due to the use of global microwave algorithms that have not accounted for regional differences in the size of snow grains. The GCMs generally produce too much snow in the spring season. This is a result of the models having moisture amounts that are greater and temperatures that are slightly lower than observed, in the late winter and early spring periods. The models compare more favorably with the SDC in the Eurasian boreal forest than in the forests of North America during the winter season. However, in the spring, the model results for the North America boreal forest are in better agreement with the SDC than are the forests of Eurasia.
The Franklin search in Parliament
Authors: Stone Ian R.
Published: October 2009

The record of Parliamentary proceedings relating to the Franklin search covers the period 1848–1863. The main subject of discussion was the need for the government to mount search expeditions, while topics such as rewards for successful expeditions and the question of the provision of monuments to Sir John Franklin also occupied Parliamentary time. Interest in the matter among Members of Parliament crossed party boundaries. Most of the activity was in the House of Commons rather than in the House of Lords, because the former House had control of expenditure. A further reason was that the government was more exposed to questioning in the House of Commons, because, for most of the period, the First Lord of the Admiralty was a member of that House. Lady Franklin also had a wider range of acquaintance in the House of Commons and was able to conduct a lobbying campaign using it as a medium.
Weather, twilight, and auroral observing from Spitsbergen in the polar winter
Authors: Simmons D. A. R. , Sigernes F. , Henriksen K.
Published: October 2009

Despite the harshness of the weather, the winter months on Spitsbergen provide good opportunities for auroral observing. December is usually the cloudiest month, but it also has many short-lived periods of post-cyclonic clearing of excellent clarity. January, however, is the most favourable month, with long periods of clear, dark skies due to the dominance of anticyclonic systems over the polar cap. February is also a very good month from the meteorological point of view, but observing opportunities are much more restricted by increasing twilight, especially in the latter half of the month. The most frequently observed types of aurora are patchy prenoon aurora, noontime or cusp aurora, discrete postnoon arcs, discrete polar-cap aurora, and substorm aurora. Diffuse polar-cap (polar glow) aurora and storm-type aurora are also seen occasionally but only at times of great geomagnetic disturbance.