At the mercy of nature
Subtitle: Shackleton's survival saga gives promise for our future
By: Carl N. McDaniel ; illustrations by Donald Watson
Contributors: Watson, Donald
Publisher: Sigel Press
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Medina, Ohio
Language: eng
Number of pages: 181
ISBN-13: 9781905941209; 9781905941216
Subjects: Discovery and exploration; British; Discoveries in geography; Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917); Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917) fast (OCoLC)fst01409297; Endurance (Ship)
Description: "The year 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. On December 5, 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton, along with 27 men aboard the ship Endurance, departed South Georgia Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean for Vahsel Bay on the northeast coast of Antarctica with the intent of trekking across the continent. On August 20, 1916, Shackleton on the Yelcho picked up 22 men on the northeast coast of Elephant Island. Between those two dates Shackleton and his men lived the most notable survival story in recorded history. Biologist Carl N. McDaniel retells the story of the Endurance Party in detail to provide the reader with an appreciation of what an extraordinary accomplishment Shackleton and his men achieved. Individuals familiar with the Endurance Party's story have offered reasons for their survival including discipline, leadership, optimism, skills, talents, and teamwork; good luck; and supernatural forces. McDaniel considers in detail these explanations and then adds another heretofore unmentioned: use of verifiable evidence-based knowledge acquired by the scientific method for making important decisions. None of these reasons alone is sufficient; however, without McDaniel's final reason it is extremely likely they would have perished."--Publisher's web site.
Notes: "Shackleton's Endurance saga gives promise for our future"--Cover.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Table of contents: title: pt. 1. Story of the Endurance party. Adrift in the Weddell Sea ice; title: Living on the floes; title: Reaching land; title: Sailing the Drake Passage; title: Crossing South Georgia; title: pt. 2. Why did the Endurance party survive? Message from the Endurance party's survival; title: pt. 3. Nature's rules and decision making. Nature's rules; title: Climate change; title: Biodiversity and life support; title: Human population; title: Economic system and resources; title: Leadership and durable societies.