Screen LibraryThe land beneath the ice : the pioneering years of radar exploration in Antarctica /
"As soon as humans spied and later set foot on the remote Antarctic continent in the early nineteenth century, they became aware of its ice cover, and desired to learn about its extent, shape, thickness, and behavior. In this book, David Drewry-glaciologist and former Director of the Scott Pola...
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| Main Authors: | |
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Princeton University Press,
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| Publisher Address: | Princeton, New Jersey : |
| Publication Dates: | [2023] |
| Literature type: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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| Summary: |
"As soon as humans spied and later set foot on the remote Antarctic continent in the early nineteenth century, they became aware of its ice cover, and desired to learn about its extent, shape, thickness, and behavior. In this book, David Drewry-glaciologist and former Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute-recounts the science and history of a ground-breaking time in recent Antarctic geophysical exploration, in which scientists were finally able to "see" through the Antarctic ice sheet and take its measure. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, scientists' ability to peer beneath the Antarctic ice sheet and map its thickness was revolutionized by the technology, techniques, and exploratory campaigns of the Radio Echo Sounding Programme, conducted by the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge in the UK. The exploratory radar mapping campaigns of this ambitious research program were largely accomplished during the Cold War, as interest and concern in global climate change were just emerging. To those involved in this research and fieldwork, it was evident that the environment of the planet was indeed changing, and that the great ice masses of Antarctica and Greenland, and their evolving stability and behavior, would feature significantly in understanding the future of our world. This book gives an account of the Radio Echo Sounding Programme, describing the scientific background, goals, various scientific, human, political, and natural challenges, and discoveries of the research program. It follows the twists and turns of operating in a remote and hostile region, where detailed and exact planning and preparations were constantly at risk of disruption by bad weather, mechanical and electronic breakdowns, aircraft crashes, and human frailty. It also highlights the strong international cooperation that occurred in Antarctica, during this contentious time in history, speaking to the importance of the 1961 Antarctic Treaty as well as the necessity of working together to tackle problems of global significance"-- "A wondrous story of scientific endeavor-probing the great ice sheets of AntarcticaFrom the moment explorers set foot on the ice of Antarctica in the early nineteenth century, they desired to learn what lay beneath. David Drewry provides an insider's account of the ambitious and often hazardous radar mapping expeditions that he and fellow glaciologists undertook during the height of the Cold War, when concerns about global climate change were first emerging and scientists were finally able to peer into the Antarctic ice and take its measure.In this panoramic book, Drewry charts the history and breakthrough science of Radio Echo Sounding, a revolutionary technique that has enabled researchers to measure the thickness and properties of ice continuously from the air-transforming our understanding of the world's great ice sheets. To those involved in this epic fieldwork, it was evident that our planet is rapidly changing, and its future depends on the stability and behavior of these colossal ice masses. Drewry describes how bad weather, downed aircraft, and human frailty disrupt the most meticulously laid plans, and how success, built on remarkable international cooperation, can spawn institutional rivalries.The Land Beneath the Ice captures the excitement and innovative spirit of a pioneering era in Antarctic geophysical exploration, recounting its perils and scientific challenges, and showing how its discoveries are helping us to tackle environmental challenges of global significance"-- |
| Carrier Form: | xxxi, 409 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps (some color), portraits ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: |
9780691237916 0691237913 |
| Index Number: | GB2401 |
| CLC: | P343.6 |
| Call Number: | P343.6/D776 |
| Contents: | The Antarctic Ice Sheet Puzzle -- Sounding through the Ice -- The Advent of Radio-Echo Sounding -- Flight into the Unknown: Long-Range Antarctic Campaigns Commence -- The Second Antarctic Season 1969-70: A Task for Hercules -- Review and New Plans -- The Continental Survey Begins: A Land Emerges -- New Impetus -- 1974-75: Radio-Echo Sounding Comes of Age -- Data, Research, and Politics -- Changing Planes -- The Final Season 1978-79 -- The Axe Falls -- The Antarctic Folio -- The Last Push -- The Aftermath -- Reflections. |