The Proposed Second International Polar Year, 1932-1933

American Geographical Society

The Proposed Second International Polar Year, 1932-1933Author(s): J. A. FlemingSource: Geographical Review, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jan., 1932), pp. 131-134Published by: American Geographical SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/209531 .

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THE PROPOSED SECOND INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR, 1932-1933

J. A. Fleming Carnegie Institution of Washington

THE importance of securing geophysical data in the polar regions has long been recognized, but rarely has it been possible to undertake scientific programs of observation simultaneously at enough high latitude stations to secure

comparable data. The one notable exception is the first International Polar Year of August, 1882, to August, 1883, sponsored by the International Meteorological Organization in accordance with suggestions made in 1875 by Lieutenant Karl Weyprecht of Austria. The immeasurable enhancement in the worth of polar observations through this cooperative endeavor has been amply demonstrated by the theoretical and practical applications of some twenty volumes of data obtained during that period.

THE PLAN PROPOSED

The International Meteorological Organization held a conference at Copenhagen in September, 1929, with representatives from 34 countries present, during which there was proposed a second International Polar Year program. This proposal had its stimulus in the many new problems in the geophysical sciences that have arisen during the past fifty years. As was formally stated in the resolutions: "The Conference is of the opinion that magnetic, auroral, and meteorological observations at a network of stations in the arctic and antarctic would materially advance present knowledge and understanding of the magnetic, auroral, and meteorological phe- nomena not only within the polar regions but in general. The Conference is also of the opinion that this increased knowledge will be of practical application to problems connected with terrestrial magnetism, marine and aerial navigation, wireless telegraphy, and weather-forecasting."

The unanimous action taken at Copenhagen has the support of other international organizations. Thus the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics at its Stockholm assembly during August, 1930, passed an unanimous resolution supporting the proposed program, with the statement, "Any concerted international effort for the prosecution of a simultaneous program of geophysical observations will yield data of incalculable value." This action was taken upon the recommendations of many national research councils of the various countries concerned, including particularly the National Research Council of the United States.

The following commissions of the International Meteorological Organization are also actively co6perating in the preparation of the proposed program: Explora- tion of the Upper Air; Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity; Synoptic Weather Information; Solar Radiation; Maritime Meteorology, and Study of Clouds. The program contemplates observations also at sea and in this has the support of the Permanent Council for the Exploration of the Sea. The International Union of Scientific Radio Telegraphy has appointed a special subcommission on the advisability of making special wireless observations and at its Copenhagen meeting in May, 1931, recommended and formulated a program for scientific radio observations during the Polar Year. Many countries have designated special Polar Year committees made up of their most eminent scientists to further cooperation in the

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project. Among these are Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM

How carefully matters of detail for the proposed program are being developed may be seen by reference to the printed proceedings' of the Copenhagen conference. This volume, besides the resolutions bearing on the subject, includes various appendixes of the several commissions of the Organization summarizing the aims and objects of the magnetic, electric, auroral, and meteorological work proposed.

The development of the program has been entrusted by the International Meteor- ological Organization to its International Polar Year Commission for I932-I933. Dr. D. La Cour, Director of the Danish Meteorological Institution, is the President of this Commission, which has two representatives from the United States in a total of fifteen (N. H. Heck, of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, and J. A. Fleming, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington). The first printed report of the Commission2 covers the transactions of its meeting held at Leningrad in

August, 1930, and includes a history of the effort and its organization, resolutions

adopted for the guidance of the workers, and appendixes giving in detail reports and recommendations for observation, for equipment, and for general plans for observatories and quarters. A second meeting of the Commission was held at Inns- bruck, September 25-26, I931, at which an American representative, Professor Charles F. Brooks, was in attendance. At this meeting some fifty-seven resolutions were formulated with reference to the program (report of this meeting has not yet been published). The reports of the president and the various national committees showed that, despite the present world-wide unfavorable economic conditions, notable participation was already guaranteed. There was unanimous agreement approving the proposal that the program at Arctic stations as originally planned for the year August, I932, to August, I933, be adhered to, but for Antarctic stations -inaccessible in time to begin in August-for the year from January, I933, to January, 1934.

STATUS OF THE STATIONS

The program proposed recommended establishing forty-three stations in the Arctic region, while in the Antarctic region-so much more difficult of access-it was proposed to establish at least five stations in addition to the permanent one operated by the Argentine government in the South Orkneys. Thus far twenty-six nations have indicated that either their governments or their national academies of sciences may participate by organizing special stations or by intensifying programs of observation at their existing stations. An important feature of the proposed program-a feature which in some senses makes the designation "Polar Year" an inadequate definition of the effort-is that the program will be carried out not only at these stations proposed but also at other existing magnetic and electric observatories (fifty-five in round numbers), as well as at a number of observatories, to be established particularly for the Polar Year, in various parts of the temperate and torrid zones. Thus the program will involve over one hundred widely-distributed stations in all parts of the world.

The Commission has asked that if possible the United States participate by occupying (i) a station in Alaska at or near Fairbanks to take the place of the

1 See Proces-Verbaux des Seances de la Conference Internationale des Directeurs du Comit6

Meteorologique International et de Diverses Commissions a Copenhague, Septembre I929. Utrecht, 1930.

2 Premier rapport de la Commission Internationale de I'Annee Polaire I932-I933. Secretariat de

l'Organisation Meteorol. Internatl. [Publ.] No. 6, Leiden, I930.

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FIG. i-Map showing proposed stations for the International Polar Year above 55? north latitude: reproduction on a reduced scale of the map accompanying " Premier rapport de la Commission Inter- nationale de l'Ann6e Polaire, I932-I933," with change of the status of stations I8 and 19 to "assured." The numbers have reference: I, Eskdalemuir; 2, Lerwick; 3, Rude Skov (Copenhagen); 4, Lov6 (Stockholm); 5, Abisko; 6, Bossekop-Tromso; 7, Bear Island; 8, Cape Thorsden; 9, Hammerfest; io, Kautokeino; II, Petsamo; I2, Sodankyla; I3, Kandalaksha; 14, Slutsk; I5, Kutchino; I6, Kazan; 17, Sverdlovsk; 18, Matochkin Shar; I9, Hooker Island; 20, Dickson; 21, Mouth of the Lena River; 22, Bulun; 23, Yakutsk; 24, Nijni Kolymsk; 25, Yellen (East Cape); 26, Point Barrow; 27, Fairbanks; 28, Sitka; 29, Fort Rae; 30, Meanook; 31, Chesterfield; 32, Fort Conger (Lady Franklin Bay); 33, Cape York (Thule); 34, Kingua Fiord; 35, Godhavn; 36, Godthaab; 37, Ivigtut; 38, Angmagssalik; 39, Scores- by Sound; 40, Myggbukta; 41, Jan Mayen Island; 42, Reykjavik; 43, Seydisfiord.

Point Barrow station occupied by the government in 1882-1883 and (2) the station of 1882-1883 at Fort Conger in Ellesmere Island. After scrutiny and study of the statements submitted in November, I930, on behalf of the International Commission

by Professor A. E. Kennelly and the writer, the Secretary of State has recommended an appropriation of $30,000 for an observatory and necessary instruments and for

pay and transportation of personnel to establish a station at Fairbanks, Alaska. This recommendation had the favorable endorsement of President Hoover in a

special message to Congress. There is already a fully equipped station for the study and measurement of auroral displays and their heights at College (three miles from Fairbanks) under the direction of the College department of physics provided for a period of five years from 1930 through the generosity of the Rockefeller Foundation, It is expected the regular meteorological observations on the Point Barrow and

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other Alaskan stations will be amplified by the Weather Bureau to include special work proposed by the Commission so far as possible by current allotments. It is

hoped that reoccupation of Fort Conger may be effected through a private American

expedition by private subscriptions from various sources. The American Telephone and Telegraph Company, in addition to arranging for

a continuance of the earth-current work at Tucson, Ariz., in co6peration with the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and the Carnegie Institution of Washington until

August, 1933, has made provision to determine during the Polar Year earth potentials in the vicinity of New York, at a station in the Mississippi Valley probably near

Wyanet, Ill., and at a station near Houlton, Me., as well as to continue the study of radio transmission between this continent and Europe and South America, probably also extending this investigation to include transmission from Hawaii and Japan as received in California. Other assured participants in the western hemisphere are Canada and Brazil, and Chile also has promised to take part. The Meteorological Office of Great Britain has made arrangements through a personal inspection tour of one of its staff for the reoccupation of the station at Fort Rae, in Canada.

In the eastern hemisphere the stations definitely arranged for include participation by most of the European governments not only in the Arctic and Antarctic regions but also in Africa.

Of the magnetic and meteorological stations proposed for the Arctic by the Com- mission sixteen are already established, fourteen are assured, six are probable, and five are possible. Of the stations proposed by the Commission for the Antarctic one is already established (South Orkneys), and one will probably be realized (New Year's Island) by the Argentine Republic; three have been assured (Kerguelen Island, Easter Island, and Tristan da Cunha) by France, Chile, and Brazil; and one (Graham Land) will probably be established by the Government of the Falkland Islands. In addition it is hoped that New Zealand may undertake the establishment of stations at Macquarie Island and Cape Adare and that one or two stations on the Antarctic continent may be occupied by private expeditions.

Of special localities in the temperate and torrid zones, France has already arranged for stations in the Ahaggar and at Dakar, while Spain will probably establish stations on the Canary Islands and Fernando Po, Belgium in the Belgian Congo, Italy in Somaliland, and Brazil at Par'a. Among other special localities proposed, stations for which are being considered but are not yet definitely decided, are Cape Colony by Great Britain, a station in Asia Minor by Turkey, and stations in central China and Mongolia by China. That part of the program calling for special meteorological observations at high mountain stations in the Arctic is already assured by three established stations, ten probable stations, and four possible stations sponsored by Denmark, France, Iceland, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics.

Upon completion of the Polar Year and publication of the resulting data by the individual governments and organizations occupying stations, it is essential that

provision be made to co6rdinate, reduce, and compile the data under the direction of the International Polar Year Commission. After the publication of results at individual stations it is proposed to distribute the data for study and discussion to specialists who will report to the Commission, thus permitting general coordination of findings, and insuring their consideration in the broadest aspects.

It will be seen that the whole plan is an ambitious one. However, considering the advances that have been made in equipment, in technique, and along new lines of research, it is no more ambitious than the plan realized so successfully in the first International Polar Year fifty years ago.

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Documents

The Proposed Second International Polar Year, 1932-1933