International Geophysical Cooperation Research Articles

Some reflections on the Antarctic Treaty

2009 brings not only the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty but also the end of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) and of its extension into the period of International Geophysical Cooperation (IGC 1959). It is also the 133rd anniversary of K. Weyprecht's suggestion that initiated the impetus. As he noted, ‘if Polar Expeditions are looked upon merely as a sort of international steeple-chase . . . and their main object is to exceed by a few miles the latitude reached by a predecessor these mysteries (of Meteorology and Geomagnetism) will remain unsolved’ (Weyprecht 1875). Although he stressed the importance of observations in both the Arctic and Antarctic during the first International Polar Year (IPY) in 1882–1883 only two stations in the sub-Antarctic region, at Cap Horn and South Georgia, made such scientific recordings. In spite of the fact that several expeditions to the Antarctic had been made in the period between the first and the second IPY 1932–1933, no stations were created in Antarctica during that IPY. The major increase in scientific studies in Antarctica came with the third IPY, which became the IGY of 1957–1958.

Amongst the palm trees: ruminations on the 1959 Antarctic Treaty

Surrounded by potted palm trees, the 12 delegations including the Soviet Union invited to participate by the United States government decided, over the course of six intense weeks, the legal, political and scientific future of the Antarctic continent and surrounding seas. Thanks in part to the neatly typed entries of Brian Roberts, the Foreign Office's polar advisor for many years; we have at least one source that vividly conveys (from the perspective of a British delegate of course) the febrile atmosphere surrounding the conference (see King and Savours 1995; Dodds 2008). Notwithstanding the achievements of the recently completed 1957–1958 International Geophysical Year and its extension the International Geophysical Co-operation (1959), there was no reason to presume that an Antarctic Treaty would be recognised as legitimate and sufficiently robust to accommodate all the parties concerned. Indeed, it is not uncommon to read in the reports prepared by the delegates for their domestic political leaders, a whole series of counter-factual possibilities if the negotiations failed to secure a modus vivendi for the polar region. We may not assume, therefore, that it was in any way inevitable that a treaty (lasting now for over fifty years) would have emerged when the delegates sat down to discuss the future of Antarctica in October 1959. The treaty was nearly not ratified in Argentina for example because of the anger felt by some political leaders about Article IV and what they considered the ‘giving away’ of Argentine sovereign rights.

‘Will the Russians abandon Mirny to the penguins after 1959 . . . or will they stay?’

ABSTRACTThis paper traces the Soviet responses to initiatives of international scientific institutions for collaborative research in the Antarctic dating from the International Geophysical Year (IGY) through to the formation of the Special Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the extension of the IGY for a year during the International Geophysical Cooperation. It demonstrates the consistently positive attitudes of the USSR to these initiatives and the steps that were taken at the national level to enable it to continue international collaboration. Other countries with interests in the Antarctic conjectured whether the Soviets had a long term strategy for continuing their presence in the South Polar region. The evidence suggests that from the day the Soviets set foot on the Antarctic continent, they had no intention of leaving.

Introduction to this Special Section:eGY

The International Geophysical Year (IGY) represented a worldwide effort to explore our planet using the best science and technology available in 1957. The IGY was somewhat misnamed in that it actually ran 18 months with a 12-month extension called the International Geophysical Cooperation (IGC). The goals of IGY/IGC were simultaneous observations in 15 areas: aurora and airglow, cosmic rays, geomagnetism, glaciology, gravity, ionospheric physics, latitude and longitude determination, meteorology, oceanography, rocketry, satellites, seismology, solar activity, radioactivity of the atmosphere, and World Days. The IGY took place simultaneously with the launching of the first artificial Earth satellites, which inaugurated the “space age.” Over 70 countries collaborated and supported the development of plans for peaceful collection and exchange of geoscientific meaurements, their interpretation, and understanding. Now, for IGY's 50th Anniversary, more than 120 countries are collaborating in several “geophysica...

Electromagnetic induction due to solar flares at equatorial stations

The solar flare effects (sfe) in the horizontal ( H), vertical ( Z) and eastward ( Y) geomagnetic fields at the equatorial electrojet stations around the world operating during International Geophysical Year and International Geophysical Cooperation Year (IGY–IGC, 1957–59) period have been examined. The amplitude of sfe( H) at any station was maximum around midday hours. The amplitude of sfe( Z) showed an abnormally large positive value at Trivandrum in spite of it being only 0.3° south of the magnetic equator. The ratio of Δ Z/Δ H exceeded 1.0 in most of the cases, the mean value being 1.34. During counter electrojet period both Δ H and Δ Z were negative maintaining similar high Δ Z/Δ H values. These abnormal values of Δ Z at Trivandrum are due to induction of electrojet current in the conducting graben in Palk Strait, between India and Sri Lanka. The latitudinal extent of induction effects in sfe( Z) in India depends on the sharpness of the temporal growth of the flare.

Polish Geological Research in Svalbard

The Polish geological investigations started in the Svalbard archipelago in 1934. The most diversified stratigraphic, tectonic, sedimentological and palacontological work, along with detailed geological mapping, was carried out in the Hornsund area, south Spitsbergen, between 1957 and 1960, in connection with the Illrd International Geophysical Year and its prolongation (International Geophysical Co-operation). Between 1962 and 1970, some Polish geologists worked in Spitsbergen for the Norwegian Polar Institute. From 1974 onwards, the Polish geological investigations extended from southern to central and eastern Spitsbergen. In south Spitsbergen, at Hornsund, they are based at the Polish Scientific Station built already in 1957, and renovated in 1978. The paper presents a review of mainly pre-Quaternary (Proterozoic through Tertiary) geological, structuraltectonic, petrological, stratigraphic, palaeontologiesl and sedimentologtcal problems of Svalbard elaborated by the Polish geologists.

The influence of the participation in the igy/igc programmes on present-day czechoslovak geophysics

The present paper was written on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the world-wode scientific venture called the International Geophysical Year and the International Geophysical Cooperation. The participation of Czechoslovakia was active and successful. The two following decades were, so to say, stigmatized in this country by the spirit of the IGY, the spirit of “devotion and skill”, as Sydney Chapman said. The quantitative growth of the staff, laboratories and working teams was, of course, significant. More significant, however, was the change in the minds of the geophysicists toward a deeper understanding of the difficult problems of the Earth. This understanding requires a closer co-operation in many fields, a gradual amalgamation along the contacts of the individual disciplines of the Earth's sciences. Ten years ago, for the first time, man touched the Moon and opened a new epoch. Geophysics will continue to develop in the new epoch, too. The author wishes the human generations, who will be living in the new epoch, good luck.

Ionospheric Observations at Madras During the I.G.Y. and I.G.C.

During the International Geophysical Year and the International Geophysical Cooperation, the Ionospheric Station of All India Radio at Madras took part in the regular programme of observations. An analysis of some of the characteristics of the ionosphere from the data collected during the period 1957–59 is dealt with in this note.The diurnal variation of the critical frequency and the height of maximum ionization follow the trend in other ‘equatorial’ stations. The occurrence of spread echoes follows the ‘equatorial’ pattern and has an inverse relationship with geomagnetic activity. Sporadic E is common during day-time but the values of fEs are significantly lower than those observed at equatorial stations like Trivandrum, Tiruchirapalli and Huancayo.

Investigation of ionospheric absorption on 5·65 Mc/s at Waltair

This paper presents the results of ionospheric absorption measurements conducted at Waltair (Latitude 17.7°N, Longitude S3.3°: E and Geomagnetic Latitude 7.4°N) during the International Geophysical Year and International Geophysical Co-operation periods on a frequency of 5.65 Mc/s. The solar zenith distance variation of diurnal and seasonal data of absorption follows a law of the form 8.7 ¦log e p¦ = A 1 · (ƒ) −2 · cos n % dB only as an approximation. The variation of the cos % index has a significant negative correlation with Zürich relative sunspot number R. The monthly mean diurnal variation as well as seasonal noon-time variation of absorption confirms, more precisely, to a law of the form ¦log e p¦ = A' + B . F(ƒ 0E/ƒ) cos % nepers where A' is a constant expected to refer to the non-deviative absorption in lower D-region. A' is found to vary linearly with R. A method is suggested to estimate the relative amounts of D- and E-region absorption at noon from the cos % index data. The absorption ¦log e p¦ and A' are found to vary inversely as the square of the operating frequency.

Recent Scientific Activities at Halley Bay: International Geophysical Co-operation, 1959

Recent Scientific Activities at Halley Bay: International Geophysical Co-operation, 1959

United States research at drifting stations in the Arctic Ocean

Project “Ice Skate” was initiated in 1957 to establish and support the United States drifting research stations in the Arctic Ocean, “Alpha”, and “Bravo” and later the “Alpha” replacement, “Charlie”. The purpose of the project was to provide facilities for research in geophysical phenomena as prescribed in the Arctic Ocean Study Program formulated by the United States National Committee for the International Geophysical Year, and continued under the International Geophysical Co-operation Program.

CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE AIR-BORNE FISSION PRODUCTS AT GROUND LEVEL IN CANADA DURING I.G.Y.

Daily measurements are reported of the concentration of air-borne fission products at ground level in Canada during the period from late 1957 to the end of March 1959. The measurements, conducted at 14 stations throughout Canada, were part of the Canadian program for the International Geophysical Year and International Geophysical Co-operation. The results are given in the form of charts for each of the 14 stations, and monthly averages for each of the stations are tabulated.

The profile of solar hydrogen-Lyman-α

The profile of the Lyman-α line of hydrogen in the radiation from the sun was determined using a photographic spectrograph, flown in an Aerobee-High rocket on July 21, 1959, as a part of the United States effort in the International Geophysical Cooperation, 1959. The instrument employed a 50-cm radius, 1200 I/mm diffraction grating in the 13th order, following a design originated by Dr. Robert J. Meltzer of the Bausch and Lomb Optical Company. Overlapping orders and stray light were effectively eliminated by means of a similar grating as a predisperser; this grating was used at an angle of incidence such that the optical system as a whole was stigmatic. Therefore, points along the spectrum line corresponded to points in a narrow slice diametrically across the sun.

Czechoslovak programme of international geophysical cooperation 1959

Czechoslovak programme of international geophysical cooperation 1959