Japanese Antarctic Expedition Research Articles

The Japanese Antarctic Expedition and the Idea of White Australia

When the Japanese Antarctic Expedition arrived unexpectedly in Sydney Harbour in May 1911, its members anticipated a hostile reception in a country renowned for its White Australia Policy. Contrary to this expectation, the Japanese explorers developed a positive relationship with the people and officials of Sydney. This article explains this relationship by placing it in the context of the flourishing expatriate Japanese community of early twentieth-century Sydney. In doing so it argues that rather than ‘the indispensable condition of every other Australian policy’ the White Australia Policy was mutable and inconsistently applied in different spatial and temporal contexts.

The tension between emotive/aesthetic and analytic/scientific motifs in the work of amateur visual documenters of Antarctica's Heroic Era

ABSTRACTVisual documenters made a major contribution to the recording of the Heroic Era of Antarctic exploration. By far the best known were the professional photographers, Herbert Ponting and Frank Hurley, hired to photograph British and Australasian expeditions. But a great number of images – photographs and artworks – were also produced by amateurs on lesser known European expeditions and a Japanese one. These amateurs were sometimes designated official illustrators, often scientists recording their research. This paper offers a discursive examination of illustrations from the Belgian Antarctic Expedition (1897–1899), German Deep Sea Expedition (1898–1899), German South Polar Expedition (1901–1903), Swedish South Polar Expedition (1901–1903), French Antarctic Expedition (1903–1905) and Japanese Antarctic Expedition (1910–1912), assessing their representations of exploration in Antarctica in terms of the tension between emotive/aesthetic and systematic analytic/scientific motifs. Their depictions were influenced by their illustrative skills and their ‘ways of seeing’, produced from their backgrounds and the sponsorship needs of the expedition.

Tethered balloon-borne aerosol measurements: seasonal and vertical variations of aerosol constituents over Syowa Station, Antarctica

Abstract. Tethered balloon-borne aerosol measurements were conducted at Syowa Station, Antarctica, during the 46th Japanese Antarctic expedition (2005–2006). Direct aerosol sampling was operated from near the surface to the lower free troposphere (approximately 2500 m) using a balloon-borne aerosol impactor. Individual aerosol particles were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Seasonal and vertical features of aerosol constituents and their mixing states were investigated. Results show that sulfate particles were predominant in the boundary layer and lower free troposphere in summer, whereas sea-salt particles were predominant during winter through spring. Minerals, MgSO4, and sulfate containing K were identified as minor aerosol constituents in both boundary layer and free troposphere over Syowa Station. Although sea-salt particles were predominant during winter through spring, the relative abundance of sulfate particles increased in the boundary layer when air masses fell from the free troposphere over the Antarctic coast and continent. Sea-salt particles were modified considerably through heterogeneous reactions with SO42− CH3SO3− and their precursors during summer, and were modified slightly through heterogeneous reactions with NO3− and its precursors. During winter through spring, sea-salt modification was insignificant, particularly in the cases of high relative abundance of sea-salt particles and higher number concentrations. In August, NO3− and its precursors contributed greatly to sea-salt modification over Syowa Station. Because of the occurrence of sea-salt fractionation on sea ice, Mg-rich sea-salt particles were identified during the months of April through November. In contrast, Mg-free sea-salt particles and slightly Mg-rich sea-salt particles coexisted in the lower troposphere during summer. Thereby, Mg separation can proceed by sea-salt fractionation during summer in Antarctic regions.

Seasonal variations and vertical features of aerosol particles in the Antarctic troposphere

Abstract. Tethered balloon-borne aerosol measurements were conducted at Syowa Station, Antarctica during the 46th Japanese Antarctic expedition (2005–2006). The CN concentration reached a maximum in the summer, although the number concentrations of fine particles (Dp>0.3 μm) and coarse particles (Dp>2.0 μm) increased during the winter–spring. The CN concentration was 30–2200 cm−3 near the surface (surface – 500 m) and 7–7250 cm−3 in the lower free troposphere (>1500 m). During the austral summer, higher CN concentration was often observed in the lower free troposphere, where the number concentrations in fine and coarse modes were remarkably lower. The frequent appearance of higher CN concentrations in the free troposphere relative to continuous aerosol measurements at the ground strongly suggests that new particle formation is more likely to occur in the lower free troposphere in Antarctic regions. Seasonal variations of size distribution of fine-coarse particles show that the contribution of the coarse mode was greater in the winter–spring than in summer because of the dominance of sea-salt particles in the winter–spring. The number concentrations of fine and coarse particles were high in air masses from the ocean and mid-latitudes. Particularly, aerosol enhancement was observed not only in the boundary layer, but also in the lower free troposphere during and immediately after Antarctic haze events occurring in May, July and September.

Some Aspects of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition

In the austral summer of 1911-1912, Lieutenant Shirase organized the first Japanese Antarctic Expedition and explored the eastern part of Ross Ice Shelf and a part of Edward VII Peninsula. After that, only a few bibliographical studies were conducted by some scholars and people who are interested in polar expeditions. Japan resumed its Antarctic activity on the occasion of the International Geophysical Year in 1957-1958. Since then, multi-disciplinary scientific investigations have been continued within the framework of international cooperation.The progress of the earth science research in the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition can be devided chronologically into four stages. In the first stage from 1957 to 1968, the research in earth science provided fundamental knowledge on the environment of the vast region around the Japanese Scientific Station ‘Syowa’ in Liitzow-Holm Bay, East Antarctica, through extensive studies conducted by oversnow traverses and field surveys in ice-free areas. General geology and geomorphology of the eastern Lutzow-Holm Bay area and the inland Yamato Mountains, surface features of the ice sheet from Syowa to South Pole, and some ice thickness profiles by seismic shooting gradually came to our knowledge through this stage.During the second stage in 1969-1975, the research programme became rather intensive, based on a systematic planning. The main research project was the Glaciological Research Programme in Mizuho Plateau. Glaciological oversnow traverses were carried out for the studies of mass budget in a local drainage basin of the ice sheet and the ice sheet dynamics. The drilling of the ice sheet was also conducted at the inland Mizuho Station. In addition, geological, geomorphological and geochemical studies were also made on a smaller scale. The finding of the “Yamato Meteorites” was one of the main results.In the third stage in 1976/1978, the main programme of the expedition was the upper atmosphere physics during the International Magnetospheric Studies. Therefore, earth science studies were done on a smaller scale, as a sort of supplementary investigation.In 1979, research activities entered into the fourth stage. The glaciology programme were combined together for the study of interaction in heat and mass transfer among the ice sheet, the atmosphere, and the surrounding ocean, in the international POLEX SOUTH programme. The earth science programmes, as one of the two major projects in this period, cover the integrated investigation of geology, solid earth geophysics, and marine geology and geomorphology.On the other hand, the research in South Victoria Land has been continued by Japanese parties since 1963/1964, with logistic support by the United States and New Zealand. The geochemistry had been the main research field, culminated in the international Dry Valley Drilling Project from 1973 to 1975. From 1976/1977 to 1978/1979 austral summer, a search for Antarctic meteorites became the main theme as the U.S.-Japan joint project, which terminated in successful results.

Sea-to-air heat fluxes in the southwest Indian Ocean in summer

Simple bulk transfer formulas and marine meteorological data (1956–1962) from the Japanese Antarctic Expedition ship Sōya were used to examine the latent and sensible heat loss by the ocean between southern Africa and Enderby Land, Antarctica, in the summer. For a limited ocean region centered near 67°S, 41°E average January values of the oceanic latent and sensible heat loss were found to be 27.5 and 11.5 cal cm−2 day−1, respectively. The magnitude of the heat fluxes near the antarctic coast varied markedly with prevailing wind direction ranging from an average daily total oceanic heat loss of 70 cal cm−2 with prolonged southwesterly winds to a heat gain of 35 cal cm−2 with winds persisting between north and east. Examination of the diurnal variation of both latent and sensible heat fluxes in antarctic coastal waters near 41°E revealed a maximum oceanic heat loss approximately nine hours before local midday and a minimum in the late afternoon. The twelve traverses (six south-bound, six northbound) between Cape Town and Antarctica were used to construct average meridional profiles of the heat fluxes.

Glaciological regime at Little America Station, Antarctica

Factors affecting changes in the floating Ross Ice Shelf in the vicinity of the 1957–1958 IGY Little America Station are examined. From direct measurements, the amount of snow accumulation was 67 cm annually, or 26 cm ice equivalent. The principal horizontal strain rates, determined from repeated transit surveys, were 129 and 81×10−5 per year, with the minimum values in the approximate direction of motion. The maximum strain rate may be deduced from Weertman's formula for the creep of floating ice, using acceptable flow law constants. Vertical strain accompanying the horizontal strains should reduce the ice thickness by 54 cm/yr. From the known variations in ice shelf temperature with depth, 80 cm of melting at the ice-water interface is deduced. The net change for these factors would be an annual thinning of the ice shelf of 108 cm, equivalent to a decrease in surface elevations of 18 cm/yr. For the average surface slope in the Little America area of 65 cm/km, a forward ice shelf motion of 277 m/yr would be required, if elevations at fixed points remain constant with time. This velocity is comparable to that which has been deduced from the movement of Kainan Bay since it was first observed in 1912 by the Japanese Antarctic Expedition. Extrapolation of the creep rates and amounts of bottom melting south from the barrier edge give ice thinning that would result in somewhat higher ice movement values. Although the validity of the extrapolation to thicker ice is questionable, it appears likely that the ice west of Roosevelt Island is moving northward 3 to 4 times faster than the ice east of the island.

Japanese Antarctic Expedition

Journal of Geophysical Research (1896-1977)Volume 61, Issue 4 p. 756-756 Japanese Antarctic Expedition AGU, AGUSearch for more papers by this author AGU, AGUSearch for more papers by this author First published: December 1956 https://doi.org/10.1029/JZ061i004p00756-09AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume61, Issue4December 1956Pages 756-756 RelatedInformation