Between 1898 and 1905, three American expeditions attempted to reach the geographical North Pole from the archipelago of Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa [Franz Josef Land] and each went to extraordinary and expensive lengths to stage their work. The third of these, the Ziegler polar expedition (1903–1905), led by Anthony Fiala and funded by the American baking soda tycoon William Ziegler, set up numerous camps and caches of supplies along its various expedition routes through the islands. The papers of Anton Vedoe and Ernest Leffingwell at the Rauner Special Collections Library at Dartmouth College reveal both the locations and contents of the caches Fiala ordered to be established in spring 1905, as he made his second and final attempt to reach the pole. These caches extend from the expedition base camp (Camp Abruzzi) at Bukhta Teplitsa [Teplitz Bay] on Ostrov Rudol'fa [Rudolf Island] to the main base of the preceding 1901–1902 Baldwin-Ziegler expedition (Camp Ziegler) on Ostrov Aldzher [Alger Island]. Little is known of the condition of these sites, especially the main cache site of Kane Lodge on Ostrov Grili [Greely Island]. As such, they hold the potential to provide new sources of archaeological data to study American polar ambitions at the turn of the 20th century. While these sites remain unexplored, increasing tourism in the islands necessitates informed planning and field research to establish the nature and stability of these remains so that they may be preserved and the potential effects of tourism mitigated.

Scientific studies of challenges of climate change could be improved by including other sources of knowledge, such as traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), in this case relating to the Sámi. This study focuses on local variations in snow and ice conditions, effects of the first durable snow, and long term changes in snow and ice conditions as pre-requisites for understanding potential future changes. Firstly, we characterised snow types and profiles based on Sámi categories and measured their density and hardness. Regression analysis showed that density can explain much of the variation in hardness, while snow depth was not significantly correlated with hardness. Secondly, we found that whether it is dry/cold or warm/wet around the fall of the first durable snow is, according to Sámi reindeer herders, crucial information for forecasting winter grazing conditions, but this has had limited focus within science. Thirdly, elderly herders’ observations of changes in snow and ice conditions by ‘reading nature’ can aid reinterpretation of meteorological data by introducing researchers to alternative perspectives. In conclusion we found remarkable agreement between scientific measurements and Sámi terminology. We also learnt that TEK/science cooperation has much potential for climate change studies, though time and resources are needed to bridge the gap between knowledge systems. In particular, TEK attention to shifts in nature can be a useful guide for science.

Preserving biodiversity and establishing healthy and thriving populations of predator animals are the expressed aims of many wildlife and ecosystem conservation projects and initiatives. However, such conservation strategies are often in conflict with the traditions, practices and land-use priorities of local communities. This article concentrates on the situation concerning the predation of reindeer (mainly by wolves) in Finland's southeast reindeer herding area and its immediate vicinity, but makes reference to the broader situation of predation and reindeer herding in Finland. Based on analysis of statistics and interviews with local stakeholders, the research findings refer to the intermingled contradictions related to conceptual, statistical and other management relevant knowledge and resulting problems, for example, in conservation hunting licensing. The article concludes that the wolf comprises a complex case for nature conservation initiatives and sustainable reindeer husbandry and that, in practice, it has particular implications compared to other policy approaches to dealing with the problem of animal predators. The article ends with some theoretical considerations as to whether we can improve our understanding of modern human-environment relations by deriving ideas from the actor-network theory debates.

This article is concerned with the contemporary Antarctic and the kinds of sovereignty performances undertaken by claimant states such as Australia. Notwithstanding the entry into force of the Antarctic Treaty, claimant states have used, what this article terms, ‘treaty sovereignty’ further to entrench their sovereign rights, especially within public culture. Using Australia as a detailed example, the article considers how a range of activities including anti-whaling developments alongside contemporary public commentary has on the one hand stressed ‘sovereign rights’ and yet on the other hand, revealed a sense of anxiety and fear regarding the role of others; what one might term overall a form of ‘sovereignty watch’. In conclusion, the paper speculates on whether the treaty parties are entering an unstable phase of Antarctic co-existence precisely because of the kinds of behaviours that ‘treaty sovereignty’ encourages.

During the second Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition in summer 2003, sea ice cores and the underlying water were sampled from seven stations in the pack ice zone of the Canada Basin and were examined with a phase contrast microscope. A total of 102 and 78 algal species were identified for the ice cores and the underlying water, respectively, ranking in the middle range among the surveys of the Arctic Ocean up to the present despite seasonal variability. The Shannon-Wiener indices ranged from 1.40 to 4.88 with an average of 3.58 ± 0.68. Diatom species, especially pennate species, dominated in all the samples. A large number of algal spores were contained in every layer (abundance percentage > 1%). The microalgal abundances ranged from 1.4 × 104 to 8.73 × 105 cells L−1 and the biomass ranged from 0.56 to 89.49 μg L−1. They were correlated with the number of algal species (P < 0.05) but not with the diversity index (P > 0.05). Ice algal maxima were observed in various layers (bottom, interior and near the surface of the ice floes). The phytoplankton biomass in the ice-water interface was one order of magnitude lower than that in the bottom ice (P < 0.05). The species number and the diversity index in water samples, with much less biomass (P < 0.01), were comparative with the ice samples (P > 0.05). Spatial heterogeneity in both horizontal and vertical directions was the main characteristic of the algal community structure, which was demonstrated by the cluster analysis result and the distribution patterns.

A programme to monitor non-breeding bird species in the vicinity of Arctowski Station, King George Island, South Shetlands, Antarctica, has been conducted over the past 30 years. The white-rumped sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis (Vieillot 1819) seems to occur now as a vagrant in South Shetlands area more frequently than previously. This trend, and the annual variation in numbers that have been observed could be a result of short term and longer term variation in weather and climate conditions during the austral spring and summer months when this species is observed. A higher air temperature, which is a result of predominant northern winds bringing relatively warm and moist air, would probably result in more open habitats and better food resources that would allow the birds to persist or survive.

Determining the present precise location of Amundsen's tent is a function of 1) the precision of Amundsen's navigation in 1911, 2) the flow of ice since then, and 3) the amount of burial by intervening snow fall. These factors are discussed and it is concluded that the best location that can be given for the tent in December 2011 is 89° 58′ 51″ S, 46° 14′ E, and lying 17 m below the present snow surface. The uncertainty in the position is 0.3 km, and is mainly related to uncertainties in the original positioning. It can be concluded with high certainty that the tent lies between 1.8 and 2.5 km from the South Pole.

On 19 March 1912, Captain R.F. Scott, Dr E.A. Wilson, and Lt H.R Bowers reached a latitude of 79° 40ʹS during their return journey from the South Pole. There they camped and were fatally delayed by a blizzard. The date of Scott's last diary entry is 29 March 1912 and he died on, or shortly after, that date, with his two companions, of starvation and cold. They had left their base at Cape Evans in stages from 24 October 1911 with a party of 16. Relay parties returned on 11 and 21 December 1911, and on 4 January 1912. Five men attained the South Pole on 17 January 1912 where they found that an expedition, led by R.E.G. Amundsen from Norway, has preceded them on 14 December 1911. 33 days had elapsed between the departure of the Norwegian party from the pole and Scott's arrival there. During the return journey over the Ross Ice Shelf, roughly along the 169°E meridian, two of the party of five died: E. Evans on 17 February 1912 and L.E.G. Oates on, or shortly after, 16 March 1912.

Passion for the Antarctic is the third scene of Tangled destinies, a play written by Jason Kendall Moore, directed by María Angelica Luzzi, and performed by Daniela Meneses and the author. It opened on 17 July 2010, in Valparaíso, Chile, where it will run through the first week of September. The Center for Hemispheric and Polar Studies has funded its production to generate interest in U.S.–Chilean relations in the Antarctic and elsewhere.

Frank Debenham believed, on naval authority, that the first English translation of Bellingshausen's account of his 1819–1821 voyage was made during World War I (Debenham 1945: vii). He may have been misinformed.