Enquiries by Norwegian whalers precipitated the British annexation of the Falkland Island Dependencies and the Ross Dependency. Seeking territory free of British control, Lars Christensen's Norwegian whalers claimed Bouvet Island, which the British believed was theirs. Realisation of the economic value of whaling led Leopold Amery, of the British colonial office to develop Britain's Antarctic domination policy. In pursuit of this policy, the 1926 Imperial Conference formulated a process to claim a sector of Antarctica for Australia. A.G. Price's The Winning of Australian Antarctica describes the role of the Mawson led BANZARE in this process. To gain title to Bouvet Island, the Norwegian Government, dependant on friendly relations with Britain, agreed not to claim territory listed by the Imperial Conference as of ‘special interest’ to Britain. Claims made by whalers who had mapped and named territory in the unlisted area between Kemp and Queen Mary Lands were rejected by the Norwegian prime minister. Following the 1933 Order in Council establishing the Australian Antarctic Territory, Norway raised concerns that the territory included Haakon VII Vidde (polar plateau) and the parts of Dronning (Queen) Maud Land that had been mapped and discovered by Norwegians. Price's contention that Australian Antarctica was ‘won’ is questionable.

This article examines how US policy makers relate to the European Arctic as an oil and gas region, and more specifically to Norway's efforts to promote the region through its high north policy. The ‘high north’ is defined as the Norwegian and Russian sectors of the Barents Sea. The Norwegian assumption that northern oil and gas is of interest to the international community is tested by analysing and explaining the character of the US approach, with an assessment of whether Norway has succeeded in influencing how the USA views the high north as an energy region. Norway has managed to raise the awareness of the high north as an energy region in Washington, but the interest in the topic has been moderate. Moreover, Norwegian policy makers in the first phase of the high north initiative have misinterpreted US officials' definition of the situation in which Washington's foreign energy policy is developed. Ironically, Norway's ‘exemplary’ energy policy has led to less response than was initially expected, whereas Russia seems to be of significantly greater interest for the USA. With its relatively small resource potential, straightforward investment climate and unclear high north strategy, Norway and its high north do not stand out as very interesting to the USA, which tends to direct more attention to cases in which its oil and gas companies work under more uncertain investment framework conditions in regions with huge energy resources.

The first factory ship of the so-called modern era of Antarctic whaling was Admiralen, arriving together with two smaller catcher boats in the South Shetland Islands in January 1906, after a period of whaling in the Falkland Islands. The expedition leader was Alexander Lange, a Norwegian whaler with a long experience from whaling in northern Norway and Spitsbergen. He kept a diary for a considerable period and this covered several whaling voyages. The one dealing with the pioneer Antarctic season of 1905–1906 has been translated from Norwegian into English and is presented here with an introduction that places the expedition into its wider context.

Within the scope of climate change and the worldwide shift in travel patterns, the Arctic has become a highly favoured tourist destination. However, the literature on studying destination images of the northern polar regions lacks analysis of prevailing perceptions and of corresponding images held by tourists without previous travel experience. Therefore, this research, recently carried out in Germany, attempts to delineate tourists' perceptions of Greenland on the one hand and the Arctic as a whole on the other as destinations. Similarities, positive and negative differences of the cognitive and affective stages are generated and an overview of perceived dimensions and factors influencing the images are given. Although the results strongly coincide with each other, there are minor differences found in favour of Greenland. With the findings it is hoped to provide a better insight into the images held by potential visitors to the Arctic and to help those engaged in marketing Greenland as a tourist destination to identify an efficient strategy.

Biophysical changes underway in the Arctic have stirred a remarkable surge of interest and concern in many quarters, including non-Arctic states and non-state actors. This article explores the implications of these developments for the pursuit of governance in the region. Many reactions to this situation are more alarmist than alarming. But recent developments do provide an excellent opportunity to reassess the effectiveness of existing arrangements and to enquire about the need for new forms of governance. The article does not support the claims of those who argue that a comprehensive, legally binding Arctic treaty (or even an Arctic Charter) is required at this time. Rather, it argues the case for a somewhat messier but more effective tripartite governance complex featuring an agreement to set aside without extinguishing claims to extended continental shelf jurisdiction on the part of the littoral states, an effort to adjust the character of the Arctic Council to meet emerging needs in the Arctic, and a push to devise issue-specific regulative regimes to address concerns involving shipping, fishing, and off-shore oil and gas development.

Reindeer and caribou are terrestrial herbivores, that feed on lichens and are used for commercial and subsistence food products. Caribou are a key component of the arctic food web and the bioaccumulation of toxic contaminants, such as mercury (Hg), needs to be monitored to establish a baseline as the arctic environment is impacted by both climate change and future industrial development. A changing climate in Alaska is influencing plant species composition, fire regime, melting and flooding events, and thus, impacting Hg bioavailability in the food chain. Industrial development in Asia is also projected to increase the atmospheric global pool of Hg from increased coal combustion. Reindeer, a domesticated representative of caribou, can be used as a terrestrial biomonitor for metal exposure. In this study total mercury concentrations were measured in lichens and in hair of grazing reindeer on defined ranges across Alaska to establish a baseline for future hypothesis development and testing regarding Hg deposition. The Hg mean level for Seward Peninsula lichens on the Davis Range was 37.4 ng g−1, on the Gray Range 47.1 ng g−1, on the Kakaruk Range 42.2 ng g−1, and 41.7 ng g−1 on the Noyakuk Range. Lichen Hg levels on St. Lawrence Island was 46.6 ng g−1. Methyl mercury levels in lichens were found to be below detection levels. Reindeer grazing on these ranges had mean Hg hair levels of 14.6 ng g−1 (Davis herd), 83.4 ng g−1 (Gray herd), and 40.3 ng g−1 (Noyakuk herd). Two reindeer on St. Lawrence Island had an average of Hg of 43.0 ng g−1. Sample sizes ranged from n = 2 to n = 11. Hg mean levels in lichen on Seward Peninsula were higher than Hg means of two ranges in northern Mongolia. The Hg levels observed in this study indicate that Hg levels in Alaska are low at this time and pose no risk to the health of reindeer or human subsistence harvesters. A significant relationship between Hg in lichens on the ranges and the Hg in reindeer on those ranges has not been established. There are insufficient data on Hg levels in many areas of the north and more information is needed on location specific and time trends in Hg concentrations. Lichens and reindeer hair provide a good, non-invasive method of monitoring metal exposure changes in Alaskan ecosystems.

During the first International Polar Year (1882–1883) the French expedition to Bahia Orange, Hoste Island, Tierra del Fuego carried out a series of 39 measurements of concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These were supplemented by 6 measurements during the return voyage to Cherbourg. In addition 20 similar measurements were made at 4 stations in the northern hemisphere and 17 at 3 stations in the southern hemisphere that were participating in the transit of Venus observations.

This 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.

It has long been suspected that James Weddell was born in Ostend, Belgium. However, no record of his birth was found during earlier searches in the Belgian archives. New searches in the parish registers of Ostend reveal that he was born in that town on 24 August 1787. The Weddell family is recorded in these archives under the name of Waddle, and it was as such that father Waddle signed documents. The parish registers of Ostend are in Latin and James's name was Latinised to Jacobus. The first record of James Weddell thus refers to Jacobus Waddle. In the parish registers are two other documents relating to the Weddell family: the birth of a brother Charles in 1782 and the death of another brother who was also called Jacobus in 1787. Therefore, the family lived in Ostend at least from 1782 to 1787.

Potential Adélie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae breeding habitat in the Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT: 45°E–136°E, 142°E–160°E) was mapped using a geographic information system (GIS), and the literature reviewed for evidence of the mapped habitat being searched for presence or absence of breeding Adélie penguins. It is concluded that incomplete search effort is a possible source of substantial negative bias of Adélie penguin breeding abundance derived from published count data in some regions of the AAT. The extent of search effort in other regions of Antarctica could be determined using the same approach applied here, because GIS data required for mapping potential habitat are available for the entire continent. We would expect that regions with more scientific and tourist activity, such as the Antarctic Peninsula, are likely to have greater search effort than the AAT.

The first landing on South Georgia was made in 1775. Sealing expeditions arrived soon afterwards, and during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries men plundered the beaches and seas surrounding the island for seals and whales. Sealing and whaling ceased in the 1960s, when declining whale numbers and the increasing use of other forms of oil made the industry uneconomical. Although an isolated island with a small population and a severe climate, South Georgia has a rich history. Its medical history has not been previously studied. This paper aims to look at some aspects of the medical history of the island, from early expeditions of discovery, through to the 20th century whaling industry. Surviving whalers and whaling doctors were interviewed. Published material with any relevance to South Georgia, including academic texts and personal memoirs, were searched for details of hospitals, doctors and medical events on the island. Documents archived in South Georgia, the Falkland Islands and the United Kingdom revealed much useful information, and occasional documents came to light from other sources. Aspects of the provision of medical services over two centuries from 1775 to the beginning of the 1960s are described. Morbidity and mortality are summarised and discussed, as are differences between medical care in South Georgia and standard care.

The generally accepted date of birth of F.R.M. Crozier is 17 September 1796. On the basis of a fresh scrutiny of the evidence, it is suggested that 16 August 1796 is more probable.

This note draws attention to the fact the formal motion presented at the first International Geophysical Year (IGY) Antarctic Conference, recommending that the aims of the conference were exclusively scientific was proposed by the Chilean delegation.

A new name for a geographical feature in the Antarctic Peninsula known for many years by its colloquial name of Una's Tits, was formally approved by the Antarctic place names committee of the United Kingdom. It is now known as Una Peaks, named for a former secretary in the governor's office, Stanley, Falkland Islands.

At the first Comité Special de l'Année Geophysique Internationale (CSAGI) Antarctic conference, held in July 1955, the opening remarks of its president, supported by a resolution proposed by the Chilean Ambassador and passed unanimously, stipulated that the meeting was not to be concerned with political matters and that its purposes were exclusively scientific. Those guidelines were not entirely successful. The Chilean resolution was itself a political move, and delegates reported that the meeting was repeatedly disturbed by further political interventions. The conference was nevertheless significant because it was the first time that representatives of eleven countries ever attended such a meeting, thus ensuring that the International Geophysical Year would mark a new phase in international relations respecting Antarctica.

Further information is presented relating to a sledge discovered on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands in 2007.

This note updates the author's paper with the title ‘Whither the Arctic? Conflict or cooperation in the circumpolar north’. published in the last issue of this journal (Young 2009). Particular attention is paid to the policy issues arising from the ongoing and rapid changes unfolding in the Arctic.

The Arctic Ocean is crossing an environmental threshold from a permanently ice covered to seasonally ice free ocean during summer, with emerging geopolitical interactions of relevance to international peace and stability. In response, the Arctic Ocean Geopolitics Programme was initiated at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, in September 2008 with the following objectives:

1. 1) to enhance cooperation in an international, interdisciplinary and inclusive manner among existing research teams that are focusing on Arctic Ocean geopolitics;

2. 2) to provide parliamentary, governmental, civil-society and industry audiences with objective analyses of environmental security issues and alternative responses in the Arctic Ocean; and

3. 3) to identify lessons from the Arctic Ocean regarding the governance dynamics of nation states and international spaces beyond national jurisdiction.