scholarly journals The Sea of Ice and the Icy Sea: The Arctic Frame of Frankenstein

ARCTIC ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 295
Author(s):  
Janice Cavell

It has become common for scholars to understand the Arctic framing narrative of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as a commentary on the northern expeditions sent out by the British Admiralty after the Napoleonic Wars. According to this view, the character Robert Walton is a surrogate for John Barrow, the principal organizer of the Admiralty expeditions. This article demonstrates that chronological factors make such an interpretation untenable. Yet the process through which the far North became the setting for Frankenstein’s opening and closing scenes is of great importance for understanding the evolution of the novel into its final complex form and with regard to broader considerations about the Arctic’s place in Romantic literary culture. The article suggests other sources for the Arctic frame, most notably the 1815 plan by whaler William Scoresby for a sledge expedition toward the North Pole. Although Scoresby’s lecture was not published until 1818, reports appeared in newspapers and periodicals soon after the lecture was given. There is strong circumstantial evidence to suggest that Mary Shelley read these reports. By tracing the likely influence of Scoresby and other Arctic writers on Frankenstein, the article both sheds new light on the novel itself and demonstrates the extent of the Arctic’s presence in European culture even before the famous Admiralty expeditions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa W. von Friesen ◽  
Nanna B. Hartmann ◽  
Geir W. Gabrielsen ◽  
Sinja Rist

Did you know that plastic waste is so widespread across our planet that it can be found even in the far north, in the Arctic Ocean? Plastic ends up in the environment in many different ways, and researchers are trying to figure out how this pollution affects the animals and plants living in environments that contain plastic waste. Here comes a message in a bottle from the North Pole, telling you a story about tiny pieces of plastic in the Arctic Ocean. How is it even possible for plastic waste to reach the Arctic Ocean? What happens to the plastic once it is there? Is the plastic harming Arctic animals? And how can we prevent plastic pollution? Join us on a chilling story about plastic pollution in our northernmost waters: the fascinating Arctic Ocean.


2011 ◽  
Vol 193 (2) ◽  
pp. 474-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias H. Hoffmann

1975 ◽  
Vol 15 (73) ◽  
pp. 193-213
Author(s):  
Moira Dunbar

AbstractSLAR imagery of Nares Strait was obtained on three flights carried out in. January, March, and August of 1973 by Canadian Forces Maritime Proving and Evaluation Unit in an Argus aircraft equipped with a Motorola APS-94D SLAR; the March flight also covered two lines in the Arctic Ocean, from Alert 10 the North Pole and from the Pole down the long. 4ºE. meridian to the ice edge at about lat. 80º N. No observations on the ground were possible, but -some back-up was available on all flights from visual observations recorded in the air, and on the March flight from infrared line-scan and vertical photography.The interpretation of ice features from the SLAR imagery is discussed, and the conclusion reached that in spite of certain ambiguities the technique has great potential which will increase with improving resolution, Extent of coverage per distance flown and independence of light and cloud conditions make it unique among airborne sensors.


2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torben Wolff

The Danish Ingolf Expedition took place in the summer months of 1895 and 1896, with C. F. Wandel as captain, a man with long experience in hydrographical work in the Arctic. The other scientific participants were the zoologists H. Jungersen, W. Lundbeck and H. J. Hansen during the 1895 cruise; C. Wesenberg-Lund replaced Hansen during the 1896 cruise. C. H. Ostenfeld was the botanist and M. Knudsen the hydrographer. The Ingolf (see Figure 1) was a naval cruiser. In both years the voyages were hindered by ice that had moved much further south than normal, even closing most of the Denmark Strait. In 1895, the best results were obtained south of Iceland and in the Davis Strait; in 1896 south and east of Iceland and as far north as Jan Mayen Island. A total of 144 stations were completed, all with soundings, trawlings and (for the first time) continuous hydrographical work associated with the deep-sea trawling (bottom measurements of temperature, salinity, chlorine contents and specific gravity). Eighty of the stations were deeper than 1,000 m. There were more than 800 hydrographical measurements, with about 3,300 registrations recordings added on the basis of the measurements. 138 gas analyses were performed on board with samples from the surface and the sea bottom. The main result of the expedition was the final demonstration of probably the most important threshold boundaries in the world: the Wyville Thompson Ridge from East Greenland to Scotland with maximum depths of 600 m, separating the fauna in the Norwegian and Polar Sea to the north, always with negative below-zero temperatures except close to the Norwegian coast, from the fundamentally different general Atlantic deep-sea fauna to the south of the ridge with positive temperatures. The results are published in the Ingolf Report, with fifteen volumes containing forty-three papers by nineteen Danish authors and fourteen papers by six foreign authors. The sieving technique was excellent—due to an apparatus designed by H. J. Hansen that kept the animals under water until preservation and using the finest silk for sieving. In this way, the expedition collected more smaller animals than had been acquired by previous deep-sea expeditions. Hansen's studies of the peracarid crustaceans and parasitic copepods and Lundbeck's report on the sponges were particularly noteworthy. The 130 photographs taken on board and on land by the ship's doctor William Thulstrup represent a cultural/historical treasure.


2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 829-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Matzka ◽  
Thorkild M. Rasmussen ◽  
Arne V. Olesen ◽  
Jens Emil Nielsen ◽  
Rene Forsberg ◽  
...  

Polar Record ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Savitt ◽  
Cornelia Lüdecke

Frederick George Jackson, the leader of the Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition of 1894–1897, accomplished a great deal during his exploration of Franz Josef Land [Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa] although his achievements have never been fully acknowledged. Jackson's expedition itself has often been eclipsed by his famous meeting in 1896 with Fridtjof Nansen, absent for 3 years in the Arctic and it has been unfairly coloured by the view that Jackson was no more than an adventurer and sportsman. The research reported in this article evaluates Jackson's plan and management activities. The study developed a set of factors to evaluate his performance arising from a variety of expeditions contemporary with Jackson's. His strong personality and limited personnel managerial experience limited the full extent of what he might have achieved. Yet, Jackson developed a strong exploration model that was based on comprehensive planning, a significant concern for the health and welfare of his companions, the willingness to innovate in a number of activities including sledging, and a commitment to scientific discovery. Although the expedition did not find a route to the North Pole, Jackson confirmed that Franz Josef Land was an archipelago and he gave credence to the consumption of fresh meat as a means of preventing scurvy. One of Jackson's legacies to subsequent explorers was the use of ponies for haulage. He was unable to appreciate the weaknesses in their use and his influence on subsequent Antarctic expeditions often led to undesirable results. But, overall, Jackson was an innovator in a conservative exploration community.


Author(s):  
Aleksandr V. Marasanov ◽  
◽  
Anatoliy A. Stekhin ◽  
Galina V. Yakovleva

This paper analyses environmental factors and their influence on the human body in the Far North. The cold factor is considered separately. It is noted that adaptation to extreme environmental factors in the north resembles adaptive processes taking place in the body under stress. The article describes the phenotypic approach to preventing non-communicable diseases in the population based on the theory of adaptation, control theory, theory of functional systems and system approach. We suggest using a predictive model of the body in the form of an anatomico-physiological structure reflecting grouping of interacting organs and tissues by their physiological functions. The model is represented by the reaction norms of the body’s systems and by the rules of their interaction. With its help, one can identify the predisposition of the body’s systems to destruction and the corresponding cause-and-effect relationships in the body, as well as devise a personal algorithm for health preservation and carry out vocational selection. The predictive properties of the model are based on the manifestations of the adaptive response to environmental stress factors. The recommendations are preventive in nature and are aimed at stimulating the individual’s involvement in his/her health protection. Methods of influencing the homeostatic regulation of the body and increasing the capabilities of the immune system in the north are proposed, i.e. technologies for restoring the body’s circadian rhythm as well as activating the living environment and drinking water in order to prevent chronic non-infectious diseases. The suggested predictive model of the body contributes to the development of a general theory of adaptation and a general theory of pathology. The considered approach to health preservation is compatible with telemedicine and e-health technologies and can therefore make adequate medical services available to the population of the Far North, in particular to those living in remote areas. For citation: Marasanov A.V., Stekhin A.A., Yakovleva G.V. An Approach to Public Health Protection in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (Review). Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 2021, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 201–212. DOI: 10.37482/2687-1491-Z058


Author(s):  
V. I. Glotov ◽  
I. A. Arzhanov

In this article, the authors analyse the current policy of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) in the Arctic . The article emphasises that the new challenges in the Arctic, related to climate change, the participation of non-Arctic states in the development of the territory and the growth of Russia’s military activity, have put before NATO the question of forming a task and official strategy . So far, member states have not reached consensus in this direction . The article identifies the main steps of the Alliance, which confirm the thesis about the growth of tension in the Far North . We identified the factors that may affect the prospects of the Alliance in the region . Taking into account the fact that the Arctic in contemporary circumstances has entered the global agenda of international politics, the authors conclude the growth of NATO activity, as evidenced by the practical steps of the organisation . Little attention has been paid to this in official documents, although the importance of cooperation in the region has already been stressed .


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