Discovering the unknown continent - Antarctica: Global Science from a Frozen Continent - page 8

Figure 1.6 Karl Weyprecht, originator of the idea of

International Polar Years.

hemisphere. His proposals for a US expedition to
investigate this fell on deaf ears so in 1860, addressing
the Royal Geographical Society in London, he
suggested it was a task for the British.
It took a while for the idea to take hold but when
the Royal Society decided to promote the importance
of oceanographic cruises to the British Government
the Admiralty became interested. Work in the North
Atlantic from HMS Lightening in 1868 and HMS
Porcupine in 1870 by Charles Wyville Thomson
and William Carpenter had not only disproved the
dogma that there was no life in the deep oceans but
had also provided data to support Alexander von
Humbolt

s earlier idea that it was cold water from
the Antarctic that drove the deep currents in the
Atlantic towards the equator. Eventually, HMS Challenger was made available for
oceanographic work and sailed in December 1872 on its epic voyage, returning in
May 1876. The extensive results from the cruise appeared in 50 volumes, providing
a wealth of data on oceanography and marine biology from around the world.
The Antarctic leg was not long but the data showed the connections between
Antarctic waters and the rest of the oceans for the

'

first time.
Karl Weyprecht, the Austrian co-leader of the Austro-Hungarian Exploring
Expedition to the Arctic, came up with the idea of collaborative science in the
polar regions and his ideas eventually led to the first International Polar Year in

1882. The only Antarctic component was a German expedition to South Georgia,
strongly supported by Dr Georg von Neumayer, then Director of the Deutsche
Seewarte in Hamburg.

The Heroic Age

Scientists from several countries had begun to get interested in the Antarctic
towards the end of the nineteenth century. The enthusiasm culminated in a
major address by von Neumayer at the 6th International Geographical Congress
in London in 1895 on the importance of Antarctic exploration and the need to
undertake it immediately. Strongly supported by John Murray and Clements
Markham, the UK began developing its plans to explore the continent and reach the
South Pole. But they were not alone, as delegates from several other countries had