Abstract
The continent of Antarctica was a major focus of global research during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957–58. Even as late at the 1950s, remarkably little was known about this vast frozen region. The heroic era of the early twentieth century—which culminated in the famous race to the South Pole between Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott—had barely scratched the surface of scientific knowledge about the Antarctic environment. Into the 1950s, it remained unknown for certain whether Antarctica was one continent or two.1 Nobody really knew the depth of the ice, and meteorologists pondered the apparent paradox of a climate that seemed too cold for snow.2 On the eve of the IGY, Antarctica remained a virtual terra incognita, with speculation and fantasy often substituting for any real knowledge about the region. During the 18-month period between 1957 and 1958, scientists instituted “the most comprehensive scientific program ever undertaken by man,” and the scientific understanding of Antarctica increased dramatically.3
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Notes
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© 2010 Roger D. Launius, James Rodger Fleming, and David H. DeVorkin
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Howkins, A. (2010). Science, Environment, and Sovereignty: The International Geophysical Year in the Antarctic Peninsula Region. In: Launius, R.D., Fleming, J.R., DeVorkin, D.H. (eds) Globalizing Polar Science. Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230114654_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230114654_14
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