Studies in Polar Research – serie

Areas of barren rock and scree around the edge of Antarctica provide a breeding ground for two of the continent's most well-known species of bird: the south polar skua and the Adélie penguin. This book considers the relationship between these two species, taking as its study site Ross Island. Through detailed observations of the foraging ecology of the skua, the traditional view that skuas are totally dependent on penguin eggs and chicks for food is challenged. In addition, studies of the impact of skuas on penguin breeding and the extent to which the skua breeding cycle is functionally related to that of the penguin provide further evidence to suggest that the two species occur together independently as a consequence of limited breeding space, rather than as a result of a distinct predator-prey relationship.

Ice exists in water, in air, in earth and in living organisms. The purpose of this book is to describe in mathematical, physical and biological terms, the growth and decay of ice, on a scale ranging from molecular to macroscopic. Consideration of the growth of ice in each of the above contexts provides a clearer understanding of the processes involved and results in a comprehensive overview not available elsewhere. This book will be of particular use to any graduate student, scientist or engineer requiring an introduction and reference for ice-related projects: theoretical or experimental; in the laboratory or the field.

Macquarie Island, a speck of land rising from the Southern Ocean about 1,000 km south-east of Tasmania, is a wild and beautiful place. Declared a nature reserve in 1933, the island is of immense scientific interest, providing scientists with an opportunity to study unique geological features and to examine the special characteristics of a southern island ecosystem. The authors, drawing on their own extensive observations as well as on the published work of others, have produced a book of wide appeal. A brief description of the island and its setting and the history of its discovery and subsequent human occupation precedes more detailed accounts of the geomorphology and quaternary history of the island, its vegetation, avifauna, mammals, microbiology and marine and freshwater environments. In the concluding chapter the authors discuss past mismanagement and future management strategies, with a view to conserving the island's unique environment and biology. This fascinating and readable account will appeal to all those interested in the Antarctic region in general and to biologists, geologists and conservationists with a particular interest in island habitats and environments.

The operation of a commercial shipping route through the Northwest Passage - a 1450 kilometre marine corridor linking Baffin Bay to the Beaufort Sea - has been a recurring dream of traders since the late fifteenth century. It is now fast becoming a practical possibility with the recent discoveries of hydrocarbon and other mineral resources. A consideration of the problems this will raise is urgently necessary. The Canadian Northern Waters Project, at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, has therefore initiated a four-year programme to investigate the feasibility of expanded arctic shipping and ocean development. This title is the first result of the project. The work provides, in chapters by different authors, an in-depth review of the outstanding environmental, technological, political, economic, social and legal issues associated with arctic resource use, development and management.

This book reviews the biology of bryophytes and lichens in the polar tundra, where these plants may form a dominant component of the vegetation. It considers adaptation to severe environments in terms of growth form, physiology and reproduction. The role of bryophytes and lichens is discussed in vegetation processes such as colonisation and succession, and in energy flow, nutrient cycling and other functional aspects of polar ecosystems, both natural and as modified by man, The range of microclimates experience by polar cryptograms is described using an energy budget approach, and the environmental relationships of CO2 exchange, stress resistance, growth and other physiological responses are discussed against this background. Reproductive biology is also reviewed as an introduction to a consideration of population ecology, distribution patterns, dispersal potential and the origin and adaptation of polar cryptogamic floras. This book integrates the results of work in the Arctic and the Antarctic, and includes a classification of vegetation zones applicable to both polar regions. The study of plant ecology in these areas has advanced dramatically and the results synthesised here contribute to a general understanding both of polar ecosystems and of the environmental relationships of bryophytes and lichens.

Arctic atmospheric pollution is now a major international issue. This volume presents the most authoritative review of this increasingly important subject for an audience of both scientists and administrators concerned with worldwide, as well as polar, pollution problems. Arctic Air Pollution is an edited collection of papers, first presented at a conference helo as the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge in 1985. Building on foundations established at earlier meetings, this volume examines the problem of Arctic air pollution in an integrated, multidisciplinary fashion, with contributions from leading authorities in chemistry, ecology, climatology and epidemiology. To chemists, physicists and climatologists, it presents scientific problems. Ecologists are concerned with environmental threats; medical researchers with potential threats to human health. International lawyers and administrators are concerned with the legal implications of pollutants transferred across continents. Overall hangs the major question; can man-made pollution affect the delicate energy balance of the Arctic, and precipitate major climatic change worldwide?

This is a translation of Vera Aleksandrova's classic book, first published in Russian, which characterizes the vegetation of this rather special botanical region. Much important botanical research concerned with Arctic ecology is carried out in the Soviet Union, but is seldom available in English. Dr Aleksandrova's book is based on her own extensive research in the northern areas of the Soviet Arctic. Dividing the high Arctic into areas based on the characteristics of their vegetation, the book presents a probing analysis of the ecology of such regions worldwide. After describing the general characteristics, geographic and climatic, of this latitude, the book discusses in more detail the region's peculiarities of soil and microclimate, followed by an analysis of the plant community.

The crossing of the Northwest Passage in August 1985 by a US icebreaker, without requesting authorisation, raised the whole question of Canada's sovereignty over the waters of its Arctic Archipelago. Given this controversy and the existence of similar situations in other parts of the world, this book presents an examination of the international legal validity of Canada's claim by an in-depth study of three possible bases in international law: the sector theory, the doctrine of historic waters and the Straight baseline system. This work is the second of a series of monographs arising from the Canadian Northern Waters Project of the Dalhousie Ocean Studies Programme, It draws on examples from other parts of the world, and, as such it will have relevance beyond the development of the Canadian Arctic. Professor Pharand is a recognised authority in this field. His earlier book, The Law of the Sea of the Arctic is still one of the standard reference works in the area, but with changes in the general law of the sea, this monograph presents a timely reappraisal of the relevant legal theories and practices.

The system of international co-operation in the Antarctic has been evolving rapidly since the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. Inextricably linked to this co-operation is the question of the rational management of Antarctic resources. In this book Professor Orrego Vicuna examines in depth the legal framework - the Antarctic Treaty, sovereignty, jurisdiction and the law of the sea - as it relates to the exploitation of Antarctic minerals. This is fast becoming a live issue with the ever-growing potential for the development of these resources. The first part of the book examines the main characteristics of the international legal framework governing the co-operation of states in Antarctica, particularly in relation to resource conservation. Against this background, in the second part of the book, the regime for mineral resources is discussed in sufficient detail to identify the basic issues and interests which have to be accommodated in order to attain an acceptable convention. The final part of the book considers the important set of questions raised by the interest of the world community at large in the Antarctic: most significantly, the initiatives concerning a broader international participation under the auspices of the United Nations.

The Antarctic Treaty regime is a uniquely successful legal system which preserves Antarctica for peaceful purposes and guarantees freedom of scientific research. This volume based on an international conference, examines the legal, political and environmental issues that it raises. After setting the scene of the Antarctic environment, the early chapters discuss the legal issues involved in the Treaty. Later chapters consider protection of the marine environment and the regulation of mineral exploitation. The book concludes with a discussion of Antarctica and its development.

The Antarctic Treaty, set up in 1961 to provide a means for managing international relations in Antarctica, was reviewed in 1991. The book considers the question of the region's future with the ever growing international interest in the area as a source of important mineral resources. In this survey, a study group, brought together by the David Davies Memorial Institute of International Studies, looks at the political and environmental questions raised by the potentially conflicting interests in the Antarctic. What are the stresses, internal and external, on the Antarctic Treaty System and can it develop to cope with these? Could these stresses be resolved in a new instrument? If not, what is the likely political outlook for Antarctica? This book does not describe the components of the Antarctic Treaty System. These are discussed in The Antarctic Treaty Regime, edited by Gillian Triggs. Together, the two books will form an authoritative basis for the study of the Antarctic Treaty and its future.

The introduction earlier this century of Norwegian reindeer to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia provided scientists with the unusual opportunity of studying the interaction between a large arctic herbivore and a southern ecosystem that had not previously been exposed to grazing by mammals. Originally published in 1988, this book synthesises the results of many years' research into this fascinating ecological situation. The author develops the observations into two main themes. First,a comparative study of the biology and ecology of a deer that occurs in a wide variety of Arctic habitats. Secondly, an investigation into the ways in which an introduced population adapts to a new environment, its relevance to the population ecology of mammals and to the conservation of southern island ecosystems. In doing this, the author discusses many topics including reproductive biology, feeding ecology, growth, mortality and population dynamics. This in-depth study of a single species in an alien environment will appeal to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, research workers in wildlife management and ecology, conservationists and polar scientists.

The Antarctic Treaty, set up in 1961 to provide a means for managing international relations in Antarctica, was reviewed in 1991. The book considers the question of the region's future with the ever growing international interest in the area as a source of important mineral resources. In this survey, a study group, brought together by the David Davies Memorial Institute of International Studies, looks at the political and environmental questions raised by the potentially conflicting interests in the Antarctic. What are the stresses, internal and external, on the Antarctic Treaty System and can it develop to cope with these? Could these stresses be resolved in a new instrument? If not, what is the likely political outlook for Antarctica? This book does not describe the components of the Antarctic Treaty System. These are discussed in The Antarctic Treaty Regime, edited by Gillian Triggs. Together, the two books will form an authoritative basis for the study of the Antarctic Treaty and its future.

This wide-ranging account of the life of the tundra provides a fascinating insight into the ways in which animals, plants and climate interact in an inhospitable environment. Although the tundra is not rich in species compared with habitats in the tropics or even in temperate regions, it is an area of great interest to ecologists, botanists and zoologists alike, as an excellent example of nature contending with extreme environmental stress. As a biogeographer and ecologist the author has used his firsthand experience of the Eurasian Sub-Arctic to present an overview of life on the tundra of the Soviet Northlands that has become a classic of ecological literature. The tradition of interdisciplinary studies is very strong among Soviet tundra scientists. This important book is a valuable guide to the life of the tundra and will interest all those interested in the conservation of its flora and fauna.

This book describes the effects of cold climates on the surface of the earth. Using scientific principles, the authors describe the evolution of ground thermal conditions and the origin of natural features such as frost heave, solifluction, slope instabilities, patterned ground, pingos and ice wedges. The thermodynamic conditions accompanying the freezing of water in porous materials are examined and their fundamental role in the ice segregation and frost heave processes is demonstrated in a clear and simple manner. This book concentrates on the analysis of the causes and effects of frozen ground phenomena, rather than on the description of the natural features characteristic of freezing or thawing ground. Its scientific approach provides a basis for geotechnical analyses such as those essential to resource development.

This book provides a structured account of the full range of environments in Antarctica and of the microbial communities that live within them. Environments examined include: snow and ice; benthic marine; sea ice; lakes and streams; marginal ice; soil; the open ocean; rock. In the more extreme habitats of this region microscopic life forms constitute the entire biology of the habitat, but in all antarctic environments the microbial communities play a major and often dominant role in the transfer of carbon, nutrients and energy throughout the ecosystem. The book examines the major features of the chemical and physical environment in each habitat, and the influence of these features on the population structure and dynamics of their microbiota.

This book was first published in 2004. Wind erosion and deposition are important factors in cold climates because of the open space and scarce vegetation. Aeolian processes connected with sand drift in polar environments are similar to those in deserts but in cold environments, frost and snow also play an important role. The Arctic is characterised by strangely eroded rocks, wind-formed lakes, sand dunes and loess deposits that owe their formation to aeolian processes controlled by frost and snow cover. Wind as a Geomorphic Agent in Cold Climates presents a detailed description and explanation of these wind-generated polar landforms. It includes numerous illustrations that will assist the reader in identifying and interpreting these features; both modern-day and those preserved in the geological record. This book provides an important introduction to this area of geocryology and will form a useful reference for graduate students and researchers in a variety of fields, including geomorphology, geology and environmental science.

In the cold regions, freezing of the ground presents major geotechnical and environmental challenges. In Russia, oil and gas gives these regions special economic and geopolitical significance. After glasnost, it became evident that research there was more comprehensive but the problems far greater than elsewhere. This translation of a wide-ranging account of the effects of freezing and their importance for geotechnical undertakings, has been prepared by an international team of specialists. It makes available a uniquely readable and technically accurate review, especially valuable to international organisations and those involved in joint ventures. The English edition of the 16-sheet geocryological map of Russian has been prepared by the same international team. For more details please see: www.freezingground.org/map or contact Scott Polar Research Institute, (Attn. Prof. P. J. Williams), Lensfield Rd., Cambridge, CB2 1ER, UK. - or e-mail: pjw1005@cus.cam.ac.uk.

Negotiations to create an International Arctic Science Committee have increased public awareness of issues involving the Arctic. This book provides a timely review of the situation from a social, political and human standpoint and provides an in-depth study of contemporary global controversies involving the Arctic. The authors describe the military, political and socio-economic conflicts emerging in the far north and consider the interests of the four major groups involved - the military, industry, natives, and environmentalists. Possible solutions are discussed, exploring US policy options, the role of non-governmental bodies and opportunities for international cooperation in the Arctic. This book offers a comprehensive and systematic framework for understanding and responding to conflicts in the Arctic and will be essential reading for all interested in, and concerned with, this important region of the earth.

This book is the first to describe the development of scientific activity in the Antarctic (as distinct from exploration) in all its aspects. Coverage spans three centuries, starting with Halley who laid the foundations of geophysics which was to be the principal driving force behind Antarctic science for most of its history. Although early researchers built up a picture of the main features of the Antarctic environment, the idea of science specific to the continent emerged only later. As the main disciplines of oceanography, earth sciences, the sciences of atmosphere and geospace, terrestrial biology, medicine, and conservation developed, the clear interactions between them within an Antarctic context led to the emergence of the holistic view of Antarctic science which we hold today. For anyone with an interest in the history, conservation or politics of this special part of the world, or in the history of the development of science, this book will provide a mine of information and will act as a rich source of reference for many years to come.