The Inspirational Life of Fridtjof Nansen

The Inspirational Life
of Fridtjof Nansen –
‘The Daring Viking’
NP Fridtjof Nansen
1861-1930
Fram:1890’s Kodak
Brownie Camera
Events of Period
U.S. Civil War
1861-1865
Fridtjof Nansen
1861-1930
Fram:1890’s Kodak
Brownie Camera
Events of Period
U.S. Civil War
1861-1865
2nd Industrial Rev.
1880’s
Fridtjof Nansen
1861-1930
Fram:1890’s Kodak
Brownie Camera
Events of Period
U.S. Civil War
1861-1865
2nd Industrial Rev.
1880’s
Fridtjof Nansen
World War I
1861-1930
1914-1918
Fram:1890’s Kodak
Brownie Camera
Events of Period
U.S. Civil War
1861-1865
2nd Industrial Rev.
1880’s
Fridtjof Nansen
World War I
1861-1930
1914-1918
League of
Nations
1919
Fram:1890’s Kodak
Brownie Camera
Events of Period
U.S. Civil War
1861-1865
2nd Industrial Rev.
1880’s
Fridtjof Nansen
World War I
1861-1930
1914-1918
League of
Nations
1919
Rise of
Bolshevism
1920’s
Fram:1890’s Kodak
Brownie Camera
The Inspirational Life of Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930)
* Nansen’s Youth
* Education/Sportsman
* Early Career Accomplishments
* First Research Cruise
* Greenland Crossing
* Farthest North and Accolades
* More Oceanographic Research
* Statesman and Diplomat
* Humanitarian - Nobel Peace Prize
* Lasting Impact of a Remarkable Life

Nansen’s Youth
* Fridtjof Nansen born
near Christiania (now
Oslo) Norway
Oct. 10, 1861
* Name Fridtjof (‘peace

thief’) from saga of a
daring Viking
(Very fitting!)
*Ancestor Hans
Nansen, b. 1598, was
sailor, Arctic explorer,
mayor of Copenhagen
* Father: lawyer,
financier; strict parent
* Mother: widow with

5 children – avid skier
* Nansen skied across Norway to participate in a ski
*In youth, he loved the competition in 1884, a remarkable feat noted by Norwegians.
outdoors – skating,
skiing, hiking, fishing
Early Career/First Research Cruise
* Entered Univ. of Christiania
(Oslo) at age of 18 in 1880
* Chose zoology to do field work
* First research cruise on working

sealer Viking 1882 in
Norwegian Sea
* Did ocean and ice observations/

Fit in as excellent harpooner!
* Vision of crossing Greenland!

Nansen’s First Job and His Ph D Work
* Bergen Museum Curator at age of 20 in 1882

– lived with family that treated lepers
* Studied nervous system of hag fish
* Developed neuron theory for Ph. D. at Univ.

of Christiania – became one of founders of
neurology, colleagues won Nobel Prize in
Physiology and Medicine in 1906 for related
work , Nansen’s papers still quoted (‘Nansen
fibers’)
* Ph.D. ‘Disputation’ (Defense) held April 28,

1888
* Nansen left for Greenland crossing days

later, after his confrontational presentation to
scurvy expert, not knowing if he had passed!
For Perspective: What Items, Information and Technologies Were
Not Yet Available to Polar Explorers (1850 – 1920’s)?
* Foods with proper nutrition (Scurvy cause was unknown)
* Desalination units for freshwater
* Well-insulated clothes/proper snow goggles (for snow blindness)
* Proper heaters for warmth and cookers for food/melt ice for H2O
(diurnal DT up to 400F)
* Maps and water depths of regions yet to be explored
* GPS (celestial navigation only)
* Radar for navigation (where were coasts, icebergs, hazards)
* Radio and satellite communication (totally out of contact!)
* Weather and tidal data and forecasts
* Snowmobiles
* Snowmobiles
* Others: computers, iPods, Blackberries, TV, DVDs, video games
* Snowmobiles
2008
* Snowmobiles
North Pole
2008 Web Cam
* Snowmobiles
North Pole
2008 Web Cam
Baffin Babes 2009
* Snowmobiles
www.baffinbabes.com/
Nansen’s Team for First Crossing of Greenland – ‘A Ski Trip’ – 1888
Nansen’s Team for First Crossing of Greenland –
‘A Ski Trip’ – 1888 and Nansen in a Crevasse
Nansen’s First Crossing of Greenland – ‘A Ski Trip’ – 1888
* Greenland is about size of the

U.S. east of the Mississippi R.
* Its ice cap is up to 10,000 ft.
deep, mtn. heights of 8000 ft.
* Temps down to -130F (-250C)
* Winds of up to 80 mph
* Rowed 150 mi up east coast
dist. of ~345 mi (Umivik to
Godthaab) covered in 41 days
Why?
+ Adventure & Exploration
+ Science Arctic Circle
+ Anthropology
Balto and Sverdrup

Views of Greenland that Nansen and His Team
May Have Seen on Clear Days
Views of Southeast Greenland – Images provided by Curt Mobley
Nansen and team with Inuits in Greenland.
Learned much from Inuits.
Impacts of the First Crossing of Greenland
* Strategy – Trek westward – not eastward!
* No path of retreat! Forward = Fram
* Nansen learned how to explore polar regions –

Inuits shared vital experiences – Nansen wrote
about anthropology of Inuits
* Men pulled sledges – no dogs, though desired
* Bolstered confidence to reach poles and

Norwegian pride/nationality
* Popularized recreational skiing/ski equip./

1st Nordic Games in 1901, 1st winter Games in 1920
* Brought home sledge dog, Kvik
* Book a big international success/very positive

writing, not complaining about conditions –
monies provided living/research funds
* Interestingly, Nansen said he had trouble

writing – despite the fact that he wrote several very
Nansen’s Attempt to Reach the North Pole
• A Race to the Poles (turn of the century

equiv. of the space race between Russia
and the U.S. in ~ 1960’s)/Foolhardy/Doubters
• The Strategy – Drift in ice toward North Pole via

with Arctic Current (Henrik Mohn;
Debris of the Jeannette) –funds from gov’t.
and pvt. sector (i.e., Cadbury chocolate!)
• The techniques – The Fram and crew keys
• Use of sledge dogs (Kvik, the lead!)
• Preparations vital – planned for

4-5 year expedition (critics expected failure)
• Fram departed Christiania June 24, 1893
• Nansen returned August 13, 1896 and

Fram returned October 26, 1896, ~3yrs later
Map showing projected (red) and actual (solid dark) paths of Fram and crew and
the return path of Nansen and Johansen (dashed dark).
From McClure’s Magazine as published in S.L. Beren’s book, Fridtjof Nansen in the Frozen World.
Design of the Fram (Forward), launched
In 1892, by Nansen and Colin Archer
Length of 128 ft, width 43 ft

(crow’s nest at 102’ to view ice paths)
Reinforced for ice
Rounded bottom, to lift onto ice

(retractable rudder and propeller)
Coal/steam and sail powered schooner

(rather than square-rigger)
Wind mill for electricity generation
Record for cruises furthest north and

south (Amundsen to S. Pole)
Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway
Fridtjof Nansen
Otto Sverdrup
Raold Amundsen
Ice Features and Wildlife of the Arctic
Photo by Ben Holt Photo by Eric Rignot, JPL
Photo by Hajo Eiken, UAF

Life on R/V Fram
Crew of 13 was onboard
Fram, mostly locked in ice for 3-
year Arctic expedition.
Otto Sverdrup was Capt., but

Nansen was in charge/important
Fram had to be abandoned once

because of crushing ice – but was
spared and reboarded!
Fram locked in ice.
Note the sledge dogs. Started with
34 East Siberian Huskies/mix + Kvik;
some bjelkiers = all white (Nansen
wanted more; reach NP?) and crew
building ice dog houses.
Nansen team in camp,
with sled dogs and their
ice dog houses, and
using their sailing sledge.
Nansen and his sled dogs.
Kvik was his favorite. In first

litter, she gave birth to 13 pups,
one for each Fram crew member.
Nansen and crew of Fram
doing lead line depth sounding,
measuring temperature
and ice thickness,
and observing an eclipse
Anton Amundsen with a Nansen-Petersen water sampler;
used widely from 1930-1980’s.
Fram team members protecting magnetometer
and selves from polar bears.
Fram crew measuring
barometric pressure,
other meteorological
variables, and using
theodolites and sextants
for position.
Nansen’s Fram Expedition toward the North Pole 1893-1896
The red oval indicates where Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen
went on foot to approach the North Pole (860 14’), then 600 mile/
146 day trek to Franz Joseph Land.
Nansen and HjalmarJohansen bidding good-byes to rest of crew on quest to reach the
North Pole in Mar. 1895. They made it to 860 14’ N, ~225 nt mi from NP in April 1895.
Used sledges, kayaks, and 28 dogs.
Nansen and Johansen’s arrivals at Frederick George

Jackson’s camp in the Franz Joseph Land Islands
one year later, June 1896, not knowing where they
were until the end of the trek. 1st time on land in 2yrs.
Review of the Fram Expedition and
the Ice Trek of Nansen and Johansen
Issues:
Navigation (long., clocks stopped)
Fresh water
Heater for food/warmth
Polar bears (meat prevented scurvy)
Cold temperatures (minus 70 0F)
Windy conditions (>80 mph)
Varying snow and ice conditions
Limited food rations
Boredom (only an almanac to read)
Note that Nansen and Johansen went only
17nt mi further north than Fram and arrived
in Norway 1 week before Fram (Aug. 13,
1896) after 3 year expedition.
A postcard honoring ‘Fridtjof.’
Nansen and team celebrating

Norwegian Constitution Day, May 17.
Painting of an ice floe by Nansen.

Fram’s Triumphant Return from Near the North Pole
Summary of Nansen’s Scientific Accomplishments
Nansen
A founder of neuron theory
Father of modern polar exploration/mentored Amundsen, Shackleton, Scott
Discovered deep Arctic Ocean Basin & Arctic Current passing near North Pole
Invented water sampler and current meter
Observed internal gravity waves/’dead water’ (Ekman lab study)
Discovered ‘spiraling’ currents (Ekman Spiral theory) / Studied Gulf Stream
Early work on glacial rebound problem (land rises as ice retreats)
Baseline ocean-ice-atmospheric data obtained (climate change relevance)
Suggested sunspots’ role in climate change (theory now receiving credibility)

Nansen returning to a
heroe’s welcome on
return from Fram
Expedition in
Christiania (Oslo)
Nansen
as
Norwegian
envoy
to
Nansen lectured around the London
world; friend of influential
people, kings, queens, heads
of state, U.S. Presidents (incl.
Teddy Roosevelt)
Nansen with wife Eva, family, and as Norway’s Envoy to London.
He would likely have become 1st President of Norway as

a republic, but he preferred monarchy. Friend of King Haakon VII.
His admirers later wanted him to become Prime Minister.

Nansen with Raold Amundsen
(Norway) in 1926 after Amundsen
led 1st expedition to reach the
South Pole using Fram (preceded
Scott and Shackleton of GB). He
later crossed North Pole in a
dirigible. Likely, truly first as well.
If Norway could have claimed both

Poles, the Sun would never have set
on the Norwegian ‘empire’!
Nansen co-founded an anti-socialist

organization. Here he was speaking
against Communism in 1928 before
his death in 1930.
Below: Nansen as League of Nations
High Commissioner & 1922 Nobel Peace
Prize winner. He suggested someone else for
Prize; gave prize funds for Soviet agriculture.
2nd Peace Prize was given to the Nansen

International Office of refugees, 1938.
Nansen with repatriated orphans near

Alexandropol, Armenia (Mt. Ararat) 1925.
Nansen as Statesman, Diplomat, Humanitarian
Leader for peaceful Norwegian independence from Sweden (1905)
(requested to be Prime Minister of Norway; preferred monarchy and declined)
Norwegian envoy in London (1906-1908)
Negotiator for Norwegian Neutrality and

end of Allies’ blockade (~1917-1918)
Armistice of WW I (1918)
League of Nations Delegate (~1917-1918)
League of Nations High Commissioner (for refugees) (~1920)
Repatriation Work for 450,000 WWI Prisoners (1920)
Nansen Passport (1921) repatriating millions of people (~1920)
Food for Russian Masses (7-22 million people saved; 1921-1922)
Treaty of Lausanne & Armenian homeland work on behalf of 100,000’s (1920’s)

Further Reading
* A Passion for Danger, Francine Jacobs

* Nansen, Roland Huntsford
* The First Crossing of Greenland, Fridtjof Nansen
* Farthest North, Fridtjof Nansen
* Fridtjof Nansen in the Frozen North, S.L. Berens
* National Geographic Jan. 2009 (2 articles)
* National Geographic May 2009
* http://www.nb.no/baser/nansen/english.html
* This talk is available at OPL website home page: Kiki and Theodore Nansen
• www.opl.ucsb.edu; click on ‘Nansen Talks
Further Reading
* A Passion for Danger, Francine Jacobs

* Nansen, Roland Huntsford
* The First Crossing of Greenland, Fridtjof Nansen
* Farthest North, Fridtjof Nansen
* Fridtjof Nansen in the Frozen North, S.L. Berens
* National Geographic Jan. 2009 (2 articles)
* National Geographic May 2009
* http://www.nb.no/baser/nansen/english.html
* This talk is available at OPL website home page: Theodore Nansen and Mia
• www.opl.ucsb.edu; click on ‘Nansen Talks
Extra Slides
A neuron, also known as a neurone or nerve cell) is an electrically excitable cell that
processes and transmits information by electrochemical signaling, via connections
with other cells called synapses. Neurons are the core components of the
nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral ganglia.
A number of specialized types of neurons exist: sensory neurons respond to touch,
sound, light and numerous other stimuli affecting cells of the sensory organs that then
send signals to the spinal cord and brain. Motor neurons receive signals from the brain
and spinal cord and cause muscle contractions and affect glands. Interneurons connect
neurons to other neurons within the same region of the brain or spinal cord.
Drawing by Santiago Ramón y Cajal of neurons

in the pigeon cerebellum. (A) Denotes Purkinje
cells, an example of a multipolar neuron. (B)
Denotes granule cells which are also multipolar.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1906)

What was happening during Nansen’s lifetime (1861-1930)?
1810’s
Sir John Ross Arctic voyage looking for NW Passage with Sir James Clark Ross
1818
John Franklin’s Arctic expedition, 1918
John Franklin’s 1st Canadian expedition, 1919
Sir James Clark Ross did 4 Arctic voyages with Sir William Parry 1819-1827
James Ross locates position of magnetic NP 1831 w/Uncle John
1820’s
Robert McClure discovers Northwest Passage
William Edward Parry reached 82 45 in 1827
John Frankiln’s2nd Arctic expedition, 1823
1830’s-1840’s
Sir James Clark Ross 1839-43 did Antarctic exped. charting continent
Sir James Clark Ross discovered Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf in 1841
Franklin’s Northwest Passage lost expedition 1845-1848
1832
James Ross locates position of magnetic NP
1850
Robert McClure discovers Northwest Passage
1860’s – Ages 1-10

Cultural, political, social unrest in Europe and U.S.
U.S. Civil War – 1861-1865
Alfred Nobel creates dynamite (Nobel Prizes established later)
Jules Vernes' two-part novel "The English at the North pole"
(1864)and its sequel "The Ice Desert" (1866) featured a ship
called the "Forward.“ Not known if Nansen read these.
Hall’s 1st Arctic expedition – Baffin Island 1860-1863
Hall’s 2nd expediton to King William Island, search for Franklin
HMS Challenger Expedition - 1872-1876
Arctic exploration underway, many disastrous losses
1870’s – Ages 11-20

British Empire continues but about to decline
Henrik Ibsen (Norwegian releases A Doll’s House)
Telephone and light bulb invented
DeLong’s Jeannette expedition lost in Arctic 1879
1880’s – Ages 21-30 Early part of Gilded Age

Ill fated Greely polar expedition
Nansen’s first research cruise on sealer Viking 1882
Robert Peary’s 2 expeditions in Greenland in 1886 and 1891
PhD Thesis completed in 1887
Nansen crossed Greenland in summer 1888
1890’s – Ages 31-40

Economic Panic of 1893
Gold Rush in Alaska
Radioactivity and X-Rays discovered
Nansen observed rightward deflection of ice leading to
Ekman Spiral in 1893Theory
Nansen’s Farthest North expedition on Fram 1893-1896
(record lasted 5 years)
Solomon Andree’s disastrous balloon flight toward N. Pole 1897
Otto Sverdrup’s Fram expedition in Canadian Arctic 1898-1902
Nansen helped establish Int. Council for the Exploration
of the Sea in 1899 (still a major organization)
1900’s – Ages 41-50
Radio invented
Nordic Winter games in Sweden, 1901
Ekman Theory developed using Nansen’s obs. 1901
Scott-Shackleton Antarctic trek 1901-1904
Amundsen traverses NW 1903
Norwegian Independence from Sweden (1905)
Norway claims Greenland, but Danes retain it
Based on International Justice Court (1905)
Cajal and Golgi receive Nobel Prize in 1906
Appointed envoy to London 1906
Amundsen traverses Northwest Passage in 1906
Frederick Cook claims North Pole in 1908
Peary reaches 86 30N in 1909
Nansen’s wife Eva died in 1907
Kodak Brownie camera invented – Nansen photos
Frederick Cook (U.S.) claims to reach N. Pole in 1908
Shackleton reaches 88 23 S (97 mi from NP) Jan. 1909
Peary came within 5 nt mi of North Pole April 6, 1909
(TV movie Honor and Glory)
1910’s – Ages 61-60
European militarism – WW I (1914-1918)
Wegener’s Continental Drift Theory
Amundsen reached South Pole Dec. 14, 1911
Johansen commits suicide in 1913 (prob. w/Amundsen)
(Nansen let him use Fram and gave him $20K)
Robert Falcon Scott reaches S. Pole Jan. 17, 1912/
dies in 1913 disaster
(Kathleen Scott sculptor, socialite, studied w/Rodin knew Picasso)
Amundsen offered ½ of his sled dogs to Scott!
Movies:
Scott of the Antarctic – made in 1948
The Last Place on Earth -1985 Scott/Amundsen
Shackleton’s Trans-Antarctic expedition ends 1914-1917
in disaster in 1917, but all hands safe.
Movies:
The Endurance
Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure
Negotiated end of embargo of Norway 1917-1918
Became League of Nations High Comm. 1918
Amundsen traverses NE (Northern) Passage 1918-1920
Helped to negotiate Anglo-Soviet Trade Agree. 1919
1920’s – Ages 61-69
Roaring 20’s in U.S./Prohibition
‘Christiania’ name changed to ‘Oslo’ in 1925
Lindbergh flies across Atlantic
Shackleton dies on last Antarctic expedition 1921
Negotiated repatriation of 450,000 WWI prisoners in 1920
Led effort to repatriate refugees – ‘Nansen Passport’ 52 nations agreed
Led relief efforts for 7-22 million Russians - 1921
Nansen wins Nobel Peace Prize in 1922
1st designated Winter Games in Chamonix, 1924
Co-founded ant-socialist society in 1925
Treaty of Laussane – Armenian relief and repatriation in mid-1920’s
Amundsen-Nobile cross N. Pole in dirigible Norge (1st to reach N. Pole) in 1926
Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett claims to reach N. Pole (disputed) in 1926
Amundsen died during plane search for Nobile (Italia dirigible) near North Pole in
1928; see movie The Red Tent – 5 nations, 23 planes, 20 ships, dog sled teams
Richard Byrd expedition to Antarctica 1928
1930’s
Nansen International Office for Refugees receives Nobel Peace Prize in 1938
For continuing Nansen’s work as High Commissioner
Richard Byrd expeditions to Antarctica 1933–35, 1939–40, 1946–47 and 1955–56
Some Other Noteworthy Polar Events >50 yrs after Fram Expedition
Pavel Goriyenko and 5 others step on Npole after landing a plane thre in 148
Lt. Col. Joseph Fletcher and Lt. William Benedict land at N Pole in 1952. Nuclear
Submarine Nautilus passes under North Pole August 9, 1958
U.S. Nuclear Submarine Skate surfaces at North Pole March 17, 1959
Ralph Plaisted makes land conquest of N. Pole in 1968
Sir Wally Herbert led team across Artcic Ocean 1968-1969 with no airlifts
Soviet nuclear icebreaker Arktika made it N. Pole 1977
Manhattan voyage through Northwest Passage in ????
Russian Submersible Mir II plants Russian flag beneath North Pole August 2007
Note: Npole tms range from -45F to -15F in winter and average arounfd 32F in
summer
Sea ice near pole is 6-9 feet thick
Ice cover in winter over Arctic is about the same area as the U.S. and decreases to
½ this size in summer
Some estimate ½ of Greenland and Arctic ice could be gone by 2100????? So
says the Arctic Climate Assessment report of November 2004.
What world events occurred during Nansen’s lifetime (1861-1930)?
1861-1865 – U.S. Civil War
1880’s – 2nd Industrial Revolution
1914-1918 – World War I
1920’s Rise of Russian Bolshevism - Communism (Lenin)

The first international multi-sport event specifically for winter sports were the
Nordic Games, held in 1901 in Sweden. The Nordic Games were organized by
General Viktor Gustaf Balck.[1] They were held again in 1903, again in 1905,
and then every four years there after until 1926.[1] Balck was a charter member
of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and a close personal friend of
Olympic Games founder Pierre de Coubertin. He attempted to have winter
sports, specifically figure skating, added to the Olympic programme.[1] Balck
was unsuccessful until the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, which featured
four figure skating events.[2] Ulrich Salchow (10 time World champion) and
Madge Syers won the individual titles.[3]
The first Olympics after the war, the 1920 Games in Antwerp featured figure
skating with the addition of ice hockey.[4] At the IOC Congress held the following
year, it was decided that the organizers of the 1924 Summer Olympics, France,
would also host a separate "International Winter Sports Week", under the
patronage of the IOC. This "week" (it actually lasted 11 days) of events in
Chamonix proved to be a great success. More than 200 athletes from 16
nations, competed in 16 events.[6] Fewer than 15 of the athletes were women
and they were only allowed to compete in figure skating events.[4] Finnish and
Norwegian athletes dominated the events.[7] In 1925 the IOC decided to create
a separate Olympic Winter Games,[4] and the 1924 Games in Chamonix were
retroactively designated as the first Winter Olympics.[4][8]
Climate Change/Global Warming
Jones et al., 1999, Rev. of Geophys. 37, 173-199
http://www.john-daly.com/polar/arctic.htm
http://www.jJohn-daly.com/polar/arctic.htm
Arctic Circulation/Currents
Day Length at Different Latitudes

16] SEARCH Science Steering
Committee, Draft SEARCH
Science Plan,
http://psc.apl.washington.ed
u/search/search_plan/Science_P
lan_9.html, Polar Science
Center,
University of Washington,
Seattle, 2000
http://www.john-daly.com/polar/arctic.htm
Point Barrow, AK 71 23N August
at ½ hour intervals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_length
Nansen’s Team for First Crossing of Greenland – ‘A Ski Trip’ – 1888
Nansen
Fram also carried Raold Amundsen

for South Pole expedition 1911
Nansen-Petersen water sampler (used until 1960’s;
forerunner of present day Niskin bottles) and a plankton net.
Sled Dogs
and
Bear Problems
Polar bears were

danger, but
unknowingly a
source of Vit. C
Greenland Recent Melt Features – Lake, Runoff, Moulin
I. Joughin, U. Washington
Scenery of Greenland Like Nansen and His Team
May Have Seen on Clear Days
Life on R/V Fram
Crew of 13 was onboard
Fram, mostly locked in ice, for
3-year Arctic expedition.
Otto Sverdrup was Capt., but

Nansen was in charge
Fram had to be abandoned

once because of crushing ice
– but was spared and
reboarded!
A View of North Polar Region
“Polar exploration was littered with

dead bodies,” Roland Huntford
NOAA
North Pole
Web Cam
2007
Pargo
Nuclear Sub Skate 1958
1993
Charlotte
2006
Nuclear Sub Skate

1958
Caption 50 years after Peary reached Npole, Skate
mission was to demnstrate operations possible from the
polar ice year round! – Skate near NP – First vessel to
sfc on Mar 17, 1959 following Nautilus’ trek beneath NP
August 9, 1958 ;quote captain Calvrt - , “ … I looked
around … and saw the vast stretches of ice reaching in
Race to claim Arctic Ocean economic zones
Possibly ¼ of world’s undiscovered oil and

gas reserves may reside here/less ice cover
key
Russia, Norway, Denmark, Canada, U.S.

are placing claims, but are required to have
accurate bathymetric maps to support
claims to UN Law of the Sea Convention
See National Geographic

May 2009
On August 2, 2007, the Russians planted a
Russian flag on the seafloor beneath the
North Pole using the submersible Mir I at
14,000 ft depth.
Why? A new race to North Polar region!!
Call attention to Russian territorial claims;

No legal significance
Note Vladimir Putin

in photo of Mir I
* Snowmobiles
North Pole
Nuclear Sub Skate 1958 2008 Web Cam
Baffin Island, 69˚00`N 72˚00`W, is the largest island in
Canada and the fifth largest island in the world, with an
area of 507,000 km². It has a population of 11,000
people, most of them living in Iqaluit, which is the
capital of the territory Nunavut.
Spectacular environment
Much of the treeless island, and the waters around it, are
protected national parks. A mountain ridge goes across the
island and the highest peak is Mount Odin, raising 2147 m
above sea level. The vast, unspoiled tundra, the
mountainous interior, the big glaciers and the hundreds of
bays and fjords of the rugged northern coast make Baffin
Island to a unique place in the world.
People
Most of the people on Baffin Island are Inuit and some are
still living out of fishing and hunting. Inuit in Nunavut are
recognized internationally for their stone sculptures, fine art
prints and fabric arts. Nowadays tourism is a growing
industry in the Inuit economy.
Climate
* Snowmobiles
North Pole
2008 Web Cam

The Inspirational Life of Fridtjof Nansen

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The Inspirational Life of Fridtjof Nansen

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The Inspirational Life

* Early Career Accomplishments

* First Research Cruise

* Farthest North and Accolades

* More Oceanographic Research

* Statesman and Diplomat

* Humanitarian - Nobel Peace Prize

* Lasting Impact of a Remarkable Life

* Name Fridtjof (‘peace

* Mother: widow with

* Chose zoology to do field work

* First research cruise on working

* Did ocean and ice observations/

* Vision of crossing Greenland!

* Bergen Museum Curator at age of 20 in 1882

* Studied nervous system of hag fish

* Developed neuron theory for Ph. D. at Univ.

* Ph.D. ‘Disputation’ (Defense) held April 28,

* Nansen left for Greenland crossing days

* Greenland is about size of the

Balto and Sverdrup

* No path of retreat! Forward = Fram

* Nansen learned how to explore polar regions –

* Men pulled sledges – no dogs, though desired

* Bolstered confidence to reach poles and

* Popularized recreational skiing/ski equip./

* Brought home sledge dog, Kvik

* Book a big international success/very positive

* Interestingly, Nansen said he had trouble

• A Race to the Poles (turn of the century

• The Strategy – Drift in ice toward North Pole via

• The techniques – The Fram and crew keys

• Use of sledge dogs (Kvik, the lead!)

• Preparations vital – planned for

• Fram departed Christiania June 24, 1893

• Nansen returned August 13, 1896 and

Length of 128 ft, width 43 ft

Reinforced for ice

Rounded bottom, to lift onto ice

Coal/steam and sail powered schooner

Wind mill for electricity generation

Record for cruises furthest north and

Photo by Ben Holt Photo by Eric Rignot, JPL

Photo by Hajo Eiken, UAF

Otto Sverdrup was Capt., but

Fram had to be abandoned once

Kvik was his favorite. In first

Nansen and Johansen’s arrivals at Frederick George

Nansen and team celebrating

Painting of an ice floe by Nansen.

A founder of neuron theory

Father of modern polar exploration/mentored Amundsen, Shackleton, Scott

Invented water sampler and current meter

Observed internal gravity waves/’dead water’ (Ekman lab study)

Discovered ‘spiraling’ currents (Ekman Spiral theory) / Studied Gulf Stream

Early work on glacial rebound problem (land rises as ice retreats)

Baseline ocean-ice-atmospheric data obtained (climate change relevance)

Suggested sunspots’ role in climate change (theory now receiving credibility)

He would likely have become 1st President of Norway as

His admirers later wanted him to become Prime Minister.

If Norway could have claimed both

Nansen co-founded an anti-socialist

2nd Peace Prize was given to the Nansen

Nansen with repatriated orphans near