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book: The Land Beneath the Ice
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The Land Beneath the Ice

The Pioneering Years of Radar Exploration in Antarctica
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Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2023

About this book

A wondrous story of scientific endeavor—probing the great ice sheets of Antarctica

From the moment explorers set foot on the ice of Antarctica in the early nineteenth century, they desired to learn what lay beneath. David J. Drewry provides an insider’s account of the ambitious and often hazardous radar mapping expeditions that he and fellow glaciologists undertook during the height of the Cold War, when concerns about global climate change were first emerging and scientists were finally able to peer into the Antarctic ice and take its measure.

In this panoramic book, Drewry charts the history and breakthrough science of radio-echo sounding, a revolutionary technique that has enabled researchers to measure the thickness and properties of ice continuously from the air—transforming our understanding of the world’s great ice sheets. To those involved in this epic fieldwork, it was evident that our planet is rapidly changing, and its future depends on the stability and behavior of these colossal ice masses. Drewry describes how bad weather, downed aircraft, and human frailty disrupt the most meticulously laid plans, and how success, built on remarkable international cooperation, can spawn institutional rivalries.

The Land Beneath the Ice captures the excitement and innovative spirit of a pioneering era in Antarctic geophysical exploration, recounting its perils and scientific challenges, and showing how its discoveries are helping us to tackle environmental challenges of global significance.

Author / Editor information

David J. Drewry is honorary fellow at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, and former director of the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge and of the British Antarctic Survey. His books include Glacial Geologic Processes and Antarctica and Environmental Change. A world-renowned glaciologist, he has a mountain and a glacier named after him in Antarctica. He lives in Cottingham, England.

Reviews

"Important and ground-breaking research. . . . this book is an essential record of important work and should find a place in libraries and bookshelves devoted to polar science, polar history or the history of science."---Mike Brettle, Weather --- "A meticulously detailed and beautifully illustrated insider account. . . .Drewry wanted the book to be engaging to specialist historians and Antarctic enthusiasts, but also give general readers an introduction to Antarctica’s beautiful environment; this he has achieved in spades."---Richard Dawe, Geoscientist --- "

A meticulously detailed and beautifully illustrated insider account of the pioneering, frequently haphazard radar mapping expeditions [Drewry] and a hardy cohort of glaciologists embarked on during a heady decade of technological advancement during the 1970s.

"---Duncan Madden, Geographical --- "This personal account adds much piquancy to a story of scientific discovery and ongoing exploration of a compellingly unique continent."---Karen Bordanaro, Library Journal --- "Winner of the PROSE Award in Earth Science, Association of American Publishers"

Topics

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    Frontmatter

    i
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    Contents

    vii
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    Illustrations

    xiii
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    Preface

    xxiii
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    Acknowledgements

    xxix
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    1. The Antarctic Ice Sheet Puzzle

    1
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    2. Sounding through the Ice

    8
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    3. The Advent of Radio-Echo Sounding

    21
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    4. Flight into the Unknown: Long-Range Antarctic Campaigns Commence

    43
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    5. The Second Antarctic Season 1969–70: A Task for Hercules

    63
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    6. Review and New Plans

    111
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    7. The Continental Survey Begins: A Land Emerges

    125
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    8. New Impetus

    153
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    9. 1974–75: Radio-Echo Sounding Comes of Age

    185
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    10. Data, Research, and Politics

    210
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    11. Changing Planes

    224
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    12. The Final Season, 1978–79

    256
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    13. The Axe Falls

    286
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    14. The Antarctic Folio

    304
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    15. The Last Push

    342
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    16. The Aftermath

    350
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    17. Reflections

    364
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    Appendix 1 DISPLAY AND RECORDING OF RES DATA

    379
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    Appendix 2 SPRI RESEARCH STUDENTS IN THE RADIO-ECHO SOUNDING PROGRAMME

    383
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    Abbreviations

    385
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    Glossary

    389
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    Index

    397
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
October 26, 2022
eBook ISBN:
9780691237923
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
View content
https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691237923
eBook ISBN: 9780691237923
Keywords for this book
Antarctica; Ice sheets; Sub-ice landscapes; Climate change; Sea level rise; US Navy air operations; US Antarctic Program; Scott Polar Research Institute; Polar exploration; Radar sounding; Ice depth sounding
Audience(s) for this book
For a non-specialist adult audience
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