SCIENCE CONGRESS HEARS OF ANTARCTIC RESEARCH

Press, Volume C, Issue 29609, 4 September 1961, Page 7

SCIENCE CONGRESS HEARS OF ANTARCTIC RESEARCH

(Bp

D. S. MILNE,

Science Correrpondent of the “New Zealand Herald")

‘ HONOLULU. * l *wctica, the last dlsof the world’s big .J™ 1 ar «as. has been called „* unknown continent for n ' y . s T ars But its mysteries being exposed rapidly n®*, as a result of a trejnendous scientific onslaught hundreds of scientists many countries. The wealth of Antarctic scientific material, collected over the last few years, is ** veaied at tenth f ac ‘®c Science Congress here in Hawaii, where scientists goto the United States, Bntam, Russia, New Zealand, Canada, Argentina. Japan. Australia, and France are meeting in the Matthew Fon. tame Maury memorial symposium on Antarctic research. Organised by Rear-Admiral Lloyd V. Berkner. one of America’s leading scientists. \ne sessions have been directed by Dr Harry Wexw’ of {he American ™rather Bureau. Altogether, 27 papers are oomg presented—including six by Russians and two by New Zealand scientists. The special symposium, one of the leading features of the congress, is in memory of Captain Matthew Fontaine Maury, a leading hydrographer, oceanographer and navigator of the nineteenth century. Captain Maury’s irr* erests were wide, and he pteyed a very large part in starting the science of oceanography. “It took about a century for Captain Maury's dream of large-scale international scientific expeditions to be realised,” said Dr. Wexler at the symposium. “But if he were here todav he wouldn’t just be satisfied With the results presented in this symposium—he would be agitating for another international expedition, possibly to the moon or planets.” Wide Range Of Topics The papers presented in the symposium cover a wide range of Antarctic topics, from geology to meteorology, and from ocean currents to glaciology. But what has emerged is that the last five years have given an immense amount of information about the Antarctic continent; information that, in many cases, is still awaiting analysis. The next few years are expected to be even more productive, if the enthusiasm of the scientists at the Maury symposium is any indication. Among the facts that have emerged is the discovery of a huge channel between the Rods Sea and the Amundsen Sea. It was previously believed that an under-ice channel linked the Ross ice shelf and the Weddell Sea, but seismic surveys show this is not true. The new channel is so deep that soundings in some places have shown bedrock 7500 feet below sea level.' Overlaying the rift is many

thousands of feet of ice. In fact, another paper, based on the latest seismic surveys, indicated that the average thickness of ice over the Antarctic continent is about .8600 feet. On the ice shelves the average thickness is 1300 feet.

Working from soundings and recent surveys. Dr. Edward Thiel, one of the Americans presenting a paper, has shown that Antarctica is covered with about five million cubic miles of ice—including the ice shelves. The total weight of this ice would be about 35.000 million milion tons, or enough ice to raise the sea level all over the world by about 180 feet if it were all suddenly melted. Another result of Dr. Thiel’s calculations is that nearly 90 per cent, of the world's ice is in Antarctica. Ice Shelves

Other studies on ice presented in the symposium included a paper on the dynamics of ice shelves, the massive barriers which fill the Roes and Weddell Seas, and ring much of Antarctica’s coast; and a report on studies of New Zealand glaciers, by Mr I. C. McKellar. of the New Zealand Geological Survey.

Few scientific measurements had been taken on New Zealand glaciers until recently, said Mr McKellar, but studies had now started on the Tasman Glacier and in other areas. The loss of ice in New Zealand glaciers over the last 50 years was most spectacular their length was altering only slowly, but in many cases the ice level was 200 or 300 feet lower than it had been earlier this century. Russian studies of the ocean currents and the mixing of Antarctic and subAntarctic waters were follow’ed with great interest, and showed that the Russians •have been carrying out probably more oceanographic research in the southern seas than any other country. In fact, many visiting scientists •have been astounded at 'the extent of Russia's knowledge of the Pacific. Careful, full, methodical surveys have covered many of the Pacific areas which have not been touched on before. But probably the outstanding paper in the symposium has been that of Dr. M. J. Rubin, of the United States Weather Bureau. His paper, on the heat budget of the Antarctic mass, points in clear terms the value of Anarctic research. New Zealand, geographically speaking, is very close to the Antarctic, and there seems no doubt that Antarctica is one of the biggest factors involved in New Zealand's weather—and the weather of much of the South Pacific. Antarctic studies like Dr. RutJin's, in which he -surveyed the. total heat capttae

and loss of Antarctica, are the source of fundamental information on the understanding of weather* and cotild form a basis for far more accurate weather prediction, and possibly, Weather control. Like most studies, it looks simple for a start. Antarctica receives a certain amount of radiation and heat from the sun. Surface melting, evaporation, the melting of ice shelves.' the northward flow of ocean currents and many other currents and many other factors help to remove some of this heat, and what is left is lost by radiation into space. What Dr. Rubin has done is take into account all these factors, based on actual measurements made in the Antarctic. and work out the annual heat budget the amount retained, and the amount lost—for the continent.

Calculations of this sort, based mainly on theory, were made two years ago by Dr. J. M. Gabites, head of the research section of the New Zealand Meteorological Service. It was a source of satisfaction to the New Zealanders at the symposium that Dr. Rubin’s calculations, based on much fuller information, differed from Dr. Gabites’ results by just over 10 per cent The next few years will bring more advances in knowledge of the Antarctic, just as the last few have. But these advances will not just benefit the scientists making them; they will benefit the whole world, and not least of all those of us who live in the southern oceans, near the great land mass.