EXPEDITION TO QUEEN MAUDS LAND.

Chronicle (Levin), 21 February 1947, Page 5

EXPEDITION TO QUEEN MAUDS LAND.

(OfTieial "'orresjjondeiil .) LONDON, Feb. 20. Plail.s for a Xorwegian-Brit isiiSwedisk expedition to the Xorwegisin territory of Queen Mauds Land in the Antarctie, which were Jirst diseussed aL Cambridge la.st May, are bet5inni.n0 to take 1irnn*r shape. It is under.stood that the Norweginn Government communicated with the Bmish Foreign Ottiee em|uiring as to the possible e\tent of British participat ion. The Antarctie Research Coinmit tee which is comprised of nieitibers of the Rovnl Geographical Society and Scott l'olar Research Institute at Cambridge, is holding a meeting shortly to diseuss the expedition. Scientilic liaison ofiieors of the iSotith African and Australian Governments liave accepted an invitation to join the coinmit tee. A similar invitation is also exlended to New Zealand but thus l'ar 110 re])ly has been received f ro 111 the Governnient. This niay be due to the fact tliat New Zealand has had 110 scientilic liaison otlicer in Loudon since December 1945. Jt is not anticipated that ihe expedition will arrive at Queen .Mauds Land before the Antarctie summer of 1918/ 49. It is under.stood Xorway will take the major part in the expedition and ]>o.ssi bly provide tlie leader and ship, together with a component of the Xorwegian Air Foree. Tli'ere is a possibility that Britain may provide a deputy leader and the R.A.F. jnay also participat e. 'Ihe ohiel purpo.se of the expedition is research. There is evidence that, in the word.s of Professor JL W. Ahimanu of Stockholni Fniversity, that there has been "a recent warming up of the Ar*tic" with the glaciers retreating and thinning out and the extent of the ice paek diminisihng. Professor Ahimanu is of opinion that this phenomonon inav be paralleled in other paris of the world aad may even pro\e a key to the history and development of global clirnatic conditions. A German prewar air snrvey of Queen .Mauds Land revealed it a.s an area of scientilic importance. : Prof'essor Ahlmann lias stated that | the resulLs of the proposed expedition ; eould be expected to form 11 an ex- j tromely valuable eontribution to the] understanding of the inland ice of the J ice age, clirnatic history of postglacial t times, and pre.seut day meteorolog'ical | "onditions. " ' y vQi;een Mauds Land is an area of the : Antarctie almost directly south of ' HouHi Africa and opposite to Little Ainerica where Rear-Admi'*"1 Pvrd at present has his expedition. j