The Royal Society and the Antarctic

• Published in: Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London
• Main Author: Fogg, G. E.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 2000
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsnr.2000.0098; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsnr.2000.0098

Beginning with its dispatch of Halley on his geomagnetic cruise of 1699 to 1700, the Royal Society has played a sporadic, ad hoc, but nevertheless considerable role in the scientific investigation of the South Polar regions. In three ventures—Ross's geomagnetic survey of 1839 to 1843, the first Scott expedition of 1901 to 1904 and the British contribution to the International Geophysical Year of 1957 to 1958—it made major contributions to the planning and support of Antarctic scientific programmes. Throughout, it has given backing to polar expeditions but has been consistent in putting science before geographical discovery. It has numbered some 20 Antarctic scientists among its Fellows.