U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker operations and science support in Antarctica

IF 0.8 Q2 AREA STUDIES

Polar Journal Pub Date : 2021-07-03 DOI:10.1080/2154896X.2021.1978233

Martin R. Weikart

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

ABSTRACT U.S. ships and sailors have contributed significantly to Antarctic exploration and research since the first land sightings of Antarctica in 1820. Since Operation High Jump in 1946–1947, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy have operated polar icebreakers in support of United States national interests in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. In the early years of continuous U.S. presence in Antarctica, they were critical to logistical support in the building of research stations at McMurdo, Wilkes Land, Cape Hallett, Gould Bay (Ellsworth), Marie Byrd Land (Byrd), and Palmer (Antarctic Peninsula). Their icebreaking capabilities have been key to the annual ice escort operations of supply ships in McMurdo Sound and other coastal stations. These icebreakers and their assigned aviation detachments have supported numerous U.S. and international research expeditions and projects in waters that had rarely been previously explored, expanding knowledge in all the natural sciences. U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers supported U.S. State Department Antarctic Treaty inspections for many years. Recently, the role of USCG icebreakers in Antarctic science research has diminished, both in number of projects assigned and areas deployed. A new class of U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreakers is in work, designated as polar security cutters, and it is hoped that these icebreakers will be able to continue supporting Antarctic science activities.

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美国海岸警卫队在南极洲的破冰船行动和科学支持

自1820年首次在陆地上看到南极洲以来，美国的船只和水手对南极的探索和研究做出了重大贡献。自1946年至1947年的“跳高行动”以来，美国海岸警卫队和美国海军一直在使用极地破冰船，以支持美国在南极洲和南大洋的国家利益。在美国在南极洲持续存在的早期，它们对在麦克默多、威尔克斯地、哈利特角、吉尔德湾(埃尔斯沃思)、玛丽伯德地(伯德)和帕尔默(南极半岛)建立研究站的后勤支持至关重要。它们的破冰能力一直是补给船在麦克默多湾和其他沿海站进行年度冰上护航行动的关键。这些破冰船及其指定的航空分队在以前很少被探索的水域支持了许多美国和国际研究探险和项目，扩展了所有自然科学的知识。美国海岸警卫队的破冰船多年来一直支持美国国务院南极条约的检查。最近，USCG破冰船在南极科学研究中的作用已经减弱，无论是在分配的项目数量还是部署的区域。新的美国海岸警卫队极地破冰船正在工作，被指定为极地安全切割机，希望这些破冰船能够继续支持南极科学活动。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Polar Journal Arts and Humanities-Arts and Humanities (all)

CiteScore

2.80

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Antarctica and the Arctic are of crucial importance to global security. Their governance and the patterns of human interactions there are increasingly contentious; mining, tourism, bioprospecting, and fishing are but a few of the many issues of contention, while environmental concerns such as melting ice sheets have a global impact. The Polar Journal is a forum for the scholarly discussion of polar issues from a social science and humanities perspective and brings together the considerable number of specialists and policy makers working on these crucial regions across multiple disciplines. The journal welcomes papers on polar affairs from all fields of the social sciences and the humanities and is especially interested in publishing policy-relevant research. Each issue of the journal either features articles from different disciplines on polar affairs or is a topical theme from a range of scholarly approaches. Topics include: • Polar governance and policy • Polar history, heritage, and culture • Polar economics • Polar politics • Music, art, and literature of the polar regions • Polar tourism • Polar geography and geopolitics • Polar psychology • Polar archaeology Manuscript types accepted: • Regular articles • Research reports • Opinion pieces • Book Reviews • Conference Reports.