The
International Geophysical Year (1957 - 1958)
The IGY was designated as a major international
effort of the world's scientists to gather and share data on the
Earth's natural phenomena. 
The 1957-1958 year was selected because scientists desired to coordinate
worldwide observations during this known period of maximum sun-spot
activity. More than 10,000 scientists from 67 countries participated
in a program in which 2,500 IGY stations were established throughout
the world. Data collected covered a wide variety of disciplines
that included geology, oceanography,
glaciology, meteorology,
seismology, geomagnetics, and ionospheric, auroral and outer-space
phenomena.
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Making Tracks to
the Pole
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In January, 1958, an Edmund Hillary-led expedition
drove modified farm tractors to the South Pole. They were sent
to lay fuel depots from Scott Base, New Zealand's newly established
IGY station on Ross Island, but decided to go past the last
depot. They reached the Pole two weeks ahead of an expedition
led by Englishman Vivan Fuchs using heavy tracked vehicles and
a dog team. |
The IGY
was the largest and most important international scientific effort
to that date. One of its many later ramifications was the setting
aside of Antarctica as a nonmilitary region to be used for international
scientific purposes alone. The IGY was the first worldwide scientific
effort to involve Antarctica, owing to rapid advances in logistics
and technology that enabled these activities to be undertaken on the
southern continent. The Antarctic was recognized as a region of profound
interest and unique characteristics. It was considered as having potential
for geophysical information regarding the impact of its huge ice mass
on global weather and the oceans, as well as the nature of the aurora
australis and the ionosphere over the ice during the long Antarctic
winters.
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South Pole at sunset
As a result of the IGY,
twelve countries established more than 40 stations on the
Antarctic Continent and another 20 on the sub-Antarctic
islands.
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The South Pole, site of the United States'
Amundsen-Scott Station became the terminal link in important Pole-to-Pole
observations along three meridians.
A weather station at Little America analyzed reports from aircraft,
trail parties, outlying stations, whaling fleets, and nearby countries.
The IGY activities in Antarctica contributed
significantly to knowledge of the physical character of the earth
and its weather, the ionosphere, and outer space. Much new knowledge
of the Antarctic ice sheet was gained from drilling cores and from
inland traverses that gathered data on ice temperatures, density,
thickness, ice-surface elevations, and magnetic and gravity fields.
The
IGY in Antarctica  was
an outstanding success,characterized by complete cooperation between
nations in the gathering, analyzing and exchange of data. The international
program of allowing all nations working in Antarctica to place scientific
stations anywhere, despite prior sovereignty claims, led directly
to the eventual formulation and success of the
Antarctic Treaty of 1961.
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What were
the most significant IGY achievements?
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- Defining the system of mid-ocean ridges
that encircle the globe, furthering our understanding of
the Earth's crust and the theory of Plate Tectonics.
- Discovery of the Van Allen Radiation
Belts. These belts surround the Earth at altitudes of hundreds
and at thousands of kilometers above the surface and are
significant to present day electronic communications.
- The collection of synoptic weather
data and observations of various unique meteorological and
optical phenomena.
- Developing a comprehensive overview
of global physical phenomena.
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