Page 24 - Canadian Geographic

DISCOVERY

HISTORY

Arctic outposts

How the Joint Arctic Weather Stations program did more
than just ll in a blank on the nation’s weather map
By Harry Wilson*

I spot was recognized, but the diffi culty and tion was used for
The informa-
IN ADDITION to possessing thorough
expense involved in the establishment and
technical knowledge of meteorological equip-
more than creating
maintenance of communities in these
ment, applicants must be comfortable with
inaccessible regions were prohibitive.”
reliable Arctic fore-
long periods of isolation and cold, and be
But the Second World War and its after-
prepared to live and work in close quarters
these stations gathered,” wrote historian
with a small group of colleagues for a year math made the Arctic relevant for world casts, though. “The data MAP: JOINT ARCTIC WEATHER STATIONS. EUREKA, CANADA. EDITION 1, 1970, SURVEYS AND MAPPING BRANCH, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, MINES AND RESOURCES, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA, E011196844;
or more at a time. powers, and soon after the war ended, the Daniel Heidt in a 2015 Network in Canadian
OK, so this is an imaginary version of fi rst station was established at Eureka on History & Environment story about the sta-
what was required of personnel at the fi ve Ellesmere Island. (The picture above tions and the “met techs” who worked there,
Joint Arctic Weather Stations active across shows Galen Olsen, a station staffer, out- “were crucial to military planning, civilian
the Canadian High Arctic from 1947 to side Eureka International Airport in the meteorology, and transatlantic commercial
1972, but its take-heed tone about the mid-1950s.) By April 1950, four more sta- aviation, as well as North America’s agricul-
physical and mental hardships of life in tions — Resolute on Cornwallis Island, ture and forestry economies.”
the North probably isn’t far off the mark. Isachsen on Ellef Ringnes Island, Mould No pressure, then. It’s no wonder, as
After all, staffi ng the stations was serious Bay on Prince Patrick Island and Alert on Rae noted, that great care was “exercised
business for the Canadian and American Ellesmere Island — were operational. in screening applicants for these posts
offi cials who initiated the project. Maps such as the one above, which since one unsuitable individual can dis-
They did so to redress an imbalance depicts the Eureka station, part of the east rupt the harmony of the entire station.”
that for years had left the region covered coast of Axel Heiberg Island and part of the
by Canada’s Arctic islands appear as a west coast of Ellesmere Island, show the *with fi les from Erika Reinhardt, archivist, PHOTO AND EUREKA CREST: COURTESY OF JOHN GILBERT
large blank area on weather maps, as R.W. region that each station’s staff gathered data Library and Archives Canada
Rae noted in his story on the stations in a for by making on-the-ground observations
1951 issue of Arctic, the journal of the and by using weather balloons to measure Read more stories about the maps in
Arctic Institute of North America. “The temperature, barometric pressure, humidity Library and Archives Canada’s collection
need for weather reports from this blind and wind direction. at cangeo.ca/topic/map-archive.

24 CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC MARCH/APRIL 2018