User:SriMesh/Robert Peary Anniversary Expedition
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 {{stale}}
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Peary-Henson Centennial North Pole Expedition Heads North; Explorers seek to honor Peary and Henson, raise Polar Awareness
The Peary Centennial North Pole Expedition team consists of Lonnie Dupre, Maxime Edgard Chaya and Stuart Smith, produced and outfitted by logistics manager Rick Sweitzer of PolarExplorers. They embarked from Ward Hunt Island and expect to ski more than 600-miles (966-kilometres)to the North Pole. Customised 5-foot (1.5-metres) long Kevlar sleds loaded with 150-pound (68-kg) of food, supplies and navigational equipment are used for this trip.
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We’ll be carrying dry-suits, swimming the leads. We’re expecting a pretty good [ice] year. It’s been cold on this side of the hemisphere. We’re hoping we don’t have to swim too much.” |  |
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—Lonnie Dupre |
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On March 6, 2009 the team traveled through -46 F (-43 Celsius) in the near-total darkness of the Arctic night and retired when it was -50 F (-46 Celsius), enduring equipment failures and mild frostbite. The team will receive one restocking of food by aircraft along the way. The journey is planned to finish up on April 26 or 27. A helicopter will then pick up the three travelers from the Russian base called Ice Island Borneo, and then fly to Norway.
In addition to commemorating the centennial of the Peary-Henson discovery of the North Pole, the objective is to engage government authorities to enact an International Arctic Treaty to preserve and protect the culture of arctic indigenous people and the arctic Ocean flora and fauna. The expedition is also being tracked by schoolchildren and other members of the public through daily blog entries.
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...governments and companies have remained blindly focused on new Arctic shipping lanes to extract from the ocean's floor the very thing that is causing the rise in global temperatures - fossil fuels |  |
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[edit] Political Background
Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway and Denmark through its control of Greenland are all seeking northern sovereignty in the arctic to lay claim to oil, natural gas and precious minerals. 40 trillion cubic feet of conventional natural gas and 4.5 billion barrels of oil alone are estimated to lay in the Beaufort Sea alone. Countries are increasing their military presence in the arctic to defend their 320-km (200-mile) economic zone north of their shores which is set out by international law. For this reason, all international individually-sponsored expeditions also help contribute to keeping the Arctic as an independent world resource.
The second objective of the Peary Centennial North Pole Expedition is the 'Cool - Not Cool' campaign which will portray the effects of global warming in the arctic.
[edit] Historical Background
Robert Edwin Peary (May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) placed a claim on the North Pole April 6, 1909.
Robert Edwin Peary aboard the Roosevelt arrived at Ellesmere Island September 1908 to begin the journey to the North Pole. Advance teams set out north to create a trail and set out caches along the way. The crew of 23 men and 133 dogs hunted caribou and musk ox for additional food throughout the winter months. By the end of March the final supply camp was 150 miles (241 kilometres) from the North Pole.
Peary, Matthew Henson, Ooqueah, Ootah, Seegloo and Egingwah were the skeleton crew who finished the journey. They reported their arrival to the North Pole April 6, 1909. On the return journey to the ship there was only one fatality, Professor Ross G. Marvin who drowned April 10, 1909.
Peary succeeded in 1909 in his third attempt. The support for his expedition, and the interaction he established with the Inughuit, complemented his techniques. Lonnnie Dupre, the leader of the current Peary Centennial North Pole Expedition, respects Peary's insight in taking Polar Inuit dog drivers who had extensive experience of traveling the arctic tundra and ice.
[edit] Initial Expedition Plans
The initial Peary Centennial Expedition was for a 1,600-mile (2575-kilometres) trek across Greenland and Ellesmere and Axel Hielberg Islands. Funding fell short due to the current economic crisis. The trek would have included eight team members, four 14-foot (4-metre) Komatik sleds transporting 1,250-pound (567-kilogram) loads pulled by 48 dogs.
[edit] Sources
- "Peary Centennial Expedition The Plan" — pearycentennial.com,
- "Peary Centennial Expedition" — pearycentennial.com, March 5, 2009
- "Centennial of Peary's North Pole Expedition Celebrated at Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum" — April 16, 2008
- "Robert Edwin Peary: Arctic Explorer" — 2000-2009
- "Peary-Henson Expedition" — PolarExplorers,
- "The North Pole - Bob Bartlett - 20th Century Exploration" — Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1996-2000
- "Russia, Denmark say law must decide Arctic ownership" — Reuters, Feb 26, 2009
- "Premier Addresses Arctic Gas Symposium" — Government of Yukon, March 3, 2009
- "Russia, Denmark say law must decide Arctic ownership" — Reuters, Feb 26, 2009
- Martin Sieff. "Arctic wars set to heat up" — United Press International, March 9, 2009
- "Lonnie Dupre update: Peary Centennial Expedition sleds are built" — ExplorersWeb Inc., Jul 04, 2008
- "On the Edge of the Ice with the Peary-Henson Centennial Expedition" — pr-inside, February 28, 2009
- "Peary Centennial North Pole Expedition is a go!" — X-Journal, 24 February 2009
- Sam Cook. "Northland residents plan two Arctic expeditions" — South Washington County Bulletin, February 2, 2009
- Around Cook County, Around Cook County. "Local explorer heads back to the Arctic - WTIP" — Boreal Access, February 4, 2009
Category:Arctic Category:Global Warming Category:Science and technology
