Jökull - 01.11.1998, Side 49

tion. Earth Sci. History 10, 223-226.
B. Schulz 1934. Die Fahrt des Vermessungsschiffes
“Meteor” nach den ostislandischen und ostgrön-
landischen Gewassem im Sommer 1933. Ann. Hy-
drogr. marit. Meteorol. 62, 24-26.
M. Schwarzbach 1980. Alfred Wegener und die Drift der
Kontinente. Wissensch. Verlagsgesellsch., Stuttgart,
160 bls.
H. Seilkopf 1928. Meteorologische Forschungen auf
dem Nordatlantischen Ozean als Vorbereitung trans-
atlantischen Luftverkehrs. Zeitschr. Geoph. 4, 273-
281.
K.H. Soltau 1930. Islandflug der Deutschen Verkehrs-
fliegerschule im Juli 1929. Ann. Hydrogr. marit. Me-
teorol. 58, 164-166 og 1 kort. Beitráge zur Flugme-
teorologie von Island. Sama rit, 73-84 og 2 kort.
G. Thiel 1934. Strombeobachtungen des Vermessungss-
chiffes “Meteor” unter Island. Ann. Hydrogr. marit.
Meteorol. 62,450-456, töflusíða og 3 kort.
S. Tromholt 1884. Sun-glows and volcanic emptions in
Iceland. Nature 29, 420. On the aurora borealis in
Iceland. Sama rit, 537-538. Sjá einnig bók Trom-
holts “Breve fra Ultima Thule”, Gravenhorst, Ran-
ders 1885, 344 bls.
W. Wiese 1925. Die Einwirkung der mittleren Lufttem-
peratur im Friihling in Nord-Island auf die mittlere
Lufttemperatur des nachfolgenden Winters in Eu-
ropa. Meteorol. Zeitschr. 42,53-57.
Th. Zingg 1941. Die Polarstation Snaefellsjökull
1932/33. í: Année Polaire Intemationale 1932-1933.
Participation Suisse. Station centrale suisse de
Météorologie, Ziirich. 22 bls., auk 69 bls. af töflum
og 6 myndasíðna.
Summary
The two Intemational Polar Years and the
field research station at Snæfellsjökull,
W-Iceland in 1932-33
After 1815 there was increasing interest in explo-
ration of the polar regions, and scientists also felt a
growing need for international collaboration in fields
studying global phenomena, such as in meteorology
and geomagnetism. By 1880 it was realized that regu-
lar series of observations in the polar areas might be of
more value for science than sporadic results from brief
expeditions. This led to the first International Polar
Year 1882-83, during which much effort was spent on
establishing research stations in the Arctic. No stations
were set up in Iceland at this time. In the next few
decades, however, many meteorologists in Europe
turned their attention to the Iceland region as an impor-
tant “center of action” in the generation of EuropeV
weather, and meteorological expeditions were sent to
Iceland and Greenland.
By 1930, regular trans-Atlantic air communications
via Iceland were becoming an attractive possibility and
were a prime reason behing the organizing of a new
Polar Year effort half a century after the first one.
In the Second International Polar Year, a field station
was erected at 820 m altitude near the Snæfellsjökull
glacier in Westem Iceland by Danish and Swiss institu-
tions in collaboration with the Icelandic Meteorological
Office. The station was in operation for 10 months,
collecting meteorological and other geophysical data as
well as running a short-wave radio transmitter.
Also in 1932-33, Dutch meteorologists collected
valuable data on atmospheric conditions over Reykja-
vik by two biplanes and balloon observations. German
scientists made extensive meteorological and oceano-
graphic observations in the Iceland area, in close con-
nection with the 1932-33 Polar Yeai' activities. Additio-
nally, geomagnetic variations were recorded by Th.
Thorkelsson in Reykjavik for a while at this time, but a
permanent magnetic observatory was not set up in
Iceland until 1957.
JÖKULL, No. 46, 1998
47