Fridtjof Nansen

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Fridtjof Nansen Image:Nobel Prize.png
Image:Fridtjof Nansen LOC 03377u.jpg
BornOctober 10 1861(1861-10-10)
Christiania, Norway
DiedMay 13 1930 (aged 68)
Lysaker, Norway
Image:Fridtjof Nansen - Project Gutenberg eText 13103.jpg
Fridtjof Nansen

Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (born October 10, 1861 on the estate Store Frøen, near Christiania - died May 13, 1930 in Lysaker, outside Oslo) was a Norwegian explorer, scientist and diplomat. He was married to Eva Nansen (died 1907). Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his work as a League of Nations High Commissioner.

Contents

[edit] The Arctic exploration

Nansen made his first voyage to Greenland waters in a sealing ship in 1882, and in 1888 succeeded in crossing the Greenland icefield on skis from east to west with Otto Sverdrup, Olaf Dietrichson, Kristian Kristiansen Trana, Samuel Balto and Ole Nielsen Ravna. The ship was called Fram. In 1893, he sailed to the Arctic in the Fram (a purpose-built, round-hulled ship later used by Roald Amundsen to transport his expedition to Antarctica) which was deliberately allowed to drift north through the sea ice, a journey that took more than three years. During this first crossing of the Arctic Ocean the expedition became the first to discover the existence of a deep polar basin.

When, after more than one year in the ice it became apparent that Fram would not reach the North Pole, Nansen, accompanied by Hjalmar Johansen (1867–1913), continued north on foot when the Fram reached 84° 4´ N. This was a daring decision, as it meant leaving the ship not to return, and a return journey over drifting ice to the nearest known land some five hundred miles south of the point where they started. Nansen and Johansen started north on March 14, 1895 with three sledges, two kayaks and twenty-eight dogs. On April 8, 1895, they reached 86° 14´ N, the highest latitude then attained. The two men then turned around and started back, and did not find the land they expected at 83°N (it did not exist). In June 1895 they had to use their kayaks to cross open leads of water, and on July 24, they came across a series of islands. Here they built a hut of moss, stones, and snow, and wintered, surviving on walrus blubber and polar bear meat. In May of the following year (1896), they started off again for Spitsbergen. After travelling for a month, not knowing where they were, they happened upon the British Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition (led by Frederick George Jackson) whose party were wintering on the island. Jackson informed them that they were in fact on Franz Josef Land. Finally, Nansen and Johansen made it back to Vardø in the north of Norway.[1]

Map of the Fram voyage and Nansen's journey at the Fram Museum (Frammuseet)

He was the first to note and describe dead water.

[edit] Academic career and scientific works

Nansen was a professor of zoology and later oceanography at the Royal Frederick University in Oslo and contributed with groundbreaking works in the fields of neurology and fluid dynamics.

Nansen was one of the founders of the neuron theory stating that the neural network consists of individual cells communicating with each other.

Nansen did extensive research into the behavior and origin of ocean currents, following his experiences from the Fram expedition. He was, together with the Swedish mathematician V. Walfrid Ekman, deeply involved in the discovery of how currents are generated from the planetary rotation and the formulation of the theory of the Ekman spiral that explains the phenomenon. He also invented a bottle for collection of water samples from various depths known as the Nansen bottle that, further developed by Shale Niskin, is still in use.

[edit] Diplomatic and political career

Before Norway's dissolution of its union with Sweden on 7 June 1905, Nansen had been a devoted republican, along with other prominent Norwegians like the authors Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Arne Garborg. However, after hearing compelling arguments from Sigurd Ibsen and others, Nansen changed his position (as did Bjørnson and Garborg) and was thereafter influential in convincing Prince Carl of Denmark that he should accept the position as king of Norway. In a referendum where the Norwegian electorate chose between a monarchy and a republic, Nansen campaigned for monarchy, certain it was the right thing for Norway, although the general view was that Nansen would be elected President if Norwegians chose republican rule. Carl was crowned as King Haakon VII after the referendum results indicated Norwegians' strong preference for monarchy.

Following Norway's independence, Nansen was appointed as the Norwegian ambassador in London (1906-08), becoming a close friend of King Edward VII and assuring support from Britain in the campaign for an international guarantee of Norwegian territorial integrity.

In the period between the wars Nansen's admirers made an unsuccessful effort to make him Prime Minister in a broad government based on all the non-socialist parties. This was proposed to counter the growth of Arbeiderpartiet, the Norwegian labour party. In 1925 Nansen co-founded Fedrelandslaget (The Fatherland Society), an anti-socialist political organisation that folded at the outbreak of the Second World War.

[edit] The League of Nations

After World War I, Nansen became involved in the League of Nations as a High Commissioner for several initiatives, including organisation of exchange of war prisoners and help to Russian refugees, in which campaign he originated the Nansen passport for refugees. He was aided by Vidkun Quisling in his work to help the Russian peasants. In 1917 and 1918 Nansen was in Washington D.C, he convinced the allies to allow essential food supplies to be brought through their blockade. In 1920 the League of Nations asked Nansen to send home many prisoners of war, most being in Russia. With limited funds Nansen sent home 450,000 within a year and a half. In 1921 Nansen was asked by the League of Nations to administer the newly formed High Commission for Refugees. Nansen created the “Nansen passport” for refugees, it eventually became recognised by fifty-two governments. Red Cross then asked him in 1921 to organise a relief program for the millions of Russians dying in the Russian Famine of 1921-1922. The West was suspicious that the Russian famine was created by government mismanagement of the economy and it was hard to gain funding, but still Nansen found enough supplies for between 7,000,000 and 22,000,000. For the next few years Nansen did some more humanitarian work, and in 1922 won the Nobel Peace Prize. He was involved in the negotiations between the Greek and Turkish governments that lead to the Treaty of Lausanne.[2] In the latter half of the 1920s he worked to solve the crisis involving the Armenians in Turkey.[3]

In 1896 he was awarded the Grand Cross of The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and in 1925 he received the Collar as well.

[edit] Expedition

(These paragraphs need significant rewriting).

The expedition of the Fram [to modify] the vessel Fram Items detailed: Expedition Amundsen and Fram. Having obtained an international fame thanks to his first expedition, Nansen presents to the Norwegian Geographic Corporation, a new project a transpolar drift, based on the vessel experience "the Jeannette", imprisoned 

and broken by the ices to the north of the New Siberia and of which the

debris were collected three years later to the southwestern extremity of the Groënland. It succeeds combining sufficient funds for his project.

Nansen decides to let his vessel construct according to a new conception, 

for that it be able to leave itself to take by the ices and rather solid
to withstand their pressure.  The Norwegian naval architect Hake Bowman,
constructs for him, the Fram (being able to be to have translated by
"forward"), a vessel of 402 crude, rigged barrels in three masts schooner
with a wing surface of an area of 600 m².

In order to be raised by the pressure of the ices instead of to be crushed, the Fram is constructed on specific plans, it possesses:

A flaked shell in the front and at the back, with united flanks to slip outside the ice in case of pressure, do drinks some oak, initially intended for the Norwegian navy, held under shelter during more than thirty years, with a total thickness of 70 to 80 cm.  ; one before reinforced and protected by a size sea in iron; a round candlepin; a back reinforced; a placed very low rudder in order not to to be broken by the ice; a wedges divided in three compartments stem, to assure the vessel security in case of water way; an interior composed from a parlor, and of 6 telephone booths; a machine to triple expansion of 220 CV being able to allow a To 7 thousand on time. Nansen foresees a trip of two to three years. It stocks therefore on board several years of food and of fuel, as well as many books and scientific instruments. It leaves his woman and his girl of six months and embarks.

September 24 1893, to the temperature 78° 30' N, the Fram begins his first hivernage, and the crew begins preparing itself to confront the Arctic winter and to lay out the vessel. Take by the ices, the vessel slips and rises to fall again to his initial place when his weight breaks the ice. September 29 1893, the vessel wins his first degree of latitude towards the center and the temperature descends to -14,5°C. The position reliefs show a light drift towards the north, but by of surprises zigzags. To Christmas, the temperature is of -40°C. The polls reveal funds well more important more than more foreseen and therefore a least importance of the sea currents on the drift. February 2 1894, at the time of the sun return, the vessel is located to 82° 10' N, but his position strongly will back up in July and August.

At the time of the spring, Nansen, carry out many excursions, and student the conditions of practicability of the ice floe, regarding an expedition towards the center North, and does to construct sleds and kayaks. The second hivernage begins, and December 12, the Fram attains 82° 30' N, latitude never again attained by a vessel, 833 kilometers only separate it again center. In January 1895, a huge monticule of pads of ice approaches the vessel, and buries it partially. March 14 1895, Nansen and his companion Johansen leaves the vessel and its companions to attempt to win the center north (cf chapter following). March 15 1895, the vessel attains the position 84° 4' N, but it is blocked in a thick mass of ice of eight meters of top, by a temperature of -40°C.

The third hivernage begins and in January 1896, the temperature attains his point more low -52°C. Fine May, while the vessel is located to the latitude 83° 45' N, of vast ranges of free waters are noticed and the vessel is released with explosive. July 12 1896, it sails at last in free waters after having, crossed an ice floe of 180 thousand. July 19 1896, the Fram approaches to the harbor of Skjervøy in Norway. damn


[edit] Posthumous honors

Fridtjof Nansen has had many honors awarded posthumously among which are:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, The Worst Journey in the World, Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1922, p. xx-xxiii
  2. ^ Clark, B. (2006). "Twice a Stranger". London: Granta Books.
  3. ^ The Nobel institute on Nansen
  4. ^ EGS on their Nansen medal
  5. ^ NERSC home page on Nansen
  6. ^ Centre for Development Co-operation in Fisheries page on the Nansen Programme
  7. ^ Kongsberg municipality on naming Nansen street (Norwegian)
  8. ^ Press release on street in Kosovo
  9. ^ Oslo municipality on the square (Norwegian)

[edit] See also

[edit] Further reading

by Nansen

  • Nansen, F. (1999). Farthest North. New York: Modern Library. (English translation of Nansen's own account of the Fram journey.)
  • Nansen, Fridtjof (1911). In Northern Mists. Arctic Exploration in Early Times . London: Heinemann. 2 vols.
  • Nansen, Fridtjof (1895). The First Crossing of Greenland.Longmans Green.

by others

  • Huntford, Roland. (1997). Nansen. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co.
  • Noel-Baker, Philip (1962). Nansen's Place in History. Oslo: Universitetsförlaget.  (26pp pamphlet)

[edit] External links

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