Weather imaginaries
The exploration of Indlandsis: a cultural and scientific history of ice sheets to 1970.
Research by Jean de Pomereu.
September 2009 start (part-time), 2015 completion. University of Exeter: PI Dr Simon Naylor.
Overview
Jean's project was an in-depth study of the historic visual geographies of the cryosphere as recorded by British exploration.
Public perceptions of climate change are strongly configured around extreme weather events often located in remote polar or mountainous regions. Historically expeditions to these sites brought back increasing amounts of scientific information and laid the groundwork for the science of glaciology and broader understandings of the global climate system.
While the history of 19th and 20th century British exploration is well documented, the representation of cold spaces has never been considered in terms of the climate knowledge that was generated.
Find out more
A printed copy of this thesis is available for consultation in the Foyle Reading Room (reference only).
Please note that the British Library is currently working to restore its database following a cyber-security incident. An electronic copy of Jean's project will be available via EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service) once the system is back online.