The joint Arctic weather stations : science and sovereignty in the high Arctic, 1946-1972

This is the first systematic account of the Joint Arctic Weather Stations (JAWS), a collaborative science program between Canada and the United States that created a distinctive state presence in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from 1946-1972. These five meteorological stations, constructed at Eureka, Resolute, Isachsen, Mould Bay, and Alert, became remote hubs for science and sovereignty, revealing the possibilities and limits of modernity in the High Arctic. Drawing on extensive archival evidence, unpublished personal memoirs, and interviews with former JAWS personnel, this book systematically analyzes the diplomatic, scientific, social, environmental, and civil-military dimensions of this binational program. From the corridors of power in Washington and Ottawa to everyday life at the small outposts, The Joint Arctic Weather Stations explores delicate statecraft, changing scientific practices, as well as the distinctive station cultures that emerged as humans coped with isolation in polar environments. Front Cover 1 Half Title Page 2 Series Page 3 Full Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Acronyms 14 Introduction 18 The State: Looking Down on JAWS 24 Experiencing JAWS: Views from Below 27 Overview of the Book 31 1 | Background: The Long Build-Up 38 Meteorology as Science in Nineteenth-Century North America 49 Meteorology and Arctic Stations 53 Weather, the Great War, and the Air Age 60 The Second World War, Meteorology, and a New Northern Focus 71 2 | Negotiating JAWS, 1945–47 84 Finding Funding 98 Canadian Concerns 103 Sovereignty, Security, and Science 107 Operation Nanook (1946) 114 Compromise and Cooperation 118 Reaching an Agreement 124 3 | Situating the First Stations, 1947–48 130 Slidre Fiord (Eureka Sound), Ellesmere Island, 80 15'N., 86 11'W. 134 Task Force 68 Ventures North 146 Resolute, Cornwallis Island, 74 70'N., 94 54'W. 157 4 | Finishing the Network, 1948–50 178 Isachsen, Ellef Ringnes Island, 78 46'40' N., 103 31'40' W. 182 Mould Bay, Prince Patrick Island, 76 14'16'N., 119 20'28'W. 189 Resupplying the Stations: The Trials of Task Force 80 193 Early Life at the Stations 200 Adapting to the Environment 207 Canadian Capabilities, Sovereignty, and the Resupply Missions of 1949–50 210 Alert, Ellesmere Island, 82 30'06'N., 62 19'47'W. 212 5 | Who Did the Stations Need... and Who Did TheyGet? 226 Incentives, Positions, and Recruitment 228 Training 239 Sovereignty Concerns 245 Who had the “Right Stuff”? 246 Getting There 251 6 | Science at the Stations 254 The Meteorological Program 258 Surface Observations 260 Upper Air Observations 264 Additional Scientific Observations at the Joint Arctic Weather Stations 276 Science Hubs 280 Scientific Cultures 290 7 | The Seasonal Cycle 300 Emerging from Winter 302 Spring 304 Summer 314 Autumn 325 Winter 330 8 | Getting Along at the Top of the World 342 Keeping Busy 343 Breaking Up the Monotony 344 Animals 353 Food 359 Alcohol and Drugs 364 Sexuality 365 Coping with Isolation 372 Leadership 375 Shared Command and Canadian Sovereignty 378 9 | Canadianization: Getting Out of Joint? 386 Conceptualizing Canadianization: Breaking the Ice 388 The Stations, the DEW Line, and the ‘Delicate Balance of Manpowerin the Northern Arctic’ 393 The High Arctic Relocations of Inuit: A Form of Canadianization? 403 Last Call for Canadianization 412 The End of a Bilateral Partnership 417 Conclusions 424 JAWS and Cold War Imperialism, Sovereignty, and Militarization 425 Scientific Colonies? 431 Stations as Spaces and Places of Everyday Scientific Life 437 From JAWS to HAWS 443 Notes 458 Bibliography 554 Archival Sources 554 Secondary Sources 561 Index 586 Back Cover 602 "The first comprehensive study of the Canada-U.S. Joint Arctic Weather Stations, systematically analyzing large- and small-scale aspects from scientific diplomacy to site logistics to understand how these isolated posts were so successful. The Joint Arctic Weather Stations were five meteorological and scientific monitoring stations constructed at Resolute, Eureka, Mould Bay, Isachsen, and Alert with the cooperation of the Canadian Department of Transport's meteorological branch and the United States Weather Bureau. From 1947 to the early 1970s as few as four Canadians and four Americans worked and lived at each of the four satellite stations, observing and collecting scientific data. This is the first systematic account of the Joint Arctic Weather Stations, a project that profoundly shaped state activates and scientific inquiry in the Arctic Archipelago. Drawing on extensive archival evidence, unpublished personal memoirs, and interviews with former employees, The Joint Arctic Weather Stations analyzes the diplomatic, scientific, social, military, and environmental dimensions of the program alongside each station as a nexus of state planning and personal agency. Contrary to previous scholarship, The Joint Arctic Weather Stations reveals that Canadian officials sought--and achieved--a firm policy that afforded effective control of Canada's Arctic while enjoying the advantages of American contribution to the joint meteorological program. It explores the changing ways science was conducted over time and how the details of everyday life at remote stations, from the climate to leisure activities to debates over alcohol, hunting, and leadership, shaped the program's effectiveness. An exploration of the full duration of the Joint Arctic Weather Stations from high-level planning and diplomacy to personal interactions in the stations makes this book an essential exploration of collaborative polar science in the North American Arctic."-- Provided by publisher