POLAR REGIONS

Arctic Exploration

S coresby (1798-1857) first went to the Arctic on his father’s whaling ship. He explored many miles of Arctic coastline. Unconvinced The Tsar still believed that Siberia and North America were connected and wanted Bering to look again. Bering was delayed for six years in Russia but started again in 1740. He had to repeat his trek across Siberia and build new ships. But this time luck was with him and he explored the west coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. He also mapped long stretches of the north Siberian coastline. Disaster struck in 1741. On the return voyage from North America their ship ran aground and was wrecked. Bering died of scurvy , bringing the total who perished on the expedition to 30. But Bering had discovered rich sealing and whaling grounds, which brought wealth to the Tsar. B ering was born in Denmark in 1681. He died of scurvy in 1741 on an island off the Alaskan coast.

Scoresby – A Scientific Whaler

William Scoresby was one of the most successful Arctic whaling captains. He first sailed in ships owned by his father. He was well educated and his books about the Arctic contained more scientific knowledge than any before. During his voyages he drew snowflakes and measured the temperature of the sea. He discovered that warmer water lies underneath the cold surface of the Arctic waters and he was the first to record the currents in the Arctic Ocean.

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