The Discovery Committee was a popular name for the Interdepartmental Committee for the Dependencies of the Falkland Islands established by the
British Government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
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, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
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to carry out scientific investigations (which became known as ‘
Discovery Investigations
The Discovery Investigations were a series of scientific cruises and shore-based investigations into the biology of whales in the Southern Ocean. They were funded by the British Colonial Office and organised by the Discovery Committee in London, wh ...
’) and to propose nature resource conservation and economic development policies for the
Falkland Islands Dependencies
The Falkland Islands Dependencies was the constitutional arrangement from 1843 until 1985 for administering the various British territories in Sub-Antarctica and Antarctica which were governed from the Falkland Islands and its capital Port Sta ...
.
During more than 25 years (1925–51) of pioneering work, the Committee's research ships (
Robert Scott’s ship), and collected an enormous amount of
oceanographic
Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics ...
,
biological, and
geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
data published in 38 volumes, contributing greatly to the knowledge of the world's southern regions. Particularly extensive was the new data related to all aspects of the island of
South Georgia. Among the results of the investigations was also the discovery of the natural boundary of
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
, the
Antarctic Convergence
The Antarctic Convergence or Antarctic Polar Front is a marine belt encircling Antarctica, varying in latitude seasonally, where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet the relatively warmer waters of the sub-Antarctic. Antarctic waters pr ...
.
See also
*
Discovery Investigations
The Discovery Investigations were a series of scientific cruises and shore-based investigations into the biology of whales in the Southern Ocean. They were funded by the British Colonial Office and organised by the Discovery Committee in London, wh ...
*
History of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
The history of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is relatively recent. When European explorers discovered the islands, they were uninhabited, and their hostile climate, mountainous terrain, and remoteness made subsequent settlement ...
References
* Robert K. Headland, ''The Island of South Georgia'', Cambridge University Press, 1984.
Scientific organisations based in the United Kingdom
Environment of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
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