The Arctic Ocean is one of the harshest places on the planet. Nevertheless, people managed to be here for the first time even earlier than in the Pacific. What was the history of ocean exploration and who studied it? It is worth examining the information for each of the periods associated with this territory, from the era of the great geographical discoveries to the present day.
First researchers
For the first time in these places people were in the tenth-eleventh centuries. Pomors living in the territory of the modern Russian Federation sailed to the island of Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya, and also knew how to get to the Atlantic Ocean. By the end of the sixteenth century, Russian sailors knew the entire coastline to the very mouth of the Ob River. The era of great geographical discoveries has become a time of searching for new ways of communication and undiscovered lands. At these times, English, Russian and Dutch sailors began to try to find ways from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, floating along the shores of Asia and North America. In the north, many were hindered by the lack of equipment. So, the British Thorne and Hudson could not reach the pole. Willoughby and the Barents could not even sail to the Kara Sea - the preparation and the ship unsuitable for such a path predetermined the outcome of the trip.
Discovery of new straits
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, more successful attempts were made to explore the Arctic Ocean. Baffin continued the exploration of the ocean, repeating the journey in search of the Northwest Passage. He sailed off the coast of Greenland, discovered the mouth of the Straits of Lancaster and Smith. The ice did not allow him to penetrate further; therefore, Baffin decided that there was simply no further passage. The failure of the other expeditions that followed led to the fact that contemporaries could not prove the opposite.
Russian sailors
Russian scientists made a great contribution to the study of the Arctic Ocean. Thoughts about the existence of the passage did not leave people. Confidence in this was expressed by Gerasimov in 1525. The shortest path on ice, going from the Novaya Zemlya straits to the port of Providence, is five thousand six hundred and ten kilometers; this is the road from Murmansk to Vladivostok. A study of the Arctic Ocean along this route was carried out at the beginning of the seventeenth century by the pioneer Rebrov. He reached the mouth of the Yana River, and in the middle of the same century, Dezhnev managed to go further, go around the north-east of Asia and find the Bering Strait. But the unexpected happened. The history of the study of the Arctic Ocean developed tragically - Dezhnev's report was lost for eighty-eight years and was discovered only after the death of a traveler.
Continuation of searches
Until the end of the nineteenth century, scattered studies of the Arctic Ocean were conducted. The summary of events does not include revolutionary discoveries during this period. However, traveling to the north is still of considerable interest. Famous names are associated with these years - for example, Bering or Kruzenshtern. The rivalry between England and Russia in the matter of discovering new ways has intensified. The first sent north over sixty expeditions. The results of some of them have not yet been published. In 1770, the traveler Herk went to explore the Arctic Ocean. Hudson's research on the ocean has been sponsored. According to the results of the voyage, he wrote that he doubted the availability of the passage. Only new hypotheses and assumptions arose, no specifics appeared on the maps. Russian researchers embarked on the Great Northern Expedition, which was conceived by Peter the Great. The names of the participants are known even now - these are Chelyuskin, Laptevs, Ponchishchevs. But they did not complete the journey. However, the achievement was the thorough filling of the maps and the discovery of the northern point of Eurasia, which today bears the name of Cape Chelyuskin.
Late nineteenth century in the history of the study of the ocean
The Arctic has not been fully studied for a long time. Nevertheless, the nineteenth century is associated with many important names that have significantly influenced the exploration of the Arctic Ocean. Briefly worth mentioning are Rumyantsev and Kruzenshtern, the creators of the project to study the coast of America and reach the pole. As a result of numerous expeditions, it was discovered that the ocean has an uneven ice regime throughout the year. An innovative proposal has been made. Admiral Makarov adapted a special ship for movement. The first icebreaker called Ermak went as far as no one before. Foreign researchers managed to successfully advance during the trip of Fridtjof Nansen on the ship "Fram". In the process of drift, the scientist obtained important data on the topography of the ocean, the composition of the water mass and ice, and the climate of the central regions.
Studies of the early twentieth century
With the beginning of the new century, working conditions have changed. Studies of the Arctic Ocean in the 20th century made it possible to achieve more significant results due to a different level of equipment and training. Both the British and Russians, Americans, and Norwegians actively swam in the region. In 1909, steel icebreakers with powerful engines were created, which were able to create unique depth maps and reached the very mouth of the Lena River. However, the expedition to the pole undertaken in 1912 was not crowned with success. People still could not conquer the Arctic Ocean. Ocean research has been conducted in the western sector. In 1920, the fifth expedition of Rasmussen began, which reached from Greenland to Alaska. The first pole reached Piri.
Mastering the passage
The history of the study of the Arctic Ocean was directly related to the search for a path from Murmansk to Greenland. The breakthrough was made by the icebreaker Joseph Stalin, who was able to master the legendary passage. The direction of work has changed - the success of aviation made it possible to study the ice through the air, which Amundsen and Elsworth did. They found that north of Greenland there is no land. And Byrd was able to get by plane to the very pole. In the same way, scientists also studied Cape Barrow, in Alaska. In 1937, the first hydrometeorological station began to work in the ice, having studied the nature of the local waters. The relief that distinguishes the Arctic Ocean was also studied in detail. Ocean research has moved to the modern level.
The final stage of research
After the Second World War, when work was suspended, a new history of the north began. Laboratory methods began to be applied, and theory gained importance. Modern studies of the Arctic Ocean have led to the discovery of new ranges - Mendeleev and Lomonosov. Discovered at the bottom of the basin have transformed previous views on the relief. From the middle of the century, teams of travelers were delivered to the ice, who could conduct a lot of research in a short time. They discovered the Hakkel Range, an underwater volcanic formation. In 1963, a man managed to get to the pole on an atomic boat under the ice. In 1977 an expedition was carried out on an icebreaker, which also ended successfully. Man conquered the Arctic Ocean.
Research on the ocean continues to Canadian, American, Russian scientists. But the nature of their work is gaining more theoretical and experimental meaning - there are no white spots on the map of these territories, and the journey to the North Pole no longer seems to be a challenge that could cost a brave wanderer of life, which was so relevant several centuries ago, from the era of the Great geographical discoveries and until the end of the nineteenth century.