Report of the Scientific Results of the Voyage of S.Y. ‘Scotia’ during the years 1902, 1903, and 1904

1907-[1920]

Expeditions (Special Collections) Q115 S53 1902

Edinburgh: The Scottish Oceanographical Laboratory

Almost entirely privately funded by James and Andrew Coats, from a wealthy Scottish family, the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE) was considered to be a very successful expedition despite being overshadowed by Robert Falcon Scott’s 1901-04 Antarctic expedition aboard Discovery. The SNAE was led by experienced polar scientist and explorer, William Spiers Bruce and the expedition party left Scotland aboard the Scotia on November 2nd, 1902. During their research time in Antarctica a meteorological base was set up and became a permanent feature of the Antarctic landscape. Administered by the Argentinians and named Orcadas Base, the weather station has been in continuous operation since its inception and it is thought that the scientific research carried out during the expedition ‘laid the foundation of modern climate change studies’ (Wikipedia).