The anxieties of a science diplomat: field coproduction of climate knowledge and the rise and fall of Hans Ahlmann's polar warming

In the decades between the world wars there were several attempts to document and explain perceived tendencies of atmospheric warming. Hans Ahlmann, a seminal figure in modern glaciology and a science policy adviser and diplomat, constructed a theory of "polar warming" using field results...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inOsiris (Bruges) Vol. 26; p. 66
Main Author Sörlin, Sverker
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 2011
Subjects
Arctic Regions
Climate
Climate Change
Greenland
History, 20th Century
Meteorology - history
Norway
Research - history
Arctic Regions
Norway
Greenland
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:In the decades between the world wars there were several attempts to document and explain perceived tendencies of atmospheric warming. Hans Ahlmann, a seminal figure in modern glaciology and a science policy adviser and diplomat, constructed a theory of "polar warming" using field results from glacier melting in the Arctic. This article aims to link the rise and fall of "polar warming" with Ahlmann's style of fieldwork. In Ahlmann's view, fieldwork should (1) enhance credibility of polar climate science by emulating laboratory methods and (2) secure knowledge in remote places through collaboration with local residents and fieldworkers. The bodily nature of this style of knowledge production turned out to be an asset in establishing Ahlmann's theory of polar warming but ultimately proved nonresilient to theories of anthropogenic climate change, which became influential from the 1950s onward.
ISSN:0369-7827
DOI:10.1086/661265