Drifting Station Alpha Documentary Film from 1957-1958 Arctic Expedition

One documentary film chronicles the 19-month drift of Station Alpha from April 1957 to November 1958. The film is narrated by project leader Norbert Untersteiner and documents the team's camp construction and experimental setup. It is hosted by the National Snow and Ice Data Center and available for download.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical methods for Arctic camp construction and logistics.
• Studying sea ice conditions and motion 500 km north of Barrow, Alaska.
• Researching scientific activities and daily life during the International Geophysical Year.
• Using the film as a visual reference for changes in Arctic exploration techniques.

Strengths

• Covers a continuous 19-month time period from April 1957 to November 1958.
• Provides a primary source narrated by the expedition's project leader, Norbert Untersteiner.
• Dataset is hosted on multiple platforms, indicating established archival importance.

Limitations

• No structured column data is available; the dataset is a single video file.
• Conflicting metadata exists for the 'last updated' field (1958 vs. 2026).
• The specific license terms under 'other-license-specified' are not detailed.

Provenance

Source

National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDCV0).

Collection Method

Filmed documentation of activities on the drifting ice station.

Time Range

April 1957 to November 1958.

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:16:39.934695

Geography

Arctic Ocean, approximately 500 km north of Barrow, Alaska, USA.