The Joint Arctic Weather Stations Science and Sovereignty in the High Arctic, 1946-1972

The Joint Arctic Weather Stations

Science and Sovereignty in the High Arctic, 1946-1972

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This is the first systematic account of the Joint Arctic Weather Stations (JAWS), a collaborative science program between Canada and the United States that created a distinctive state presence in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from 1946-1972. These five meteorological stations, constructed at Eureka, Resolute, Isachsen, Mould Bay, and Alert, became remote hubs for science and sovereignty, revealing the possibilities and limits of modernity in the High Arctic.

Drawing on extensive archival evidence, unpublished personal memoirs, and interviews with former JAWS personnel, this book systematically analyzes the diplomatic, scientific, social, environmental, and civil-military dimensions of this binational program. From the corridors of power in Washington and Ottawa to everyday life at the small outposts, The Joint Arctic Weather Stations explores delicate statecraft, changing scientific practices, as well as the distinctive station cultures that emerged as humans coped with isolation in polar environments.

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About the author

Daniel Heidt

Chercheur indépendant, Daniel Heidt est specialiste en histoire politique de l'Ontario et du Canada ainsi que l'Arctique dans la période de la Guerre froide. Il a fondé et géré Les Débats sur la Confédération.

P. Whitney Lackenbauer

P. WHITNEY LACKENBAUER is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo, Ontario, and the author of numerous books, including The Canadian Rangers: A Living History (2013), and co-author of Arctic Front: Defending Canadian Interests in the Far North, which won the Donner Prize in 2009.

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