Kim Crosbie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Alma mater | BSc University of Aberdeen MPhil & PhD St Catharine's College, Cambridge |
| Awards | Polar medal (2016) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators |
| Website | http://iaato.org/the-secretariat |
Kim Crosbie FRSGS is a former Executive Director of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) [1] and has been working in the polar regions since 1991.
Crosbie is from Edinburgh, Scotland, and she completed her undergraduate degree in Geography at the University of Aberdeen. In 1991 Crosbie began conducting post-Graduate research at the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) at the University of Cambridge, where she gained an M.Phil. in environmental protection in the Canadian Arctic. [2] She then embarked on a PhD that focused on the ecological monitoring and management of visitor sites in the Antarctic. This required three austral summer seasons in primitive conditions at a temporary field camp on Cuverville Island in the Antarctic Peninsula surrounded by some 4,500 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins. [3] During this time, Crosbie spent two seasons as field camp leader at a small temporary field camp. [4]
Following completion of her PhD, Crosbie remained in the field of visitor management, leading expeditions to the Arctic and the Antarctic, [2] primarily onboard expedition vessels, supporting groups of students, film makers, authors, artists and those simply interested in experiencing these unique environments in a sustainable way. She has subsequently described how such Antarctic tourism programmes "enrich a visitor’s experience of Antarctica by getting them involved and contributing to something bigger." [5]
Crosbie's Polar career began in 1991 when she joined the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, as a research student and member of St Catharine's College, Cambridge. Initially working in the Canadian Arctic, she attributes her love of cold places to growing up in Scotland. [6] In 2005, Crosbie joined the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) as Environmental Manager and subsequently Operations Director before being appointed Executive Director in 2013. [4] As Executive Director, Crosbie was responsible for the Association's strategic planning process, including sustainable tourism growth management strategies. Crosbie directed IAATO's efforts with the Antarctic Treaty Parties and other government bodies relevant to Antarctic tourism, including the International Maritime Organization (for instance, working on the Polar Code, which was adopted in 2014). [7]
Crosbie has published scientific papers and books with a diverse range of scientists and non-governmental representatives. Aspects of this work have contributed to the development of a series of visitor site guidelines both in the Antarctic and the small sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, as well as guidelines on wildlife and tourism [8] and the use of new technologies such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). [9] Crosbie has also addressed the topic of citizen science, outreach and education: "This is more of an opportunity than a challenge, through citizen science, we can create ambassadors for the continued protection of Antarctica and build on education efforts through social media and elsewhere.". [10] Currently, Crosbie Chairs the Boards of Noble Caledonia Ltd and Salén Ship Management and is a Trustee of United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust and Noble Caledonia Charitable Trust. She also sits on the Board of the Polar Tourism Guides Association.
In 2016, Crosbie was awarded the Polar Medal for contributions to knowledge in the Arctic and the Antarctic [3] [6] and was elected to an honorary fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (FRSGS). [11]
The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. It was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War, setting aside the continent as a scientific preserve, establishing freedom of scientific investigation, and banning military activity; for the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude. Since September 2004, the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, which implements the treaty system, is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Antarctic is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole.
The International Polar Years (IPY) are collaborative, international efforts with intensive research focus on the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor in 1875, but died before it first occurred in 1882–1883. Fifty years later (1932–1933) a second IPY took place. The International Geophysical Year was inspired by the IPY and was organized 75 years after the first IPY (1957–58). The fourth, and most recent, IPY covered two full annual cycles from March 2007 to March 2009.
McMurdo Sound, a sound in Antarctica, is the southernmost navigable body of water in the world, located approximately 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) from the South Pole.
Oden is a large Swedish icebreaker, built in 1988 for the Swedish Maritime Administration. It is named after the Norse god Odin. First built to clear a passage through the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia for cargo ships, it was later modified to serve as a research vessel. Equipped with its own helicopter and manned by 15 crew members it has ample capacity to carry laboratory equipment and 80 passengers, functioning independently in harsh Polar ice packs of the Arctic and Antarctic seas. It was the first non-nuclear surface vessel to reach the North Pole, together with the German research icebreaker Polarstern. It has participated in several scientific expeditions in Arctic and Antarctica.
The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom to individuals who have outstanding achievements in the field of polar research, and particularly for those who have worked over extended periods in harsh climates. It was instituted in 1857 as the Arctic Medal, and renamed the Polar Medal in 1904.
Lars-Eric Lindblad was a Swedish-American entrepreneur and explorer, who pioneered tourism to many remote and exotic parts of the world. He led the first tourist expedition to Antarctica in 1966 in a chartered Argentine navy ship, and for many years operated his own vessel, the MS Lindblad Explorer, in the region. Observers point to the Lindblad Explorer’s 1969 expeditionary cruise to Antarctica as the frontrunner to today's sea-based tourism there.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) was founded in 1991 by seven companies. The primary goal of the association is to "advocate and promote the practice of safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to the Antarctic".
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14,200,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi). Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of 1.9 km (1.2 mi).
Tourism started in Antarctica by the sea in the 1960s. Air overflights started in the 1970s with sightseeing flights by airliners from Australia and New Zealand, and were resumed in the 1990s. The (summer) tour season lasts from November to March. Most of the estimated 14,762 visitors to Antarctica from 1999–2000 were on sea cruises. During the 2009 to 2010 tourist season, over 37,000 people visited Antarctica.
Students on Ice Foundation is a Canadian charitable organisation that leads educational expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic for international high school and university students. Its mandate is to provide youth, educators and scientists from around the world with learning and teaching opportunities in the polar regions, with the goal of fostering an understanding of, and commitment to building a more sustainable future.
The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters or Polar Code is an international regime adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2014. The Code sets out regulations for shipping in the polar regions, principally relating to ice navigation and ship design. The international framework aims to protect the two polar regions — the Arctic and Antarctic, from maritime risks. The Code entered into force on 1 January 2017.
Piloto Pardo was a Chilean Navy auxiliary ship from 1959 until 1997. After decommissioning she was converted to an Antarctic expedition cruise ship and operated as such until 2012 under the name MV Antarctic Dream.
Oceanwide Expeditions is a Dutch company specializing in expedition-style voyages to Antarctica and the Arctic. Deploying its own fleet of ice-strengthened vessels, Oceanwide emphasizes small-scale, flexible tours that provide passengers close contact with polar wildlife, landscapes, and historical sites. Tours usually take place in regions only accessible by sea, with little to no infrastructure. The locations visited are first reached by ship, after which expedition guides take small groups of passengers to landing sites by way of Zodiac Milpro RIBs, enabling safe cruising and maximum shore time.
Poseidon Expeditions is a provider of polar expeditions. The company was started in 1999 as a tour operator specializing in expedition cruises to the North Pole and the Russian High Arctic aboard icebreakers and ice-strengthened ships.
Kathleen Elizabeth Conlan is an Antarctic marine biologist who studies sea floor marine life. She was named one of Canada's greatest explorers by Canadian Geographic.
Justine Shaw is an Australian Antarctic researcher, best known for her conservation work on subantarctic islands, currently working at the Queensland University of Technology. She has a wide global research network, having worked in Australia, South Africa, sub-Antarctic/Antarctic and the Arctic.
Jennifer Lee is an Antarctic researcher, best known for her work on invasion biology. She is the Environment Officer in the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
Monika Petra Puskeppeleit is a German physician, public health manager and scientific researcher with special interest in medicine of remote areas, especially polar regions. She is the first German medical doctor and station leader of the first all-woman team to overwinter in Antarctica.
Sally Poncet is an Australian-born scientist and adventurer who has explored and studied the Antarctic region since 1977. Her specialty is birds and she made extensive studies of albatross and their habitats for the British Antarctic Survey. She has written guidebooks on preservation of the flora and fauna of South Georgia and received numerous awards and honors, including the Blue Water Medal, the Fuchs Medal and the Polar Medal for her contributions to understanding the southern polar region.
