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Jargon Buster
Alpha The first of the expedition’s two sledges, led by Raven
Baffin Island The home of the expedition dogs and the team’s training base. The island is the size of France but has a population of just 8,500 people. There are less than ten miles of road on the entire island and the surrounding ocean is frozen solid for seven months of the year.
Bartlett Camp The point from which the ship’s Captain, Robert Bartlett and the final support party returned to the Roosevelt in 1909. (87° 47΄N)
Big Lead Camp The point at which the 1909 expedition party where held up for nearly a week by open water
Borup Camp The point from which George Borup and his support party returned to the Roosevelt in 1909. (85° 23΄N)
Cape Columbia Peary’s start point on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island. He built a base camp here called Crane City where many provisions were stored. (83° 07΄N)
Eagle The second sled, led by Qimmik
Ellesmere Ice Shelf A floating sheet of ice 300 metres thick, attached to the northern coast of Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island The tenth largest island in the world ( Great Britain is only marginally bigger) located high in Arctic Canada. It has a population of just 168 people and is almost completely covered in ice. The team begin their journey from its northern shore
Eureka Military Air Base and weather station located at 80°N on Ellesmere Island. The Twin Otters will be based here throughout the expedition
FF Very very very cold!
Full Moon Pack ice is at its most unstable around a full moon – much rafting and leads opening at this time
Goodsell/Macmillan Camp The point from which the expedition doctor John Goodsell & Donald MacMillan and their support parties returned to the Roosevelt in 1909. (84° 29΄N)
Hoarfrost Deposit of crystalline ice
Ice Drift The natural movement of the pack ice across the Arctic Ocean, caused by underwater currents and winds
Ice Fog Poor visibility caused by suspension of numerous minute ice crystals in the air
Ice Front The seaward edge of an ice shelf
Ice Island A form of tabular iceberg only found in the Arctic Ocean up to 50 metres thick and 300 square miles in area
Ice Rafting Pressure process by which one pan overrides another
Inuit The native people of the Arctic
Iqaluit Located on Baffin Island (the world’s fifth largest), Iqaluit is the capital of Canada’s biggest territory, Nunavut. Home of Matty McNair and the team’s training base for the 2 weeks prior to departure
Komatiq The Inuit word for sled
Latitude Sometimes known as ‘Parallels’, these lines on the map latitudes wrap themselves around the Earth from the Equator to the Poles in a series of ever shrinking parallel lines. The Equator is 0° and the North Pole is 90° North. Each degree of latitude is exactly 60 nautical miles apart. Cape Columbia is located at 83° 07’ North.
Lead A crack of open water which forms in the pack ice, often at short notice. It can be from a few feet to a few miles wide
Lomonosov Ridge A major submarine ridge which runs for several hundred miles south from the Pole. Ice drift is stronger either side of the ridge so expeditions aim to keep as close to the quieter ice above the ridge as possible
Longitude Lines of longitude circle the globe in giant rings, all of which converge as they pass through the North and South Pole. Greenwich is located at 0°, whilst Cape Columbia is located at 70° 27’ West.
Magnetic North Pole The point at which the Earth’s magnetic field is centred. Its position can move 50 miles in a year and currently lies near Ellesmere Island nearly 1000 miles from the Geographic North Pole. Your compass points at the Magnetic North Pole, not the Geographic Pole.
Marvin Camp The point from which Ross Marvin and his support party returned to the Roosevelt in 1909. (86° 48΄N)
Napu Inuit term for wooden slats that run across the sled
Nautical Mile One sixtieth of a degree of latitude, which equals 1.852km or 1.1508 statute miles to be precise
North Pole 90° North. This is the centre of the Earth’s Axis, the point around which the globe spins. The sun rises and sets once a year at this unique place. If you are standing at the North Pole, the only direction you can travel is due south. It truly is the top of the world. Sometimes called the Geographic Pole.
Pack Ice General term for floating sea ice
Pan An area of flat floating ice. Anything from 20 metres to 10 miles wide. Perfect terrain for travel
Pituk Inuit term for length of rope at the front of the komatiq, which attaches to the dog traces
Polar Bear The largest land carnivore on the planet and the Arctic Ocean is their natural habitat. Has a reputation as being the only animal that actively hunts humans
Pressure Ridge A ridge or wall of jumbled ice blocks up to 10 metres high. Formed when two pans of ice are forced together by the moving ice pack, crushing weaker re-frozen leads into ice blocks
Resolute Bay Small settlement and air field located at 75΄N on Cornwallis Island. The team will stop over here for 24 hours en route to Cape Columbia
Resupply A depot of food and fuel, delivered by support parties of men and dogs in Peary’s day, or by a Twin Otter today
Rime Deposit of ice grains produced by rapid freezing of super-cooled water droplets. Has similar texture to sandpaper. Difficult surface for travel
Sastrugi Sharp, irregular ridges of windblown snow up to 2 metres high
SS Roosevelt Peary’s ship, named after the US President and expedition patron, Theodore Roosevelt
The Big Lead A giant lead that often forms about 50 miles north of Ellesmere Island – particularly around the time of the full moon. In 1909 Peary said it was as wide as the Hudson River and stretched from east to west as far as the eye could see
Twin Otter Twin-engined ski plane
Water Sky Dark streak on the underside of clouds, indicating the presence of open water up ahead

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