Antarctic Map Folio Series

Vivian C. Bushnell introduces the American Geographical Society’s Antarctic Map Folio Series, intended to summarize current knowledge of Antarctica through unbound maps and accompanying text, and describes its first three published folios. Folio 1, Aeronomical Maps for the Antarctic, chiefly maps ionospheric conditions during the IGY and IGC, using sounding data from 28 stations south of 30°S; its text explains the sounding principle and results. Folio 2, Physical Characteristics of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, maps surface elevations, ice thickness, annual snow accumulation, annual surface temperatures, and near-surface densities, with diagrams and photographs documenting deep-pit and core studies at ten stations. Folio 3, Antarctic Maps and Surveys 1900–1964, has plates compiled by the Society with the United States Geological Survey and text by George D. Whitmore. Eight plates show map coverage, two aerial-photography coverage, and one mapping control. Its text surveys mapping history, international cooperation, geographical naming procedures, and survey techniques; appendices list mapping centers, publishers, and maps covering the whole continent.