The discovery of climate change : The mapping of the Edsin-Gol River (Inner Mongolia) and the political significance of the work done by the Sino-Swedish Expedition (1927-1935)
Type
presentation
Date Issued
2005-07-17
Author(s)
Abstract
Led by the famous explorer Sven Hedin, the "Scientific Expedition to the Northwestern Provinces of China" (1927-1935) was a major undertaking that resulted in many publications in archaeology, geography, geology, paleontology, and climatology. The participants in the expedition collected data on the dessication of Chinese Central Asia, yet decided to not contribute to the debate on climate change in historical times. I will argue that their maps, sketches and pictures of the Edsin-gol river and delta can help us deconstruct the discussion on climate change in the 1930s. The maps based on the surveys conducted by Nils Hörner, Parker Chen, and Folke Bergman display information on the northernmost settlements of the Han dynasty in Central Asia. A network of watchtowers and forts protected an entire region that 2000 years ago supported a permanent population. In 1930, observers noticed that the sand and gravel of the Gobi desert had recovered the area for centuries. The scientists surveyed the previous shores of the terminal lakes, measured the volumes of the Edsin-gol river branches, etc., but they did not reach any definitive conclusion. The junior members of the Sino-Swedish Expedition were apparently unwilling to provide materials to racist geographers like Huntington at Yale and political ideologues in Berlin and Nanjing. The amazing discrepancy between physical evidence and visual interpretation, and between the reality of the Gobi desert and the expedition's topographical maps, travel accounts, and scientific reports, would illustrate the significance of the political context in the history of climate studies.
Language
English
Keywords
History of Cartography
Chinese Central Asia
Edsin-gol (Ejin he) delta
Sino-Swedish Expedition (1927-1935)
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
No
Event Title
International Conference on the History of Cartography
Event Location
Budapest (Hungary)
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
215217