Voyage of the Scotia 1902-04

The Antarctic

Bathymetrical survey of the South Atlantic Ocean and the Weddell Sea

This map, entitled "Bathymetric Survey of the South Atlantic Ocean and Weddell Sea" by William S Bruce, was printed at the Edinburgh Geographical Institute by J G Bartholomew and published in the Scottish Geographical Magazine of August 1905. It illustrated an article of the same title by the same author, under the heading "Some Results of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition".

Among other things, the article described the dreadful conditions in which those operating the depth-sounding apparatus had worked.

Their efforts produced invaluable results, however, including effectively disproving the validity of Sir James Clark Ross's sounding, taken in 1843, of 4000 fathoms (no bottom) at 68°34'S 12°49'W, and providing reliable data for discussion on the existence or otherwise of an Antarctic continent.