Re: [Phys-l] polar grid navigation

[Ken Caviness <caviness@southern.edu>]

So the problem comes from looking at a map which has longitude circles for 80°S, 70°S, 66°34'S, 60°S, and horizontal/vertical rays or lines for 0°, 90°E, 180° and 90°W latitude, and then assuming that South is towards the bottom of the map, East is toward the right side of the map -- despite the clearly labeled circles and lines.

I would not call this a mistake by navigators and scientists.  It is a mistake by the news reports.  It is the same sort of mistake as if I were to look at a map such as these (http://flourish.org/upsidedownmap/) and used the word "south" to describe the direction "toward the bottom of the map", i.e., north!

Ken

-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of chuck britton
Sent: Wednesday, 15 February 2012 10:11 AM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] polar grid navigation

Thanks for pointing this out, Mike.
.
At 9:58 AM -0500 2/15/12, Edmiston, Mike wrote:
> So... after all the messages posted on this list-serv ridiculing the 
> news reports... it turns out the news reports were correct.  If you use 
> the pseudo grid for Antarctica that navigators and scientists in 
> Antarctica are known to use (where grid north aligns with the prime 
> meridian), then Lake Vostok is indeed southeast of the south pole.
> Actually I would call it "east southeast".
>
> If you Google "Antarctica map" you can find quite a few jpg images of 
> maps of Antarctica.  Many of them are gridded as Hugh Haskell 
> described.  On these gridded maps Lake Vostok  is indeed east southeast 
> of the south pole.  The news folks didn't make those maps.
> The scientists and navigators and geographers made those maps.
>
> Here is one such map... http://geology.com/world/antarctica-map.jpg
> and it shows Lake Vostok.
>
> Michael D. Edmiston, PhD.
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