ABSTRACT
Although seldom stated as aims, adventure, romance of the unknown, and freedom from the restrictions of civilization have often been underlying and compelling incentives for Arctic exploration, especially in the past. Even today they exert a strong, often unadmitted, influence over many persons. However, in general the fundamental aims of Arctic exploration are purely scientific—to learn more about the North, to solve the many problems that confront us there and which must be solved before we are in a position to describe the North accurately and completely. From this point of view the North differs from no other region; where it does differ is in the fact that we know so little about it compared with most other parts of the world.
