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SCAR Executive Secretary (1989 - 2005)
Dr. Peter Clarkson was born in 1945 and soon developed an interest in the polar regions. As a schoolboy he followed the progress of Sir Vivian Fuchs Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1955-58) and soon decided that he wanted a polar career. He graduated from Durham University in 1967 and immediately joined the British Antarctic Survey as a geologist. He spent the 1968 and 1969 austral winters at Halley Bay station on the Brunt Ice Shelf, Coats Land, Antarctica, and was Base Commander for the second winter. He carried out geological mapping in the Shackleton Range (80°S, 25°W) during the 1968-69 and 1969-70 austral summers before returning to the Department of Geology at Birmingham University to write up the work. He returned to Antarctica to do further summer field work in the Shackleton Range (1970-71), South Shetland Islands (1974-75), Shackleton Range (1977-78), and Antarctic Peninsula (1986-87). He was awarded the Polar Medal in 1976 and received a PhD from Birmingham in 1977.
In 1989 he left the British Antarctic Survey to take up the position of Executive Secretary of SCAR. During this time he represented SCAR at various international meetings, including 17 meetings of the Antarctic Treaty System, and ran the SCAR Secretariat. In his work he travelled all over the world but not to Antarctica! In 2004, shortly before he retired, he visited Dronning Maud Land with the newly appointed Executive Director of SCAR.
He retired in 2005 and takes occasional Antarctic refresher courses on cruise ships to the Antarctic Peninsula when he lectures on a variety of Antarctic subjects. He has written numerous scientific and general articles about the Antarctic, contributed Antarctic articles to travel books and encyclopaedias, and has written a book on volcanoes. He is a total enthusiast for all things Antarctic and will talk endlessly about his passion to anyone prepared to listen!
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