James Lovelock’s notebook from the RRS Shackleton voyage
- Made:
- 1971
Notebook belonging to James Lovelock, describing samples and measurements he took whilst aboard RRS Shackleton during a research voyage to Antarctica, 1971-1972. Manuscript, pen , felt tip pen, ink, pencil. One detached page and looks like a page has been torn out. Depth 20 mm. Measurements open vertically 400 mm (h).
This is the original data Lovelock gathered on the Shackleton voyage using his highly sensitive electron capture detector (ECD). It was later published in the leading scientific journal Nature in 1973. The ECD measurements showed how chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) had spread throughout the atmosphere of both the northern and southern hemispheres. This data raised awareness of the extent of CFCs in the atmosphere and played a part in the eventual regulation and phasing out of their production, starting in the late 1970s.