Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names

The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (ACAN or US-ACAN) is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending commemorative names for features in Antarctica.[1]

History

The committee was established in 1943 as the Special Committee on Antarctic Names (SCAN).[2] It became the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names in 1947.[1] Fred G. Alberts was Secretary of the Committee from 1949 to 1980.[1]

By 1959, a structured nomenclature was reached, allowing for further exploration, structured mapping of the region and a unique naming system. A 1990 ACAN gazeeter of Antarctica listed 16,000 names.[2]

Description

The United States does not recognise territorial boundaries within Antarctica, so ACAN will assign names to features anywhere within the continent, in consultation with other national nomenclature bodies where appropriate, as defined by the Antarctic Treaty System.[3] The research and staff support for the ACAN is provided by the United States Geological Survey.[4]

ACAN has a published policy on naming, based on priority of application, appropriateness, and the extent to which usage has become established.[5] The United States Secretary of the Interior is in charge of formally appointing the members of the committee.[1]

Names attributed by the ACAN

See also

References
  1. Gazetteer of the Antarctic: Names Approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names. National Science Foundation. 1989.
  2. Meredith F. Burrill (1990). 1890-1990, a Century of Service: United States Board on Geographic Names. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.
  3. "U.S. Board on Geographic Names". Usgs.gov. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  4. "Eighth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names" (PDF). Unstats.un.org. 24 June 2002. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  5. Policy Covering Antarctic Names
  6. "Pine Island Glacier". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  7. "Icebergs A-68 and B-46 in Antarctica". Esa.int. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  8. "In Memoriam: Winifred Reuning". Usap.gov. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  9. "US names mountain after an Indian-American scientist". Indiatimes.com. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  10. "Jacobel Glacier". Stolaf.edu. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  11. "Ashworth Glacier". Ndsu.edu. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  12. "Thwaites Glacier". geonames.usgs.gov. United States Geological Survey. 1 January 1967. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  13. "Thwaites Glacier". apc.antarctica.ac.uk. UK Antarctic Place-names Committee (APC). 1 April 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
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